# Englander pdv-25 steel wool mod.



## Nookem (Jan 11, 2016)

Long time reader. First time poster.

First thing first thank you all for the information on this site its amazing welth of knowlage.

Ok i got a pdv-25 this fall. Plugged it in runs great. I love it.

But like alot on this board i get overflowing with unburnt glowing red pellets and clinkers.  When i started really running the stove in the last month. Not loving the stove. Infact makin me very nervous

It worryed me so i did my online research. Stove on all sorts of diffrent settings. Checked my plumbing.  Checked my gaskets.  Changed pellets. Nothing would fix this. 

So i decided to go to store and get some grade 00 steel wool and plugged BOTH holes UNDER the burn plate.  2 nights in and not only is my unburnt pellet problem over its burning so hot compaired to before.  Burn pot has very nicly burned ash.  Strong flame. Immediately love this stove again.  Runing my stove on 2 5 with the factory 6 4 1 and its like running on 7 9 heat wise ( at least it seems) before steel wool.

So i guess my question is it bad to have both holes plugged under the burn plate. Is it forcing too much air that could cause complications later on.  Any saftey concerns. This being my first pellet stove im still nervous in my first year running it all day and night while at work/sleep


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 12, 2016)

Without knowing what year the stove is i cant really comment on the 'holes' under the burn pot..

But i will say this, if i set the low fuel feed at 6 on mine it will eat just as many if not more pellets than if i just set the heat on 6.  "Depending on pellet length of course"

So where abouts upstate are you?


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## MadMax31 (Jan 12, 2016)

Are you talking the two holes off to sides of the lower auger, or the two holes under the burn plate that feed air to the sides holes above burn plate? Ive never had an un-burnt pellet problem. My stove runs feed rate at 1-2 %90 of its life. Fan rarely above 3.


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## Nookem (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks for the replys

Mfg date on hopper lid is 11/14. Sorry dident include on first post

No matter what setting my 2 settings were on after 8 hrs woukd have overflowing unburnt red pellets and clinkers.  I placed 00 steel wool in the bottom 2 holes UNDER the burn plate and since then nomatter what i run my stove on. It burns so damn clean and efficiant. Like stated on first post

Im just wondering if having all the air pressure comming throuh the bottom and not the sides would cause to any saftey concerns ect.

Ohh and from the lower Adirondacks by lake george you get any of this snow ceaderjunk?


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 12, 2016)

Last i looked outside i had a dusting   

Shouldnt be a problem directing or redirecting the airflow.  Especially if its working.


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## Nookem (Jan 12, 2016)

Lucky thought i was gonna have green grass and not have to mow all winter. Got Bout 5 inches today. Lookin at 2 more overnight. 

Thanks for the quick reply.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 12, 2016)

Nookem said:


> Lucky thought i was gonna have green grass and not have to mow all winter. Got Bout 5 inches today. Lookin at 2 more overnight.
> 
> Thanks for the quick reply.



You can have it all. I dont mind.  
 Im way north of you still..  20+- minutes from both borders


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## Pete Zahria (Jan 12, 2016)

Nookem said:


> wondering if having all the air pressure comming throuh the bottom and not the sides would cause to any saftey concerns ect.


I've had mine blocked off for a long time...
I would suggest that you try to get plugs to do the job, rather than the steel wool...





Dan


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 12, 2016)

Does this really help? I have one of those stoves. I dont think i would need plugs, or steel wool. I just would stop blowing out the sides of the burnpot with my airgun weekly and i'm sure in 2 weeks no air would be traveling through there...


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## thatguy69 (Jan 13, 2016)

i just picked up a 1993 englander pdv and i also notice this issue if i have the feed turned up all the way,i may try this if my burn pot is the same


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## Nookem (Jan 13, 2016)

Give it a try and answer back here. Let me know if itnworks for yoh as well. 


And now that i know this is working i will seek out thouse plugs. Where do yoh get them?


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## olmec (Jan 13, 2016)

I had to block off the holes under the plate running on anything over 5/6. Ended up welding the top holes shut. I think they have the useless air coming in on the sides to knock the particulate down to meet emissions. That's my theory anyway. It was stated that it's not very efficient, and getting harder for that old design to pass standards.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 13, 2016)

thatguy69 said:


> i just picked up a 1993 englander pdv and i also notice this issue if i have the feed turned up all the way,i may try this if my burn pot is the same



Burn pots in these older ones are a completely diff animal compared to the newer ones.


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## Pete Zahria (Jan 13, 2016)

Nookem said:


> And now that i know this is working i will seek out thouse plugs. Where do yoh get them?


Lowes has them.
More than likely HD, or a good hardware store.

They are usually in the hardware area that has all of the drawers with specialty
nuts, bolts, springs, washers, cotter pins etc...

Dan


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## Nookem (Jan 13, 2016)

Ok so 3 days running on 6-4-1 with a 5-9. My particular stove is throwing more heat. And burning very clean compared to before. Major improvment for me

So for anyone out there having unburnt clinkers ect on a newer pdv. Try steel wool under the burn plate. Its worth a shot.


Dan
Im going to lowes tomorrow and when i shut my stove down sunday for its weaking cleaning i will install them insted. Thanks for the location btw. Id be looking all over for hours and walk out with $500 of stuff unrelated to the stove
 damn hard wear stores


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## Pete Zahria (Jan 13, 2016)

Nookem said:


> Dan
> Im going to lowes tomorrow


They have quit a few different sizes, so measure your openings carefully....
I know some older models had two different sizes!
I think mine were 3/4", but that was a few years ago.. memory is not that hot!

Good luck, Dan


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## Hot Foot (Jan 16, 2016)

Hey guys, Great site here. Very, very informative. I own an Englander PDV-25 purchased new, in 2014. After a lot of tinkering, I decided to plug the top two air holes in the burn pot. It's the only mod that works for me in the higher heat ranges. The best sizes for the Hillman steel plugs are 1/2" left and 3/4" right, for a snug fit. I have found that using the plugs really increased my burn efficiency. I keep the lower three settings at 6-4-1. As for technical problems with this stove, I haven't experienced any. I just keep up on on my regular ash maintenance and grease the auger motor bearings as needed. Awesome product. Period.


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## Chrisnow86 (Jan 16, 2016)

I've considered doing this for a while... Think I just might have to machine some caps and do this.. Is it really that much of a difference?


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## Hot Foot (Jan 16, 2016)

Chrisnow86 said:


> I've considered doing this for a while... Think I just might have to machine some caps and do this.. Is it really that much of a difference?


 It absolutely works. At low heat ranges, you end with fine ash at a lower volume. At higher ranges, you'll get less ash, with the remaining burning pellets where they should be.In the flame. Let us know how you make out.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 16, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> It absolutely works. At low heat ranges, you end with fine ash at a lower volume. At higher ranges, you'll get less ash, with the remaining burning pellets where they should be.In the flame. Let us know how you make out.



 It will still depend on the quality of the pellets you are burning. Dont expect plugging the holes to make the crappy pellets burn 100%.  Although it will help


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## Hot Foot (Jan 16, 2016)

The quality of pellets definitely effects the quality of the burn. I've found though, that burning cheaper pellets has  still provided plenty of heat. I've had my stove reach a door temp of 500 degrees, on a 6 to 7 heat range. I have to scrape the burn pot twice a day but that's fine with me.


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## Chrisnow86 (Jan 16, 2016)

I always buy good pellets, don't wanna waste my money.... My stove spends a majority of its life on higher settings.. I will give it a try..


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## Hot Foot (Jan 16, 2016)

Good luck! I hope that you post an update to let us know how you made out.


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## Pete Zahria (Jan 16, 2016)

Chrisnow86 said:


> I've considered doing this for a while... Think I just might have to machine some caps and do this.. Is it really that much of a difference?


It's not going to turn it into a Harman P68.... but it is an improvement on many.
It was on mine.
The Hillman plugs are less than 3 bucks IIRC... Certainly worth the try.

Dan


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## know oil (Jan 17, 2016)

Just want to comment on factory settings(6-4-1) and closing the bottom holes beneath the burn pot. If you give your stove more air say five or six (rule of thumb is to keep it even with your pellet drop which you said was six) you will not have a need to plug the airflow.  Just sayin


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 17, 2016)

know oil said:


> Just want to comment on factory settings(6-4-1) and closing the bottom holes beneath the burn pot. If you give your stove more air say five or six (rule of thumb is to keep it even with your pellet drop which you said was six) you will not have a need to plug the airflow.  Just sayin




The 25 pdv and pdvc is a double auger feed. Those lower numbers have absolutely no affect past heat range #2 on these stoves.  I am guessing you have a single auger drop feed stove? My understanding those are adjustable through out the heat ranges.


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## Hot Foot (Jan 17, 2016)

I've blocked only the two large holes above the burn plate. This allows for the 1/8 side openings to distribute more air evenly, to the entire upper burn pot area.


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## Hot Foot (Jan 17, 2016)

6-4-1 - 5/5


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 17, 2016)

i just did my weekly sunday cleaning. then i remembered this thread and said hey, why not?
so i put some heavy duty high temp foil tape over the holes. It might not last long but i just want it to last a day or so for comparison. I see a difference in the flame, looks more robust. Right now i cant run it on anything but 1 since this is an oddball winter and its actually "warm" outside. will see tonight when temps drop and i can run it on 5 a while.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 17, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> I've blocked only the two large holes above the burn plate. This allows for the 1/8 side openings to distribute more air evenly, to the entire upper burn pot area.



The whole logic of plugging the holes is to get more air to flow up through the pellets.  Not to distribute it more evenly to the upper area.


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## Hot Foot (Jan 17, 2016)

It seems to do both to me. Whatever the case. I like it.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 17, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> It seems to do both to me. Whatever the case. I like it.



Yes it will pull more air thru the upper holes as well.. but the whole point of plugging the holes is to get as much air to pass thru the pellets as possible.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 17, 2016)

Well, its pretty cold out now (20's) and my stove has been on all day with the holes plugged. It is running better than i've ever seen. It's blowing hotter, so i have it lowered than i normally would for this temp. There are no unburnt pellets in the burn pot. There is ash in there but there is holes through the ash where the air is coming through. never seen that before.  The glass is even clean where by now it would have been ashed over. I think i'm going to pick up those plugs on my way home from work tomorrow. I cant see the foil tape lasting very long in that environment.


