# New Castle Serenity Pellet Stove



## Blacknight318 (Mar 20, 2014)

Just got a Castle Serenity stove installed 2 weeks ago, boy does that thing cook.  We've got a house with boiler heat so we're trying to figure out setting up air flow to move the heat around, also trying to figure out how to dial in the stove just a tad cooler.  Right now we're having to shut it down about every 6 hours to keep that corner from really getting hot.  Any suggestions or experience would be great as this is the first pellet stove I've owned.


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## Bioburner (Mar 20, 2014)

Could try and PM rich2500 as they got one this season, one of two members that I recall having one. Still a new stove line. Replaced the Castle that had some back exhaust path issues. Welcome


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## Lake Girl (Mar 20, 2014)

Congrats on the new stove - we like pictures

Hopefully other Castle owners will chime in...


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## rich2500 (Mar 20, 2014)

Congrats on the serenity,love mine.To help move the heat around I have a small fan that I sit on top of the hopper lid that I run on low blowing straight out from the stove and that does a good job for me moving the heat to other rooms.What voltages are you running your combustion and convection fans at.I also made my intake air gate adjustable on the fly.


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## Blacknight318 (Mar 23, 2014)

I'll post a pic shortly.  rich2500, I haven't messed with the voltages at all so they're stock.  Did a clean sweep and vac out this morning before firing it up, seemed to run steady around 88 in the corner today, and just a hair under 80 in the whole room.  Wind must have been bad today though as the rest of the house had trouble holding on to much heat, boiler would kick on every so often and it's set at 65.


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## Blacknight318 (Mar 23, 2014)

Not sure why the second image turned sideways but there it is.  No OAK, just pulls cold air from the room for now.  Got a second screen to go all the way around the stove, and have a cooling rack with a cake pan of water on top to add a little humidity, might replace that with a catch pan and a sourdough starter(to keep it warm).


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## rich2500 (Mar 24, 2014)

looks really good. might wanna get yourself a surge protector though,and get your oak hooked up, since everything is still set at stock best thing to do is try different fan placements,I run a fan sitting on the hopper lid and the furthest room from my stove is 3 deg. cooler . others have had good luck with pushing the cooler air towards the stove.These little stoves really kick out the heat, right now it is 23 deg. outside and it is 78 deg. just outside my bedroom which is the furthest room from my stove, all settings on lowest settings.I have been playing with adjusting the intake air gate(currently 3/4 closed) trying to get my temps down  but it don't seem to mean much.I have only had my stove a month and half(been burning pellets for 10 yrs.) so I'm still learning it also.these stoves are so easy to clean, no passages anywhere except the exhaust under the ashpan and that I can get my shop vac hose in all the way up to the fan .


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## Lake Girl (Mar 24, 2014)

Nice stove - you'll have to figure out the best way to move air in your house.  Depends on the lay-out - lots of threads to search on the forum...  May have to take a good look at your insulation to keep that warmth in.

Where's the thermostat for the furnace?  Where's the cold air return?


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## Blacknight318 (Mar 24, 2014)

Thermostat is in the next room over.  I've got a propane boiler rather than a forced air furnace so no cold air return, and the house is 160+ years old in the oldest part, most of the cold air seeps in around the foundation.


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## Lake Girl (Mar 24, 2014)

Spray foam will seal a lot of the air leaks around the foundation - judging it is field stone of some kind with air spaces between it and sill plates.  Seal up around those floor joists too...

Edit:  Make sure you wear respiratory protection when you do


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## Blacknight318 (Mar 24, 2014)

Looking into a rodent repellent foam top diary in this summer.  The foundation is hand cut sandstone block with heavy red oak beams on it, original house was log.


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## Arti (Mar 25, 2014)

Nice looking stove and install.  I would like a follow up after a months use, this is one of the stoves that I have considered purchasing, sort of curious of what you like about the stove and what you don't like.


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## rich2500 (Mar 25, 2014)

I have had my serenity going on 2 months
Pros.
Throws great heat
Controller is nice,use the timer feature all the time.
Ashpan is inside the stove(no extra gasket to leak or replace)
Very simple to clean
It's quiet(atleast on heat setting 1 all I use)
Replacement parts very reasonably priced(for example combustion blower is $ 69.00)
Cons.
Intake air gate is adjustable but need to remove side panel to adjust it(put a rod on mine that comes out the side of the stove now I don't have to remove the side panel.
Glass gets dirty quick(not to the point you can't see through but hazy)


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## Blacknight318 (Mar 25, 2014)

I noticed that with the glass too, I just wipe it down each day before I fire it up.  rich2500 would like to see how you added rod, might have to see about adding something like that.


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## rich2500 (Mar 25, 2014)

Here is the rod out the side.will have to get a pic of how I hooked it up to the gate


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## rich2500 (Mar 26, 2014)

here is the glass after 12hrs. of burn time, I burn 80/20 corn blend so mine might be worse then burning straight pellets


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## derbydude (Aug 14, 2014)

Was it easy to install this? Is it a DIY job for a novice?
BTW, how does this stove compare to the better known brands. Its less than half the cost and that atrracts me but also scares me.


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## Blacknight318 (Aug 14, 2014)

I had mine professionally installed,  seemed to go fairly smooth.


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## rich2500 (Aug 15, 2014)

difficulty of install  depends on what material you will be going through with the exhaust, if your handy with tools you should have no problems. As for the stove I only installed mine mid last winter so I have no longevity to report but I'm very happy with the stove so far.Before buying my stove I called Ardisam and spoke with customer service and a tech. guy and I was very pleased with them so I,m not concerned about their customer service.


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## dakjd03 (Dec 10, 2014)

Hi,  I just came across this stove online and was very interested,  since I'm looking to replace the wood burning insert I just got last year I was attracted by the price and reviews.  just Wondering. How it's  been working for you.  And how many  Sq ft are you heating with it? And what's your average burn time on a hopperful?


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## rich2500 (Dec 11, 2014)

Stove is doing awesome for me, have not had a single problem so far and so incredibly easy to clean. I'm heating 1200sq. ft. and have never had to run the stove above heat level 1 to keep it at atleast 72 in the house,on heat level 1 i'm getting 16-18 hrs on a hopper, depends on the pellet I'm burning and what I have the draft set at. If you decide to get the stove and get it through Ace Hardware use promo code winter and it brings the price down to $ 850.00 if you pick up at a store,great stove for that price.


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## Lake Girl (Dec 11, 2014)

Great price!  Member Don2222 worked on one of the first generation Castles that Bioburner referred to earlier.  Issue with access to internal smoke pathway that was clogging with fly ash.  They redesigned this so no longer an issue?


