Mt Vernon AE Insert heat output

[kilbury]

Apparently Quadrafire didn't think overdrafting was the issue with yours, because on the ones I was experiencing the problems with that is something they suggested we try. As I stated before I ordered the dampers from Quad (must be a reason they make them?). The ones I that I am having trouble with do work well with pellets but if you try to burn corn, it just doesn't have a good flame, even with all settings maxed out. On mine it may be a feed issue with corn (too little being fed in) or the comb blower running too fast that it just burns the corn up to fast. I do sell the things and I do recognize that the Mt Vernon is only rated for 47,000 BTU's on corn but wouldn't you think you would be able to get more then a 1 1/2" flame above the firepot with the settings maxed?

 

[stoveguy13]

has any one taken temps on the front of the stove?

 

[globewyre]

I did early this season with turker fryer thermometer holding the stick end 2 inch from the stove. I don't remember the temp but there was a big difference in the 2 brand of pellets I was burning. Lignetic (green lettering) burned much hotter the pennington seed pellets. There was a post about stove temps earlier this season.

 

[stoveguy13]

try the uttillity setting as well the auger motor is on a consten turn the dealer shloud be able to clock it for you as well dont think the screw is loose the aguer may not be square in the shaft that cloud cause a low feed i have had a nylon barring that holds the motor drilled wrong but that will cause aguer jams and if you are not getting that message it is not likely a problem with the auger

 

[cavermedic]

Bummer. I was holding out hope for an auger problem since nothing else was coming up. We tried the utility setting with no difference. Service dude #2 timed the rotation and was gonna compare it against their model back in the shop He didn't say anything about it when he called the next day so I guess he either forgot or found it to be normal. Service dude #1 did check the temps at the front of the stove when he was here and said that they were adequate. But that didn't make us feel any warmer. I guess I'm just gonna have to make my own voodoo doll since nobody seems to sell them.

 

[cavermedic]

UPDATE: Since the control board was replaced last week, our stove seems to have found one more level of convection fan output. We can definitely feel more air movement, can feel the warm air from several feet further away, and the fan is a little louder. However, since then, the weather has been quite a bit warmer and therefore unable to do an apples-apples comparison (surprise, surprise - the stove can heat our house when it's warmer outside than inside!). Tonight should tell us, though. It's about 15 outside right now, due to get a little colder, maybe single digits. The flame height is now set on +3, heat output high, and the inside temp is currently 66 (set on 70) with the thermo in the next room. It's 67 at the far end of the LR, about 20' from the stove, 4' from the floor, at the level of the the open stairway to upstairs (ie - where one would expect a return draft of cold air from upstairs). That spot hasn't been above 60 all winter. If this stove can keep the heat at the thermo above 64 by morning, we MAY be able to stop looking for the stove-shaped voodoo doll! Of course, there's nothing like a below-zero night to tell us for sure, so I'm not about to declare this thing completely fixed yet. I'm probably the only person in VT right now wishing for more cold weather! And oh yeah - the auger was working fine.

 

[RichterVA]

UPDATE: Since the control board was replaced last week, our stove seems to have found one more level of convection fan output. We can definitely feel more air movement, can feel the warm air from several feet further away, and the fan is a little louder. However, since then, the weather has been quite a bit warmer and therefore unable to do an apples-apples comparison (surprise, surprise - the stove can heat our house when it's warmer outside than inside!). Tonight should tell us, though. It's about 15 outside right now, due to get a little colder, maybe single digits. The flame height is now set on +3, heat output high, and the inside temp is currently 66 (set on 70) with the thermo in the next room. It's 67 at the far end of the LR, about 20' from the stove, 4' from the floor, at the level of the the open stairway to upstairs (ie - where one would expect a return draft of cold air from upstairs). That spot hasn't been above 60 all winter. If this stove can keep the heat at the thermo above 64 by morning, we MAY be able to stop looking for the stove-shaped voodoo doll! Of course, there's nothing like a below-zero night to tell us for sure, so I'm not about to declare this thing completely fixed yet. I'm probably the only person in VT right now wishing for more cold weather! And oh yeah - the auger was working fine.