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## doghouse (Jan 17, 2016)

I'm curious as to what Mike thinks of this.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 17, 2016)

doghouse said:


> I'm curious as to what Mike thinks of this.



I would be curious too, especially to find out what purpose they serve. I tried this as a skeptic (i have to see most things to believe them) and there is undoubtedly a positive result. Then again, a lot of work goes into the design of these stoves and you would think the side holes serve some important function.For years i've been putting in a lot of effort to keep them clean and clear using a compressor and air gun during routing cleanings.

It could also be one of those things where they had to add them to meet some emissions requirement, kinda like water restrictors on shower heads. great to save water but then theres no water coming out so you have to shower twice as long. This year i'm not burning while not home (the days have been warm enough to do that) so i'm closely monitoring for anything funky due to the restricted air holes.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 18, 2016)

doghouse said:


> I'm curious as to what Mike thinks of this.



Im pretty sure it was said they were needed to meet emission standards.


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## DrewBoogie (Jan 18, 2016)

I'm pretty sure you're right Cedarjunki, I feel like I read somewhere that Mike posted it was to meet EPA standards.


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## nick123 (Jan 18, 2016)

I picked up some hillman plugs yesterday and plugged the bottom 2 holes below the wear plate. So far I am very surprised and pleased with the results. I have seen this posted before and ignored it. My heat output seems greater, glass cleaner and pellets fully burned. i may try plugging the top two and see how that does. I'll report back.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 18, 2016)

i picked up the hillman plugs today too. i shut the stove and let it cool so i could remove my foil tape and put in the plugs. i found the foil tape was in such good shape and completely untouched by the fire i left the foil tape there. i'll keep the plugs. im sure the tape will fail at one point.


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## SKOAL MAN (Jan 19, 2016)

Instead of plugging the bottom holes completely, I used a couple washers with a small hole and covered the large holes under the tray. I use some hi-temp silicone to stick them to the pot. The reason I like the washers better,  is instead of cutting off the air completely from the top holes, it regulates it. With the holes completely covered there is actually too much air coming up from the bottom of the pot. This works great for blowing the ash out of the pot, but you are also blowing the pellets out before they are completely burnt! You will also notice that your flame is extremely tall, and your exhaust is a lot hotter. The side holes help to concentrate the burn, in the center of the stove, allowing the stove to absorb the heat, and the pellets to burn completely. With them closed off completely, you are sending a lot of that heat, strait up the chimney! This is what I have found, anyway.


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## jamespro (Jan 19, 2016)

Is there some kind of mod like this for pdvc models?  Just looking for something to blow the ashes out of the burn pot....


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 19, 2016)

jamespro said:


> Is there some kind of mod like this for pdvc models?  Just looking for something to blow the ashes out of the burn pot....



Same concept.  Probably the same burn pot as far as that goes.


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## DrewBoogie (Jan 19, 2016)

jamespro said:


> Is there some kind of mod like this for pdvc models?  Just looking for something to blow the ashes out of the burn pot....



i'm going to grab a few plugs on the way home for my PDVC tonight.  It's easier to grab a few sizes and return what I don't use.  I'll let you know how it goes.


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## DrewBoogie (Jan 19, 2016)

3/4 for like a glove. Had to get them at Home Depot, 3/4 was the only size less than an inch that Lowes didn't have. My PDVC was manufactured 6/14.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 19, 2016)

Im suprised to see how popular this is. I had no idea people were doing this until i saw this thread. I got the plugs from lowes. they only had a few 3/4's left. 
As far as a concern regarding the stove blowing unburned pellets out of the pot, there is no way my stove would ever be able to do that no matter what i  plugged.


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## MadMax31 (Jan 19, 2016)

Now I want to try... Not for heat output, but cleaner burn pot. After a day of idling at 1-3 my pot is full of fluffy ash.


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## dink_smallwood (Jan 19, 2016)

I just did my weekly cleaning and covered my lower two holes with foil tape. We'll see how it goes. I'm interested in seeing how people make out with plugging the top holes as well.


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## doghouse (Jan 19, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> Im pretty sure it was said they were needed to meet emission standards.



The question was for the bigger picture.


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## flybmw02 (Jan 19, 2016)

I covered the two holes with a piece of sheet metal about 7/8"x 3" bent like a spring clip and slid over the holes I did this 8 years ago I like it better than plugs they don't fall out.


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## doghouse (Jan 19, 2016)

SKOAL MAN said:


> I used a couple washers with a small hole and covered the large holes under the tray..



What size hole on the washer?


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 19, 2016)

SKOAL MAN said:


> Instead of plugging the bottom holes completely, I used a couple washers with a small hole and covered the large holes under the tray. I use some hi-temp silicone to stick them to the pot. The reason I like the washers better,  is instead of cutting off the air completely from the top holes, it regulates it. With the holes completely covered there is actually too much air coming up from the bottom of the pot. This works great for blowing the ash out of the pot, but you are also blowing the pellets out before they are completely burnt! You will also notice that your flame is extremely tall, and your exhaust is a lot hotter. The side holes help to concentrate the burn, in the center of the stove, allowing the stove to absorb the heat, and the pellets to burn completely. With them closed off completely, you are sending a lot of that heat, strait up the chimney! This is what I have found, anyway.



I'm not saying this may be the case, but im not convinced this is sending more hot air out of the exhaust. I look at it this way. The stove is exhausting the same amount of air whether you plug side holes or not. Plugging the holes just means that you are forcing the air to take a different path. Yes the exhaust air will be hotter but thats because more of the pellets are getting burned completely, instead of just piling up as a giant mess in the burn pot. While some of this hotter air is wasted through exhaust, some of it is also absorbed by the stove and radiated while some is picked up by the heat exchanger and blown into the room. With the holes unplugged, and some pellets not completely burned, even more heat is lost because you scoop the pot and throw that heat away (or in your garden or use it for traction on ice etc).

I do notice the flame is extremely tall, I am seeing hotter temps. I am heating the house with less fuel and i am also seeing a cleaner burnpot and no unburned pellets. What i am no longer seeing is clinkers.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 19, 2016)

MadMax31 said:


> Now I want to try... Not for heat output, but cleaner burn pot. After a day of idling at 1-3 my pot is full of fluffy ash.



Madmax, give it a shot. The burn pot will not be empty - our models dont work like that. It still needs scooping periodically but the ash is lighter, fluffier and on the higher settings you wont see piles of glowing half burned pellets. When the ash gets heavy it blocks the air from coming through the pellets in favor of the side holes.

Just a side thought - I wonder if this tinkers with the stove vacuum sensing capability. with the side holes blocked, and a full pot, i would imagine more of a vacuum is being pulled by the combustion blower. I wonder if the stove would now be less sensitive to shutdowns due to gasket leaks etc... 
all the more reason to keep them in good shape i guess.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 20, 2016)

doghouse said:


> The question was for the bigger picture.



Do a little digging and use the search button.  There are many old threads that discuss this and some with mike involved.


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## DrewBoogie (Jan 20, 2016)

Ran my stove from 6:00pm to 6:00am on 7 for heat, in C mode, and I'm happy with the result.  The amount of lava burn is significantly reduced and my glass is clean.  Instead of scooping half burned pellets out of the pot this morning, I moved fluffy ash out to make some more room for more pellets.  Typically after that long of a burn on that high of a setting, I wouldn't be able to see through the glass, which was not the case.  So, my thoughts are that this is beneficial to me since I'm not scooping out unburned pellets and I can still see my fire.  I like it and I'm glad I did it.

This did not make my stove become maintenance free, so I hope others aren't expecting that from this quick modification.  It did reduce the amount of maintenance for me in regards to cleaning glass and I should be able to only have to scrape my pot 2-3 times in 24 hours instead of 3-5.  A lot obviously has to do with pellets too.  My overnight test was with the same pellets I've been burning all winter.


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## SKOAL MAN (Jan 20, 2016)

doghouse said:


> What size hole on the washer?


I never really measured it. I would say that the hole is about 1/4".


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## Michael6268 (Jan 20, 2016)

I wonder if more flyash will accumulate in the exhaust?


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 20, 2016)

Michael6268 said:


> I wonder if more flyash will accumulate in the exhaust?



I'll post the results of that this sunday. I've been running with the holes plugged since my last full cleaning (last sunday). I clean my stove fully every sunday.


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## doghouse (Jan 20, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> Do a little digging and use the search button.  There are many old threads that discuss this and some with mike involved.



Thanks.


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## Chrisnow86 (Jan 21, 2016)

Just put the caps in and firing the stove up.. Here goes nothing


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## nick123 (Jan 21, 2016)

Just did another quick cleaning and checked the venting. Not to bad. Very pleased with the results. Pulled the plugs from bottom and switched them to above the burn plate. We'll see how this does.


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## Chrisnow86 (Jan 21, 2016)

I will say huge difference in the flame... Very tall.. And pellets seem to be burning all they way


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 21, 2016)

does the PDV model have larger holes both below and above the burn plate? i have the pdvc which only has holes below it. My brother had the pdv which i repair for him when it breaks but i dont remember the exact burn pot.


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## nick123 (Jan 21, 2016)

Just moved the plugs back down to below the burn plate. I think I like it better that way. Although I think above or below is better than not plugged.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 22, 2016)

Now you guys need to throw some crappy pellets in and see if it helps any.


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## Hot Foot (Jan 22, 2016)

Dr.Faustus said:


> does the PDV model have larger holes both below and above the burn plate? i have the pdvc which only has holes below it. My brother had the pdv which i repair for him when it breaks but i dont remember the exact burn pot.


The PDV has two round holes above the wear plate, in addition to the six 1/8" holes. There are also two square openings, under the wear plate.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 23, 2016)

i did my cleaning today instead of sunday so i can beat the snow. for me it will only be a few inches but still easier. I did not find a significant amount of ash in the vent pipe. there was a bit more, but i've been running the stove higher than i have in the past few weeks because its been colder. My foil tape finally gave out. I installed the hillman plugs. 3/4" fit perfectly in the pdvc. i used a little hi temp sealant on them. I am also testing something else... my burn plate has 2 larger half circle shaped holes in the burn plate right near the auger. I noticed that most of the air was coming through these now instead of the smaller holes throughout the burn plate. I have some foil tape over those larger holes as a test. so far fire looks more even. see picture...






