# New to LP heating



## nd22121 (Oct 30, 2018)

Hello,
I recently purchased the champlain hearthstone LP direct vent fireplace.  This is my first time using gas to heat so I don’t know what’s normal and what’s not.  
1.  The flame when first lit was really blue.  Reading through the instruction manual it I made sure the restrictor plate was full open. I then adjusted the air shutter which worked to bring the flame to the more orange color.  Per the instructions I ensure the flames were not “licking” the top of the fire box. My only concern is the manual also said this should be done by someone qualified. Is this really true or more of a CYA from the manufacturer.  If it is true then I need to call some one to make sure the fireplace is functioning properly.  

2.  I also got the got tie hearthstone gas blower as well.  It’s temperature controlled and comes one I think once the temp has reached 120.  I have the stove set to temperature control.  The flame will go down and stop completely when the temp is reached.  The fan eventually shuts off but then it will turn back on a second or two later.  Shut off, then back on.  This is annoying cause it does multiple cycles of this ever time.  I can’t imagine that’s good for the motor either, on and off like that.  I’m not sure what the issue is.  Could it be the fan is actually cooling the stove off so it shuts off but then that heat starts to radiate again and it turns back on and keeps doing this until the temperature is well below 120?
It’s a brand new blower but could something be already malfunctioning on it?


Thanks for helping a newbie!!


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## DAKSY (Oct 31, 2018)

As long as your air shutter isn't TOO far closed, you will be fine. Make sure the bottom of the flames are BLUE & the tops are YELLOW,
not ORANGE with hints of BLACK at the tips. It will take about 20 minutes of burn time for the flames to even out & that is when you 
will see the final presentation. Make any adjustments AFTER that time.
As far as the blower switching on & off, make sure the snapdisk is in contact with the stove body. This is USUALLY at the bottom of the firebox.
If there is a gap between the disk & the firebox, air movement caused by the blower can cool the disc enough to break the circuit, but because the temperature may remain close to the factory actuation setting, it may cycle on & off. The bracket that holds the snapdisk is generally made from thin sheetmetal & when heated, it may distort enough to break contact between the disk & the firebox. You may be able to use a pair of needlenose pliers
to tweak the bracket for more contact.


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## k0wtz (Nov 14, 2018)

DAKSY said:


> As long as your air shutter isn't TOO far closed, you will be fine. Make sure the bottom of the flames are BLUE & the tops are YELLOW,
> not ORANGE with hints of BLACK at the tips. It will take about 20 minutes of burn time for the flames to even out & that is when you
> will see the final presentation. Make any adjustments AFTER that time.
> As far as the blower switching on & off, make sure the snapdisk is in contact with the stove body. This is USUALLY at the bottom of the firebox.
> ...


bob high close do you put the snapdisc to the stove?


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## DAKSY (Nov 14, 2018)

The snap disk needs to be IN CONTACT with the stove body.


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## k0wtz (Nov 14, 2018)

DAKSY said:


> The snap disk needs to be IN CONTACT with the stove body.


bob i tried that i had to order another snap disc dont know why this happened but it wont close!!


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## DAKSY (Nov 14, 2018)

Did you test it with a lighter or other open flame? 
Hold it in a pair of needle nose so you don't get burnt,
& apply the flame to the side that contacts the stove.
You should hear a little "tink" when the disk closes.
you will need to test it in a very quiet room because that
"tink" is not very loud.


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## k0wtz (Nov 14, 2018)

DAKSY said:


> Did you test it with a lighter or other open flame?
> Hold it in a pair of needle nose so you don't get burnt,
> & apply the flame to the side that contacts the stove.
> You should hear a little "tink" when the disk closes.
> ...


yes i used a match and i didnt feel it closed also checked with my ohmeter


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## DAKSY (Nov 14, 2018)

OK. Let us know how you make out.


