# England Pellet/Stove burner auger stops after running for 30 mins!



## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

We have an England corn stove model 10cdv that is about 4 years old.  We recieved it from our inlaws and it had never been used.  It had been sitting in a heated/airconditioned storage for the last 4 years.  We have tried to get it to work a dozen times and have been on the phone with England Stove Works half a dozen times trying to get the burner to work.  England has not told us much except we need to buy all replacement parts and we are not willing to pay that much money to replace every part in a "new" burner.  Here is what is happening and I hope we can get some advice because there is a big winter storm coming tonight!

The burner will go into start-up mode just fine.  Everything seems to work properly and the auger is running great.  The start-up mode lasts about 20 mins and we have a great orange/red fire going.  Then about 20 mins after start-up mode is done the auger just stops feeding and the fire obviously goes out due to no fuel. While on the phone with England stove works they had me test the control panel...everything is hooked up correctly and working....they had me override the heat sensor...turn off the vacum switch....override the vacum switch....and the same thing happens everytime.  The auger just stops working after about 20 mins.  I have read that the flame should look like a "blow torch" and it is not.  The flame to me looks "lazy" and red/orange.  Please help!!  I really want to get this working and can't seem to figure out what else to troubleshoot!

Thanks in advance!

Also, I have made sure that the pellets are not bridging...there is not a jam in the auger and after the auger stops working I do not hear the motor trying to run at all.


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

So you're saying that the stove is BRAND NEW and has NEVER had even 1 kernel of corn or anything else through it??

OH, also, does it stop after 30 minutes, or 20 minutes...I'm confused.


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## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

When we recieved it about a month ago it was still packaged in its original box.  The stove had never been used.  My inlaws purchased it 4 years ago and abruptly had to move and were unable to install it into their new house.  They finally decided to give it to us.  So it has not had anything go through it until we got it and tried to start it.


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

OK, flame does not have to be a "blowtorch" per se, but should be a nice yellow/orange....a little blue at the base of the flame is good too.

Oh, BTW, you ARE burning corn, correct?

Usually, the auger will stop running when the vacuum switch doesn't sense any from the combustion blower.  

What does "turn off the vacuum switch" mean....you didn't just unhook the wires did you?  To bypass it, you need to just unplug the wires from it and connect them together.

Just a gut feeing I have is that from sitting for so long, something is either corroded, rusted, or dried out.  Have you checked the door gasket w/ "the dollar bill test"?


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## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

Thanks for your reply!   

The flame is red/orange with absolutley no blue anywhere.  We have tried corn and pellets to no avail with either.  I guess "turn off vacum switch" was misleading.  Sorry about that.  Yes, the rep at England had me connect both of the vacum switch wires.  I did not just unhook it.  However, I have noticed that in order to get a good seal on the door we really have to turn the handle pretty hard AND the ash tray at the bottom has a terrible seal and does not seem to be very tight.  I have not tried the dollar bill test (I'm a female and really dont know what that means!!  LOL)  Also, forgot to mention that before we started the unit we cleaned it very very well.  I havn't really looked at it for any rust or corrosion and I'm not sure what to look at either.


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

If the door seal is leaking, it may be contributing to the low vacuum and poor flame.  

The dollar bill test is just taking a dollar (or other similar piece of paper), opening the door, and closing the door on it at various different places along the gasket.  If the seal is good, it should be difficult to pull the paper out.

If the paper slides out fairly easily, the door may need to be adjusted, or the gasket is worn/compressed.  This is just a "shot in the dark", but needs to be ruled out as a possible cause.

Also, there should be ash trap "doors" inside the firebox....make sure these are closed completely.  If there is an ash pan on the unit, make sure it is closed completely.

Last thing I can think of right now is the exhaust venting set-up you have....can you describe the size of the pipe (3" or 4"?),lengths of pipe, elbows, how many, etc, etc.  Pics of the set-up are even better.

OOPS...just realized you did say there was an ash pan.  If that has gaskets on the inside edge, they MUST seal against the stove to form a good seal.


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## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

Ok, we checked the door with the dollar bill test and the door is sealed good.  However, we did the dollar bill test on the ash pan and one of the sides is very loose.  We are tightening it right now.  We are going to take pictures of the exhaust set up and post them.  Also, I completely forgot to mention that this burner is in our basement.  The exhaust pipe is 3 inch and changes to 6 inch going up out of the roof.  There is a what my husband called a "clean out T" and an one 90 degree elbow.  Also, we couldn't find any "doors" in the firebox to the ash pan.  I'm not sure what to look for but there are 3 holes that go from the firebox to the ash pan.


