# Englander 25-PDVC stops feeding pellets when too hot



## sirtwist2 (Jan 6, 2015)

Greetings,

I'm having another problem with my Englander pellet stove. It is a 25-PDVC or a 55-SHP10, it's not clear which, with a manufacturer date of 10/03, bought brand new.

It will start fine, but when it gets hot, it will stop feeding pellets. As it cools down, it will start feeding pellets again. If there's enough hot coals, it will ignite the new pellets and start the cycle again. If the coals don't start the new pellets, it will continue feeding pellets until it shuts down, leaving the burn pot overflowing with unburned pellets.

It sounds to my inexperienced ear as a temperature sensor problem, but the only sensor listed in my manual is the vacuum shut down switch, which doesn't sound like it would be the problem. I have changed the electrical board with an old one I had. I've tried all four heat settings(a,b,c, and d) with no change. I also pulled the augers, reseated them, and regreased them. And did a complete cleaning although I just did one before starting it up this winter.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


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## CladMaster (Jan 6, 2015)

Check the heat sensor wire on the back of the stove, it's low down and has a protective cover over the wires (small white wires). Make sure the bolt / nut is tight at the back of the firebox. These wires are under the room air blower and lead to the rear of the firebox passed the igniter.


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 6, 2015)

CladMaster said:


> Check the heat sensor wire on the back of the stove, it's low down and has a protective cover over the wires (small white wires). Make sure the bolt / nut is tight at the back of the firebox. These wires are under the room air blower and lead to the rear of the firebox passed the igniter.



Thanks for the quick response!

Checked, good and tight.


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## CladMaster (Jan 6, 2015)

Sometimes pellets get locked up in the hopper, this can cause it to stop feeding pellets and act the way you have mentioned above, check the restrictor plate in the hopper, make sure it's at least half way open, if the pellets that you are feeding it are long they can cause a 'bridge' and starve the stove of fuel to burn.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 6, 2015)

The other thing that changes when the stove gets hot is the relative pressure in the firebox,  it may be getting below what the vacuum switch thinks is fine thus it cuts the fuel feed.

This can also happen if the stove expands enough that the gasket around the door is no longer making a seal.  

I would expect after a bit to see a vacuum fault indicated on the control panel.

I don't know how hot the hot is but it is also possible that the thermal sensor is seeing things as over limit, I would like to think that the controller would signal this as well.

It is also possible that the area behind where that sensor is mounted to have a good layer of ash.

I would expect the controller to signal loss of fire or failure to start.

Start chasing the possibilities


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 6, 2015)

CladMaster said:


> Sometimes pellets get locked up in the hopper, this can cause it to stop feeding pellets and act the way you have mentioned above, check the restrictor plate in the hopper, make sure it's at least half way open, if the pellets that you are feeding it are long they can cause a 'bridge' and starve the stove of fuel to burn.



As far as I'm aware, my model doesn't have a restrictor plate, at least I've never notice one. I can't check it right now, naturally, it's running fine right now and has a 3/4 full hopper! lol

I thought it might be the cheap pellets, we're burning Stove Chow from Lowe's or Home Depot (don't remember which), but they seem to burn fine with plenty of heat and little ash when the stove actually runs and when I pulled the augers, everything seemed ok. It seems like it happens too regularly to be the pellets or a clog in the hopper.


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 6, 2015)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> The other thing that changes when the stove gets hot is the relative pressure in the firebox,  it may be getting below what the vacuum switch thinks is fine thus it cuts the fuel feed.
> 
> This can also happen if the stove expands enough that the gasket around the door is no longer making a seal.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the response!

Some of the gaskets are a bit frayed, it is at least ten years old. But no error codes at all, just shuts off.

As for how hot, it gets so hot the pellets in the hopper get hot and the temperature in the living room can reach 80 degrees with the stove heat and blower set on 1.

And everything in, on, and around the stove has been vacuumed numerous times in the past month or more, so ash and dust shouldn't be an issue.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 6, 2015)

sirtwist2 said:


> Thanks for the response!
> 
> Some of the gaskets are a bit frayed, it is at least ten years old. But no error codes at all, just shuts off.
> 
> ...




I would suggest that you talk to ESW,


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## Michael6268 (Jan 6, 2015)

Sounds like your lbf is set too high. What setting is it on? Also , turn the blower setting up and wash some more heat off the stove and the sensor shouldnt trip.


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## CladMaster (Jan 6, 2015)

What mode is this stove in ?

See the link below for details on how to check / set the mode.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/englander-25-pvdc-tuning.121069/page-2#post-1840776

BTW .... the stove should not be run in 'A' or 'b' mode.


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## stoveguy2esw (Jan 7, 2015)

is the room fan running? have you tried running the blower speed at a higher rate? it sounds like the unit is bumping the high limit which will stop the top auger until the stove cools below that limit temp. if its hitting that high limit on a low setting its probably feeding too fast and may also not be moving air as efficiently as it needs to with the room air blower.
has the room air blower been cleaned out recently?


