Please HELP with hand-me down Whitfield Advantage

[WhitfieldNovice]

I'm brand new to this forum...wonderful resource...thank you!

We recently recieved a used Whitfield Advantage (mid-1990s) from a friend who upgraded. It ran for them but not efficiently. Problem is, we installed it Saturday and we can't get the flame to stay lit. And since the flame isn't staying lit the low-limit disc is triggered shutting down the stove. And when it is burning there is so much soot on the glass you can't even see the flame.

We've never owned a pellet stove before, but we've been doing a lot of research. Here's what we've done so far to try and resolve the issue:
1. Took entire stove apart and cleaned everything--removed lots of soot and ash
2. Oiled motors (apparently maintenance was never really done by previous owners, but all motors seem to be running fine)
3. Replaced low-limit disc

We were succesful in getting the stove running for one day--flame burned for 8 hours on Sunday and heated our townhouse to 77 degrees before we shut it down and went to bed. We had to set the auger on low (1) and the blower on high (5). The next day we had no luck.

Right now we don't have an OAK, but we're installing one tonight. Do you think this will solve the issue? Any other suggestions? I know this is an old stove but from all accounts it's a workhorse and I hope we can get it running efficiently.

Thanks a lot!!

 

[mjbrown]

have you tried going to the whitfield site and seeing if there is an owners manual there? is there a phone number for tech support anywhere on the stove?just trying to help, but i am sure a whitfield owner will chime in soon....sit tight.


mike

 

[lpgreg]

a couple of help websites
http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/lowlimit.htm

http://www.butkus.org/whitfield_pellet_stove.htm

 

[lpgreg]

Is your dampner open? Soot wopuld indicate oxygen starvation.

 

[WhitfieldNovice]

Thanks, Mike. We tried troubleshooting according to the owner's manual--no luck yet. I have also been all over this site looking for suggestions--many have been helpful but I still don't have a solution. Flame just peters out. Very frustrating.

I'm wondering if it might have something to do with our venting system. We live in a townhouse so it's tight quarters. Had to do an offset in order to reach the 2' minimum clearance from the fence. We couldn't put it on the other side of the house because there we have the fence plus an air conditioning unit. Basically we are working between a sliding glass door, basement window, upstairs window, overhang from 2nd floor, and air conditioner...so we couldn't figure anything but an offset that includes 2 90* elbows and 1 45* elbow from stove in corner. What do you think??

Thanks!!

 

[WhitfieldNovice]

When opening damper we see no change in flame. I've read here that that indicates an air leak. We tested the door with a slip of paper but it seems tight. Hmmm.

I will check out those links you posted--thanks!

 

[WhitfieldNovice]

UPDATE---We installed the air intake kit and tried running the stove. Big flames at first and then it went out after 7-10 mins. I'm at a loss!

 

[sawdust1]

I have a Whitfield Advantage also, check out the center clean out under the burn pot and make sure that it is not closed. On mine it does not close all the way because it hits the burn pot.

 

[lpgreg]

The manual says not to exeed 270° in total change direction, so as far as your 2 90's and 45 you should be good there. If you don't find a air leak you might check for proper dampner operation. The flames will change color and intensity by adjusting it if it is functional.

 

[CamperDan]

I have an Advantage.

Did you give a good cleaning? You will need to remove the fire boards and clean behind there. Ash will build up. Pull it from the wall and stick a shop vac in the exhaust. If you can do that with the combustion blower on do so. It could get messy.

It could also be the vent. If it is over 15 feet it should be in 4 inch pipe.

It could also be your combustion blower or the board. The board regulates the voltage to the blower. Make sure it is running correctly. Observe it when it runs through the board and then hot wire it to 115. If it runs the same it is not the board.

You ay also need to remove the blower, but first obtained a replacement gasket for it before you take it off.

Good luck. I recently went through the same thing and I feel your pain.

 

[CamperDan]

This is what I received from Lennox when I contacted technical support.

Thank you for contacting Lennox Hearth Products. It sounds as if there
is not enough combustion air to allow the stove to burn properly.
Possible causes and solutions include:

1) Lack of maintenance (clean burn pot,clean-out ports, exhaust flow
passages, venting system, exhaust blower intake, etc).

* Remove any clinkers or ash from the bottom of the grate that might be
obstructing the primary air holes.
* Check that the heat exchange tubes are not coated with ash.
* Clean internal exhaust ducts.
* Check gasket seal around the door. Use a thin strip of paper, 1 in.
wide. Open the door and close it on the paper strip. A slight friction
should be
felt when the paper strip is pulled. Repeat this process at various
locations around the door gasket. Replace the door gasket if necessary.
* Check for blockage in the air inlet tube or exhaust pipe. Clean as
Necessary.
* Inspect glass seal to ensure that it is in good condition and is
properly seated to the door.


2) Fuel trim may need to be adjusted down for faster feeding fuels.

3) Change to a better grade of fuel if necessary. Check that the damper
has been opened enough for the amount of fuel fed.

4) Have Your Authorized Lennox Hearth Products dealer check your exhaust
blower for proper operation.

5) The venting system design is too restrictive (call your authorized
Lennox Hearth Products Technician to evaluate how the installation can
be
corrected to satisfy the exhaust flow requirements.
Please contact us again if we can assist in other matters.