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## dakjd03 (Dec 11, 2014)

Thanks I appreciate the quick reply, i checked out some more reviews online and read the owners manual, I'm leaning towards this one . now to figure out if i can swing it before the price goes up


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## rich2500 (Dec 12, 2014)

Last week Ace had the stove on sale for $899 plus the promo code brought the price down to $765, that was a killer deal, it's unfortunate your a week late


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## dakjd03 (Dec 12, 2014)

Oh wow,  that would've been nice! Unfortunately it looks like I'll have to put it off for a while


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## nvanzile (Dec 15, 2014)

Hey just installed a Castle Serenity this past weekend. I love the thing but I wish the auger could be slowed down a little bit. On the lowest setting I'm using about a bag and a half a day. My house is super small so its roasting.  Has anyone had any luck with slowing down the auger? 

Second, I saw mention of using corn.  can some one give me some more info on corn whether it can be used in a serenity and what type to find? thank you!!


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## Lake Girl (Dec 15, 2014)

nvanzile said:


> Hey just installed a Castle Serenity this past weekend. I love the thing but I wish the auger could be slowed down a little bit. On the lowest setting I'm using about a bag and a half a day. My house is super small so its roasting.  Has anyone had any luck with slowing down the auger?
> 
> Second, I saw mention of using corn.  can some one give me some more info on corn whether it can be used in a serenity and what type to find? thank you!!



Castle serenity is not a multi-fuel so no corn...  Looks like heat level is the only way to control the feed rate of the auger...  Could use a thermostat which will cycle it off but this is harder on the ignitor.


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## molsonman (Dec 24, 2014)

rich2500 said:


> Stove is doing awesome for me, have not had a single problem so far and so incredibly easy to clean. I'm heating 1200sq. ft. and have never had to run the stove above heat level 1 to keep it at atleast 72 in the house,on heat level 1 i'm getting 16-18 hrs on a hopper, depends on the pellet I'm burning and what I have the draft set at. If you decide to get the stove and get it through Ace Hardware use promo code winter and it brings the price down to $ 850.00 if you pick up at a store,great stove for that price.



Great info on the stove. I bought mine at Ace using the code about a month or so ago. I love the stove so far. My only complaint is that it throws so much heat I have to shut it down. When it's left on overnight, it heats the living room and kitchen up to 80° and that's on setting 1. 

I haven't played with any voltages. Is there a way to knock the heat down some?


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## rich2500 (Dec 24, 2014)

nvanzile said:


> Hey just installed a Castle Serenity this past weekend. I love the thing but I wish the auger could be slowed down a little bit. On the lowest setting I'm using about a bag and a half a day. My house is super small so its roasting.  Has anyone had any luck with slowing down the auger?
> 
> Second, I saw mention of using corn.  can some one give me some more info on corn whether it can be used in a serenity and what type to find? thank you!!



I burn a mix of 20% corn just fine in my serenity,I can only burn the mix if it's real cold outside though or it gets to hot in the house.I buy bagged corn from tractor supply,I do get clinkers though when burning corn when I burn straight pellets I don't get clinkers.


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## rich2500 (Dec 24, 2014)

molsonman said:


> Great info on the stove. I bought mine at Ace using the code about a month or so ago. I love the stove so far. My only complaint is that it throws so much heat I have to shut it down. When it's left on overnight, it heats the living room and kitchen up to 80° and that's on setting 1.
> 
> I haven't played with any voltages. Is there a way to knock the heat down some?




Where is your draft set, I have found that if it"s getting to hot in the house if I open the draft all the way  more heat goes out the exhaust and it don't get so hot in the house, with that being said I did install a rod to adjust my draft without  removing the side panel.


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## molsonman (Dec 24, 2014)

rich2500 said:


> Where is your draft set, I have found that if it"s getting to hot in the house if I open the draft all the way  more heat goes out the exhaust and it don't get so hot in the house



Everything is exactly how it came from the factory. My house is a little over 1200sq feet. I'd like to just keep the stove running but at a more comfortable level. Opening the draft should lower it some. Was wondering if there was a way to do that by lowering the pellet feed as well somehow.


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## rich2500 (Dec 24, 2014)

molsonman said:


> Everything is exactly how it came from the factory. My house is a little over 1200sq feet. I'd like to just keep the stove running but at a more comfortable level. Opening the draft should lower it some. Was wondering if there was a way to do that by lowering the pellet feed as well somehow.



Unfortunately there is no other adjustment for the auger feed other then the heat settings.You  might be able to install an inline trim switch, I don't know for sure though if that would work.You could also make a plate to sit in the bottom of the hopper that would reduce the pellet feed opening.


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## arby808 (Oct 30, 2016)

I fixed the intake  on my stove  with a small rod  and drilling 2 holes  one on the intake gate and one on the side of the stove


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 6, 2017)

Hello All, 

Need some help please! I'm burning _2 bags_ in _24hrs_ on _low_ (manual) am I doing something wrong? 
_Settings_:
*  Low heat setting manual* (stall1),  *blower is at 90v, exhaust at 80v,  * *Oak installed, * A*ir gate half open*. 
-Using as primary heat for this winter-​  I bought this to save money but,  $6.00bg @ 2 per day = $360.00 month "Roughly" 
I'm loosing money... My furnace is down and can't get a new one until April 2018. Anyone know anything about settings on this that can help please.
Castel Serenity 12327 - 9/6/17


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## rich2500 (Nov 6, 2017)

your settings seem fine, what pellets are you burning; shorter pellets will feed faster


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## Deezl Smoke (Nov 6, 2017)

What size bag ? I could'nt burn two 40 lb bags in a day if my life depended on it on setting 1 with your voltages. You must try a different pellet for a few days or something.


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## Deezl Smoke (Nov 6, 2017)

So with the door glass clean, if you watch the flame, how much glowing pellet material is bouncing out of the burn pot? About the only way I can figure the stove would feed that much is if the pellets are not getting burned up completely and are being pulled out of the pot, allowing the controller to think more are needed to maintain a certain temperature. Otherwise, at 80 lbs a day, my stove would shut down on over temp at 90 volts and 80 exhaust.

 Also, how hot is the exhaust piping getting? if the exhaust fan is pulling too much heat out, and not letting the stove transfer the heat to the room, that heat would be making the piping hot, and/or even sparks blowing out the exhaust outlet.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)

I called castle and they are going to send me a new box control, it goes on the right inside.they said it must be bad.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)

I will reply to the rest after work


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## Talegas (Nov 8, 2017)

whoa, nice way to revive an old thread :D 
Yes, do let us know if the control panel was at fault and if the fault was that the auger was feeding way too fast. Regardless if they burn or not, the only way to go through that many bags in 24hrs is if the feed is very fast (or rather small pellets are being used).


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)

Hello All, thank you for all the replies. I'm using crap pellets from tractor supply now(bought 30 bags)  but used green team before (bought 30 bags) and another brand from home depot and they sucked. Just got the stove so I'm trying everything local and not much luck. The pellets are small now but the problem has been since day one.