	

		
			
		

		
	
  During cleaning i did not see any damage or unusual wear anywhere on the stove. I also noticed that there was no carbon build up on the lip of the lower auger tube.


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## Michael6268 (Jan 23, 2016)

I had that stove years ago. I actually welded the holes shut because I had a crappy burn and it seemed like a lot of ash fell through those holes and accumulated underneath. I think you'll find you get a lot of carbon buildup in the auger tube with those holes blocked. I ended up drilling them out.


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## Pete Zahria (Jan 23, 2016)

Michael6268 said:


> I think you'll find you get a lot of carbon buildup in the auger tube with those holes blocked


I tend to agree.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 23, 2016)

well no harm in testing. i can always peel off the foil tape.


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## MCPO (Jan 23, 2016)

"Nookem`s" ( OP ) problem was unburned pellets being pushed out of the burnpot. That issue should have been remedied first and not by plugging factory designed holes , but by adjustment to the settings.
I don`t really have a problem with experimenting and trying different things or even plugging the holes if it makes the stove burn better but isn`t it obvious the stove settings were incorrect to begin with? .


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 24, 2016)

MCPO said:


> "Nookem`s" ( OP ) problem was unburned pellets being pushed out of the burnpot. That issue should have been remedied first and not by plugging factory designed holes , but by adjustment to the settings.
> I don`t really have a problem with experimenting and trying different things or even plugging the holes if it makes the stove burn better but isn`t it obvious the stove settings were incorrect to begin with? .



That may very well be, but in my experience with these stoves, they are prone to have this no matter what feed settings you run on. This stove doesnt blow out or drop the ash into a bin. It uses the auger to push new pellets into the pot and in theory push out the ash. This doesnt work very well so when the ash builds up (which it can quickly on higher settings) it is easier for the air to come out of the side holes vs through the pellets.

Of course the first answer to burn problems is 1. clean your stove 2. tweak the settings 3. make sure your venting is proper and adequate. once you know everything is ok and your gaskets are good etc then try this. From his first post, he wasnt getting unburned pellets pushed out of the burnpot. He was getting a giant mass of smoldering pellets and clinkers. Also, luckily nobody gave him advice to modify his stove. He had already done so at the point of posting. I'd actually never would have thought of this until I saw it here. Me being the curious type decided to test it out.

One could increase the airflow - but on the higher settings there is no real way to do this. one can also limit the feed by either turning down the feed settings or closing the restrictor in the hopper - but then what you've done is reduce your stove to burning on low settings. If you set the stove on 9/9 but your restrictor plate is closed then you arent really getting the heat from 9/9.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 24, 2016)

the funny thing about all this is somewhere there is some sales analysis team at lowes trying to figure out the sudden popularity of hillman plugs.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 24, 2016)

MCPO said:


> "Nookem`s" ( OP ) problem was unburned pellets being pushed out of the burnpot.
> 
> He wasnt asking for advice as how to cure the unburnt pellet problem. In fact, he must have done his homework and read other threads that discuss this same issue.
> 
> ...



This is very common with these stoves. Did you read the thread? This was all said previously.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 24, 2016)

Update: well my foil tape idea from my previous post worked great, but it didnt last long. This morning when i shut down to check the burnpot and check for any increase in carbon deposits, the foil was crispy. I dont think its designed for that high of a heat. so now i have to figure out some other way to close them. Learning to weld has been on my to do list for a while, but not in the middle of winter. i think in the spring I might actually pick up a small mig welder and give it a go. I could do so much more if i had this capability. 

for now i'll have to resort to just putting 2 bolts though to reduce the airflow in that spot. 

btw there was no additional carbon deposits. In fact there wasnt any at all ever since i've plugged the 2 holes under the burn plate.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 24, 2016)

OK guys I'm going to add to the conversation. I have the Hillman plugs in my pdv and I do notice more heat with a higher flame. But, I still have a molten mass of clinkers and unburned pellets. Clean stove, setting on C and running on feed 6 fan on 8. Am I missing something or doing something wrong.


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## Michael6268 (Jan 24, 2016)

Carbon will take longer than that to build up. Usually a week and it was mounded up so much the auger started scraping.
Maybe you'll get lucky...


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 24, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> OK guys I'm going to add to the conversation. I have the Hillman plugs in my pdv and I do notice more heat with a higher flame. But, I still have a molten mass of clinkers and unburned pellets. Clean stove, setting on C and running on feed 6 fan on 8. Am I missing something or doing something wrong.



Possibly. from what i've been reading here I gather the PDV has more than just 2 holes under the burn plate. Someone mentioned there are holes above the burn plate too. Investigate other causes first. I know you said your stove was clean. How are the gaskets? dollar bill test? venting? too many 90 deg elbows etc? See basically you want to fine tune the stove as best you can before trying this. This has improved my pdvc but only after it was running as good as i was going to get it without this.

This doesnt turn it into a high end stove. the burnpot still needs to be cleaned out periodically. It will still fill with ash. Depends on the pellets but you could still have clinkers. What we're trying to do here is to direct as much of the air as possible right through the pellets in the pot. 

I'm more than a week into it and its def. putting out more heat with less pellets. I dont have your particular model. maybe someone with the PDV can chime in. They are similar but not exactly alike.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 24, 2016)

Michael6268 said:


> Carbon will take longer than that to build up. Usually a week and it was mounded up so much the auger started scraping.
> Maybe you'll get lucky...


Thanks, I will keep an eye on it. When mine starts to build up it starts to make a squeaking sound when it rubs so i'll def. be paying attention to it.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 25, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> OK guys I'm going to add to the conversation. I have the Hillman plugs in my pdv and I do notice more heat with a higher flame. But, I still have a molten mass of clinkers and unburned pellets. Clean stove, setting on C and running on feed 6 fan on 8. Am I missing something or doing something wrong.



What pellets are you using?
  And as stated earlier, plugging the holes does not garuntee anything. It helps to a dagree. But does not make everything better.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 25, 2016)

Dr.Faustus said:


> Update: well my foil tape idea from my previous post worked great, but it didnt last long. This morning when i shut down to check the burnpot and check for any increase in carbon deposits, the foil was crispy. I dont think its designed for that high of a heat. so now i have to figure out some other way to close them. Learning to weld has been on my to do list for a while, but not in the middle of winter. i think in the spring I might actually pick up a small mig welder and give it a go. I could do so much more if i had this capability.
> 
> for now i'll have to resort to just putting 2 bolts though to reduce the airflow in that spot.
> 
> btw there was no additional carbon deposits. In fact there wasnt any at all ever since i've plugged the 2 holes under the burn plate.



Partially plugging those 2 holes will help a bit but plugging them completely will not help.
 Until you run the stove for a week without plugging and unplugging, it is going to be very hard for you to give any accurate info on how its going to respond.  

What you plug may work excellent with the brand pellet you burn.  At the same time, another guy will plug the same hole and wonder what he is doing wrong because it only made his stove burn worse.  The pellets being used will play a major part in this.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 25, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> What pellets are you using?
> And as stated earlier, plugging the holes does not garuntee anything. It helps to a dagree. But does not make everything better.


I am using Hammers. I definitely butns hotter but fills with moten material then the heat drops until I clean out the pot then it cranks up again


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 25, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> I am using Hammers. I definitely butns hotter but fills with moten material then the heat drops until I clean out the pot then it cranks up again



I cannot comment on the hamers but i hear they are good.  
 Some pellets burn much faster compared to other pellets.   So maybe try another good pellet just for comparison sake.


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## scotthershall (Jan 25, 2016)

I've been plugging mine since I first started running it over night in November. Prior I was getting a huge pile of clinkers/lava/whatever after an over night run. Enough to make it appear as if 1/3 of the auger was covered. I was surprised the stove was still running. That was after 10 hours or so. Not to mention the glass going from entirely clean to half covered with black soot in the period, too. With the steel wool in place below the wear plate in both holes, after about 10 hours, the clinkers/lava was greatly reduced but still needed to be broken up and removed, and the glass only had the light haze to it. 

We'll never get away from 2-3x daily burn pot cleaning with this mod, but it really does help the stove run better. In a pinch, one could probably let the stove go for 24 hours without a scraping, but that would be pushing it.

The steel wool needed to be replaced about every week or two, although it seemed if I made the ball denser it would last a bit longer. I tried to find some Hillman plugs as suggested here but couldn't find any that fit (store selection wasn't good and I didn't feel like making multiple trips). So on Saturday I found some gasket cement I had from doing the top gasket on my old VC Vigilant. I smeared that all over one side of a quarter and stuck it too the hole, on both sides. Use some additional cement and applied it with my finger around the quarter to seal it in further. A US 25 cent quarter is slightly larger than the holes, so it seemed to seal just fine. I let it sit about and hour per the cement instructions, then fired it up. We'll see how long that will last. The cement tube said it was good to 2000 degrees. After 2.5 days it seems to be holding up. Time will tell... 

There's a possibility the cement won't stick to the metal very well. If so, I'll try some copper-based automotive exhaust gasket maker. 

Note: my stove was built in late 2014. I think the older burn pots had more holes, different size holes, etc.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 25, 2016)

Just a suggestion here, you guys should specify which holes you are saying you plugged.. along with a quick picture if possible.  Just for the new guys or less mechanically inclined viewing these discusions.. i only say this because so far there are 3 different areas of holes discussed here so far.  Hate to have someone join just to say we broke their stove.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 25, 2016)

Thought you guys might be interested in this. You may have seen it already but for those who havnt.  if you take time to read thru it, it gives some pretty good info and answers to alot of the questions asked lately.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/25-pdvcs-original-burn-pot.123615/


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## Chrisnow86 (Jan 25, 2016)

So after a few days I noticed a huge difference in the stoves performance.. The ash build up in general has gone down tremendously and the heat output has definitely increased.. Running the stove In C mode I can run the stove on feed rate 3 or 4 and keep my house really warm, even when it's windy and freezing out.. So I will say it's worth it, I'm burning way less fuel and have a lot less ash.. Never mind the stove can go a easy 12 hours with out the burn pot being cleaned out..