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

This is directly from the owners manual for that stove:

"Ash Pan
NOTE: The ash pan *must be latched* when the unit is in operation. NEVER operate the unit with
the ash pan out! This unit has an ash pan for more convenient and hassle-free cleaning; to open,
simply pull the handles and rotate them down, then pull the ash pan forward. 
Note also that there are two access panels (one on each side) inside the unit in the bottom; to put ashes into the ash pan,
remove the panels and push the ashes into the ash pan and then replace them, making sure that the
area under these plates are clear before replacing them. As noted below, the unit should be off and
cooled before any ash maintenance."


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## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

Ok...that does make sense now.  I will look at that....I think they are open.  Im assuming that would make a huge difference?  Im still trying to get my husband to get the pictures taken.  Thanks


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

kmkm911 said:
			
		

> Im assuming that would make a huge difference?



Yes, a HUGE difference.  The air that is supposed to be going through the burnpot would simply bypass it through the access doors.  Air takes the easiest path.

No air (or very little) through burnpot = poor or non-existant flame.  Low flame temp might fake the POF (proof of fire) switch into thinking the stove is in shut down mode and stop the auger.


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## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

Wow!  Ok, let me have my husband check again and if they are open I will have him close them and give it a try.  If it still does not work, I will repost and see if I can trouble shoot any thing else.  Thank you for your help!  I will also post if it works!!  Once again, thank you!


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

Pics of exhaust set-up, and maybe inside the firebox might help too.


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## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

Yep will get that very soon.  my husbands camera isnt working.   When he looked at the ash pan he said that there was 1 hole on each side of the burn pot that go to the ash pan.  But he was unable to find any panels or metal to cover those.  He did say that it was obvious that something was susposed to be there because there are "divots" where something needed to attach to it.  But he cant find the metal peices to put there.  I really hope they didnt fall off into the box and thrown away.

My husband found one access panel but he is not finding another for the other side.  Is it possible to take a small piece of metal (iron) to cover it?


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

If you can find something that will lie flat on the hole, give it a try....has to be better than nothing.  Make sure it's steel or cast iron....not aluminum or anything else.

If you don't find the other cover, give Englander a call Monday...I don't see those plates listed on the parts diagram, but I'm sure they can supply one.


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

BTW, you DO have the owners manual, right?


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## kmkm911 (Jan 9, 2011)

I have downloaded and printed the owners manual from the Englander website.  The orignal owners manual was lost sometime ago by my inlaws.  I think my husband is going to cut some sheet metal and put it in there and fire it up to see if it works.  I'm going to have to take the pictures when I get home from work and then I can send them to you.


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

Yes, keep us posted...I am VERY curious to see if the plates were the problem all along.


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## cookie10 (Jan 9, 2011)

Ok...im on my husbands account now since mine is locked at work!  We made a plate out of iron and both sides are covered.  We started it and the flame was very good.  We havn't seen the flame like that before.  However, the auger ran for about 20 mins after start-up mode and once again, it just stopped!!  Im gonna take pictures now and post them on here.  So frustrating!!


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## Phatty (Jan 9, 2011)

stay with it the people here are good helped me alot in the end its worth it


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## imacman (Jan 9, 2011)

cookie10 said:
			
		

> Ok...im on my husbands account now since mine is locked at work!  We made a plate out of iron and both sides are covered.  We started it and the flame was very good.  We havn't seen the flame like that before.  However, the auger ran for about 20 mins after start-up mode and once again, it just stopped!!  Im gonna take pictures now and post them on here.  So frustrating!!



Yes, frustrating is probably the "nicest" word I'd be using about now if i were you.  

Next, double check to make sure that the vacuum hose from the vacuum switch is pushed on the switch and the "barb" fitting tightly.  Or even before that, pull the hose off completely and make sure there aren't any cracks or holes in the hose anywhere that would leak vacuum.  While it's off, take a unbent paperclip and make sure the barb end is clear of any ash.