My pot is usually about an 1/16 full upon empty which I do every day. Along with vacuum the 1/2 in of dust on the sides. Flam his the top in the beginning few hours then drops to only about 3 to 4 inches above the pot.

Exhaust pipe is pretty hot  I have a small fan behind it to cool it and for extra heat.

Don't seem to be loosing a lot of embers, maybe I'll try turning the exhaust down to 80. Lowest.

Yes 40lb bag so almost 80lb a day.

And I'll attach some pictures


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)




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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)




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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)

That is from last night to now I vacuumed it out at 8:00pm and going to vacuum now 6:15 pm. I know there is no hearth I'm getting there please understand my wife is very sick so I really haven't  had much time at all to mess with it and it's only 2 months old purchased September.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)

Also my door pins comes loose and door 
	

		
			
		

		
	





	

		
			
		

		
	
 falls off anyone else. They said on the phone at castle to put on lock tight and tighten the bottom Allen screw.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 8, 2017)




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## killercarver (Nov 8, 2017)

Dooleyj67, interesting pictures!  I'm new to pellet stoves, but got my Castle this past summer and have been absolutly loving it, and learning lots from it.

You're pictures show lots and lots of ash (I'm burning wood chips and pellets 90/10 mix) and don't see that much, and chips are dirty (but super cheap).  The white color tells me you're burning ok (onto the lean side - too much air) and hot with the pattern on the glass and metal shell saying you have a lot of flame; probably too hot for the stove.  Got a picture of when it's burning?  Do you hear the auger switching on and off?  Should be on for something like 2 seconds and off for 5, and continuing to cycle like that.  And if you watch your burn pot, how high are the pellets getting from the bottom?  Should be 1/4-1/2" in the pot; more than that and it's feeding too fast for the way the pot is designed and drilled.

The controller on the top of the stove is based on an Atmel processor while the bottom box next to the intake has power filtering and opto-isolators with small mosfets (on-off switches); if the mosfet is bad for the auger and failed closed, the auger motor could be running at full power and not cycling.

Billy


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## Deezl Smoke (Nov 9, 2017)

dooleyj67 said:


> Hello All, thank you for all the replies. I'm using crap pellets from tractor supply now(bought 30 bags)  but used green team before (bought 30 bags) and another brand from home depot and they sucked. Just got the stove so I'm trying everything local and not much luck. The pellets are small now but the problem has been since day one.
> 
> My pot is usually about an 1/16 full upon empty which I do every day. Along with vacuum the 1/2 in of dust on the sides. Flam his the top in the beginning few hours then drops to only about 3 to 4 inches above the pot.
> 
> ...



 Dont make any changes until you install the new part.
 The start up flame should hit the ceiling of the chamber for a few minutes, not hours, then die back down as you describe. Hours is likely a part of the over feeding.

 The pictures do show a bit too much ash and the color around the pellet chute seems a bit cold. I think once the new part gets installed, you may see most if not all of your issues go away. Pellets dont look that bad. They should be shiny on the outside and slick. It's ok that they are short, the stove can be adjusted to them. But they must be solid, shiny on the outside, and slippery. That is indicative that the lignin had made it to temperature for adhesion.

 The over feeding is likely the cause of the burn pot having so much build up. I think with so many pellets dumping in, the bottom of the pile never gets hot enough to burn fully and causes that layer of hardened ash. You should only have a few holes plugged in 24 hours and a simple scrape across with a metal tool of your choice should take care of that. As Rich2500 mentions, you can open the door for a few seconds to do this, then close the door. I do not have to vacuum for several bags. It's ok for the ash to build on the sides like that, just not that fast. You can also ad pellets with the stove running, you just cant leave the hopper lid open very long or the stove will go into shut down. 

 I'll not ask personal questions, but you mention your wife is very sick. I hope it is a virus, nothing worse, and that she recovers soon.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

Feeds pellets on average about every 5-7 seconds.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)




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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

I figured both out about opening the door and feeding it. Thank you the foam seems ok high in the beginning but really low after a few hours. My fresh air gate is half open is that it?


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

Flame


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

I will let you all know after the part is received and installed. Thank you for the feed back. 

One question how do I adjust for different pellets? Quality and size?


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

O pellets are Shiney and slippery. Don't give good heat though it might just be the stove not running correctly now


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)




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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

Doing my first cleaning, figuring that is not working correctly I better. Question what are the to connector for in the picture above?


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## Deezl Smoke (Nov 9, 2017)

You do not have to disconnect any wires for a cleaning. In fact, unless you see a lot of ash behind and below the ash pan, once you remove it, I would not pull the fan so soon. My opinion anyway.

 You can adjust for pellet quality with the stall voltages and heat setting. I dont see where the pellets in your picture show anything real bad. But over feeding the burn pot will not allow the stove to collect as much heat from the fuel as it should. I'd wait and see how the new part does. But say you want more heat than number 2 is putting out. Bump the heat setting to 3 and monitor the blower settings. If you see the flame getting yellow and lazy, you may need to bump he exhaust blower 10 volts or so. If the flame is good and the stove is getting hot, bump the room blower up in volts etc.

 The Serenity is a hands on stove and I really like that. Many people prefer the "set it and forget it" idea that they have with a furnace. A Serenity is not for them. But the hands on if the Serenity are what allow so much adjustment, and as such, a fairly high tolerance for pellet quality. I think there are other stoves that also have a good tolerance for pellets etc., but for the price point, I'm liking my Serenities.


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## rich2500 (Nov 9, 2017)

dooleyj67 said:


> Doing my first cleaning, figuring that is not working correctly I better. Question what are the to connector for in the picture above?


if your refering to the white round sensor those are the high temp sensors the one without wires to it is a spare backup that they install.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

Deezl, thank you I do get a lot of ash under the catch pan every  3-4 days I empty it and the ash is as high as the rest it sits on if not a little bit more in the corners. The only reason for cleaning the exhaust fan was being that it's not running correctly.  I just thought I'd check. (not bad buy the way). 

This is my first pellet stove so again I'm trying to figure it out.(sorry for all the posts and questions)  So far I love it, it's an amazing stove and the price as you said can't be beat. I also like the hands on part. In my life now it's a bit much with everything going on but still do like it.

I can't wait to get this dam part already to see how it really work's,  hopefully. 

We are going through a record cold front tonight so I bumped it up to 4 manual, set exhaust from 95 to 90 and when side opened set the airflow gate to a little bit less then half. A little bit. It seems to be working better then it ever has? Wondering if it was too much air along with a bad feed rate?


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 9, 2017)

Rich2500, yes and thank you. That's good to know.


