# Englander pdv 25 is burn rate too high?



## packerfan (Dec 2, 2007)

I'm in my first season burning an Englander pdv-25 and I'm not sure if the feed rate is correct. 

The stove seems to be working great, but has been burning a full hopper (60 lbs.) in about 19 hours.   I keep the heat range or pellet feed rate set at 1 (the lowest setting) and the blower  set at 3.   At this rate I'm burning a bag in about 12 1/2 hrs.  Maybe I'm wrong, but is this too much?

I've read other posts that show this stove should burn pellets at a much slower rate.  Is this a  normal amount of pellets to use?   Is there any way to tweak this stove to a lower feed rate?

I'm also curious to know how many pellets others with the same stove might be burning.

If anyone knows of any way to set this a bit lower,  I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks


----------



## packerfan (Dec 3, 2007)

I'd like to add that this stove has a manufacture date of Sept. '06, and that the "low fuel feed, low burn air, and air on temp"  settings are at the factory pre-set  #'s of  6-4-1


----------



## petejung (Dec 3, 2007)

Hey Packerfan! I hope we can get the train back on the tracks this weekend and steam roll over the Raiders.

I'm not certain about the feed rate on your stove, but wanted to chime in that different types of pellets will burn at different BTU's, and therefore a bag of one type may burn a lot quicker than a bag of another type...


----------



## cmc974 (Dec 3, 2007)

firestarter, I'm having the exact same problem except I have a Englander 25-PDVC (1500 sq ft, 40lb hopper). I installed it myself about a week ago, and it's been running well except for the fact that it goes through one bag in about 11-12 hours, even though I have both heat and fan settings set to 1. This is what I've done so far:

1) Changed pellets (started with a couple of bags from Walmart, now burning Pres-To-Logs sold at Lowes)
2) Shortened air intake length from 2 feet to just over 1 foot long, reducing 2 elbows in the run
3) Inspected all wires in the back and removed/reinserted heat sensor wire (control-board side)
4) Vacuumed out completely the burn pot and ash bin just the other day, and removed inpingement plate and inspected behind it

For flue system, I have a short 1.5 foot horizontal run, then a four foot vertical rise outside the house (Simpson Dura-Vent).

Another annoying problem is that after several hours of running (usually after about 5-6 hours), something in the stove starts to vibrate, getting louder and louder as time goes on. It is not a continuous sound, but repeats every 30 seconds or so. By the time the stove is running out of fuel, it is quite loud (feels like a tiny eathquake in my living room). I originally thought it was due to my hearth pad (yes I did make it), but I can not feel any vibration coming from it. I am at a loss.

Could the two problems be related? Is something inside (auger?) getting too hot and rubbing against something just below the hopper? I am at a loss at the moment.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I think my high burn rate problem might be similar.


----------



## petejung (Dec 3, 2007)

Sounds like it might be your top auger or top auger motor, if it's osmething you're hearing only every 30 seconds or so.  The top auger only runs intermittently, as you are probably aware.

I have a similar problem, 'cept my top auger is starting to squeak... Going to try to figure that one out this week.

I'd say my 25pdvc goes through a bag of pellets in about 18 hrs, give or take a couple of hours, running on 1 or 2 heat setting, fan on 2 or 3.


----------



## packerfan (Dec 4, 2007)

petejung said:
			
		

> Hey Packerfan! I hope we can get the train back on the tracks this weekend and steam roll over the Raiders.
> 
> I'm not certain about the feed rate on your stove, but wanted to chime in that different types of pellets will burn at different BTU's, and therefore a bag of one type may burn a lot quicker than a bag of another type...



At least the main man is going to be back for the pack, and I also liked the way Rodgers looked as well last week.  Gave me a little bit more hope for the future.


I know that some pellets will burn faster, but my thinking (which may be completly wrong) is that if I burn a bag of pellets (brand "A") and then another bag (brand "B") at the same stove settings,
shouldn't the feed rate be the same no matter what pellet I'm using?

Does anyone know if adjusting the factory set settings may be able to slow the feed rate some?  Or should I just leave those alone, as I'm sure that they are set the way they are for a reason.


----------



## packerfan (Dec 4, 2007)

pyroslave said:
			
		

> firestarter, I'm having the exact same problem except I have a Englander 25-PDVC (1500 sq ft, 40lb hopper). I installed it myself about a week ago, and it's been running well except for the fact that it goes through one bag in about 11-12 hours, even though I have both heat and fan settings set to 1. This is what I've done so far:
> 
> 1) Changed pellets (started with a couple of bags from Walmart, now burning Pres-To-Logs sold at Lowes)
> 2) Shortened air intake length from 2 feet to just over 1 foot long, reducing 2 elbows in the run
> ...




Seems to me as if you are burning through the pellets at about the same rate as I am. 

I have also tried different brands of pellets and although I've noticed a bit of difference in the heat output,  I seem to be going through them at the same rate no matter what brand I've tried using the same heat and blower settings.