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## cookie10 (Jan 10, 2011)

ok we just looked at the wiring diagram and the wires for the auger and the vacum switch were completely wrong.  We just switched them to make them correct and now we are not getting any intake air.  The motor that pulls the intake air is not kicking on during startup.  We checked the vacum hose and there are not any cracks and the barb is clean.  

here are the pictures of the exhaust pipes and intake pipes


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## imacman (Jan 10, 2011)

Well, if the auger motor and combustion motor both worked before, and now the comb blower doesn't, then you definitely have wiring issues.

Double check that the wiring is the same as the wiring diagram in the owners manual.  Be careful when wires go into a "bundle, as it's easy to get them confused, especially if their the same color.


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## cookie10 (Jan 10, 2011)

We got the combustion motor running again.  The wires were wrong.  However the auger is still stopping after 20-30 minutes after startup.  But we did a test and added fresh pellets when the fire burned down.  The fire became very strong again and the auger began working.   Then it stopped after about 5 minutes and the fire burned down again....we have been adding pellets every 5- 10 mins to the burn pot.  The auger still works for
 a while but stops and the fire burns down.  This almost seems backwards.


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## FordMastertech (Jan 10, 2011)

cookie10 said:
			
		

> We got the combustion motor running again.  The wires were wrong.  However the auger is still stopping after 20-30 minutes after startup.  But we did a test and added fresh pellets when the fire burned down.  The fire became very strong again and the auger began working.   Then it stopped after about 5 minutes and the fire burned down again....we have been adding pellets every 5- 10 mins to the burn pot.  The auger still works for
> a while but stops and the fire burns down.  This almost seems backwards.



I think the stove thinks is is overheating or not getting to the proper temp before the shut down cycle begins, page 21 of the manual online.
Make sure the thermal sensor wire is connected to the control board and where it attachÃ©s to the left side of the fire box. 
I would disconnect the thermal sensor and reconnect it at both ends of the sensor.

CIRCUIT BOARD FUNCTIONS
COMPONENT OPERATION START OPERATION END
Exhaust Blower Starts Immediately Will continue until shutdown. Shutdown will
occur when the operating temperature is below
90 degrees.
Stirrer Three minutes after starting, the Stirrer
will begin to turn.
Will continue intermittently, as determined by the
Heat Setting, until Shutdown
Auger Three minutes after starting, the auger
will begin to turn.
The auger will continue at the feed rate
determined by the Heat Setting. NOTE: Safety
switch, Hi Limit and Vacuum Sensor much be
activated to continue proper operation.
Room Fan Begins when 110 degrees is reached Will continue to operate until the unit cools down
to below 90 degrees. This may take from
several minutes up to an hour.
Automatic
Shutdown
If, after 15 minutes, the unit has not
reached the preset operating
temperature, the unit will begin to
automatically shut down. This will be
evidenced by the red light on the
Control Board.
If the timer should expire before the preset
operating temperature is achieved, resetting the
timer is possible by switching the Control Board
â€œOFFâ€ and then back â€œON.â€
Normal Operation If, after 15 minutes, the preset operating
temperature of 110 degrees is
achieved, normal operation will
continue.
Operation will continue until either the Control
Board is turned â€œOFF,â€ or the operating
temperature falls to below 90 degrees. At this
time, the unit will default to â€œAutomatic
Shutdown.â€


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## mjbrown (Jan 10, 2011)

just a thought...is there a chance the thermal sensors or hi-lo limit snap discs could be bad? sounds as if the low limit one is working fine, maybe the hi limit is bad? just asking.

mike


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## kmkm911 (Jan 10, 2011)

Well I'm back at work and the husband is at home doin the grunt work on the stove.  We finally gave up last night and figured we would give it a go again this morning.  When I spoke with England Stove Works customer service last time they had me move the thermal sensor from the left side to the right side and attach it to the exhaust blower.  I have no clue why they did this but I have not moved it since.  My husband is moving it back to the correct place.  Maybe that is part of the problem??  Also, I was reading the entire manual last night and found an area that advised you to change the heat and blower settings to 5 at initial start up.  We have had them both at 9 since the first time we started the stove.  My husband is going to set them at 5 for startup and change them back to 9.  Maybe it is overheating during startup and stops?  Any more advice would be great!!

Also,  I'm not sure where the hi and low limit sensors are.

Ok...we tried to start it with the heat range and blower at 5...the auger still stopped.  I'm not sure what else to think besides something being wrong with the control panel?


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## MCPO (Jan 10, 2011)

Could it be the auger motor is bad? Have you checked the voltage across the terminals when it stops?