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## Lirpa (Nov 9, 2017)

Just installed my castle serenity a few weeks ago. Does anyone know if there’s a more efficient pellet to burn? For instance, I’m currently using pellets from Agway, is there another brand out there that would burn better or all they relatively the same? This is my first pellet stove so I don’t have any experience to compare this to.


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## rich2500 (Nov 10, 2017)

what pellet are you burning from Agway,  if it's the Agway labeled bag those are Hamers and a good pellet


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## mikkeeh (Nov 10, 2017)

rich2500 said:


> if your refering to the white round sensor those are the high temp sensors the one without wires to it is a spare backup that they install.



Thats a great idea.   Why dont they mention that in the manual?


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## Talegas (Nov 10, 2017)

Lirpa said:


> Just installed my castle serenity a few weeks ago. Does anyone know if there’s a more efficient pellet to burn? For instance, I’m currently using pellets from Agway, is there another brand out there that would burn better or all they relatively the same? This is my first pellet stove so I don’t have any experience to compare this to.



I am trying several brands, and if by efficiency you mean heat output, I am leaning towards softwoods of good quality like Logik-E.. now i'll try the Inferno Golf softwood blend..but it is difficult to measure if all conditions varies (like how cold is outside and opening and closing doors in the house).


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 10, 2017)




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## dooleyj67 (Nov 10, 2017)

Got the new box today


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## Deezl Smoke (Nov 10, 2017)

dooleyj67 said:


> Got the new box today



 I'm sorta excited to hear if it fixes things.


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## rich2500 (Nov 11, 2017)

Deezl Smoke said:


> I'm sorta excited to hear if it fixes things.


x2


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

Morning all, so it used  3/4 of the hopper from 9:08pm to 8:00am. It's cold here now so I'm using:

Heat setting 3 - manual.

Still a lot of ash that didn't change and I don't think the new box helped. Grrrrr...


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

11 hours


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

It might be a little better.

 It's warming up this week so I'll try low again for 24hrs but until then I can't say for sure.

I will also be using different pellets soon.


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## Hiskid (Nov 11, 2017)

dooleyj67 said:


> Morning all, so it used  3/4 of the hopper from 9:08pm to 8:00am. It's cold here now so I'm using:
> 
> Heat setting 3 - manual.
> 
> Still a lot of ash that didn't change and I don't think the new box helped. Grrrrr...


 
I'm not that far from you, it was 17 at sunrise today. Mine is on a sun porch with Florida windows. I started my stove 2-2:30 pm yesterday. Set on Temp(75). It modulated between 1-5 all the day/nightlong. It  was kicken hot so changed the #1 setting blower voltage to(110 I think) the same speed as #5. At around 6AM It was ready for the second bag. With the un coming and no wind I'll shut it off maybe by noon. The porch was really damp from the blue-flame heater moisture, it is drying out fast. Going to have to dig the humidifiers out when the furnace gets tuned on. BTW, I have ash piles in each of the corners of those flaps over the ash collector.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

Hiskid said:


> I'm not that far from you, it was 17 at sunrise today. Mine is on a sun porch with Florida windows. I started my stove 2-2:30 pm yesterday. Set on Temp(75). It modulated between 1-5 all the day/nightlong. It  was kicken hot so changed the #1 setting blower voltage to(110 I think) the same speed as #5. At around 6AM It was ready for the second bag. With the un coming and no wind I'll shut it off maybe by noon. The porch was really damp from the blue-flame heater moisture, it is drying out fast. Going to have to dig the humidifiers out when the furnace gets tuned on. BTW, I have ash piles in each of the corners of those flaps over the ash collector.



Hi hiskid, so your getting about 16 hrs out of a full hopper and lots of ash? What kind of pellets are you burning. I'm in jermyn PA.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

A


dooleyj67 said:


> Hi hiskid, so your getting about 16 hrs out of a full hopper and lots of ash? What kind of pellets are you burning. I'm in jermyn PA.



Also can you send a picture


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## Hiskid (Nov 11, 2017)

dooleyj67 said:


> Hi hiskid, so your getting about 16 hrs out of a full hopper and lots of ash? What kind of pellets are you burning. I'm in jermyn PA.



The first bag was Tractor Supply branded hardwood pellets.The second bag was Lowes that says "clean energy " on the bag. Do you take the pics through the glass or with the door open. Can you open the door with it running. Your stove looks a little different inside. Mine was made in"16".


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

Im


Hiskid said:


> The first bag was Tractor Supply branded hardwood pellets.The second bag was Lowes that says "clean energy " on the bag. Do you take the pics through the glass or with the door open. Can you open the door with it running. Your stove looks a little different inside. Mine was made in"16".



I'm burning the same tractor supply hardwood pellets, for the picture either or open /closed. You can open the door.

Mine is a castle serenity.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

From what I understand some people clean the pot and inside while it's running. I turn mine off, not that comfortable with it yet.


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## Hiskid (Nov 11, 2017)

dooleyj67 said:


> Im
> 
> 
> I'm burning the same tractor supply hardwood pellets, for the picture either or open /closed. You can open the door.
> ...


Thanks, its a Serenity too. I'll wrangle my beloved with her smartyphone when she's not busy and get back to you.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

I'm going to either lowes or Glowing Embers for pellets today. I don't know about you but the TSC brand don't seem all that good.


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

Hiskid said:


> Thanks, its a Serenity too. I'll wrangle my beloved with her smartyphone when she's not busy and get back to you.



Thank you it would be Great to see pictures from other people.


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## rich2500 (Nov 11, 2017)

dooleyj67 said:


> Morning all, so it used  3/4 of the hopper from 9:08pm to 8:00am. It's cold here now so I'm using:
> 
> Heat setting 3 - manual.
> 
> Still a lot of ash that didn't change and I don't think the new box helped. Grrrrr...


For 13 hours on heat level 3 ,.  3/4 of a bag is nornal


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## dooleyj67 (Nov 11, 2017)

rich2500 said:


> For 13 hours on heat level 3 ,.  3/4 of a bag is nornal



Great to hear thank you rich2500. I guess the new box worked.

I just burned my last pot of TSC hardwood pellets, cleaned and vacuumed the hopper out. There was a Lot of fines /dust in the bottom. 

On to "Easyblaze" brand now. I really hope there is a difference...