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 7, 2015)

Michael6268 said:


> Sounds like your lbf is set too high. What setting is it on? Also , turn the blower setting up and wash some more heat off the stove and the sensor shouldnt trip.



Thanks for the response!

Don't know what the lbf is. The original settings when we bought the stove were A, 6, 4, 1. When I posted yesterday, my settings were D, 6, 4, 1. I tried changing it back to A, 6, 4, 1 because we're going thru too many pellets but it doesn't like that setting anymore. It shut off numerous times with error codes of E 0, E 2, and E 3, which is the first time I've gotten error codes with this problem, so it's back to D, 6, 4, 1.


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 7, 2015)

CladMaster said:


> What mode is this stove in ?
> 
> See the link below for details on how to check / set the mode.
> 
> ...





CladMaster said:


> What mode is this stove in ?
> 
> See the link below for details on how to check / set the mode.
> 
> ...



It's in D mode.

Why not A or B? It came from the factory with an A setting and that's what we ran it on for 9 years.


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 7, 2015)

stoveguy2esw said:


> is the room fan running? have you tried running the blower speed at a higher rate? it sounds like the unit is bumping the high limit which will stop the top auger until the stove cools below that limit temp. if its hitting that high limit on a low setting its probably feeding too fast and may also not be moving air as efficiently as it needs to with the room air blower.
> has the room air blower been cleaned out recently?



Thanks for the response!

Don't know what you mean by the room fan. If you're talking about the combustion blower, yes. If you're talking about the convention blower, no, I didn't know it could be cleaned nor how.

I haven't run the blower speed higher, must admit, never occurred to me.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 7, 2015)

Room fan = convection fan.


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## CladMaster (Jan 7, 2015)

sirtwist2 said:


> It's in D mode.
> 
> Why not A or B? It came from the factory with an A setting and that's what we ran it on for 9 years.



These stoves are not designed to run in 'A' or 'b' mode, there is a risk of over firing the stove and cracking the metal which can lead to loads of problems to no end.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 7, 2015)

ok i have the same model. You need to pull out the convection blower. I used to do mine twice a season. you wont believe what gets stuck to that thing! eventually i got tired of pulling it so i cut an access hole in the side of the stove and put a removable plate. now i can hit it with compressed air easily without removing it. 

less likely is that your upper auger periodically jams up, but that auger will keep trying until it dies. most of the time it winds up breaking through the restriction, and begins feeding pellets again. It tried to feed, cant, shuts off then tries again. this is usually enough to smash a pellet after a few tries.

and lastly, make sure the stove hasnt accidentally been put in thermostat mode. there is a jumper on the board. when you have no thermostat and rely on settings 1-9, there is a jumper on those terminals. to add a thermostat, you remove the jumper and connect the thermostat wires. If you had no jumper and no thermostat, it would keep cycling down the fire like that. 

also and as a last resort, set the blower fan higher than the fuel feed. you dont have to run at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 etc. you can run the unit on say 3-9 or 2-9 where 2 is the fuel feel and 9 is the convection blower speed. the convection blowers air movement is what keeps the stove in its heat limit and prevents it from going into meltdown.

hope this helps!


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## Michael6268 (Jan 8, 2015)

sirtwist2 said:


> Thanks for the response!
> 
> Don't know what the lbf is. The original settings when we bought the stove were A, 6, 4, 1. When I posted yesterday, my settings were D, 6, 4, 1. I tried changing it back to A, 6, 4, 1 because we're going thru too many pellets but it doesn't like that setting anymore. It shut off numerous times with error codes of E 0, E 2, and E 3, which is the first time I've gotten error codes with this problem, so it's back to D, 6, 4, 1.


Sorry.  I meant LFF ( 3 Buttons on bottom. The one that controls the feed)  I would lower that and run your convection blower higher. And set to D mode.


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 9, 2015)

Tried running the convection blower higher (only went up two over the heat, was working the last couple of days and didn't have time to play around with it), still had the same problem.

Pulled the convection blower this morning, cleaned it (pulled a lot of dust out of it!), and reinstalled it (what a pain!). Also recleaned the combustion blower, it was surprisingly dirty considering I had cleaned it before winter started.

It's running now, hopefully it will continue to run!


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## Lake Girl (Jan 9, 2015)

Have to clean the exhaust pathway (from OAK, through stove and to exhaust termination) about once a ton  ... so not surprising the combustion blower was dirty!


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## Shannon Hackenberg (Jan 9, 2015)

sirtwist2 said:


> Greetings,
> 
> I'm having another problem with my Englander pellet stove. It is a 25-PDVC or a 55-SHP10, it's not clear which, with a manufacturer date of 10/03, bought brand new.
> 
> ...