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## kmkm911 (Jan 10, 2011)

No we havn't checked that.   I will tell my husband to do that as soon as it stops turning.  If there is no current then the auger motor is bad right?  If there is current then maybe the auger is not aligned?  Or jammed?


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## FordMastertech (Jan 10, 2011)

kmkm911 said:
			
		

> No we havn't checked that.   I will tell my husband to do that as soon as it stops turning.  If there is no current then the auger motor is bad right?  If there is current then maybe the auger is not aligned?  Or jammed?


 No it's kind of the other way around, if there is no current/voltage then something is shutting down the auger.


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## kmkm911 (Jan 10, 2011)

Ok, husband is starting the burner right now and is going to watch for the auger to stop and test the voltage.  Will post findings....maybe we will get lucky and it will just start working  LOL  Thanks!


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## pony66 (Jan 10, 2011)

Stay with it... the folks on this board are tops and will help you get the issue(s) resolved......it will take a little input  from you and hubby for them to help make the right diagnosis. Good luck!


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## imacman (Jan 11, 2011)

kmkm911 said:
			
		

> .....Also, I was reading the entire manual last night and found an area that advised you to change the heat and blower settings to 5 at initial start up.......
> Ok...we tried to start it with the heat range and blower at 5...the auger still stopped.  I'm not sure what else to think besides something being wrong with the control panel?



I think you mis-read that section.  What they mean is that when you start-up the stove, regardless of what the heat & blower settings are at, the stove always starts on 5-5, then when it gets up to temp, it then reverts back to the settings you put it on.

As for Englander having you move the heat sensor lead to the combustion blower (that's where my 10-cpm is attached), they may have thought that the temps on the blower would be higher and would allow the stove to "trip" the POF sensor and keep running.

Are you SURE that ALL the leads on the control board are on snugly, and they are on the correct terminals, as per the diagram on P.21 of your manual?

I'm leaning more & more to a bad heat sensor lead, or after that, a bad board.  But I hope it's actually something else simple.


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## LI-Mini-Owner (Jan 11, 2011)

Hi  - I found this manual on-line.   Does it look like the one for your stove?  http://www.englandsstoveworks.com/manuals/10-CDV.pdf  Disregard comments if you have a different diagram...

The vacuum switch is in series with the auger motor, so it's reasonable to conclude that since the auger motor works at start up that the comb motor is able to pull enough vacuum to close the vacuum switch.  I don't think you should have loss of vacuum after 30 minutes as the root cause of the problem.   As a test, shut the stove off, unplug,  remove the wires from the vacuum switch and connect them together.  Plug the stove in and start it up.  If the auger motor still stops after 30 minutes, then we know 100% that the vacuum switch is not at fault.

The wiring diagram does not appear to show any "snap switches".  This means that the only way the control board knows anything about temperature is via the "thermal sensor" shown in the diagram.  From looking at it I think it's a thermo-couple type sensor.  These are not easy to test.  

I would like to know if the convection motor turns on and how long after flame is established does it take for it to start.  The manual says that the stove must reach 110F for the blower to start.   If the blower does start, then we know that the thermo-couple and control board thinks that the temp has reached at least 110F.


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## LI-Mini-Owner (Jan 11, 2011)

OOPS - imacman and me must have been typing at the same time, and I did not see his most recent post before I posted.


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## imacman (Jan 11, 2011)

LI-Mini-Owner said:
			
		

> Hi  - I found this manual on-line.   Does it look like the one for your stove?  http://www.englandsstoveworks.com/manuals/10-CDV.pdf
> .....As a test, shut the stove off, unplug,  remove the wires from the vacuum switch and connect them together........



Yes, the OP knows it's a 10-CDV, and has the owners manual downloaded from Englander.  They spoke to Englander Techs before, and said that they already tried bypassing the vacuum switch.

The only other thing with the vacuum switch i can think of is that the vacuum hose is connected to the wrong port on the switch?


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## cookie10 (Jan 11, 2011)

Ok, we have double checked all of the wires and leads.  They are very snug and in the right area.  

The convection motor usually starts 5-10 minutes after we turn the unit on.  It seems that the flame becomes very big and the unit gets hot pretty fast.  Then the convection blower turns on and the air coming out is very very hot.  

My husband did say that there was another port on the switch for the vacum hose.  

