ENVIRO EF3 / SEEKING INFO

[TYRMYKE]

I am new here. Hello to all. I am also new to pellet stoves. And I have questions. From what I've read and heard.. this is a great stove. But to me it seems awful finicky. I read the manual, clean it way to regularly, talked to a pellet stove service guy, but I'm just not satisfied. I read a lot about pellet quality, but being new to pellet stoves I wouldn't know a good one from a bad one if they were labeled "good" or ":bad" I've tried 3 different brands but I don't notice much difference in any of them. I clean the exhaust ports, remove the exhaust blower, remove the inner panels and go nuts on the thing there's nothing that hasn't been cleaned repeatedly, but it just doesn't seem to work like I think it should. So... I guess I'm curious how many bags of pellets other people are using on average and how other peeps are setting their dampers. I had issues with the burn box loading up and overflowing and everything I read said more air, so I opened up the left side and loosened the stopper and was running the thing all the way out. I spoke to a service guy for pellet stoves and he seemed angry with me and told me the damper should be set about a "thumbs width out from fully closed and shouldn't even burn all the way open"!! He even offered too buy the stove from me , said it was the best one enviro ever made!!
I seem to burn on average 3 20lb. bags in 24 hours. I don't know if this is a lot or not??
The happy spot for the stove seems to be damper about 1+3/4 inch out from closed, fan dial at 9 o clock and auger dial at 1 o' clock. I'm wondering what others are running theirs at and how many pellets they burning????? I clean it out almost daily (not completely just the area were the fire burns you know)and recently have taken to cleaning the burn box while it I still running with the scraper tool to avoid cool down time, and the relighting process. Maybe it's fine?? what do I know , it's my first one. I am heating my basement with it which is 2,000 sq. ft. which I believe is what the stove is rated for, and I would've went with something rated for more sq/ft but I got this thing crazy cheap ($600 installed, chimney and all and it was only used for 1 season, dude paid $3500----sucker). So I'd appreciate any input anyone could give me, Am I burning way too many pellets?? Is my damper setting anywhere near what it should be??? what do others run their settings at??
Thanks in advance!, Mike

 

[bcarton]

Most pellets are available only in 40 lb bags, and on cold days 2 X 40 lbs seems to be about average. You're only burning 60 lbs a day when most of us are burning 80. I have the EF2, sort of the baby brother of your stove. I run my damper about a thumb's width open at the most. Varies a little bit with the pellets, some brands I've run with the damper all the way in.

Pellets should not be piling up in the burn pot. Maybe your vent is fouled, maybe your pellets are too ashy and they're clogging up the burn pot, I don't know. I've never had that issue. Damper wide open to get a good burn seems to point to poor combustion air flow. You've cleaned the heck out of your stove, but that vent has to be clean, too. You also haven't described your vent setup, which would help people help you.

Is this one of the older stoves with a dial-a-fire or a newer one with the "smarter" control panel. Older stoves the exhaust blower runs full speed all the time. That's how my stove works. Newer stoves vary the exhaust blower speed, I believe. I have no experience with that, so can't help much there.

 

[TYRMYKE]

Most pellets are available only in 40 lb bags, and on cold days 2 X 40 lbs seems to be about average. You're only burning 60 lbs a day when most of us are burning 80. I have the EF2, sort of the baby brother of your stove. I run my damper about a thumb's width open at the most. Varies a little bit with the pellets, some brands I've run with the damper all the way in.

Pellets should not be piling up in the burn pot. Maybe your vent is fouled, maybe your pellets are too ashy and they're clogging up the burn pot, I don't know. I've never had that issue. Damper wide open to get a good burn seems to point to poor combustion air flow. You've cleaned the heck out of your stove, but that vent has to be clean, too. You also haven't described your vent setup, which would help people help you.

Is this one of the older stoves with a dial-a-fire or a newer one with the "smarter" control panel. Older stoves the exhaust blower runs full speed all the time. That's how my stove works. Newer stoves vary the exhaust blower speed, I believe. I have no experience with that, so can't help much there.

Exhaust runs straight up about 3 ft or so and then 90's through the wall, I had the pipe apart also and it had very little ash in it. mine has the dial-a fire. Thanks for your help

 

[johneh]

Do you have an OAK installed (outside air kit ) ?
Have you cleaned the exhaust passages between
the exhaust blower and the back of the fire box?
entails the removal of the fake brick metal in fire box
and the three pieces behind it 1scew and rod bracket
assembly top center .
Burn pot filling up and not burning not enough air .
Is the house a new build and very tight ? lots of black
on glass and lots of ash sub grade pellets do a search
for pellets that work well for others and try some of them
60 lbs. a day normal for an fe3 in cold weather and heating
2000 sq ft.
My be the right time for the leaf blower trick search for how
to do it !