 

[Revig]

Good evening WN,
You say that the unit was totally cleaned by yourself? Did you remove the firebrick and adjoining baffle plates? Usually, once the unit has been thoroughly cleaned, you will see a significant difference in flame characteristics when the damper is moved in and out. If you know for sure the unit is cleaned, it could be a problem in the combustion motor - by being weak and not turning up to speed. How old is it? The ID label on the older stoves is stamped with the date of manufacture and the serial number ( starts with a WH- ). Don't give up!!

 

[WhitfieldNovice]

These are all great ideas--thanks! I am going to go down the list this weekend and check everything.

I did notice there is an open space in the door just under the handle. You can actually see the flame through there. I'm replacing the door gasket today. Hope that solves it.

I checked inside the Hopper and the manufacture date is there. Nov. 1990. Does anyone else have a stove that old that's still kicking??

 

[WhitfieldNovice]

Stove Doctor: i removed the fire brick and baffles and cleaned behind them. Basically I took the whole thing apart and cleaned everywhere I could think off. I got out lots of old crud and ash. When you adjust the damper, there is absolutely no change in the flame.

Don't know about the combustion motor. Will have to look into this. I'm really hoping the new door gasket helps, but it never seems to be the easy solution!

 

[Revig]

Hi WN,
A new door gasket certainly isn't a bad idea - especially if you can "see" light when latched. The door when latched, should have a snug/tight fit. Be sure to get the correct gasketing - they call for a 1/2" firm rope gasket. Please be sure to thoroughly clean the grove the gasket fits in to - this will ensure a good bond.

 

[WhitfieldNovice]

Hello again,

I got our Whitfield Advantage II-T (1990) running over the weekend by replacing the door gasket and doing a thorough cleaning behind the baffles. Now we are trying to fine-tune the flame on the stove. The problem is that the flame burns down very low (below the sides of the burnpot) and then quickly shoots way back up again. This happens over and over. Seems like the fire is starved for pellets because the burn pot stays mostly empty except for a layer of embers at the bottom that catch fire when the pellets drop. We also sometimes get sparks and pellets jumping up out of the burnpot. This gets the house hot but it's not efficient.

I did a lot of research on here and thought it might be too much air coming in, so I tried the damper at many different settings. Right now it is pushed almost all the way in. But the flame is still dying down and then shooting way up. The damper is slightly jammed so it's hard to make minor adjustments.

We've run the stove 24 hours total over the past few days and there is barely any ash in the pan. Is this normal? Seems like we should need to empty it every day. One other thing...there is a crack in the fireback. Does this need to be replaced right away?

By the way the control panel was upgraded at some point. I don't know if this is important.

Thanks!!

 

[Revig]

WN,
You stated that the CB was upgraded, so, does it have the touch pad controller or is it still a dial controller? The small ash buildup is a blessing - don't worry about it for now. The cracked firebrick has nothing to do with the burn troubles - ok for now. What is the serial number of the stove?? IMHO, still possible control board problem.

 

[WhitfieldNovice]

The serial number is WH-27996. Manufactured Nov 1990

The CB is touch pad. Is there a way I can test to see if it is a CB problem? I don’t want to put out the $300 for a new one if there something else I can try first.

I think this may be an auger issue. I sat and watched the pellets drop last night. Sometimes when the auger light is blinking no pellets fall out. Then after a few blinks a lot of pellets will drop all at once. I took out the auger and plugged it into the house voltage and it ran fine. CouId it be slipping for some reason inside the stove?

 

[mgreenage1]

The serial number is WH-27996. Manufactured Nov 1990

The CB is touch pad. Is there a way I can test to see if it is a CB problem? I don’t want to put out the $300 for a new one if there something else I can try first.

I think this may be an auger issue. I sat and watched the pellets drop last night. Sometimes when the auger light is blinking no pellets fall out. Then after a few blinks a lot of pellets will drop all at once. I took out the auger and plugged it into the house voltage and it ran fine. CouId it be slipping for some reason inside the stove?

but

Pellets not dropping every time the auger turns is normal, even more likely the lower the feed rate. This is probably even more prevalent in older, less "technical" stoves. Sounds as though you have good combustion with the amount of ash you get and if you had to have a problem, well I would rather have too much heat than not enough!

 

[Fliehigh]

Pellets not dropping every time the auger turns is normal, even more likely the lower the feed rate. This is probably even more prevalent in older, less "technical" stoves. Sounds as though you have good combustion with the amount of ash you get and if you had to have a problem, well I would rather have too much heat than not enough![/quote]

I have the same stove (Mine built in 1992) and my issue is when the stove is on any setting other then 1, over the course of 3-4 hours the pellet's and ash willl build up in the Ultra grate and if I let it burn over night willl sometimes backup the pellet shoot.

When I first turn it to 2, 3 or 4 the fire willl burn high, hot and the flame is very active. What I think happens is that every now and then a large number of pellets wil drop at the same time and before the stove has time to burn them more drops and so on. when the pellets build up there willl still be fire but the grate gets blocked up with clinkers and I usually have to stop the feed and set the input to 5 for a few minute's to burn down the pile. I have replaced the ultra grate (It was the original one) with an ultra 2, replaced the ash pan door seal and the door seal, but still seem to have an issue. I have also cleaned the stove thoroughly, behind the bricks and metal plate's and I use the tube rod at-least once a day.

I welcome any suggestions.

Thanks from the great white north.

Fliehigh