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## ronjovi001 (Jan 15, 2018)

Hi Guys... I have had my Serenity for 1 1/2 years. LOVE IT... I live in Central PA. I am such a novice at this. Hoping I am doing everything properly. Can anyone guide me with a couple of issues. Burning Stove Chow pellets from Home Depot (burns cleanest of the brands I have tried and I buy a skid each winter). Right now, it is 7 degrees outside and on setting 5, the stove is maintaining at about 77 degrees according to control panel. Is that okay?
Here are the other issues/questions: 
1) Not immediately, but after a while, from day one of owning the stove, I get some white soot build up going up the left side of the glass, even after cleaning. I also sometimes, over a period of time, get a white soot in one spot directly in the middle of the glass. I don't think I can open the door while it is burning like others have mentioned doing here- mine shuts off. I clean the glass when cool with non abrasive Cook Top Cleaning Creme for ceramic cook tops. Works GREAT!
2) How hot should my stove pipe/exhaust be getting, if at all? I never noticed it being hot to the touch before, but it has been recently. I worry that I am wasting a lot of heat escaping through the exhaust.
3) I have never messed with the settings as I frankly don't understand what each does... if someone has the time, can you do a Settings 101 on what settings impact what? The manual is no help.

I have a few others, but that is it for now. I figure I would throw these out to all of the seasoned veterans on here. 
BTW- Happy New Year.


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## mikkeeh (Jan 15, 2018)

Just installed my Serenity as a auxiliary heat in the basement.  Was having trouble with overfeeding.  Set on manual, level 1, I was burning through a hopper in < 12 hrs.   Called Ardisam and they sent out a new control panel and module.   Seems much better now.  On level 1 I am getting about 18hrs.  Hopper doesn’t seem to empty completely, so its hard to be accurate, but its much better.   Still tweaking air intake and exhausts stalls.  Been using Somersets.
Nice stove overall for the money.   Still getting a clinker in the bottom of the pot, requiring shutdown and removal every 24hrs.   Can’t really clean it with the stove running.  Got used to my P43...its been running 40+ days without shutdown.....but its a complete different feed system.   I did install a exterior control rod for the air shutter.  Makes life easier.   Great info on the site!


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## Deezl Smoke (Jan 15, 2018)

ronjovi001 said:


> Hi Guys... I have had my Serenity for 1 1/2 years. LOVE IT... I live in Central PA. I am such a novice at this. Hoping I am doing everything properly. Can anyone guide me with a couple of issues. Burning Stove Chow pellets from Home Depot (burns cleanest of the brands I have tried and I buy a skid each winter). Right now, it is 7 degrees outside and on setting 5, the stove is maintaining at about 77 degrees according to control panel. Is that okay?
> Here are the other issues/questions:
> 1) Not immediately, but after a while, from day one of owning the stove, I get some white soot build up going up the left side of the glass, even after cleaning. I also sometimes, over a period of time, get a white soot in one spot directly in the middle of the glass. I don't think I can open the door while it is burning like others have mentioned doing here- mine shuts off. I clean the glass when cool with non abrasive Cook Top Cleaning Creme for ceramic cook tops. Works GREAT!
> 2) How hot should my stove pipe/exhaust be getting, if at all? I never noticed it being hot to the touch before, but it has been recently. I worry that I am wasting a lot of heat escaping through the exhaust.
> ...



 First, go up to the top of the page and move your mouse cursor over the little down pointing arrow to right of the icon "media". In the menu that scrolls down, click on "search media". 
 On the page that loads, click on "search threads and posts".
 Next in the keywords line type "serenity". Then scroll down and where it says "search in forums" scroll the menu till you see the pellet mill. Click on that and hit the search button at the bottom.
 That'll bring up many threads with lots of info on the settings in the control panel.

 If after reading a while you still dont see what you need, come back and the nice people here will do what they can to help explain the settings.


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## rich2500 (Jan 16, 2018)

mikkeeh said:


> Just installed my Serenity as a auxiliary heat in the basement.  Was having trouble with overfeeding.  Set on manual, level 1, I was burning through a hopper in < 12 hrs.   Called Ardisam and they sent out a new control panel and module.   Seems much better now.  On level 1 I am getting about 18hrs.  Hopper doesn’t seem to empty completely, so its hard to be accurate, but its much better.   Still tweaking air intake and exhausts stalls.  Been using Somersets.
> Nice stove overall for the money.   Still getting a clinker in the bottom of the pot, requiring shutdown and removal every 24hrs.   Can’t really clean it with the stove running.  Got used to my P43...its been running 40+ days without shutdown.....but its a complete different feed system.   I did install a exterior control rod for the air shutter.  Makes life easier.   Great info on the site!



mikkeeh here is what I used to clean my Serenity burnpot with out shutting it down, it's a stainless spatula that I cut the sides down to make it more narrow to fit down in the pot, I turn the spatula upside down and can get down in the pot and lift the clinker out and just toss it in the ash pan. By doing this once a day I would let my serenity burn for a week with out shutting it down.


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## mikkeeh (Jan 16, 2018)

rich2500 said:


> mikkeeh here is what I used to clean my Serenity burnpot with out shutting it down, it's a stainless spatula that I cut the sides down to make it more narrow to fit down in the pot, I turn the spatula upside down and can get down in the pot and lift the clinker out and just toss it in the ash pan. By doing this once a day I would let my serenity burn for a week with out shutting it down.
> View attachment 220873



Hmmmmm Time to bend some sheet metal.   Thanks


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## wayn (Jan 16, 2018)

Hi all! Have had my Serenity for three seasons now, really like the way it heats the 800+/- square feet of space I ask it to! Have never gone above heat setting 2, usually stay at 1 and can keep the chill off really well.
MY biggest gripe w/this stove is that even when it’s so low the ‘out of pellets’ alarm is about to go off I can’t get a full bag of pellets - usually Tractor Suckply - into the hopper.
I admittedly am only keeping the space at about 60° here in VT but can do so for more than 24hrs on a bag.
Really like the stove but SERIOUSLY wish it had variable feed/fan rates instead of stepped ones, since there are days when setting 1 leaves me in the 80°+ range, and I don’t like turning on/off...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mikkeeh (Jan 16, 2018)

wayn said:


> Hi all! Have had my Serenity for three seasons now, really like the way it heats the 800+/- square feet of space I ask it to! Have never gone above heat setting 2, usually stay at 1 and can keep the chill off really well.
> MY biggest gripe w/this stove is that even when it’s so low the ‘out of pellets’ alarm is about to go off I can’t get a full bag of pellets - usually Tractor Suckply - into the hopper.
> I admittedly am only keeping the space at about 60° here in VT but can do so for more than 24hrs on a bag.
> Really like the stove but SERIOUSLY wish it had variable feed/fan rates instead of stepped ones, since there are days when setting 1 leaves me in the 80°+ range, and I don’t like turning on/off...
> ...




That’s basically what I’m trying to do with mine in my basement.   Have NEVER got close to 24hrs on a bag on level 1.  Called Ardisam.  We switched out the control board, and the module.  16hrs is the max time on a full hopper.    And you’re right.....cant get 40#s in.


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## wayn (Jan 16, 2018)

mikkeeh said:


> That’s basically what I’m trying to do with mine in my basement.   Have NEVER got close to 24hrs on a bag on level 1.  Called Ardisam.  We switched out the control board, and the module.  16hrs is the max time on a full hopper.    And you’re right.....cant get 40#s in.