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 25, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> Thought you guys might be interested in this. You may have seen it already but for those who havnt.  if you take time to read thru it, it gives some pretty good info and answers to alot of the questions asked lately.
> 
> https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/25-pdvcs-original-burn-pot.123615/


Great, I was feeling all good that it burns better that the holes are plugged, now i learn I that i need to buy a welder and build me a burn pot...


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 25, 2016)

hey i just noticed my "title" got upgraded from feelin the heat to minister of fire. go me! :-D

In celebration i finally picked an avatar.


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## flybmw02 (Jan 26, 2016)

This is what I did to mine. Two metal clips to cover the holes and a new burn plate with sides, it works really well on low and on high.


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## Hot Foot (Jan 26, 2016)

flybmw02 said:


> This is what I did to mine. Two metal clips to cover the holes and a new burn plate with sides, it works really well on low and on high.


 Looks nice.
Other than blocking the two large air holes, how does the redesigned wear plate improve your burn?


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## flybmw02 (Jan 26, 2016)

The burn plate works well I tried about 6 different designs this one has bigger holes 3/16 in the center and a few 1/8 hole close to the auger. The slanted sides keep the fire centered so the stove burns at very low settings heat level1 with the lowers at 2 4 1 I do this when its 40 degrees outside with the stock plate the fire would go out. Most time I have the lower setting at 5 4 1. it all depends how much heat I need. The other thing I do is I limit the amount of air entering the stove with a gate valve. I know that I most likely would no longer meet emissions but the exhaust temps with out the valve is 400 degrees plus when on high,  by limiting air keep more heat in the stove.
John


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

flybmw02 said:


> This is what I did to mine. Two metal clips to cover the holes and a new burn plate with sides, it works really well on low and on high.



I kind of wish i had the burn pots you guys have to work with.  What you guys are esentially doing is incorporating your larger burn plate with the old style burn pot. 
 There isnt a whole lot i can do to mine without pulling out the grinder with a cutting disc and being creative with the welder...  but just in case you are curious now, i do not have those large holes above or below in mine.  Just some 3/16" holes across both top sides of the pot and 2-  1/2" or so holes just below the auger.  Along with the few holes in the burn plate itself.  But not a single hole beneath the actual pile of pellets.    Its much harder to explain than it seemed.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> Thought you guys might be interested in this. You may have seen it already but for those who havnt.  if you take time to read thru it, it gives some pretty good info and answers to alot of the questions asked lately.
> 
> https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/25-pdvcs-original-burn-pot.123615/


Ok , I made the prototype 1 which restricts to burn area down to a 3"x3" burn area along with closing off the air hole outside this area. I must say there is a better flame and more heat now. But when I checked on it after a 8 hour burn the new burn area was full and over flowing with a molten mass and clinkers . I could not even see the bottom auger , it was completely covered and pushing pellets under the mass. I am going to list this as a fail. Wondering is Cladmaster had the same result on the 1st prototype? Also if the bottom auger is buried can you get a back fire up through to the hopper?


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Ok , I made the prototype 1 which restricts to burn area down to a 3"x3" burn area along with closing off the air hole outside this area. I must say there is a better flame and more heat now. But when I checked on it after a 8 hour burn the new burn area was full and over flowing with a molten mass and clinkers . I could not even see the bottom auger , it was completely covered and pushing pellets under the mass. I am going to list this as a fail. Wondering is Cladmaster had the same result on the 1st prototype? Also if the bottom auger is buried can you get a back fire up through to the hopper?



If it continues to feed long enough without the fire going out i would say it is very possible for the pellets to catch inside the auger.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> If it continues to feed long enough without the fire going out i would say it is very possible for the pellets to catch inside the auger.


Kinda what I thought. Just hope with all the info going around here no one has a fire. I still think my issue is that I'm not getting enough air to blow out the ash. There is no way to turn up the combustion air , correct?


----------



## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Kinda what I thought. Just hope with all the info going around here no one has a fire. I still think my issue is that I'm not getting enough air to blow out the ash. There is no way to turn up the combustion air , correct?



Thats why i proposed everyone included pics and details on which holes they refer too as well. ...
It is to my understanding the combustion blower is running at 80% speed on the lower heat range with the factory settings and increases with the heat range.

Making a good seal between the pot and the new burn plate will help put the air thru the plate instead of around it too.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> Thats why i proposed everyone included pics and details on which holes they refer too as well. ...
> It is to my understanding the combustion blower is running at 80% speed on the lower heat range with the factory settings and increases with the heat range.
> 
> Making a good seal between the pot and the new burn plate will help put the air thru the plate instead of around it too.


Agreed, the plate that I built was out of 1/4 " plate steel welded and set on top of the original burn plate and covered it completely . I had what I think is a very good seal. It just seems to be pushing more pellets then it can burn completely, so they start to pile up. I'm wondering if I need to lower the burn plate so the pellets drop in. I should mention to that I am running in c mode and settings are 641 and heat is on 4 and fan on 7 if that helps. Also burning Hammers


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Agreed, the plate that I built was out of 1/4 " plate steel welded and set on top of the original burn plate and covered it completely . I had what I think is a very good seal. It just seems to be pushing more pellets then it can burn completely, so they start to pile up. I'm wondering if I need to lower the burn plate so the pellets drop in. I should mention to that I am running in c mode and settings are 641 and heat is on 4 and fan on 7 if that helps. Also burning Hammers



You would need to make a burn plate that takes the place of the original instead of doubling it up.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> You would need to make a burn plate that takes the place of the original instead of doubling it up.


That's what I'm thinking. In everyone's opinion would making the holes in the burn plate larger help or hurt the air flow. I would think a larger hole would allow more air to the pellets but might decrease the velocity. Thoughts


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> That's what I'm thinking. In everyone's opinion would making the holes in the burn plate larger help or hurt the air flow. I would think a larger hole would allow more air to the pellets but might decrease the velocity. Thoughts



You are thinking correctly    smaller means plugging faster but bigger decreases the ability of the air to blow away ashes.  But this will also depend on the number of holes drilled and the locations.   Most of mine are 3/16".   And those are factory holes.  I have added more 1/8" and plugged others.   Its all a guessing game until the right combo is found.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> You are thinking correctly    smaller means plugging faster but bigger decreases the ability of the air to blow away ashes.  But this will also depend on the number of holes drilled and the locations.   Most of mine are 3/16".   And those are factory holes.  I have added more 1/8" and plugged others.   Its all a guessing game until the right combo is found.


Thanks, I'm wondering if my sopposed over feeding is because I'm on c mode. Is it possible to get a better flame and more heat using less pellets because they are burning better? Maybe I'm just over feeding my stove. Is that even possible?


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Thanks, I'm wondering if my sopposed over feeding is because I'm on c mode. Is it possible to get a better flame and more heat using less pellets because they are burning better? Maybe I'm just over feeding my stove. Is that even possible?



 you need right air mixture to burn any given amount of pellets completely.  That is what started the whole steelwool thing.   Others just sit back and say "its common or its the way these stoves run"  

Dropping back to D may help but in the end it probably wont solve the unburnt pellet issue.
  You need air focused on the pellets in order for them to burn completely.  So its up to you if you decide to keep playing or give in and say yep that burning mass of pellets is normal. 
 Keep in mind, getting it fine tuned to burn this pellet may cause a problem with another pellet.  Some pellets just burn up faster than others.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> you need right air mixture to burn any given amount of pellets completely.  That is what started the whole steelwool thing.   Others just sit back and say "its common or its the way these stoves run"
> 
> Dropping back to D may help but in the end it probably wont solve the unburnt pellet issue.
> You need air focused on the pellets in order for them to burn completely.  So its up to you if you decide to keep playing or give in and say yep that burning mass of pellets is normal.
> Keep in mind, getting it fine tuned to burn this pellet may cause a problem with another pellet.  Some pellets just burn up faster than others.


Thanks but if you would know me I have to tinker if I feel something could be working better. I guess after work I will lower the burn plate in the prototype to allow the pellets to drop and hopefully role away from the auger . Plus I am going to try to see if I can make a sort of ramp under the plate to direct as much of the air directly to the plate instead of blowing around under the plate in the box.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Thanks but if you would know me I have to tinker if I feel something could be working better. I guess after work I will lower the burn plate in the prototype to allow the pellets to drop and hopefully role away from the auger . Plus I am going to try to see if I can make a sort of ramp under the plate to direct as much of the air directly to the plate instead of blowing around under the plate in the box.



Depending how the plate fits in the pot.. some rope gasket or the flat gasket material with the sticky back works.  

And i know how it is, believe me. I have made 4 diff plates for mine so far.  Next step is to modify the pot itself so i can make the plate sit differently. But pellet is the main source of heat right now so i dont dare breaking it at this point.  Warm weather is coming tho.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> Depending how the plate fits in the pot.. some rope gasket or the flat gasket material with the sticky back works.
> 
> And i know how it is, believe me. I have made 4 diff plates for mine so far.  Next step is to modify the pot itself so i can make the plate sit differently. But pellet is the main source of heat right now so i dont dare breaking it at this point.  Warm weather is coming tho.


I hear ya , it's my primary source also. That's why I'm not modifying the stock plate or pot. Everything I am making is brand new fab. That way I can just put it back to stock quickly.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Just noticed something on my stove , I think. I have movement in my glass in the door. It moves side to side but does not seem to have ply front to back of the stove. Could this be affecting my air to the pot


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Just noticed something on my stove , I think. I have movement in my glass in the door. It moves side to side but does not seem to have ply front to back of the stove. Could this be affecting my air to the pot



Use a lighter and hold the flame going slowly around the outer edge of the glass.. with door closed and stove running...  if the flame gets sucked into the seal then yes most deff.  I would pick up a new gasket and change it regardless if its that loose.


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## Pellet rick (Jan 27, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> Use a lighter and hold the flame going slowly around the outer edge of the glass.. with door closed and stove running...  if the flame gets sucked into the seal then yes most deff.  I would pick up a new gasket and change it regardless if its that loose.