 

[TYRMYKE]

Do you have an OAK installed (outside air kit ) ?
Have you cleaned the exhaust passages between
the exhaust blower and the back of the fire box?
entails the removal of the fake brick metal in fire box
and the three pieces behind it 1scew and rod bracket
assembly top center .
Burn pot filling up and not burning not enough air .
Is the house a new build and very tight ? lots of black
on glass and lots of ash sub grade pellets do a search
for pellets that work well for others and try some of them
60 lbs. a day normal for an fe3 in cold weather and heating
2000 sq ft.
My be the right time for the leaf blower trick search for how
to do it !

I do not have an outside air intake kit installed. I have cleaned all passages. The house is new, been in it for 6 weeks, but I purposely did not seal a few spots in the basement to allow a little air in. the basement is our hangout/smoking lounge. The glass doesnt get real dirty, I windex it once a week but I wouldn't consider it "sooty". I'll look into the leaf blower trick. Thanks

 

[ChuckD]

Hey Mike, funny thing: First, I know Westerlo very well, lived in the Hilltowns for several years. Rensselaerville, East Berne, Lake Onderdonk. God's country up there! Second, I just 3 days ago took delivery of a brand new EF3 to replace the 21 year old EF3 that came with our house, so impressed am I with it. I'll put in a plug for Adirondack Woodstoves in Schenectady at this point who I've trusted for several years for their friendly honest advice and service, obscene parts prices notwithstanding which is no fault of theirs if you also check online.

Anyway, you should check out a couple Youtube videos for what a "healthy" flame looks like. Google Enviro EF3. Very helpful to see how it should look. I've got a Love-less Ash Company HEPA vacuum for pellet stoves right next to it (bloody loud, but does the job and nice folks there too) and mostly just vacuum out the burn pot every time I light it, scrape the heat exchange tubes (only when cold) and Windex the glass. Once a month or so I do a more thorough vacuum.

I've burned a ton and a half per year for the past several years. I have a fairly tight 28 year old two story house, about 2400sf, and this stove will easily heat it by itself but I've never been comfortable with unattended fire so I only run it a couple hours in the evening and while we're in the house on the weekends. Running 24x7 I'd estimate 3 - 40 lb bags a day would be about right (sure that's not what you meant?). I've had good luck with Somerset Premiums (just took my second ton 3 weeks ago, $320 delivered) and Barefoot (my first choice but kinda hard to find). Pinnacle's sucked and I couldn't wait to get through them. Lots of clinkers, sooty, low grade flame no matter how I set the damper. Agway in Altamont or Terleckey in Amsterdam will deliver. I buy by the ton, they deliver and we hand it off to a pallet in the garage. Pellets heats you twice too! I'm sure there are probably others but I've had great experiences with both of them.

The seller's right though, about a 'thumb's width' away from the stove is it. See the videos and report back. It really is a great stove. Nothing fancy, just set it, get the flame right and let it pump out the heat. Like I said, mine replaces a 21 year old one I've got parked in the sun room for now till I can find a buyer for it. We were running it right up until last weekend and it performs just as well as this new one.

Chuck

 

[johneh]

ChuckD I am curious how do you heat your house when
you are not home ?

 

[ChuckD]

ChuckD I am curious how do you heat your house when
you are not home ?

A couple years ago we sprung for a 2 ton geothermal system. Waited too long to do that, what a way to HVAC. Highly recommended.

 

[fixall]

replace the door and ash pan gaskets, I have had 10+ stoves enviro and harmon are the best

 

[stovelark]

Hi TYR- everyone is hitting it right on the marks. 60 lbs a day is a 2.5 lb burn rate right around 11 to 1 oclock on the dial a fire. I find mine runs best/heats great at about 1 oclock for both convex fan and feed dial. The air control usually settles about 1 inch of silver rod showing on an EF2/3 and I too agree that Enviros are one of best stoves made. The EF3 is a real workhorse. If its a FS stove, make sure the ash pan is in correctly, that'll cause a lazy burn too. Don't forget the top baffle as well and cleaning the air tubes, that will cause a lazy burn too.

 

[Cedarjunki]

I sure hope you arent burning bbq pellets for heat. That would be hella expensive. What brand pellets are you using and which pellets have you tried?

 

[johneh]

For my EF3 to use 60 lbs a day the outside temp. has to be -20 C or colder
anything warmer and I us 40 lbs or less
With the stove using 1 1/2 bags a day the unit throws an unbelievable amount of heat
enough that's you have a hard time keeping your hand in convection air
coming out of the stove