This is our latest test and findings.  We got the voltage meter out and tested the voltage on the auger motor during the startup mode.  The meter read 120 VAC while the auger was turning.  When the auger was not turning the meter read 0.5 VAC.  We continued to leave the meter on for the entire start up mode and found that the auger would obtain voltage but was not turning.  We counted the "skipped" turns and there was 2 skips then the auger turned 6 times.  Then it stopped turning again for 4 skips (the voltage meter was still reading 120 VAC every 7 seconds).  It started turning 2 times and then stopped completely.  We continued to keep the voltage meter on and the meter was showing 120 VAC for 3-5 seconds then would go to 0.5 VAC for 6-7 seconds then go back to 120 again.  This continued for about 5 minutes and we took the voltage meter off when the fire burned down due to lack of fuel.  

Any thoughts on this???  Im thinking the auger motor has something that is slipping inside.

Also, we noticed a crack between the asbestos fire wall and the outside auger tube.  The flames were "licking" towards the crack.  Also, there is a nice size gap between the outside auger tube and the inside auger tubeer.. 

We never recieved any error codes and the control panel did not say it was in SD mode either.  
Ok, I think that is all I have to report at this time.  We are letting the unit cool down.


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## imacman (Jan 11, 2011)

If the auger motor is getting 120v, but the auger itself is not turning, then check that the set screw on the auger motor coupler is tight.  

You might even want to remove the auger motor completely, as there is a flat spot ground into the end of the auger shaft....the set screw is supposed to line up with that and tighten onto it....that keeps the auger from slipping.

Slipping will allow the amount of pellets to keep going down as they are burned, and eventually shut the stove off.


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## cookie10 (Jan 11, 2011)

The stove is almost cool....We will take the motor and auger completely out and find the flat spot and check the tightness.  I did notice yesterday when we cleaned it the auger was pretty loose and didnt feel very well attached to the motor.  Ohhhhh maybe this is it!!  We will repost in 20 minutes or so!


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## FordMastertech (Jan 11, 2011)

cookie10 said:
			
		

> The stove is almost cool....We will take the motor and auger completely out and find the flat spot and check the tightness.  I did notice yesterday when we cleaned it the auger was pretty loose and didnt feel very well attached to the motor.  Ohhhhh maybe this is it!!  We will repost in 20 minutes or so!


It sounds like you zoning in on the issue, keep at it and we are all waiting to hear *IT'S FIXED*


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## MCPO (Jan 11, 2011)

Looks like you got it narrowed down now. Loose set screws are common on the Englanders augers  as Imacman stated.
 I`m not sure about the corn stoves but other Englanders stoves have one square set screw that holds the motor on the auger shaft and 2 allen head collar set screws on the auger ends (in front of the motor) that are often loose.


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## cookie10 (Jan 11, 2011)

Ok, we cleaned every nook and cranny of this stove...took out the auger and the auger motor....cleaned every nook and cranny of the auger and motor.  Took out the fireboard and noticed that the inside of the fireboard right at the auger hole has flaked away and looks like it has been burning.  There was alot of soot on the backside of the fireboard as well.  We cleaned that up and we started it up with the settings at 5-9-1 and crosed our fingers.  The auger is still running!!   However, it seems that the fire wants to blow out...like the combustion air is too strong.  So far the auger has been running (still dosent run like normal...more intermittant)...The fire does seem to be blowing out for some reason now...totally different problem!


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## imacman (Jan 11, 2011)

9 is WAY too high for the LBA.....try setting it to 5 or 6.

looks like you may have this finally figured out....was the auger set screw loose on the motor?

BTW....the auger is not supposed to run all the time.  Lower heat settings = less auger turning, and vice-versa.


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## cookie10 (Jan 11, 2011)

It went out again but this time it actually went into shutdown mode!  I am going to try again tomorrow and set the LBA at 5..
We think the screw was loose and the auger motor and auger tubes were dirty...plus the area behind the fireboard was filthy!  I will repost tomorrow and hopefully it works with the new setting.   Thank you all so much for the help and advice!


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## imacman (Jan 12, 2011)

cookie10 said:
			
		

> I will repost tomorrow and hopefully it works with the new setting.   Thank you all so much for the help and advice!



Any updates??