When I bought mine, the feed screw mounting plate was loose, and the tech folks stepped me through fixing it... they DID say if I couldn’t fix it on-site they’d send another one.  Something about QC suffering after farming out stove construction to China.

Maybe they’d do the same - or similar - for you?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rich2500 (Jan 16, 2018)

16 hrs. is right about what i would average, I have gotten as many as 18 hrs.  with longer pellets. there was some one that posted a pic some time ago of how he added a piece of sheet metal to the bottom of the pellet chute extending down about 3" to slow the feed rate.


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## Talegas (Jan 17, 2018)

rich2500 said:


> 16 hrs. is right about what i would average, I have gotten as many as 18 hrs.  with longer pellets. there was some one that posted a pic some time ago of how he added a piece of sheet metal to the bottom of the pellet chute extending down about 3" to slow the feed rate.



My record was 20 hrs with a single bag. that was last year, this year I haven't been able to test it again since the weather has pushed me to always have it in lvl 2 or 3 to keep warm. Not sure if is really the weather or if there was something changed in the house or if it is the pellets itself (used hardwood last time, this time softwood) that is not yielding as much heat as before.

I used to open up the basement door into the laundry when to keep the house between 70 and 72.. now I am struggling to reach 70.

anyway, 20 hrs or more since it leaves quite a good number of pellets in the hopper before shutting down is my record.


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## dozerdean (Jan 17, 2018)

Lake Girl said:


> Castle serenity is not a multi-fuel so no corn...  Looks like heat level is the only way to control the feed rate of the auger...  Could use a thermostat which will cycle it off but this is harder on the ignitor.


Any pellet stove can burn corn as long as you do a mixture.


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## dozerdean (Jan 17, 2018)

killercarver said:


> Dooleyj67, interesting pictures!  I'm new to pellet stoves, but got my Castle this past summer and have been absolutly loving it, and learning lots from it.
> 
> You're pictures show lots and lots of ash (I'm burning wood chips and pellets 90/10 mix) and don't see that much, and chips are dirty (but super cheap).  The white color tells me you're burning ok (onto the lean side - too much air) and hot with the pattern on the glass and metal shell saying you have a lot of flame; probably too hot for the stove.  Got a picture of when it's burning?  Do you hear the auger switching on and off?  Should be on for something like 2 seconds and off for 5, and continuing to cycle like that.  And if you watch your burn pot, how high are the pellets getting from the bottom?  Should be 1/4-1/2" in the pot; more than that and it's feeding too fast for the way the pot is designed and drilled.
> 
> ...


What are you calling wood chips? Like chain saw chips? I think it jam your auger..


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## Talegas (Jan 17, 2018)

dozerdean said:


> Any pellet stove can burn corn as long as you do a mixture.



does corn burn hotter?


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## dozerdean (Jan 18, 2018)

Talegas said:


> does corn burn hotter?


I can feel the difference. I do a 80-20 mixture and clean the corn.


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## Talegas (Jan 18, 2018)

dozerdean said:


> I can feel the difference. I do a 80-20 mixture and clean the corn.



So this is what you buy? is not fuel, but chicken feed.


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## dozerdean (Jan 18, 2018)

Talegas said:


> So this is what you buy? is not fuel, but chicken feed.
> View attachment 221024


Until you try whole clean corn don't knock it!


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## dozerdean (Jan 18, 2018)

I got my corn from the elevator @ clean it myself..


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## Ssyko (Jan 18, 2018)

I don’t suppose they deliver?


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## dozerdean (Jan 19, 2018)

Ssyko said:


> I don’t suppose they deliver?


Yes they deliver,but I'm not set up for that yet. Besides there only 7-8 blocks away.. I was going to get it from a local farmer for 2 dollars a bushel,but the elevator is 3.39 a bushel. Elevator was closer than a 25 mile round trip!


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## Talegas (Jan 19, 2018)

dozerdean said:


> Until you try whole clean corn don't knock it!


I am not "knocking it".. I am asking if chicken feed would be the right thing.

someone said (I think it was Rich) that he bought it from tracktorsupply, and this is the only corn I could find. is this what I can use?


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## TonyVideo (Jan 19, 2018)

If your manual doesn't say it can burn corn I wouldn't do it. Corn burns hotter plus leaves residue that is harder to clean and could damage your stove. Corn also need to be at a very low moisture level which grain elevators don't get down to that level or at least around here in Indiana. If you buy a bag make sure it is labeled for corn burning. Too high moisture and the sugars in corn are a mess to clean out. I will take fly ash any day vs the crappy corn residue. 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## rich2500 (Jan 19, 2018)

I burned an 80 / 20 corn blend for years in an Englander 25pdvc and 2 years in the Serenity  without a single problem but then the corn went up too all but 8 bucks a bag so that's when I decided it wasn't worth it anymore. And yes I burned many bags of that producers pride corn from TSC.To be honest your much better off just finding a good hot burning pellet and sticking with that. It's a different situation though if you have a multifuel stove and can burn it straight.


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## dozerdean (Jan 19, 2018)

Talegas said:


> I am not "knocking it".. I am asking if chicken feed would be the right thing.
> 
> someone said (I think it was Rich) that he bought it from tracktorsupply, and this is the only corn I could find. is this what I can use?


Yes u can if its 15% or less in moisture content. Usually bagged corn like that is.


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## Hiskid (Jan 21, 2018)

I'm three months in on my Serenity. I pretty much burn Lowe's "Clean Energy" pellets. It seems to be a balancing act between airflow and  exhaust blower speed. My exhaust is in a sheltered area so I have to have the air gate at half  and keep my exhaust blower about 10v higher for  1 &  2. They are at the speed of # 3 which is the highest I go. I just have the pellets dancing. I do notice I  get lesser heat. That leaves me with an almost full pan of ash but barely a quarter inch of harder crust at the bottom after 5 days. I do notice a difference of the flame shape/size as the bottom of the pot starts to cover. I don't go over 3 as the stove is in the  porch om my m/h I enclosed over the summer.

We have the stat set at 72. In the 20 and below days and the sunless days the furnace will come on about once and hour to keep the belly warm and the rooms further away warmer.  Not sure about run times per bag but I fill it with a scoop made from a cut off gallon jug and it seems to use about a scoop per hour on 1-2 and a scoop and a half on We normally spent the winter with the stat on 70 and dressed in sweats.

I'd like to do some mods. Lord willing during the summer. First would be the air gate adjustment rod. I also would like to a small hopper addition about a foot high to add a few extra scoops for longer overnight runs. The end flaps bent in so I  clamp or bolt it to the corners and the lid would fit/bolt perfectly on the top. The control panel has a long connection so it could easily be relocated to the top. Also since I'm an old gent I just scoop the pellets with the lid up many times the fire almost burns out. I have a magnet to hold the button down but don't always remember to use it. I'm going to have to look into that more. I wouldn't mind doing the  auger slide mod someone mentioned to get more of an "idle" but have to figure out how to make a channel on each side so I could manually adjust the slide as needed.