Doesn't seem to suck the flame in . how hard is it to replace the seal. Bolts worry me , being in that kind of heat. With breakage I mean


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Doesn't seem to suck the flame in . how hard is it to replace the seal. Bolts worry me , being in that kind of heat. With breakage I mean



Its too easy not too...mine is 16 years old.. not sure how many times it was donr before. Bit the bolts came right out


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## mac fire (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Just noticed something on my stove , I think. I have movement in my glass in the door. It moves side to side but does not seem to have ply front to back of the stove. Could this be affecting my air to the pot



I just put the plugs in my 2005 PDVC and I notice the change in the way it is burning. The flame is higher and the pellets are completely burning up instead the piling up. It is by far a better burn and better heat.

It is funny you brought this up. The one thing I noticed is that when I opened the hopper I noticed the flame changed a lot. This was never noticed before without the plugs in placed. The flame cuts down and is drawn to the door. Just unlatching the hopper makes a difference and I can just push down on the hopper lid and watch the flame change. So you and a helper can test your hopper lid by pushing it down and watch the flame for a change. So just a little bit of air can change the flame. I thought my hopper seal was good before the plugs were put in. I adjust the latches and cannot adjust any more. I will
need to order a new hopper gasket as this one is sealing but I have no more adjustment and is ten years old.


I think you need to look at controlling the OAK air better. My 6039 stove I had to install a shut off valve on the OAK and had to plug the big wholes behind the firebrick. This stove was hopeless without it.

You may be able to make a better burn pot but having better control of the air is the key.



Pellet rick said:


> Doesn't seem to suck the flame in . how hard is it to replace the seal. Bolts worry me , being in that kind of heat. With breakage I mean




I have heard of using candle wax. Heat bolt- apply wax- turn bolt. Apply wax, screw back in then turn out. Repeat until it is removed.


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

You can have as much control over the intake of air as you want but if the air is not directed thru the pellets it is pointless.


mac fire said:


> I just put the plugs in my 2005 PDVC and I notice the change in the way it is burning. The flame is higher and the pellets are completely burning up instead the piling up. It is by far a better burn and better heat.
> 
> It is funny you brought this up. The one thing I noticed is that when I opened the hopper I noticed the flame changed a lot. This was never noticed before without the plugs in placed. The flame cuts down and is drawn to the door. Just unlatching the hopper makes a difference and I can just push down on the hopper lid and watch the flame change. So you and a helper can test your hopper lid by pushing it down and watch the flame for a change. So just a little bit of air can change the flame. I thought my hopper seal was good before the plugs were put in. I adjust the latches and cannot adjust any more. I will
> need to order a new hopper gasket as this one is sealing but I have no more adjustment and is ten years old.
> ...



Please explain how you think cutting down the airflow from the oak is going to help provide more air to the pellets.


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## flybmw02 (Jan 27, 2016)

On the oak airflow, I decrease the air In it increased the velocity cut down on the volume and stop the stove from chugging. the stove got hotter and the exhaust temp went down. This is what I experienced.
John


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## Cedarjunki (Jan 27, 2016)

flybmw02 said:


> On the oak airflow, I decrease the air In it increased the velocity cut down on the volume and stop the stove from chugging. the stove got hotter and the exhaust temp went down. This is what I experienced.
> John



Part of that makes sense to me.. i will need to actually try it to see for myself.    One thing im curious about, restricting the flow enough to increase the velocity must put more strain on the blower.?   Wonder how much it will reduce the lifespan of the motor.

I am aware other stoves are designed this way and use butterflies and gates to control air flow but they also use diff motors.
 Thoughts?


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 27, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Doesn't seem to suck the flame in . how hard is it to replace the seal. Bolts worry me , being in that kind of heat. With breakage I mean




My bolts didnt break but they did strip one of the holes trying to get them back in. quick trip to HD and a few bucks later had me the ability to retap the threads. I really just went with the same size. Cleaned it up enough so the bolts work great again.


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## flybmw02 (Jan 27, 2016)

I have found that almost all the stoves out there use the same 3000 rpm motors. I would not worry about extra load.


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## DrewBoogie (Jan 28, 2016)

My stove chugs more now with the holes plugged.  it used to only do it on heat setting 9, now it will do it 6 through 9.  I kinda like it though, it shakes the stove enough to keep the pellets sliding down the hopper and into the augur.

I thought about regulating air flow like flybmw talks about to eliminate chugging until I noticed less and less pellets getting stuck to the walls in my hopper.  I don't think the chugging is having a negative effect on anything else related to my stove and it's performance.

I've had the wholes plugged under the burn plate for maybe 2 weeks now and wish I did it sooner.  Still very happy with the performance of the stove, meaning more completely burned pellets, more heat output and significantly cleaner glass than before.  Like others said, this won't turn your stove into a high end stove that you don't need to maintain.  It just makes the burn better and lets you scrape the pot a few less times per day.

I'm burning good softies, I have not burned any other hardwoods since this mod, but they are a much better pellet than any other's I've burned.  I'm interested to see what you guys who are burning not so good pellets are doing now vs. before the holes were plugged.  I may go grab a few bags of Green Supremes and see how they burn now.  I burned a ton last year and they were not great, wonder if this makes them better for my stove.


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## Hot Foot (Jan 28, 2016)

I have had good luck burning the ThermaGlo pellets since plugging the top two holes. I ended up with no unburned pellets, a finer ash and clearer glass. Prior to plugging the air holes, I was burning Vermont wood pellets but still ended up with the overflowing burn pot. They are a great product but at $2.00 more per bag, I can now burn the ThermaGlos with no problems. I still have to scrape the burn pot twice a day. It would be great if one of the newer Englander burn pots, or an aftermarket burn pot could be installed in this model.


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## jintoreedwine (Feb 1, 2016)

I just decided to try this mod myself this weekend. I had to go to the hardware store anyway so I picked up steel plugs and plugged the two large top holes. I realize this still lets air out the small holes on the sides on the burn pot, but I wanted it that way. I am quite impressed with how much cleaner the glass stays and how much better the pellets seem to be burning on the higher heat settings!


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## Hot Foot (Feb 1, 2016)

jintoreedwine said:


> I just decided to try this mod myself this weekend. I had to go to the hardware store anyway so I picked up steel plugs and plugged the two large top holes. I realize this still lets air out the small holes on the sides on the burn pot, but I wanted it that way. I am quite impressed with how much cleaner the glass stays and how much better the pellets seem to be burning on the higher heat settings!


You may want to make some metal clips to prevent the plugs from falling out. I tried using RTV copper on them but they still fall out. The metal clips prevent that.


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## johnnyb1970 (Feb 1, 2016)

Where are these holes under burn plate anyone have pictures. Thanks


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## Dr.Faustus (Feb 1, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> You may want to make some metal clips to prevent the plugs from falling out. I tried using RTV copper on them but they still fall out. The metal clips prevent that.



I cleaned up the holes first with some sandpaper as best i could, then wiped down with some alcohol. then used some high temp rtv on the plugs. they seems to clip themselves in but the sealant was just for good measure. so far they are still in there...


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## Cedarjunki (Feb 2, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> I have had good luck burning the ThermaGlo pellets since plugging the top two holes. I ended up with no unburned pellets, a finer ash and clearer glass. Prior to plugging the air holes, I was burning Vermont wood pellets but still ended up with the overflowing burn pot. They are a great product but at $2.00 more per bag, I can now burn the ThermaGlos with no problems. I still have to scrape the burn pot twice a day. It would be great if one of the newer Englander burn pots, or an aftermarket burn pot could be installed in this model.



I highly doubt you will ever see an after market pot. Those large holes were needed in order to satisfy the new emission regulations.  If anything i think you are going to see these stoves discontinued before they risk failing testing.  Just my opinion after reading thru the numerous hours of posts in the past.


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## Michael6268 (Feb 2, 2016)

A while back Englander said they most likely were discontinuing these models.


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## Dr.Faustus (Feb 2, 2016)

Thats a shame, I like mine. I would buy another if this one became non repairable.


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## Cedarjunki (Feb 2, 2016)

Michael6268 said:


> A while back Englander said they most likely were discontinuing these models.





Dr.Faustus said:


> Thats a shame, I like mine. I would buy another if this one became non repairable.



As long as they havnt cheaped out on the steel i dont think the stove will wear out for a long time.  Mine is 16 years old and you would never know by looking at it


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## Hot Foot (Feb 2, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> I highly doubt you will ever see an after market pot. Those large holes were needed in order to satisfy the new emission regulations.  If anything i think you are going to see these stoves discontinued before they risk failing testing.  Just my opinion after reading thru the numerous hours of posts in the past.


Considering the number of owners who complain about overflowing unburned pellets, I would think that there would be a high demand for an aftermarket burnpot. It's really too bad that owners need to modify the original so much to improve efficiency. Otherwise, the stove really cranks out the heat.


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## Cedarjunki (Feb 2, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> Considering the number of owners who complain about an overflowing burnpot, I would think that there would be a high demand for an aftermarket burnpot. It's really too bad that owners need to modify the original so much to improve efficiency. Otherwise, the stove really cranks out the heat.



Get yourself a pdv made before 2001 and adapt your vacuum switches over to it.  You will have what you are looking for


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## Hot Foot (Feb 2, 2016)

Cedarjunki said:


> I highly doubt you will ever see an after market pot. Those large holes were needed in order to satisfy the new emission regulations.  If anything i think you are going to see these stoves discontinued before they risk failing testing.  Just my opinion after reading thru the numerous hours of posts in the past.


Considering the number of owners who complain about an overflowing burnpot, I would think that there would be a high demand for an aftermarket burnpot. It's really too bad that owners need to modify the original so much to improve efficiency. Otherwise the stove cranks out the heat. 


Cedarjunki said:


> Get yourself a pdv made before 2001 and adapt your vacuum switches over to it.  You will have what you are looking for


That's an interesting idea.


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## Cedarjunki (Feb 2, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> Considering the number of owners who complain about an overflowing burnpot, I would think that there would be a high demand for an aftermarket burnpot. It's really too bad that owners need to modify the original so much to improve efficiency. Otherwise the stove cranks out the heat.
> 
> That's an interesting idea.



