# England Pellet Stove 25 Pvdc Settings



## mfenwayh (Mar 5, 2011)

Hello!
Got a England Pellet Stove 25 PVDC.  At the factory settings the pellets are not burning complelty.  The are black but not burned into ash.
Was curious what i might change the settings to get some heat in my house, and some pellets to burn into ash

We are using Comfy Cozy Pellets

We've tried settings at 6-4-1     4-6-1 and  5-5-1 . None seem to get these pellets to burn.

Thanks in advance for your help.


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## imacman (Mar 5, 2011)

Welcome to the forum.

We need more info before anyone can help you out.  

Is this a new stove, or used?  Please describe the exhaust system (types of bends, number, lengths, etc).  Is the OAK hooked-up?


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## mfenwayh (Mar 5, 2011)

we bought the stove NEW in 2007

I'm a girl so bear with me !

we have the pipe going from the back of the stove threw the wall that pipe is about 2 maybe 3 feet long.  Then outside the pipe goes UP about 4 or 5 feet.

and i'm sorry i don't know what an OAK is.


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## imacman (Mar 5, 2011)

An OAK is the Outside Air Kit that came with the stove, and is required to be installed on all Englander stoves.

How often has the stove been COMPLETELY cleaned?


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## mfenwayh (Mar 5, 2011)

and the stove has developed and strong smoke smell into my entire house!  We took the entire stove pipes apart and cleaned all the black stuff out there's and just started it back up and once again my house smells like smoke.  This stove has been nothing but a pill since we bought it, seems we can't get the settings right ever, or decent burning pellets.


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## mfenwayh (Mar 5, 2011)

The stove gets cleans every other day because we are forced too because the pellets build up and fill up the entire glass b/c they don't burn complelty. And today we took all the piping apart and cleaned it very very good.

started it back up , factory settings, house smells of smoke bad, and pellets are pouring out fast again , and not burning.


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## mfenwayh (Mar 5, 2011)

this is the kit we bought for it

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


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## mike56 (Mar 5, 2011)

i own the same stove, have you pulled both blowers out and given them a good cleaning? have you checked for leaks? do the dollar test on the door, have you searched for issues on this forum, have you tried to contact Englander direct. this are very good stoves with the best support you will ever get, so don't give up.


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## mfenwayh (Mar 5, 2011)

what is the dollar test?  We cleaned out every nook on this today, and i've done so much research on it. i just can't seem to get the answer i'm looking for b/c it appears that no one else has these issues that i have. 
Customer service isn't open today or i would call.  But i spoke with them before and was told not to change the factory settings on the control board both times. but at those settings it doesn't burn the pellets.  And they always says the same thing.  have you cleaned it?  Of course we do.  Ours gets more cleaned than most and we still can't get it right.


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## mfenwayh (Mar 5, 2011)

theres a lot of smoke coming from the chinmey,


and yes it's been cleaned

any thoughts on why it's smoking so much?


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## imacman (Mar 5, 2011)

I'm still not clear on the cleaning part, as you didn't answer the earlier questions completely.

1.  Have you REMOVED both blowers from the stove, cleaned them, and re-installed (with a new gasket on the combustion blower)?

2.  Was the OAK installed on the stove when it was first installed?  If so, has it been inspected for any blockage (snow, mouse nest, wasp/bees nest, leaves, etc, etc)?

3.  Have you removed the impingment plate at the back of the firebox and cleaned that area with a brush and vacuum?

4.  Have you removed and cleaned the wear plate under the burn pot (all the holes are open & clear), and made sure that the round tube below and behind the wear plate is clear of ash or obstructions?


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## imacman (Mar 5, 2011)

In addition, see post #7 in this thread:

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/72190/


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## strangemainer (Mar 5, 2011)

Could it be the vent kit? She doesn't have a multi fuel stove but is using a multi fuel vent kit.   ???


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 6, 2011)

strangemainer said:
			
		

> Could it be the vent kit? She doesn't have a multi fuel stove but is using a multi fuel vent kit.   ???



Nope, works just fine with pellets only.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 6, 2011)

The dollar bill test:  With the stove off and cold.

Get a strip of paper about the size of a dollar bill.

Pick two places on each side of the door insert the paper strip between the door and the stove so that closing the door will put the paper strip between the gasket and the stove door opening.

Try removing the paper strip, it should present some resistance.  This resistance should be the same at all 8 locations you test.

If the paper strip doesn't present resistance in even a single location, you have to ether adjust the door so that it does or replace the door gasket.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 6, 2011)

The chimney should only smoke at start up.

Your smoke smell is likely an unsealed joint in your venting but it can also be from the area around the vent where it passes through the thimble, on the outside of the house that area should have sealant around the vent pipe so there is no place for the exhaust to come back into the house.

If you take a strong light and in a darkened room, start the stove up and back light along the venting inside the house you should be able to see even a small leak.   Then you can use some silicone sealant or high temperature metal tape to seal the leak. 

If you can post a picture of the exhaust system (venting) it will allow us to find possible issues.


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## mike56 (Mar 6, 2011)

3x what smokey says also dont give up this great forum will help you the best they can


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## mfenwayh (Mar 6, 2011)

thank you all so much for your help. we are going to shut it down again  and do the dollar test.  

The smoke smell is very very strong in my house as we speak we've opened a few windows because our eyeballs are burning. 

Earlier today when we did take the pipes apart to clean, there was a lot of black chunks that we took out, like it was soot.  And the window has turned completely black.  It's like it's filling with soot now.  
How much you guys charge to come here and fix er up for me!