----------



## stoveguy2esw (Dec 4, 2007)

pyroslave said:
			
		

> firestarter, I'm having the exact same problem except I have a Englander 25-PDVC (1500 sq ft, 40lb hopper). I installed it myself about a week ago, and it's been running well except for the fact that it goes through one bag in about 11-12 hours, even though I have both heat and fan settings set to 1. This is what I've done so far:
> 
> 1) Changed pellets (started with a couple of bags from Walmart, now burning Pres-To-Logs sold at Lowes)
> 2) Shortened air intake length from 2 feet to just over 1 foot long, reducing 2 elbows in the run
> ...



actually yours is doing somthing different , but is still fast feeding they can be related , but fixing both are two seperate , but very simple tasks. pm me a daytime phone number and i'll call ya from the shop and explain how to straighten the thing out. i'd post how but its easier if i talk ya through it , would take a while for me to type it out.


----------



## stoveguy2esw (Dec 4, 2007)

packerfan said:
			
		

> I'm in my first season burning an Englander pdv-25 and I'm not sure if the feed rate is correct.
> 
> The stove seems to be working great, but has been burning a full hopper (60 lbs.) in about 19 hours.   I keep the heat range or pellet feed rate set at 1 (the lowest setting) and the blower  set at 3.   At this rate I'm burning a bag in about 12 1/2 hrs.  Maybe I'm wrong, but is this too much?
> 
> ...



as i said its fixable, in your case , there are 2 adjustments to make , one , there is a shutter in the bottom of the hopper to adjust for faster/slower feeding paeelts due to size, loosen the retaining screw for this plate and move it towards the back of the stove. this will help if smaller pellets are the issue, secondly , reduce the "low fuel feed" to 3 this should settle down your burning on 1 to closer to 24 hours , after adjusting you will need to monitor the unit for about 20 minutes after coming out of startup, run the heat range at 1 while watching it , if the flame is still a constant large flame , drop the low fuel feed another notch , and monitor again , should settle in by then. if in the future yoiu end up changing pellet brands and they seem larger (longer on average) move the low fuel feed back up a notch or two to compensate. pm me if you have any questions , or drop me a phone number and i'll give you a call from the shop


----------



## packerfan (Dec 4, 2007)

Thanks for the help Mike.  I'll give your recommendations a try, they sound like just what I was looking for.


----------



## Tailrace (Dec 4, 2007)

stoveguy2esw said:
			
		

> pyroslave said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hey Mike....I'm having the same exact problems as pyroslave....would you mind helping me also? I'll pm you my daytime phone number....hopefully I'll be home just after noon tomorrow. Thanks in advance!


----------



## stoveguy2esw (Dec 4, 2007)

yep can do , drop it on me . i'll give you a buzz


----------



## Tailrace (Dec 4, 2007)

Thanks Mike....pm sent!


----------



## cmc974 (Dec 4, 2007)

Hey Mike, thanks for helping me out. I sent you an email, for some reason I can't get PM to work. Anyway, strange thing happened last night. I decided to try running at a slightly higher heat setting (3 - instead of 1 which is what I have been running it at all along). Well, I took a look in the hopper this morning after it ran for about 5 hours last night, and it appears that more of the fuel is there, meaning the feed rate is lower. Yet I used a higher heat setting - does this make any sense?


----------



## stoveguy2esw (Dec 4, 2007)

hmmm.... that is interesting , did you set the low fuel feeed down yet?


----------



## cmc974 (Dec 4, 2007)

No, it wasn't clear to me that that reply was relevant to my situation too. Trying it now, will let you know how it goes.


----------



## stoveguy2esw (Dec 5, 2007)

ok kool, let me know results


----------



## packerfan (Dec 5, 2007)

stoveguy2esw said:
			
		

> packerfan said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I just wanted to say that this worked great for me.  After playing with my low fuel feed setting I was able to keep my house at around 70-72 degrees rather than the 80 or better i was getting before.   Thanks again Mike, you're a great asset to this site!


----------



## stoveguy2esw (Dec 5, 2007)

glad i could help


----------



## cmc974 (Dec 5, 2007)

Looks like that solved my problem too. I'm getting about 20-21 hours worth out of a full hopper on a "1" setting. One last question, if I want to boost the fuel rate and/or fan settings higher (to something like a "5" let's say), do I then need to change the "low fuel feed" back to the factory setting of 6? Or can I keep it at 3 which is what it is now? Thanks.


----------



## stoveguy2esw (Dec 5, 2007)

pyroslave said:
			
		

> Looks like that solved my problem too. I'm getting about 20-21 hours worth out of a full hopper on a "1" setting. One last question, if I want to boost the fuel rate and/or fan settings higher (to something like a "5" let's say), do I then need to change the "low fuel feed" back to the factory setting of 6? Or can I keep it at 3 which is what it is now? Thanks.



leave the low fuel feed there , just work with the heat range


----------



## spsjs (Apr 4, 2008)

pyroslave
I had the same problem with my stove getting louder and louder, like a loud rattle or vibration. Turns out it was caused by the intake screen on the blower fan being clogged with dust, you need to take off the back panel and clean the blower fan screen. That fixed it for me.


----------