As long as the board has been replaced already.. (very likely)  then the board is capable of the switches and an ignitor


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## jintoreedwine (Feb 2, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> You may want to make some metal clips to prevent the plugs from falling out. I tried using RTV copper on them but they still fall out. The metal clips prevent that.



Hmmm, are you talking about just bending over a piece of steel or aluminum into a U shape, or something else? I haven't had mine fall out thus far, but I haven't had them installed that long either . I don't know if it is compatible with steel, but I have some high temperature furnace cement around the house as well that I sometimes need when I inspect the vent stack on my oil fire boiler -- that might also work to hold the plugs in -- it is good for some rather high temps.


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## Dr.Faustus (Feb 2, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> Considering the number of owners who complain about overflowing unburned pellets, I would think that there would be a high demand for an aftermarket burnpot. It's really too bad that owners need to modify the original so much to improve efficiency. Otherwise, the stove really cranks out the heat.



These days everything can be made better! from a burn pot modification to the fact that whenever you buy a new shower head or faucet you need to drill out the flow restrictor to get any water out of the dang thing. Its the epa... anyone use a gas can to fill your lawn equipment? the old ones worked fine, never spilled a drop. try using the new ones. more gas winds up in my driveway than in the equipment.


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## Hot Foot (Feb 3, 2016)

jintoreedwine said:


> Hmmm, are you talking about just bending over a piece of steel or aluminum into a U shape, or something else? I haven't had mine fall out thus far, but I haven't had them installed that long either . I don't know if it is compatible with steel, but I have some high temperature furnace cement around the house as well that I sometimes need when I inspect the vent stack on my oil fire boiler -- that might also work to hold the plugs in -- it is good for some rather high temps.


 I cut two strips of steel to length and bent them over each side of the burnpot. Having done that, the Hillman plugs won't fall out. The shape is like an upside down U, only squared off. Г|


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## Pete Zahria (Feb 3, 2016)

Dr.Faustus said:


> anyone use a gas can to fill your lawn equipment?


Don't get me started on those.....


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## JohnRXL (Feb 9, 2016)

So I went ahead after reading this thread and plugged the two holes below the burn plate on my 25PDV and it has worked out really well. I did make a couple of adjustments thou. I ended up keeping one side completely plugged and drilling a 1/4" hole in the other steel plug. That way the stove could still get air above the burn plate when it started to really fill up after many hours of burning. 
One thing I have been thinking about was to install a small computer fan on the intake tube at the back of the stove to increase air flow to the burn area. Does any one see a problem with doing that? Just an idea.


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## Cedarjunki (Feb 9, 2016)

JohnRXL said:


> One thing I have been thinking about was to install a small computer fan on the intake tube at the back of the stove to increase air flow to the burn area. Does any one see a problem with doing that? Just an idea.



Bad idea.   Focus on how to get what air you have thru the pellets instead. Some stoves are designed that way.  These arent.  If you can find the correct place ment of holes, along with the correct number of holes along with good pellets the stove will be more managable.  Even some the best of stoves out there cant handle some of the chitty pellets.   I found 3 brands of pellets out of about 25 or so that my pdv liked.  Some were soso others i couldnt run unnatended for more than a few hours.


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## Dr.Faustus (Feb 9, 2016)

JohnRXL said:


> So I went ahead after reading this thread and plugged the two holes below the burn plate on my 25PDV and it has worked out really well. I did make a couple of adjustments thou. I ended up keeping one side completely plugged and drilling a 1/4" hole in the other steel plug. That way the stove could still get air above the burn plate when it started to really fill up after many hours of burning.
> One thing I have been thinking about was to install a small computer fan on the intake tube at the back of the stove to increase air flow to the burn area. Does any one see a problem with doing that? Just an idea.



Computer fan would not make a difference - the combustion blower is way stronger than the computer fan. Even if it did, all you are doing is making the stove less efficient by sending more air out of the vent before the exchanger has time to pull out the heat. Best thing to do, like what cedar said tweak the setup so it burns better with the air you've already got.


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## jjones139 (Feb 18, 2016)

I plugged the lower 2 holes under my burn plate on both my PDV & PDVC well over a week ago and it's night / day change for the better. Glass stays clean and the increase in heat output in unreal. Great mod.... Thanks for the tip!


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## Dr.Faustus (Feb 19, 2016)

jjones139 said:


> I plugged the lower 2 holes under my burn plate on both my PDV & PDVC well over a week ago and it's night / day change for the better. Glass stays clean and the increase in heat output in unreal. Great mod.... Thanks for the tip!



I have used so many less pellets than i have last year. Partly due to this but cant overlook the fact that its been warmer.
We have had a few very cold nights below 0. In the past this would have meant keeping the stove on 8 for the night and hoping it kept up. With the holed plugged, the stove kept the temps up easily on 5.


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## Hot Foot (Feb 19, 2016)

Dr.Faustus said:


> I have used so many less pellets than i have last year. Partly due to this but cant overlook the fact that its been warmer.
> We have had a few very cold nights below 0. In the past this would have meant keeping the stove on 8 for the night and hoping it kept up. With the holed plugged, the stove kept the temps up easily on 5.


I've had the same experience. I ended up plugging the top and bottom large burnpot holes for my PDV-25. It was 19 degrees last night. I was able to reach 400 degrees on a heat setting of four. I've never seen the stove with such fine ash left over. It's like the burn efficiency increased 40%. No more unburned pellets or lumpy, crusty ash.


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## Chrisnow86 (Feb 19, 2016)

I also agree.. I run my stove so much slower now.. The heat just pours out of it


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## jim3854 (Feb 19, 2016)

how about a pic of the holes ?


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## Chrisnow86 (Feb 20, 2016)

I just permanently put the caps in.. Put some red rtv sealant on the caps and put them in.. Now they are definitely air tight


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## Dr.Faustus (Feb 20, 2016)

Chrisnow86 said:


> I just permanently put the caps in.. Put some red rtv sealant on the caps and put them in.. Now they are definitely air tight



I sealed them too. I forgot what i used. It was some black goop I had a tube of in my box o' pellet parts. seems to be working well. been there a few weeks now, the plugs havent come off. I dont think its very hot under the burn plate. constant flow of cold air via the oak. fire heat goes up.


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## Chrisnow86 (Feb 20, 2016)

Dr.Faustus said:


> I sealed them too. I forgot what i used. It was some black goop I had a tube of in my box o' pellet parts. seems to be working well. been there a few weeks now, the plugs havent come off. I dont think its very hot under the burn plate. constant flow of cold air via the oak. fire heat goes up.


Ya I figured since the chrome on the plugs didn't get hot a crack off.. Red rtv is good for 600 degrees so it will hold no problem


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## twpman (Feb 21, 2016)

All I used was round magnets, works fantastic


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## Hot Foot (Feb 21, 2016)

twpman said:


> All I used was round magnets, works fantastic


That sound's like a great idea!


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## jjones139 (Feb 21, 2016)

twpman said:


> All I used was round magnets, works fantastic



Dam good idea! I covered the lower holes under the burn plate of my PDV & PDVC with round magnets and it works GREAT!


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## jjones139 (Feb 21, 2016)

Ever since i plugged the lower holes on my PDVC it's cranking heat like no other. Has anyone else noticed this? Although I have noticed increased heat output on my PDV, it's not as hot as the PDVC. I'm burning 1-2 with lower settings 6-4-1.


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## Jigger (Feb 22, 2016)

I have a 25 PDVC and I have tried this mod. It certainly did make a difference in the way my stove is burning the pellets. The pellets I'm burning right now are from Tractor Supply and are hard wood. The pellets are making a complete burn. I have not had to scrape the ash out of the burn pot in the past 24 hours as the ash is being blown out of the burn pot. My pellet consumption has dropped considerable in the last 24 hours. Presently I,m running my lower numbers at 1-5-1 and my uppers at 1-7. My stove is kicking heat out like it never has.


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## Pete Zahria (Feb 22, 2016)

Hang on to that stove...


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## jjones139 (Feb 22, 2016)

Jigger said:


> I have a 25 PDVC and I have tried this mod. It certainly did make a difference in the way my stove is burning the pellets. The pellets I'm burning right now are from Tractor Supply and are hard wood. The pellets are making a complete burn. I have not had to scrape the ash out of the burn pot in the past 24 hours as the ash is being blown out of the burn pot. My pellet consumption has dropped considerable in the last 24 hours. Presently I,m running my lower numbers at 1-5-1 and my uppers at 1-7. My stove is kicking heat out like it never has.



Lower settings 1-5-1?? Older PDVC? Holy Sh*t! Nonetheless that's great results! This morning I checked the mode and found it to be in "a" when in fact it should have been in "d". Anyway, I switched it to "d" and lowered my bottom settings to 5-4-1. It's burning now just fine and definitely not cooking us like last night. I will definitely be playing with low burn feed a tad. A quick adjustment to the hopper lid made a better burn too!! **Update** Ok, well after tinkering a bit more last night I ended going with 4-4-1 and I may drop the LBF more eventually. Either way it's a nice added treat to my basement family room.


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## jjones139 (Feb 23, 2016)

twpman said:


> All I used was round magnets, works fantastic



How are the magnets holding up? Truthfully, that was a genius simple mod!


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## twpman (Feb 23, 2016)

jjones139 said:


> How are the magnets holding up? Truthfully, that was a genius simple mod!


I've been doing this for two years,so far so good
You have to put the magnets under the fire grate, the heat breaks them on top


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## jjones139 (Feb 24, 2016)

twpman said:


> All I used was round magnets, works fantastic



How are the magnets holding up? Truthfully, that was a genius simple mod!


Pellet Fanatic said:


> I've had the same experience. I ended up plugging the top and bottom large burnpot holes for my PDV-25. It was 19 degrees last night. I was able to reach 400 degrees on a heat setting of four. I've never seen the stove with such fine ash left over. It's like the burn efficiency increased 40%. No more unburned pellets or lumpy, crusty ash.



Out of curiosity what are your lower settings? I'm at 4-4-1! I have compared my flame with my PDV and it's not nearly as intense as the PDVC, but nonetheless it's pouring out heat like a mofo!