Did your mt Vernon ae insert end up working out for you? I had mine installed 2 days ago and I'm very underwhelmed by its inability to heat my house. I'm hoping that I'm just not configuring the thermostat correctly, but I'm sitting on my family room couch about 10-12 feet directly in front of my mt Vernon and my nose/feet are cold. I'm using premium hardwood pellets, chimney venting, manual mode on 5 heat output and set to 75 degrees. I have a 3900 sq ft house built in 1994 with 2 of the large colder rooms closed up for the winter (draft stops, doors shut). I don't need or expect the Vernon the heat 3900 sq ft (frankly I spend most of my time in the family room), but it seems like something isn't right if my wife and I are cold sitting 10-12 feet away from the unit. I don't feel any heat output or air movement from this distance but if I get within 5 ft I do --- and I can't even hold my hand with an inch of the unit for more than 5 seconds or I'd probably get burned. The flames are violent and hitting the middle of the diamond and the unit's blowers sound like they are working hard. Any ideas??

--my family room has a vaulted ceiling and i worry that all the heat is just going straight up. Thats fine, but id like to feel that heat on its way to the ceiling! If I stand 5 ft from the unit, it seems like the heat is hitting my face's level. Is there any way to make the Vernon blow heat straight out horizontally?
--I do have a rather large ceiling fan in my family room. Should I turn it on high or low speed, and should I have it blowing air down or flip the switch to have it blow air up at the ceiling?
--will increasing the flame height significantly increase the heat output from the unit? I haven't experimented with that setting yet.
--I have propane furnace that I had hoped to not use much at all, but now am wondering how folks configure their 2 thermostats to minimize their propane usage but still use the propane furnace to supplement their pellet stoves since (at least in my house) my pellet stove seems like its not going to be able to heat all 3900 sq ft without help from my propane furnace. Right now I've got the propane thermostat set to 58 and the Vernon on 70-75 degrees on manual. Given my issues spelled out above, I think this setup will have my Vernon running full blast all day/night with my propane furnace kicking in if it gets to 58.

 

[smg64ct]

I have my thermostat set for 75. I have 2000 sq feet open layout open loft above the living room. I run it on automatic and I'm always toasty warm.

 

[John97]

I have 2800 SF split-level, and run on auto with the thermostat at between 75 and 80. It's been able to do the job so far, even when the temperature got down in the teens earlier in the week.

Two fans blowing cold air towards the stove from other parts of the house along with running the air handlers for my heat pumps on occasion get the job done. It's 70 upstairs, 70 downstairs and about 75 on the mid-floor with the stove right now.

 

[RichterVA]

I will try the sunflower setting and see if it can get my family room warm (and not just the vaulted ceiling).

Am I correct in thinking that the absolute hottest way to run my mt Vernon ae (if I'm using my Turman pellets) is to put it on manual mode and select sunflower fuel, maximum flame height, high altitude setting, 5 on the heat output setting, and 90 degree thermostat setting? Anything else I can do at the panel to increase the heat output?

 

[evil]

I was having similar issues with mine. Sounds like a poor seal on the stove somewhere be it either the door or ashpan seals. Remember these things are vacum driven. As you increase your demand for heat the auger and fans increase for the anticipated heat output required. As I understand it the exhaust fan increases speed to draw more air through the system thus increasing flame hight, the auger follows suit and feeds more to maintain flame. Id also take a good look at the holes in the burn pot to see if they are clear of debris and the firepot seal. A good way to test the seals on the door is to put a dollar bill behind it and close the door. You should feel good resistance while pulling it out.

 

[tsmith]

I will try the sunflower setting and see if it can get my family room warm (and not just the vaulted ceiling).

Am I correct in thinking that the absolute hottest way to run my mt Vernon ae (if I'm using my Turman pellets) is to put it on manual mode and select sunflower fuel, maximum flame height, high altitude setting, 5 on the heat output setting, and 90 degree thermostat setting? Anything else I can do at the panel to increase the heat output?

Those settings will provide the highest feed rate, you will go through pellets very quickly. I am burning Turmans in my AE, and I have to set my stove at corn setting, high elevation, auto hold at 78 and a flame height of between -3 and -5 to get the right feed rate. Corn setting is the slowest feed rate and I need this to control the flame height with Turmans, so something is definatelly wrong with your stove. Turmans are a dense pellet and need lots of air(high altitude setting) and low feed rate(corn setting) to burn properly. I am heating 2 floors at 1700 sq. ft. and the upstairs room farthest from the stove is 72 degrees and the stove is downstairs of my bi-level home.