Pellet stove venting and heat problems

[BonnieJeanne]

I have a pellet stove that we purchased in the fall. It never heated very well, it only kept the room it was in to 69*, and the room next to it to 67*. It also shuts itself off if it is run on level 4 or 5, out of a maximum of 5 levels. It is vented with a 60* right off the back of the stove, and straight out the wall 18". The vent pipe does not go up at all. Isn't this wrong? Our owners manual says it should go out the wall and then up 6-8 feet.
HELP!!

 

[mnkywrnch]

Bonnie first off welcome second posting the brand of stove would definetly help,do you have an outside air kit installed?has the stove been cleaned lately?the stove shutting down on 4 and 5 tells me the stove is over heating.more info please

 

[BonnieJeanne]

It is a Breckwell P23.

 

[mnkywrnch]

It is a Breckwell P23.

Ive read on this forum that breckwell doesnt recommend running on 4 or 5 for long periods of time,which is probably why your stove is shutting down, if your damper is opened to much you might be losing alot of heat out your vent,i would close the damper as far as possible without the flame getting lazy,my gut is telling me your lack of heat is just adjustments seeings how its done this since new.Hope this helps alittle

 

[BonnieJeanne]

The only problem with that it the temperatures coming out of the heat exchange tubes are very low. On level one the left is 80, middle is 82 and right is 83, on level 2 the temp is 80, 101, 110, on level 3 the temps are 120, 145, and 160, on level 4 the temps are 130, 150, and 170, on level 5 it shuts off. In the manual it doesn't say not to run it on level 4. That would be a little ridiculas, to buy a stove that only can be used on the 3 lowest heat levels.
Bonnie

 

[mnkywrnch]

The only problem with that it the temperatures coming out of the heat exchange tubes are very low. On level one the left is 80, middle is 82 and right is 83, on level 2 the temp is 80, 101, 110, on level 3 the temps are 120, 145, and 160, on level 4 the temps are 130, 150, and 170, on level 5 it shuts off. In the manual it doesn't say not to run it on level 4. That would be a little ridiculas, to buy a stove that only can be used on the 3 lowest heat levels.
Bonnie

Your right it doesnt say not to run it on 4 but it does say not to run it on 5 for an extended period of time.

 

[BonnieJeanne]

What about those temperatures?? Has anyone measured the heat coming out of their stove using a meat thermometer?

 

[mnkywrnch]

What about those temperatures?? Has anyone measured the heat coming out of their stove using a meat thermometer?

I havent used a meat thermometer but have used an infared temp gun on level 4 on my stove Ive seen temps close to 300* and level 5 well above that, the temps on your stove IMO are low.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

not familiar with this model, does it have an adjustment for combustion air? you may also have a baffle out of place (can affect some stoves this way) essentially if the air is moving through the stove too fast or "taking a shortcut" between the fire and the flue, you may not be getting good heat transfer. take a good look at any plates and such which can be removed or moved for cleaning and make sure they are in correct position your manual should show this to you in some kind of diagram. if the stove has a draft adjustment (a rod usually that opens and closes the passageway that the exhaust follows to the combustion blower) try closing that down bit by bit until you are seeing your fire get just a touch lazier, then open it back up from there just enough to let the fire "recover" its activity, see if this allows more heat out of the tubes. the key to heat from pellets is to keep the exhaust inthe stove for as long as possible while still maintaining a clean fire, the longer the hot exhaust is within the stove the more heat transfers to the tubes to blow into the room. but check baffles first. hope this helps ya

 

[Breckwell Tech]

You should have no problem running your stove on level 4 all day long if need be. You can run it on five for a couple hours at a time if you need to get the room warmer, but after the two hours then turn it down for a couple hours befor turning it back up to level 5.

To measure your temputure output of your stove you need to suspend a meat thermometer in front of or down in the heat exchange tubes. Make sure the thermometer is not touching any metal or this will give you a inaccurate reading. You do not want to use a laser or inferred thermometer cause that just gives you the temp of the metal that it is pointing at.

The Temp reading you gave seem to be about average or little below. This temp will very by stove depending on type of pellets, how the stove is installed and how it is maintenance.

Most Breckwell stoves on level 5 will only put out around aprox. 200 to 220 degrees at best.

You temperatures of the air blowing out the front will sometimes be lower on one side or the other, that is normal.

I recommend that you find out why your stove is shutting down on level 4 or 5. When the Breckwell stove shuts down it will give you blinking number diagnostic light on the control panel, usually a blinking #2 or #3. Once we find this out this will tell us why the stove is shutting down. If it is a blinking #2 it is an airflow issue and you most likely need to clean your stove. If it is a blinking #3 then one of your thermodisk have tripped for some reason.

 

[BonnieJeanne]

It was flashing a #2 light.

 

[Breckwell Tech]

It was flashing a #2 light.

Is this a new unit?

Has it ever run on level 4 or 5?

If the unit is new it will be an instilation problem, if it has been installed for a while and has run on level 4 or 5 befor then it will be a maintenance or cleaning issue.

The #2 blinking error always relates to your airflow, or a loss of adequate negative pressure. The most common reason for this problem is inadequate maintenance or cleaning. When was the last time you removed and cleaned behind the small access doors in the combustion chamber? What about your exhaust pipe? When was it last cleaned? Have you ever cleaned the fan blades on your combustion blower? These are the most common reasons that someone will receive the #2 blinking error.

 

[firewarrior820]

I have a pellet stove that we purchased in the fall. It never heated very well, it only kept the room it was in to 69*, and the room next to it to 67*. It also shuts itself off if it is run on level 4 or 5, out of a maximum of 5 levels. It is vented with a 60* right off the back of the stove, and straight out the wall 18". The vent pipe does not go up at all. Isn't this wrong? Our owners manual says it should go out the wall and then up 6-8 feet.
HELP!!

try going less than 60 degree right off the back of the stove

 

[Breckwell Tech]

I have a pellet stove that we purchased in the fall. It never heated very well, it only kept the room it was in to 69*, and the room next to it to 67*. It also shuts itself off if it is run on level 4 or 5, out of a maximum of 5 levels. It is vented with a 60* right off the back of the stove, and straight out the wall 18". The vent pipe does not go up at all. Isn't this wrong? Our owners manual says it should go out the wall and then up 6-8 feet.
HELP!!

try going less than 60 degree right off the back of the stove

Yes your right this can cause this issue also. Adding Vertical pipe going up outside could help too adding natural draft.