After this long winded post I would like to ask if anyone knows of a pre cut  set of tiles to make a corner pad for the stove. I looked into pads but they are WAY out of my retiree budget. The floor is concrete but I plan to cover it with i/o carpet over to the stove tiles.

Thanks for any suggestions. GBY

Last but not least I have the stove


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## mikkeeh (Jan 21, 2018)

Hiskid said:


> I'm three months in on my Serenity. I pretty much burn Lowe's "Clean Energy" pellets. It seems to be a balancing act between airflow and  exhaust blower speed. My exhaust is in a sheltered area so I have to have the air gate at half  and keep my exhaust blower about 10v higher for  1 &  2. They are at the speed of # 3 which is the highest I go. I just have the pellets dancing. I do notice I  get lesser heat. That leaves me with an almost full pan of ash but barely a quarter inch of harder crust at the bottom after 5 days. I do notice a difference of the flame shape/size as the bottom of the pot starts to cover. I don't go over 3 as the stove is in the  porch om my m/h I enclosed over the summer.
> 
> We have the stat set at 72. In the 20 and below days and the sunless days the furnace will come on about once and hour to keep the belly warm and the rooms further away warmer.  Not sure about run times per bag but I fill it with a scoop made from a cut off gallon jug and it seems to use about a scoop per hour on 1-2 and a scoop and a half on We normally spent the winter with the stat on 70 and dressed in sweats.
> 
> ...



I did the air gate adjustment mod.  Drilled the side panel and installed a threaded insert...knob and all thread...frilled the air gate and secured with a couple of nuts.  Took all of about 15 min.   Haven’t got the balancing act quite yet.  Still get 1” of clinker after 16 or so hours.  Tried to get it idled down...still using a full hoppper in 14 hrs on “1”.  Contacted Ardisam...they sent me new controller and module.   Didn’t help much.  Their last communication was “the engineers say its within spec.”   Gonna try and mod the auger I guess.


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## Talegas (Jan 23, 2018)

mikkeeh said:


> I did the air gate adjustment mod.  Drilled the side panel and installed a threaded insert...knob and all thread...frilled the air gate and secured with a couple of nuts.  Took all of about 15 min.   Haven’t got the balancing act quite yet.  Still get 1” of clinker after 16 or so hours.  Tried to get it idled down...still using a full hoppper in 14 hrs on “1”.  Contacted Ardisam...they sent me new controller and module.   Didn’t help much.  Their last communication was “the engineers say its within spec.”   Gonna try and mod the auger I guess.



I don't understand why they say is within spec.. I just checked the last bag I used and it was around 19 hrs 20 minutes that lasted in stall 1.  And I even though it was too "fast" since the pellets seemed to be on the small size (at a glance).


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## mikkeeh (Jan 24, 2018)

Talegas said:


> I don't understand why they say is within spec.. I just checked the last bag I used and it was around 19 hrs 20 minutes that lasted in stall 1.  And I even though it was too "fast" since the pellets seemed to be on the small size (at a glance).




Because if they didn't say "within spec" they'd have to find a solution.  Just a typical brush off.


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## Deezl Smoke (Jan 24, 2018)

I'm not so sure it was a brush off. I had to buy a different brand of pellet a couple weeks ago as I missed the big sale on my normal brand and they were out. So I now have to finish a pallet of "Golden fire" pellets. Even though they are advertised as the same 100% douglas fir pellets, they are quite different in how they burn.

 I get a bit more heat from them, and as such burn a few less, but they sure leave the burn pot with a nasty layer of ash, and carbon up the holes right quick. I've already had to take the burn pot out to the drill press after only about 8 or 9 bags per stove. I'm leaving the settings the same as with the Coastal pellets, which is working fine from the heat and flame perspective, but the fly ash is all together different and how the ash collects inside the whole burn chamber is all different. 

 I had to take a few bags back to the retailer as they had gotten wet (_not from my handling_)and the pellets inside had turned to dust and mush. The counter personel denied having other returns, but the warehouse guys did'nt even let me get out the exchange paper and they had the forklift bringing up a pallet of exchange bags. They said they have been getting more Golden fires back from the last delivery than they have ever seen. So I know if I want the straight scoop, go to the warehouse guys. lol 

 I'm not looking for another stove........yet, but an ad came out for the local Wilco farm stores that has Pelpro pellet and wood stoves on sale for a real good price and even better if you have any discount gift cards. I looked one over and liked some things but did not like others compared to the Serenity. I did download the opmanual and read it over, and they actually state in the manual, which I thought was great, to buy multiple pallets of fuel if at all possible due to the degree of variations in performance from pallet to pallet with regards to pellet manufacturing tolerances. 

 Having witnessed this new challenge with the pellets, I'm going to say the clinker issue may be more fuel material source related more so than the stove.


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## mikkeeh (Jan 24, 2018)

Deezl Smoke said:


> I'm not so sure it was a brush off. I had to buy a different brand of pellet a couple weeks ago as I missed the big sale on my normal brand and they were out. So I now have to finish a pallet of "Golden fire" pellets. Even though they are advertised as the same 100% douglas fir pellets, they are quite different in how they burn.
> 
> I get a bit more heat from them, and as such burn a few less, but they sure leave the burn pot with a nasty layer of ash, and carbon up the holes right quick. I've already had to take the burn pot out to the drill press after only about 8 or 9 bags per stove. I'm leaving the settings the same as with the Coastal pellets, which is working fine from the heat and flame perspective, but the fly ash is all together different and how the ash collects inside the whole burn chamber is all different.
> 
> ...




Im not so concerned about the clinker...but the feed rate. The stove is supposed to operate approx 10k to 32k btu. Im just using it to keep my basement somewhat warm... so I need minimal output.   Even figuring a 80% efficiency.....Im close to 18k btus on the lowest possible setting. Burning alot more fuel than I need.


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## Talegas (Jan 24, 2018)

Deezl Smoke said:


> ...Even though they are advertised as the same 100% douglas fir pellets, they are quite different in how they burn.
> I get a bit more heat from them, and as such burn a few less...



I agree with the fact that different brands/batches of pellets would produce ash/BTU differently and with different settings. I think the discussion on Ardisam's support reply was around the fact that regardless on how the burn, the auger feed rate is supposed to be the same. .only the size (and I would say it would have to be like little small balls or dust) would affect the feed rate.