Since it's dark out now i'll take a pic in the morning and post it for ya'll to see


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 6, 2011)

I also have a funny feeling you really need to take that stove outside, and hit it with a compressed air stream, bottle brushes, and follow up with a leaf blower in vacuum mode.

The combustion blower likely also needs to come off and that will require a new gasket.

Once the stove is completely cleaned, you need to verify that it is running in the correct burn mode, the controller has 4 different burn modes, your stove is likely supposed to be running in mode C.

Then the 3 Lower buttons need to be reset to factory specifications.

Can you tell us what pellets you have been (attempting to) burning?

Hopefully Mike Holton will drop by, he heads up the tech group at England.


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## mfenwayh (Mar 6, 2011)

this is such a heavy unit to take outside!! Eeks

We did a really really hardcore cleaning on it today. As we usually do.

It keeps making this woofing sound like air is blowing threw it and when it does the flame increases for that moment!

But we'll take it all apart again tomorrow and do another cleaning on it.  We got so much soot out of it today wasn't even funny!

Not sure why or how that build up the way it did.

I'm sure most of this is happening because of Operator Error, but i keep being told to clean it and that's exactly what we are doing and it only gets worst with each cleaning.  

Anyone in my area that has nothing to do tomorrow?!


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## mfenwayh (Mar 6, 2011)

Forgot to answer you about they pellets we are called Comfy Cozy.  Which aren't burning. they are turning black, but no turning into ash.  We've used them before and they burned ok but now it's horrible.  We tried a different brand earlier this heating season, but had the same issue with them not burning all the way.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 6, 2011)

The reason why nothing is burning is because at this point the stove is plugged.  The reason the stove likely got plugged is because settings like 5 5 1 and  6 4 1 would not provide enough air, especially with dense pellets (Comfy Cozy is one such dense pellet IIRC) when the stove was in low burn modes.   Once the bad burns start the ash (and other things) level just goes up.  This will also get "helped" along by other otherwise minor issues.

The best way to get that stove completely cleaned is for it to be taken where ash flying all over the place will not be a problem and hitting it with compressed air, brushes, and a leaf blower in vacuum mode.  There are plenty of places for the ash and stuff to get into.

Once things are totally cleaned the stove should be reset to factory defaults and placed back in service.

After that a regular cleaning schedule involving a leaf blower and a bit of brushing will likely keep it burning well.


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## mfenwayh (Mar 6, 2011)

the stove was cleaned threw and threw. so it is not plugged.

We shut it down around 7ish last night and was woked up around 4am by the carbon monoxide alarm going off, and the stove hadn't been running since 7pm . this is becoming a dangerous situation.  

Everyone's soultion appears to be clean clean clean clean clean....  We have done this.
I don't have access to a leaf blower but again we have cleaned this sucker inside and out

did the dollar test this morning, and it passed.

I find it so strange after 8 hours of being off it set off the carbon monoxide that's scary.

I'd admit we're not exactly the most mechanical people, So i'm curious of any resources in the area that could perhaps stop by to take a look at this. The pellet stove was our main source of heat, and it's getting chilly inside!


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 6, 2011)

The reason everyone is telling you to clean the stove is that a dirty stove can lead to every single thing you are reporting as a problem.

Very few problems with a stove are other than normal maintenance issues.

Now that we know your door gasket is fine, would you please provide the vent pictures and answer imacman's question about weather or not you have the required OAK installed on that stove.

The other major gasket that must be checked is the hopper gasket.

Then we can move on to things like the wear plate and go looking for any possible burn pot air bypasses.


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## imacman (Mar 6, 2011)

mfenwayh said:
			
		

> We shut it down around 7ish last night and was woked up around 4am by the carbon monoxide alarm going off, and the stove hadn't been running since 7pm . this is becoming a dangerous situation.......



If the stove had been shut off for 9 hrs., then there is NO WAY the stove caused the CO alarm to go off, IMO. 

You better check your other heating system, or try a new CO alarm....they are only good for about 5 years and then have to be replaced.

BTW, still waiting for the answers to my questions from yesterday.  Not giving the forum members the correct information will severely limit what we can help you with here.


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## donbryce (Mar 8, 2011)

I stopped using Comfy Cozy last year, they do not give off enough heat for the $$ IMO, compared to other brands. We run our 25-PDVC at heat range 1, blower speed 1, with all other settings factory. This is year 4, and have never had a problem other than a stuck auger motor and an occasional E2 error on start-up. 
I have a direct outside air pipe going into the inlet, which is the opening you see when you lift up the wear plate (the 'OAK' mentioned above). With the outside air inlet sealed (from the room where the stove is, that is), the exhaust/chimney pipe also sealed, and all your gaskets in good shape, the stove should operate as a sealed unit. If you are drawing air from the room, or from any source inside the house, there is the possibility for smoke to enter. If you have a clean stove, and good outside air coming into the unit, and all settings are correct, try a different brand of pellets.


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## TLHinCanada (Mar 8, 2011)

Is the oak hooked up and is it clear.  Black pellets could occur when no oxygen is present (same as making charcoal).  Could also cause a presense of CO in the house because draft wood be poor or non-existent.


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## WoodPorn (Mar 8, 2011)

I have to go with poor draft, bad combustion blower gasket, blocked up combustion blower squirrel cage...something along those lines.


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## imacman (Mar 8, 2011)

It seems that the questions we've been asking (and not getting answers to), and possible answers we've given aren't what the OP wanted to hear, plus no one took them up on going to fix the stove for them.  :smirk:


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