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## Wi Thundercat (Jan 17, 2011)

:gulp: Still Waiting.................. :bug:


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## gerald (Jan 17, 2011)

I just downloaded the owners manual, page 27 of the trouble shooting section, Says if the unit shuts down after 20 min. to 30 min.  
The cause will be: 
 #1  Loose heat sensor  
 #2 Control board setting. 

The fix:
#1  Check Stove connection
#2 Check settings always start with 5-9 settings

If the above does not work.  No one know their stove like the manufacturer. I saw on their web site that they had an e-mail support link.  A lot a manufacturers are very willing to help.


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## imacman (Jan 17, 2011)

jerry said:
			
		

> I just downloaded the owners manual, page 27 of the trouble shooting section, Says if the unit shuts down after 20 min. to 30 min.
> The cause will be:
> #1  Loose heat sensor
> #2 Control board setting.
> ...



Jerry, the OP was given a LOT of assistance by myself, other forum members, AND Englander Tech support on the phone.  All the above items you mentioned were checked, but it seems that just when we thought we had the problem diagnosed and fixed, the OP decided to stop updating us.


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## FordMastertech (Jan 17, 2011)

Wi Thundercat said:
			
		

> :gulp: Still Waiting.................. :bug:


It's funny you mention this as I was thinking about them earlier today.
I am assuming they got it fixed or they beat it to death out of frustration.


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## agrasso68 (Jan 23, 2011)

I've been having the EXACT same problem with my Englander 25-EP. I have called the techs 5 times over the last 2 months with issues: first it was burn pot building up with pellets and backing up into the chute, then the auger stopped working completely. I bought a new control board per their advice and now every time the flame starts burning well, the auger stops. When the fire is out the auger starts again. I have reset the board to factory setting, I have increase the air intake and the pellet flow amounts on the control board, I've cleaned the entire stove out, and I've taken out and cleaned the exhaust blower. I've reattached the thermal sensor. The vents air intake is clear. The only thing I will check tomorrow is the chimney and make sure there is no build up, although I cleaned it out over the summer. I've only burned 1 ton so far this year. I'm thinking my next step is an exorcism.

I hope this woman who posted gets back to the forum because I would like to know if they got their's working. Any ideas of what else I should do?


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## imacman (Jan 23, 2011)

Did you remove, clean, and re-install the vacuum hose, and make sure the hose barb it connects to on both ends is completely free of ash?  

Are the ash trap doors closed completely?

Is the ash pan seated fully?  Have you checked for proper door gasket sealing using the simple "dollar bill" test?


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## agrasso68 (Jan 23, 2011)

I haven't done the dollar bill test, I'll try that. I'll clean out the entire stove again to see. Will post again in about a half hour.


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## agrasso68 (Jan 23, 2011)

I cleaned the whole stove out again(behind the metal plates, heat exchange tubes). I do have some areas in the door where the gasket is too compressed. For tonight, I plumped it up for a tighter seal and I'll replace it tomorrow.
Still concerned about that auger. It doesn't seem to make a difference what pellet rate setting it's on. It turns every 4 seconds. This in turn fills the burn pot too rapidly and I have to scoop some out so the pellets won't back-up into the chute.

At least it's somewhat working for tonight. Right now it's 1 degree out and it sickens me to have to rely on the oil burner!
Thanks for the dollar bill trick. Any other advice on this stove?


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## imacman (Jan 23, 2011)

agrasso68 said:
			
		

> I cleaned the whole stove out again(behind the metal plates, heat exchange tubes). I do have some areas in the door where the gasket is too compressed. For tonight, I plumped it up for a tighter seal and I'll replace it tomorrow.
> Still concerned about that auger. It doesn't seem to make a difference what pellet rate setting it's on. It turns every 4 seconds. This in turn fills the burn pot too rapidly and I have to scoop some out so the pellets won't back-up into the chute.
> 
> At least it's somewhat working for tonight. Right now it's 1 degree out and it sickens me to have to rely on the oil burner!
> Thanks for the dollar bill trick. Any other advice on this stove?



What are the 3 lower buttons set to?


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## agrasso68 (Jan 23, 2011)

1-7-4


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## imacman (Jan 23, 2011)

agrasso68 said:
			
		

> 1-7-4



Whoa.  First of all, the last one (Air On Temp) is never supposed to be anything other than 1.  

I know it didn't come from the factory set the way you had it, unless you bought the stove used??