@mikkeeh I am not sure if we asked this question, but while timing the burning of a single 40 lb bag, did you also took trips to the stove to ensure all pellets were pushed down to the auger? for me to go through a bag in 19 hrs 20 minutes I had to make sure I pushed the pellets from the side as they tend to bridge and a good amount stay on the side. Like the following picture.. it hasn't got to that point yet, but the fire would go off if I let it unattended and do not push the pellets from the sides down to the middle of the hopper. That is at least 3 hrs worth of burning time.


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## mikkeeh (Jan 24, 2018)

Talegas said:


> I agree with the fact that different brands/batches of pellets would produce ash/BTU differently and with different settings. I think the discussion on Ardisam's support reply was around the fact that regardless on how the burn, the auger feed rate is supposed to be the same. .only the size (and I would say it would have to be like little small balls or dust) would affect the feed rate.
> 
> @mikkeeh I am not sure if we asked this question, but while timing the burning of a single 40 lb bag, did you also took trips to the stove to ensure all pellets were pushed down to the auger? for me to go through a bag in 19 hrs 20 minutes I had to make sure I pushed the pellets from the side as they tend to bridge and a good amount stay on the side. Like the following picture.. it hasn't got to that point yet, but the fire would go off if I let it unattended and do not push the pellets from the sides down to the middle of the hopper. That is at least 3 hrs worth of burning time.
> 
> View attachment 221515




Yes sir.  The hopper was completely empty when I was timing it.


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## Deezl Smoke (Jan 24, 2018)

I think I get it now. I made an assumption that was already discussed, and I did'nt go back to refresh. I'll be curious to hear how things go. Modifying things to fit a specific circumstance is always of great curiosity to me. It's amazing what people come up with. Online discussion allows us all to learn so much more, so much faster.


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## mikkeeh (Jan 24, 2018)

Deezl Smoke said:


> I think I get it now. I made an assumption that was already discussed, and I did'nt go back to refresh. I'll be curious to hear how things go. Modifying things to fit a specific circumstance is always of great curiosity to me. It's amazing what people come up with. Online discussion allows us all to learn so much more, so much faster.


I guess I'll try restricting the auger pickup area.   If i cant control the feed rate..... Ill control the feed volume. It just gets irritating sometimes.....you shouldn't have to modify a $1k item to make it perform as advertised.


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## rich2500 (Jan 24, 2018)

If I burn AWF hardwoods or Big Heat pellets which are both very small pellets I loose 2 hrs of burn time  minimum over say Ironstones which are much  longer  pellets. This even applies on my Ravelli. This year I have been burning mostly AWF hardwoods in the Ravelli and I got the feed rate as low as it will go and on level 1 I'm only getting 16 hrs.on a hopper which with the screen removed holds the same amount of pellets as the Serenity.So my findings over the past 6 yrs. With 2 different stoves is that pellets can make a pretty significant difference in burn rates.


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## Deezl Smoke (Jan 24, 2018)

rich2500 said:


> If I burn AWF hardwoods or Big Heat pellets which are both very small pellets I loose 2 hrs of burn time  minimum over say Ironstones which are much  longer  pellets. This even applies on my Ravelli. This year I have been burning mostly AWF hardwoods in the Ravelli and I got the feed rate as low as it will go and on level 1 I'm only getting 16 hrs.on a hopper which with the screen removed holds the same amount of pellets as the Serenity.So my findings over the past 6 yrs. With 2 different stoves is that pellets can make a pretty significant difference in burn rates.



 If I get a chance later today or tomorrow, I'll get a pic or two of the difference between the pellets I am burning and the ones I normally burn. Now that you mention the pellet size, the Golden fires I am burning now, do have a few more fines, but are much longer pellets on average. This would go right along side your observation of small pellets loosing burn time as more fuel volume is in the auger per revolution.


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## Natu (Jan 28, 2018)

rich2500 said:


> If I burn AWF hardwoods or Big Heat pellets which are both very small pellets I loose 2 hrs of burn time  minimum over say Ironstones which are much  longer  pellets. This even applies on my Ravelli. This year I have been burning mostly AWF hardwoods in the Ravelli and I got the feed rate as low as it will go and on level 1 I'm only getting 16 hrs.on a hopper which with the screen removed holds the same amount of pellets as the Serenity.So my findings over the past 6 yrs. With 2 different stoves is that pellets can make a pretty significant difference in burn rates.



If you go into the menu on the control panel and scroll all the way to the bottom, isn't there a menu item for "set feeder parameters"?  I think it will ask you for a password and that you will have to get it from ardisam or guess it yourself (password is some sequence of key presses on the keypad).  If not, then that menu item is probably in the controller somewhere, but is hidden from view.  I would be very surprised if the controller does not have a way to set the on and off times for each of levels 1-5.  I can understand why ardisam may not want you to have this, but I'm sure it's there somewhere. Try asking them about it?  I'm sure this is programmable.


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## rich2500 (Jan 28, 2018)

Natu said:


> If you go into the menu on the control panel and scroll all the way to the bottom, isn't there a menu item for "set feeder parameters"?  I think it will ask you for a password and that you will have to get it from ardisam or guess it yourself (password is some sequence of key presses on the keypad).  If not, then that menu item is probably in the controller somewhere, but is hidden from view.  I would be very surprised if the controller does not have a way to set the on and off times for each of levels 1-5.  I can understand why ardisam may not want you to have this, but I'm sure it's there somewhere. Try asking them about it?  I'm sure this is programmable.


nope nothing like that in the serenity controller


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## dtaylor628 (Oct 4, 2018)

Blacknight318 said:


> Just got a Castle Serenity stove installed 2 weeks ago, boy does that thing cook.  We've got a house with boiler heat so we're trying to figure out setting up air flow to move the heat around, also trying to figure out how to dial in the stove just a tad cooler.  Right now we're having to shut it down about every 6 hours to keep that corner from really getting hot.  Any suggestions or experience would be great as this is the first pellet stove I've owned.



Here is what I used-

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/163294737541

I live in western Wa and we don’t see extreme cold very often. The stove is going on it’s second year of use and I needed to decrease the output as we had to open windows to regulate heat, hated to see hard earned money going out the window.


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## klincker (Oct 10, 2018)

dtaylor628 said:


> Here is what I used-
> 
> https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/163294737541
> 
> I live in western Wa and we don’t see extreme cold very often. The stove is going on it’s second year of use and I needed to decrease the output as we had to open windows to regulate heat, hated to see hard earned money going out the window.



Wow, Thanks for posting this. I need one of these for my addition where the serenity is. My mother in law lives out there now and the stove cooks her out. Id rather give this a try than use the cycle on off settings. 

Anyone else use this yet? 

Does this cause the vac light to come on the screen?

side note: Would also like to get the green back light to turn off


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## dtaylor628 (Oct 10, 2018)

The vac symbol turns on and off. The green light on the relay turns on and off showing when it is activated.


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