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## Hot Foot (Feb 24, 2016)

My lower settings are 6-4-1. I've tried every possible combination. The factory default works best or me. I also closed the restrictor plate in the hopper as much possible.


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## Hot Foot (Feb 24, 2016)

jjones139 said:


> How are the magnets holding up? Truthfully, that was a genius simple mod!
> 
> 
> Out of curiosity what are your lower settings? I'm at 4-4-1! I have compared my flame with my PDV and it's not nearly as intense as the PDVC, but nonetheless it's pouring out heat like a mofo!


I would check to see if your PDV is running in C mode. D mode generates a lot less heat.


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## jjones139 (Feb 24, 2016)

Pellet Fanatic said:


> I would check to see if your PDV is running in C mode. D mode generates a lot less heat.



It was actually in A mode on Monday and I switched it to D. A was brutal hot and I was told by Englander TS that C was hotter!! I'm not complaining of the hotness, but more trying to get down the proper settings for comfort rather than cooking LOL! Now I'm trying to differentiate between the fresh air intake from the (downstairs) PDVC vs (upstairs) PDV since I have both stoves and my flame is more robust in the PDV??


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## MadMax31 (Feb 24, 2016)

So far I must be the exception. Noticeably more soot but cleaner burn pot. More un-burnt pellets under wear plate. Glass smoked up quicker too. Currans might be the issue. Its been mild here so Im not burning the "good stuff".


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## Chrisnow86 (Feb 24, 2016)

I've noticed a lot more build up on the impingement plate and heat exchange.. I clean all that once a week so no big deal


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## MadMax31 (Feb 25, 2016)

I clean out each afternoon before I fire it up for the evening. Burn pot less clumpy, but still ashy. Glass smokes up quicker and most internal surfaces are black with soot instead of gray or brown. Yanking the wool tomorrow before the weekend burn.


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## jjones139 (Mar 2, 2016)

MadMax31 said:


> I clean out each afternoon before I fire it up for the evening. Burn pot less clumpy, but still ashy. Glass smokes up quicker and most internal surfaces are black with soot instead of gray or brown. Yanking the wool tomorrow before the weekend burn.


Did you remove the plugs from under the burn plate? If so how's the burn in comparison to being plugged? The glass on my PDV stays clean and I get a nice clean hot burn. My PDVC is totally different..... Glass gets filmed over after 6 hours, hot burn and flame is tall. 2 different stoves with the only difference being the room air blower.... I'm scratching my bald head a little.....


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## Cedarjunki (Mar 3, 2016)

MadMax31 said:


> Currans might be the issue. .



They are dirty dirty dirty. And give very little heat compared to every other pellet i have burned.  My old pdv absolutely hated them.

They do burn good in some stoves. Mostly stoves with aggitators. Otherwise the pot fills and crusts up way too fast.


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## MadMax31 (Mar 3, 2016)

I gave it another try with Lignetics this time. Plugged up it burned great. 14 degrees overnight with minimum wind it was 71 in house this morning with fuel set to 2. Glass much cleaner and burn pot much cleaner. I guess theres no helping those Currans....


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## Stihl029 (Oct 27, 2016)

Not sure where I found this thread, but for years I have been complaining about my 25PDV not completely burning pellets on higher burn levels. I love this stove for the heat it puts out, and the customer service Englander has. That said,  over the 8 years of burning with this stove, and using the best pellets I can find, Currently Dry Creek, I would get un-burned blackish pellets left behind after a long burn.  Long story short, I did this mod and purchased Hillman metal hole plugs from the local chain home store, and inserted them in the larger holes to and bottom of the burn pot. Been burning like this the past week with the cold temps we've been getting and noticing a huge difference. For one I'm getting a nice complete burn, just light ash when I clean the stove in the morning. Also no more black glass after long burns, its staying much cleaner, and I'm getting a more robust flame. VERY happy with this MOD, thank you guys for all the ideas.


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## Dr.Faustus (Oct 29, 2016)

Stihl029 said:


> Not sure where I found this thread, but for years I have been complaining about my 25PDV not completely burning pellets on higher burn levels. I love this stove for the heat it puts out, and the customer service Englander has. That said,  over the 8 years of burning with this stove, and using the best pellets I can find, Currently Dry Creek, I would get un-burned blackish pellets left behind after a long burn.  Long story short, I did this mod and purchased Hillman metal hole plugs from the local chain home store, and inserted them in the larger holes to and bottom of the burn pot. Been burning like this the past week with the cold temps we've been getting and noticing a huge difference. For one I'm getting a nice complete burn, just light ash when I clean the stove in the morning. Also no more black glass after long burns, its staying much cleaner, and I'm getting a more robust flame. VERY happy with this MOD, thank you guys for all the ideas.



Stihl, 

Glad you found this thread and its working for you. This is season #2 for me using the plugs and i have not noticed any ill effects. only complete burns, and much better performance on all settings. Not to mention the stove is now easier to clean, because you dont have to worry about the ash that gets into the hollow burn pot.


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## scotthershall (Nov 1, 2016)

This is a great mod! 

My quarters held in place with gasket cement are still holding up fine. This mod plus doing the leaf blower trick two weeks ago, the stove is performing better than new. Before this mod I'd have black glass within 12 hours. Now it takes a full week for soot to cover just a quarter of the glass, although it gets a slightly grey haze during that time frame. Overnight burns yield a manageable pile of ash in the morning even with the cheapest pellets, as opposed to a mountain of clinkers.

Anyone disappointed with their 25-PCV or PDVC should absolutely do this before trying anything else! But don't misunderstand... you'll still need to scrap the burnpot two or three times a day, scrap the carbon deposits from around the auger tube daily, and all that stuff.


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## Pellet rick (Nov 1, 2016)

scotthershall said:


> This is a great mod!
> 
> My quarters held in place with gasket cement are still holding up fine. This mod plus doing the leaf blower trick two weeks ago, the stove is performing better than new. Before this mod I'd have black glass within 12 hours. Now it takes a full week for soot to cover just a quarter of the glass, although it gets a slightly grey haze during that time frame. Overnight burns yield a manageable pile of ash in the morning even with the cheapest pellets, as opposed to a mountain of clinkers.
> 
> Anyone disappointed with their 25-PCV or PDVC should absolutely do this before trying anything else! But don't misunderstand... you'll still need to scrap the burnpot two or three times a day, scrap the carbon deposits from around the auger tube daily, and all that stuff.


I agree totally with you plus I had issues with the glass sealing on my pdv until I sealed it with a bead of the permatex high temp sealant. My stove is in an unfinished area so the sealer is not visually a problem.


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Anyone have a pic of the holes you close up ?


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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

jerl77 said:


> Anyone have a pic of the holes you close up ?


Not right now I do not, but if you lift out the burn plate with the holes in it , they are at the bottom of the burn box . There are only 3 holes down there. 1 big hole which is your combustion blower hole at the back under the auger. The 2 we are talking about are to the left and right of the big hole on the sides of the burn box. Hope that helps


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

On the back side of the box ?


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## Hot Foot (Dec 20, 2016)

On the PDV there are four large holes in the burn pot. Two are at the top of the burn pot right and left and two are under the wear plate to the right and left of the air intake tube. It's most important to close the bottom holes as they supply air to the upper holes. I plugged both sets to prevent ash from building up in the top holes.


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

I will look when I get home later 
Thank u


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Got it  flame seems better 
The pellets burn a lot better 
But I switched pellets and I don't like them 
I think they are to big to pass the plate in the hopper bin 
Seems like they can't keep up the flame


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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

jerl77 said:


> Got it  flame seems better
> The pellets burn a lot better
> But I switched pellets and I don't like them
> I think they are to big to pass the plate in the hopper bin
> Seems like they can't keep up the flame


You might just need to open the restricker plate a little more for the new pellets. If I change pellets I almost always mess with the plate. 1 more mod you can do to the burn pot is, drill some of the hole in the center of the burn plate to a little larger size to allow more air to pass though the pellets. I did this and made a huge difference. I also closed up a few of the holes around the edge to along with sealing the plate to the burn box to cut down on leakage around the plate. The more air through the pellets the better and hotter it will burn


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> You might just need to open the restricker plate a little more for the new pellets. If I change pellets I almost always mess with the plate. 1 more mod you can do to the burn pot is, drill some of the hole in the center of the burn plate to a little larger size to allow more air to pass though the pellets. I did this and made a huge difference. I also closed up a few of the holes around the edge to along with sealing the plate to the burn box to cut down on leakage around the plate. The more air through the pellets the better and hotter it will burn



Got it  drill some holes tomorrow and weld some up 
Should I just take the plate out of the hopper?


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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

jerl77 said:


> Got it  drill some holes tomorrow and weld some up
> Should I just take the plate out of the hopper?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I took mine out and drilled on a drill press. Be careful, do not go to big . Make little increases in size . Doesn't take much


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Got it what about the pellet plate should I remove that thing ?


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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

jerl77 said:


> Got it what about the pellet plate should I remove that thing ?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I would take it out. It just lifts out so why not get it where you can easily work on it. What did you plug your hole with


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

I put magnets over the holes right now 
I am talking about the hopper restrictor do I remove that 



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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

jerl77 said:


> I put magnets over the holes right now
> I am talking about the hopper restrictor do I remove that
> 
> 
> ...


I would not remove the restriction plate. Just open it up alittle. If you take it out you might get more pellets then you want in the hopper. Right now mine is about halfway open in the adjustment slot where the screw is


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Ok thanks I will take a look too when there is no pellets left in the hopper 
I am amazed that different pellets can make a huge difference 
Really don't like this one 


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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

jerl77 said:


> Ok thanks I will take a look too when there is no pellets left in the hopper
> I am amazed that different pellets can make a huge difference
> Really don't like this one
> 
> ...


I tried a lot of different pellets. You are roughly around my area and most places only sell the hardwood pellets which are stove do not like. I found a place above quakertown that sells easyblaze softwood and that burn great. Much more heat and no lava build up. Just light ash. I will never go back to a hardwood pellet


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Lowes only sells hardwood 
Going to try a other place soon see if they have softwood 


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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

Yep lowes and Home Depot only have hard. Most places around here only have hard. You may have to drive a little to find some of the softwood.