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## k0wtz (Nov 19, 2018)

bob well i got a new one and now the blower cuts on and off like its supposed to.  I have it close to the cast iron part of the stove but not attached.  the cast iron gets extremely hot a good thing i guess.

everything good now i am now heating a 24x26 family room.  We will see what happens when the really cold temps hit i am still not happy with teh b-vent but nothing i can do now or frankly ever as i cut a hole in the roof for the b-vent piping.  Looks like about 60% efficiency rating maybe less who knows


bob


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## wooduser (Nov 20, 2018)

What you are doing is adjusting the flame of a bunsen burner.

A conventional gas burner is like a candle flame,  that burns yellow and is easily blown around and blown out. 

In addition to that,  if a candle flame is allowed to have something impinge upon it,  like a piece of metal,  the metal will impair the ability of the yellow flame to burn completely and produce soot and carbon monoxide.

Don't want that!

A bunsen burner allows gas to be injected into the end of the burner,  and to entrain "primary air" with the gas.  The primary air mixes with the gas and burns with a blue flame on top of the burner.  The blue flame can have metal in it and wont produce soot and carbon monoxide,  like putting a pan on a gas flame on a gas range.

Look at the video which shows primary air being added to a yellow gas flame on a bunsen burner:



Beginning with that yellow flame and no primary air,  you can see how the blue flame is produced by adding primary air.  Add too much primary ai and the flame will start hissing because of the excess primary air,  and can even blow itself out.

You want you bunsen burner to just do away with the yellow flame,  but not add more than small amounts of air once that's been achieved.

If you tap the burner with the handle of a table knife,  you will observe dust getting into the primary air and causing orange flames.

Now you know the basic idea of how to adjust a gas burner,  and you can understand why a technically qualified person who understands what he's doing is recommended.  The basic risk is that a poorly adjusted bunsen burner can produce soot and carbon monoxide,  which you don;t want.  A skilled person understands that risk and can adjust the primary air to a level which will provide adequate primary air,  but not too much which can cause problems too.


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## wooduser (Nov 20, 2018)

And Daksy gave his usuall excellent explanation for why your fan is cycling on and off.    Usually,  the fan turns on at a higher temperature than its set to turn off to avoid that  -----turning on at say 120 and turning off at 100,  say.


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## nd22121 (Nov 14, 2020)

Hello everyone.  I know this post is very old but I had trouble finding this website again.  However back to my original question...
DAKSY thank you for that help.  I took apart the snap switch and cleaned it very well.  The metal bracket was distorted a little to so I bent it back to straight.  However even though it was twisted it seemed  to  be making good contact with the stove.  I screwed the switch back onto the box and made sure it was full contact.  However it still does the same thing.  The fireplace heats up, and when the flame shuts off the fan will constantly cycle until it gets really cool and then will finally stop.  Do you think my snap switch is bad and I should get another one?  The stove is only about 3 years old and I can’t remember when it started doing this in the first place.


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## SirTaran (Nov 15, 2020)

My pellet stove fan would cycle off and on even when running at full blast. My snap disc was about 20 bucks to replace it and only two screws. I ordered and replaced it and the fan quit cycling.


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## nd22121 (Nov 15, 2020)

Thanks for that reply.   I have a Hearthstone Champlain gas and I don’t know if I need the exact same one.  I found it on two sites but it is upwards of $60 or more when you include shipping.  I see there are tons of cheaper ones on amazon.  However I don’t know if that’s okay to do that and if it will even fit since I don’t see the grove where the bracket goes to hold it against the stove.


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## DAKSY (Nov 15, 2020)

Take the disc to a local electronics or an appliance parts place.
If they can match it, it'll probably be cheaper than at a hearth shop...


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## nd22121 (Nov 15, 2020)

Oh okay, I will see if there are any local shops in my area.   Do you think that’s the problem though?  A bad snap disc?   I tightened the screws as tight as they could go with out over doing it.  I can’t see any gaps in between the disc and the stove back.  Reading through this forum I’ve seen some people put something additional that’s conductive of heat between the disc and stove to make a better connection.  Not sure if I should give that a try first too...


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