And the LBA setting seems high....but that contradicts the problem you're having of the pellets piling up.  Normally the pellets pile up when a stove is dirty and has poor airflow through it.  Having it set on 7 would seem too high, IMO.

I seem to remember someone saying the 25-ep comes from the factory set at 1-4-1, but don't quote me on that.....I'll have to do a little searching here.


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## agrasso68 (Jan 23, 2011)

Funny you should say that. After I cleaned the stove, I reset the control board to factory settings. It wasn't 1-4-1 which was the old controlboard factory code. I'm wondering if it has different settings since it's a new board and my stove is 3 years old.


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## imacman (Jan 23, 2011)

No, I can VERY confidently say that the AOT is supposed to be on 1 ALWAYS.  

I'd try setting the board back to what the original board was (1-4-1), and give it a try.  Make sure the burn pot is completely empty before re-starting the stove.

BTW, have you gone through the control board diagnostics, just to be sure that it's working correctly?  Give this a try while you have the stove shut off to re-set the bottom buttons and empty the burn pot.

www.englanderstoves.com/help/PelletStove/diagnostic_mode04.html


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## agrasso68 (Jan 23, 2011)

I reset the board but tweaked it to 1-8-1. I had changed this originally when I spoke with a tech. He didn't feel there was enough air flow to the burn pot.

So, when I went and bought the gasket today, I saw a bottle of liquid gel used to start fires. It had directions for pellet stoves. I also noticed on the hopper lid it said that if you have a problem, place a handful of pellets in the hopper, light them, and as soon as they are lit, put the hopper lid down.

I tried this and I have to say the stove has been lit for 6 hours and I haven't had tonclear out the burn pot yet. Generally, by this time, I would have had to clean it 2-3 times. It seems as though the initial pellets falling during start up were not burning fast enough, or running hot enough, so they would begin to pile up in the burn pot. All I can say is I'm not asking questions! It's working much better now and I'm not complaining.


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## FordMastertech (Jan 23, 2011)

agrasso68 said:
			
		

> I reset the board but tweaked it to 1-8-1. I had changed this originally when I spoke with a tech. He didn't feel there was enough air flow to the burn pot.
> 
> So, when I went and bought the gasket today, I saw a bottle of liquid gel used to start fires. It had directions for pellet stoves. I also noticed on the hopper lid it said that if you have a problem, place a handful of pellets in the hopper, light them, and as soon as they are lit, put the hopper lid down.
> 
> I tried this and I have to say the stove has been lit for 6 hours and I haven't had tonclear out the burn pot yet. Generally, by this time, I would have had to clean it 2-3 times. It seems as though the initial pellets falling during start up were not burning fast enough, or running hot enough, so they would begin to pile up in the burn pot. All I can say is I'm not asking questions! It's working much better now and I'm not complaining.


I am not so sure I would light the pellets in the hopper on fire but  you will get plenty of heat. :ahhh:


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## imacman (Jan 23, 2011)

agrasso68 said:
			
		

> I reset the board but tweaked it to 1-8-1. I had changed this originally when I spoke with a tech. He didn't feel there was enough air flow to the burn pot.
> 
> So, when I went and bought the gasket today, I saw a bottle of liquid gel used to start fires. It had directions for pellet stoves. I also noticed on the hopper lid it said that if you have a problem, place a handful of pellets in the hopper, light them, and as soon as they are lit, put the hopper lid down.
> 
> I tried this and I have to say the stove has been lit for 6 hours and I haven't had tonclear out the burn pot yet. Generally, by this time, I would have had to clean it 2-3 times. It seems as though the initial pellets falling during start up were not burning fast enough, or running hot enough, so they would begin to pile up in the burn pot. All I can say is I'm not asking questions! It's working much better now and I'm not complaining.



Although I'm glad that it seems to be burning better now, unfortunately now you have no idea what the original problem is....is it during start-up (ignitor problem), or was it the change in lower button settings (not enough airflow)?

You still should still try starting the stove using the ignitor and see what happens.


BTW, the LBA set at 8 is VERY high....you're sending a lot of heat right up the exhaust.  Try lowering it a little bit (1 number) at a time until you start having burn problems again, and then put it back up 1 number.  The slower you can run the air through the stove, and still have a good burn, allows the heat exchanger to pull more heat from the stove and into your home.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 23, 2011)

A lot of times that lack of air flow to the burn pot can actually be too much venting or bad seals (gaskets).

Just tossing a few more things out there.


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