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Call around tomorrow 
Soft burn faster?


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## Pellet rick (Dec 20, 2016)

I asked that same question. Everyone said they have the same burn time as hard. I'm on my 2nd ton and I see no difference between the 2 types of pellets as far as burn times. They just burn better in the pdv 25 in my opinion


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## jerl77 (Dec 20, 2016)

Got ya 
Willing to give them a try 
I am new to this whole thing


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## Pellet rick (Dec 21, 2016)

jerl77 said:


> Got ya
> Willing to give them a try
> I am new to this whole thing


You will like them


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## DrewBoogie (Dec 21, 2016)

Super Premium pellets are well worth the money for these stoves in my opinion.  I'm burning Blazers right now that i got for $260 a ton and they are living up to the hype.  I thought my pellets last year, Spruce Points, were awesome, which they were, but these Blazers are way better.  Absolutely no lava burn and virtually no ash build up in the burn pot.  I can run my stove for a day or two without scraping the burn pot now.


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## jjones139 (Dec 21, 2016)

DrewBoogie said:


> Super Premium pellets are well worth the money for these stoves in my opinion.  I'm burning Blazers right now that i got for $260 a ton and they are living up to the hype.  I thought my pellets last year, Spruce Points, were awesome, which they were, but these Blazers are way better.  Absolutely no lava burn and virtually no ash build up in the burn pot.  I can run my stove for a day or two without scraping the burn pot now.


Too bad us poor bastard s in NY Hudson River area can't get any softwood! Everything is hardwood! 

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk


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## DrewBoogie (Dec 21, 2016)

What about any of the super premium hardwoods?


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## jjones139 (Dec 21, 2016)

DrewBoogie said:


> What about any of the super premium hardwoods?


Sure, but that comes at a $300 plus range and that's not happening! I have a ton of presto left over from last year and I bought a ton of Tractor Supply which are actually Dry Creek that I bought quite cheap at the end of last season. I've heard that Englander stoves Love Soft woods, but unfortunately I cannot find them around here.

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk


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## Pellet rick (Dec 21, 2016)

DrewBoogie said:


> Super Premium pellets are well worth the money for these stoves in my opinion.  I'm burning Blazers right now that i got for $260 a ton and they are living up to the hype.  I thought my pellets last year, Spruce Points, were awesome, which they were, but these Blazers are way better.  Absolutely no lava burn and virtually no ash build up in the burn pot.  I can run my stove for a day or two without scraping the burn pot now.


Good to know , they sound like my easyblaze pellets which were $250.00 per ton.


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## Tails1 (Dec 21, 2016)

There must be quite a difference between those stoves and my 55-trpip as mine does better on hardwoods.


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## Pellet rick (Dec 21, 2016)

Tails1 said:


> There must be quite a difference between those stoves and my 55-trpip as mine does better on hardwoods.


Personally I do not think any other stove burns like the pdv. They are very finicky until you get them dialed in. At least that's my opinion for what that's worth


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## jjones139 (Dec 21, 2016)

Pellet rick said:


> Personally I do not think any other stove burns like the pdv. They are very finicky until you get them dialed in. At least that's my opinion for what that's worth


I can agree with this 100% with my PDV! However, my PDVC is a pain in the ass 

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## DrewBoogie (Dec 21, 2016)

Tails1 said:


> There must be quite a difference between those stoves and my 55-trpip as mine does better on hardwoods.



I think the design of your stove is completely different.

I don't think my PDVC has been a pain in the butt at all.  I've really only burned softies though as they're readily available around here.  I don't think I'd pay over 300 for a ton of pellets again.  I did that the first year i had my stove.  I caught a great sale on those Blazers, and I'll have a hard time going to something different after these are gone.


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## nick123 (Mar 2, 2017)

2 Things...

I plugged the bottom holes last year after reading this thread. Been burning like this for almost 2 years now. I also hooked the stove to a thermostat. I get way more heat and better performance out of this stove now. I am using noticeably less pellets. And one more thing. Most of the rattles and squeals i used to get with this stove have disappeared. Just wanted to share that.


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## 1Oldguy (Nov 7, 2017)

I have a brand new 25/pdvc/55 and this mod made a huge difference. Stove runs for days and the burn pot is free flowing with most holes open. The only complaint i have is the room air blower howls loudly at certain speeds,no prejudice.Not trying to rob the thread but maybe someone can re-direct me.
Thanks

Gary from Colorado!!


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## 1Oldguy (Nov 7, 2017)

Dr.Faustus said:


> i just did my weekly sunday cleaning. then i remembered this thread and said hey, why not?
> so i put some heavy duty high temp foil tape over the holes. It might not last long but i just want it to last a day or so for comparison. I see a difference in the flame, looks more robust. Right now i cant run it on anything but 1 since this is an oddball winter and its actually "warm" outside. will see tonight when temps drop and i can run it on 5 a while.


15 tonS  Burn baby burn


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## EnglanderandHunstman (Dec 28, 2017)

just got the 25pdvc a week ago and wanted to see if someone can verify i have plugged the correct holes......when removing the plate in the burn pot there are two holes on the rear section that are about 3/8' and sit next to each other. there are also two holes on either side of the burn pot in the lower section. these two holes face each other and are about 5/8-3/4 in diamater..i plugged the two larger holes that face each other. its been about 24 hours since doing this and i notice zero change in ash build up or heat. just wanted to check and make sure im not missing anthing here. thanks


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## Pellet rick (Dec 28, 2017)

You are correct . The lower 2 holes are the ones. But there is more to it than that. How are you vented? What are your numbers set at? Do you have a good seal on the door , glass , hopper lid?



EnglanderandHunstman said:


> just got the 25pdvc a week ago and wanted to see if someone can verify i have plugged the correct holes......when removing the plate in the burn pot there are two holes on the rear section that are about 3/8' and sit next to each other. there are also two holes on either side of the burn pot in the lower section. these two holes face each other and are about 5/8-3/4 in diamater..i plugged the two larger holes that face each other. its been about 24 hours since doing this and i notice zero change in ash build up or heat. just wanted to check and make sure im not missing anthing here. thanks


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## EnglanderandHunstman (Dec 28, 2017)

i did the flame test with a grill lighter and notice on the bottom corner on each side of my door there is air being pulled in. this stove is brand new so im not happy about that rope gasket letting anything in. also my vent set up is high for EVL. this was dictated by the location and need to pass inspection because of vent clearances. i was going to remove the outside section today and place just a horizontal cap to see if there is any increase in effciency but it was just too cold to mess around with anything today. 

when it comes to plugging holes on the burn plate itself or drilling a slightly better diameter what is the consensus there? which holes are worth modifying?


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## Pellet rick (Dec 28, 2017)

EnglanderandHunstman said:


> i did the flame test with a grill lighter and notice on the bottom corner on each side of my door there is air being pulled in. this stove is brand new so im not happy about that rope gasket letting anything in. also my vent set up is high for EVL. this was dictated by the location and need to pass inspection because of vent clearances. i was going to remove the outside section today and place just a horizontal cap to see if there is any increase in effciency but it was just too cold to mess around with anything today.
> 
> when it comes to plugging holes on the burn plate itself or drilling a slightly better diameter what is the consensus there? which holes are worth modifying?


I had the same issues with the vent and Inspections . To pass my inspection my Evl went through the roof . After the inspection I lowered my evl by rerouting my vent but still keeping it safe. Made a difference. As far as the burn plate I inlarged the center group of holes . But not by much. This also helped


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## Hot Foot (Dec 28, 2017)

EnglanderandHunstman said:


> i did the flame test with a grill lighter and notice on the bottom corner on each side of my door there is air being pulled in. this stove is brand new so im not happy about that rope gasket letting anything in. also my vent set up is high for EVL. this was dictated by the location and need to pass inspection because of vent clearances. i was going to remove the outside section today and place just a horizontal cap to see if there is any increase in effciency but it was just too cold to mess around with anything today.
> 
> when it comes to plugging holes on the burn plate itself or drilling a slightly better diameter what is the consensus there? which holes are worth modifying?



After blocking the two bottom holes with round magnets, I also closed off some of the wear plate holes to improve burn efficiency on my 25- pdv. If you look at the burn center on the wear plate, you'll see that you will get a circle of burning pellets in front of the auger tube, with ash all around it. I blocked off all of the wear plate holes around this circle with stove cement, to force more air up through the wear plate. You can use high temp foil tape underneath, to block the holes temporarily first. If you like the results, you can use the stove cement.


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## EnglanderandHunstman (Dec 28, 2017)

ok ill give that a try. just to clarify, you blocked off all the holes directly underneath where the burn circle is? i get the same effect of the circle in front of the auger which pushes out ash as it burns


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## Hot Foot (Dec 28, 2017)

I blocked only the holes where the ash gathers around the burning circle. You leave the circle open in front of the auger tube. This forces more air up through the pellets. If you're going to use the high temp metal tape, you would apply the tape underneath the wear plate. It will fall off after a few days though.


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## dink_smallwood (Jan 6, 2018)

The exact parts you need from Home Depot:

Everbuilt 1/2” Hole Plug (top left hole):

 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-Nickel-Plated-Steel-Hole-Plug-807778/204273763

Everbuilt 3/4” Hole Plug (top right hole):

 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Nickel-Plated-Steel-Hole-Plug-807798/204273771

1” diameter magnet (bottom left, right holes):

 https://www.homedepot.com/p/MASTER-MAGNETICS-1-in-Dia-Black-Disc-Magnet-6-per-Pack-96254/203613123


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## BackDoc (Jan 6, 2018)

I am going to get the plugs today.


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## Rascal08 (Nov 3, 2018)

would it possible to post pictures of the holes that were blocked off in the wear plate


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## Hot Foot (Nov 10, 2018)

Rascal08 said:


> would it possible to post pictures of the holes that were blocked off in the wear plate



I'll post a pic in the next couple of days.


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## Hot Foot (Nov 13, 2018)




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## Rascal08 (Nov 13, 2018)

Great thank you. I have blocked some of the holes also with great success


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## Hot Foot (Nov 13, 2018)

Rascal08 said:


> Great thank you. I have blocked some of the holes also with great success



You're welcome.


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