Big E sets of smoke alarm after 1 hour

[hotstovecoolmusic]

I'm not having good luck so far guys.

I just finished reading the thread about Athans pellets and think most of my problems might be due to the Greenway Premium (ha!) Hardwood pellets.

I have only used my Big E for 5 nights - 3 to 5 hours per night.

Each time, the glass gets dirty - sooner than the previous night.

I've had to clean out ash twice. The last two nights I've noticed smoke building up on each side of the burn pot.
Tonite I had the setting on 4. The glass got dirty almost right away. Then the smoke alarm went off. I have a horizontal vent that looked clear from the outside.

I've noticed that the pellets come down the chute fast and some tend to bouce out of the pot or create a lot of sparks when they land in the pot. Not sure if this is normal.

Also, there's still a strong smell of some kind of burn-off that I thought was going to go away after the first burn.

The stove is off now. : (

Comments welcomed!

 

[johnnywarm]

after the first burn.

The stove is off now. : (

Comments welcomed![/quote]


What heat setting are you burning??

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

For the most part I've had the setting on 2 or 3.

Tonight I had it on 4.

 

[johnnywarm]

For the most part I've had the setting on 2 or 3.

Tonight I had it on 4.

 

[johnnywarm]

For the most part I've had the setting on 2 or 3.

Tonight I had it on 4.

was it professionally installed??

 

[stoveguy2esw]

For the most part I've had the setting on 2 or 3.

Tonight I had it on 4.

was it professionally installed??

to expand on johnnys question, can you describe the hookup?

also which version do you have the one with the big glass or the small glass on the door?

 

[gw2kpro]

The burnoff smell will go away pretty soon. If you want to help it along, turn the let the thing burn on setting 5 for about a half hour, then turn it down to 4 for a couple more hours. It'll burn off.

I've never been able to solve the sooting problem on my Breckwell P2700. Within 1/2 hour I cannot see through the glass anymore, within 3-4 hours it is completely black. I've tried different pellets, various damper settings, cleaned the entire thing out as far as I could break it down, cleaned out in between the glass and door, about everything I could think of, the glass still soots to completely black after several hours, it's heavy and sticky and very difficult to remove -- I guess that's just the way it burns -- I wish I hadn't paid extra for the bay window model.

It's completely normal for sparks to come bouncing out of the pot. Some pellets will bounce out too.

 

[gw2kpro]

duplicate post

 

[stoveguy2esw]

The burnoff smell will go away pretty soon. If you want to help it along, turn the let the thing burn on setting 5 for about a half hour, then turn it down to 4 for a couple more hours. It'll burn off.

I've never been able to solve the sooting problem on my Breckwell P2700. Within 1/2 hour I cannot see through the glass anymore, within 3-4 hours it is completely black. I've tried different pellets, various damper settings, cleaned the entire thing out as far as I could break it down, cleaned out in between the glass and door, about everything I could think of, the glass still soots to completely black after several hours, it's heavy and sticky and very difficult to remove -- I guess that's just the way it burns -- I wish I hadn't paid extra for the bay window model.

It's completely normal for sparks to come bouncing out of the pot. Some pellets will bounce out too.

sounds like an air issue for sure you should never have ash on the window that wont just wipe off. check the "airwash" to ensure it is open.

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

The stove was professionally installed.

It is direct vented, horizontally. There is no air intake hook-up to the outside.
The house is old - not air tight at all.

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

The glass on the door is 12" wide and 7" high.

 

[johnnywarm]

The stove was professionally installed.

It is direct vented, horizontally. There is no air intake hook-up to the outside.
The house is old - not air tight at all.

Pull the air inlet rod out more.it's on the left outside of the stove

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

Pull the air inlet rod out more.it's on the left outside of the stove

I had the rod out about 3/4". More than that?

BTW, what does the rod above the door do?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

I should note that there was no visible sign of smoke in the room. Just that 'burn-off' smell being stronger than usual and some visible smoke inside the stove.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

what does the vent consist of? I seen that it was not you who did it but let me know what they used for parts.

Eric
330-876-0200
[email protected]

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

what does the vent consist of? I seen that it was not you who did it but let me know what they used for parts.

Eric
330-876-0200
[email protected]

1 45 deg. x 3" elbow
1 12" x 3" pipe
1 24" x 3" pipe
1 Wall thimble
1 Sidewall termination cap

silcone hi-temp
satin black paint

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Dura vent?

If so the appliance adapter is where?

Eric

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Missing the adapter can cause a vent system not sealed correctly. This would cause smoke in the house setting off the alarm.

The other thing is what is the sqft of your house and year built. If it is a new tightly wrapped house with a small sqft you will need an outside air system installed.

Open your damper a little more while burning. Do not go by 3/4" or 1". look at the flame and adjust.

Eric

 

[imacman]

Dura vent?

If so the appliance adapter is where?

Eric

I was just going to ask the same thing Eric.

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

I cannot say for sure if it is Duravent. I asked prior to installation and he said; "yes - Duravent". The bill does not specify.

I took the back plate off and noticed that about 1/4" of the elbow is in beyond the back plate. After the elbow (on the inside) there is a 1-1/2" sleeve around the stoves exhaust outlet.
Is the adaptor supposed to fit exactly onto the stove's outlet?

On mine, the 1-1/2" sleeve goes over what looks to be a cast aluminum section to the point where it's kind of square in shape.
So the sleeve has gaps where its roundness doesn't match the squarish cast aluminum section.

I try to post a pic.

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

Here's the view just inside the back of stove.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I think that is your problem. Call the installer back and have him fix it. "That dog won't hunt".

Eric

 

[travlnusa]

I am new here, but just installed the same stove that you are using.

As far as your picture of the vent pipe connecting to the stove: I am using 3" Duravent piping. What I did was put quite a bit of RTV caulk on the inside of the vent pipe that hooks to the stove. I then slid the vent onto the stove. After that, I put the RTV into the grove of each vent piece, and then pushed and twist-locked together. I used ALOT of RTV.

I have yet to have my stove over the setting of #2. On this setting it is keeping my old farmhouse at 70 degrees with an outside overnight temps in the teens. The first day, my glass smoked over right away. After cleaning it up, I pushed the damper in until the flame looked good to me. This was hard to do, as I have nothing to compare the flame to. I would guess my damper is out by somewhere 1/4 inch or so, maybe a bit more. I now wipe the glass down every other day.

I have pellets landing outside of the burn pot at well. I have read on this site you can get a shroud for around $30 to fix this. When I shut down to clean after 5 days, I counted less than 20 pellets that had missed. At $4/bag, it would take a very long time to get a payback on the part.

Again, I am new to all this and others know more I ever hope to, but this is what I have seen so far.

 

[buildingmaint]

The rod in front of the stove is for cleaning off the heat exchange tubes .
If you use a thermostat on your stove and use the HIGH /LOW mode and the 3 high/1 low setting ,
you will have to almost have your damper completley closed
to get the stove to stay lit on the low setting.

 

[hotstovecoolmusic]

I think that is your problem. Call the installer back and have him fix it. "That dog won't hunt".

Eric

Eric,

Before I call, what exactly needs to be fixed? Is the attachment in the picture completely wrong?

Also, I noticed that the square thimble plate on the outside of the house was not sealed with silicone on all four sides.
The bottom is all open.

Thanks much,
Tom