Changing the mode from a b c d will not change anything when you change modes you have to adjust your feed rate for what mode your in.For example if your stove is 2004 and newer auto igniter? In modes A B if the stove gets to hot it will show E-3 code in C and D it will not. From your description I had a friend that had the same issue his Stove was in the hottest mode C and did the same thing it would die out and come back. After you change the mode you can adjust the low fuel feed which contols the top auger in A and B mode I would use a 4, Low burn air controls your combustion blower in A or B mode go with 5, last air burn temp this controls the room blower keep it at 1 period you change it it will not work. For modes C and D which will not show a E-3 code high temperature 6-4-1.
Good luck your issue is either your mode or heat exchange is dirty and I would guess your mode is not adjusted to meet low fule feed and low burn air settings.


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## CladMaster (Jan 9, 2015)

Shannon Hackenberg said:


> Changing the mode from a b c d will not change anything when you change modes you have to adjust your feed rate for what mode your in.For example if your stove is 2004 and newer auto igniter? In modes A B if the stove gets to hot it will show E-3 code in C and D it will not. From your description I had a friend that had the same issue his Stove was in the hottest mode C and did the same thing it would die out and come back. After you change the mode you can adjust the low fuel feed which contols the top auger in A and B mode I would use a 4, Low burn air controls your combustion blower in A or B mode go with 5, last air burn temp this controls the room blower keep it at 1 period you change it it will not work. For modes C and D which will not show a E-3 code high temperature 6-4-1.
> Good luck your issue is either your mode or heat exchange is dirty and I would guess your mode is not adjusted to meet low fule feed and low burn air settings.



This stove was not designed to run in 'A' or 'b' mode and should never be run in these two modes, this is info direct from ESW, there is a risk of overfiring and it can crack the metal in the fire box which voids the warranty.


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## Shannon Hackenberg (Jan 9, 2015)

CladMaster said:


> This stove was not designed to run in 'A' or 'b' mode and should never be run in these two modes, this is info direct from ESW, there is a risk of overfiring and it can crack the metal in the fire box which voids the warranty.


Was not aware of that and if it is true makes no sense to me why they just did not eliminate those modes then instead of having them.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 9, 2015)

Shannon Hackenberg said:


> Was not aware of that and if it is true makes no sense to me why they just did not eliminate those modes then instead of having them.



Same controller is used in different models of the stoves.

I have three on my bucket of parts stove, Quads have many modes on theirs.


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## Shannon Hackenberg (Jan 9, 2015)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> Same controller is used in different models of the stoves.
> 
> I have three on my bucket of parts stove, Quads have many modes on theirs.


Gotcha seems like alot of ppl have issues with the pdvc, I have a total different animal 25-pah and less augers and parts means less issues and have not had any in three yrs and unplug mine and have a surge protector.


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## CladMaster (Jan 9, 2015)

Shannon Hackenberg said:


> Was not aware of that and if it is true makes no sense to me why they just did not eliminate those modes then instead of having them.



I know this stove inside out, upside down, back to front --- I own one.


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## Shannon Hackenberg (Jan 9, 2015)

CladMaster said:


> I know this stove inside out, upside down, back to front --- I own one.


I see you own one in your description,glad your happy with it,still stick with what I got less issues.


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 10, 2015)

Shannon Hackenberg said:


> Changing the mode from a b c d will not change anything when you change modes you have to adjust your feed rate for what mode your in.For example if your stove is 2004 and newer auto igniter? In modes A B if the stove gets to hot it will show E-3 code in C and D it will not. From your description I had a friend that had the same issue his Stove was in the hottest mode C and did the same thing it would die out and come back. After you change the mode you can adjust the low fuel feed which contols the top auger in A and B mode I would use a 4, Low burn air controls your combustion blower in A or B mode go with 5, last air burn temp this controls the room blower keep it at 1 period you change it it will not work. For modes C and D which will not show a E-3 code high temperature 6-4-1.
> Good luck your issue is either your mode or heat exchange is dirty and I would guess your mode is not adjusted to meet low fule feed and low burn air settings.



My understanding is that the low fuel feed, low burn air, and air on temp settings only come into play when you set the heat and blower to 2 or lower.

My stove is a 2003 and doesn't have an igniter.

I'm currently running in D mode, 6, 4, 1. It seemed to run fine after cleaning the blowers, it ran for part of the day yesterday and all night, but went thru two bags of pellets and the living room was too hot. In the past, with A mode, 6, 4, 1, (the settings the stove was in when we bought it) we went thru about a bag a day and kept the living room at a comfortable level.


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## sirtwist2 (Jan 10, 2015)

CladMaster said:


> I know this stove inside out, upside down, back to front --- I own one.



I'm happy with mine, we bought it cheap and we ran it for about ten years with little to no problems. It's only in the last two years that we've had any problems. I can't complain too much after years of 24/7 running for 3 months and on and off running for another 1 to 2 months without any problems.


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