Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Your pellet stove is burning dirty or is sooting? Your exhaust is smoking heavily?
If so, see the following points:

Bad, wet or old pellets, or pellets which have been wet at some time will not burn as clean or as hot as they should. Try using a different bag of pellets, especially if the ones being used are old, from a torn bag, or may have been stored in a damp environment. It is important to have dry storage for pellet fuel!

Improper installation, lack of outside air source, or using too long a pipe to bring in outside combustion air will cause air deficiency. Too long a flue pipe or too many elbows (for intake air or exhaust) can also lead to a dirty burn. Air flow is very important to get proper performance - improper installation can cause resistance to the flow of air, causing fuel to burn dirty. Refer to your owner's manual (for the stove and for your vent pipe) for proper installation information.

Leaky gaskets: Leaky door, window, and ash pan gaskets, as well as the gasket behind the burn box, will decrease available air through the fire. To test for leaking door, window or ash pan gaskets, turn the stove on without building a fire, close the door and take a lit match or lighter and move the flame around the edge of the window, around the door, and around the ash pan. If the gasket is leaking, the flame will be pulled toward the leak, as air is sucked in past the gasket. That gasket should then be replaced.

Overfeeding: If too much fuel is cycled into the burn chamber, there is insufficient air volume to give a complete, clean burn. A bag of pellets should normally last from 16 to 24 hours (smaller pellets tend to feed faster than longer ones). If the 40 lb bag is not lasting that long, contact customer service to have a technician walk you through a check of the programming of the control board.

Insufficient combustion air, from a combustion blower that is not running at sufficient speed. The exhaust blower should run at about 3000 rpm. Lubrication may help a sticky motor, but replacement of the exhaust blower is the recommended course of action, since this is the 'heart' of the unit.

Ash buildup in the flue: If the flue is not cleaned regularly, ash buildup will restrict air volume being exhausted from the stove. The flue system should be cleaned on a regular basis. We recommend it be cleaned at least once a month, or once per ton of pellets used.

Ash buildup in the heat exchanger/firebox area: If the firebox and heat exchanger are not cleaned regularly, ash buildup will restrict airflow through the fire. The firebox must be cleaned on a regular basis, and the holes in the burn pot must be kept clear. The heat exchanger is accessed behind the baffle, and through the two access plates on either side of the burn pot cradle. These areas should be cleaned at least bi-weekly.

Leaving hopper lid open/unlatched: When the hopper is not sealed down tightly, air can be pulled through the hopper and feed system, reducing the amount of air through the fire. It is extremely important that the hopper lid be latched down tight while the stove is in operation. Airflow may enter the auger system and, in the event of a power failure or error shutdown, smoke can travel back into the hopper if the lid is not sealed down tightly!

Improper fuel: Burning corn or cherry pits, for example, will cause a dirty burn because of the high ash, moisture, and sugar content.

High altitude: Air density at high altitude can cause dirty burn, simply because of the lack of available oxygen. In installations above 4,000 ft. above sea level, the exhaust should be expanded to 4" pellet vent pipe, and the outside air intake should be run with 3" pipe.

Daily Maintenance
Press the "OFF" button and allow the stove to complete the shut-down cycle.
Open the main door of the stove and use an old paint brush or putty knife to move ash from around the burn pot into the open areas beside the cradle. Use a long-handled screwdriver or putty knife to remove any deposits left in the burn pot.
If equipped, pull the ash pan latches out and turn, then slide the ash pan out of the stove. Dump the ashes into a metal container and store them on a non-combustible surface to allow any embers to cool before disposal. Slide the ash pan back into the stove; turn the latches, making certain they catch the lip of the ash pan opening. Remove the burn pot by lifting it straight up and out of the cradle. Use screwdriver or putty knife to remove any deposits inside of the burn pot. Make sure all air orifices are clear and unrestricted. Remove any ash from the bottom of the firebox and insert the burn pot back into cradle. The stove is now ready to resume normal operation.

Weekly Maintenance (or Bi-Weekly, depending on the stove)
Bi‐weekly maintenance should include the steps listed in this section AS WELL AS the steps listed in the “Daily Maintenance” section.
Remove the baffle by grasping the baffle in the center, lifting up on the rear of the baffle and sliding it towards the back of the stove. Then tilt the front downward, moving it down towards the cradle. Last, tilt one end up, the other down and remove from the opening of the stove.
When the baffle is out of the stove, the area where fly‐ash accumulates on the firebox shelf will be clear. The use of a utility or ash vacuum is highly recommended, because it will prevent fly‐ash from falling through the exhaust holes and into the exhaust chamber. After removing all the fly‐ash from behind the baffle, reinsert the baffle into the stove, using the reverse of the process detailed above.

Monthly Maintenance
Should include the steps listed in this section AS WELL AS the steps listed above.
The exhaust chamber of the stove was intentionally designed as an ash accumulation area. Allowing ash to accumulate here prevents excess ash build-up in the combustion blower and the venting system.
The exhaust chamber is accessed via the two clean-out ports located on the back wall of the firebox, near the bottom. Clean the exhaust chamber AFTER cleaning the firebox shelf and heat exchanger tubes, because cleaning them will deposit ash into the exhaust chamber.
Use a 5/16” socket wrench to remove the two screws which hold each of the clean-out covers in place, and remove the cleanout covers from the firebox. Using a ash or utility-type vacuum cleaner, vacuum the fly ash out of the exhaust chamber. A short piece of hose can be attached to the end of the utility vacuum line, and can be useful in reaching the ash which accumulates between the clean-out ports.
Once all ash has been removed from the exhaust chamber, reinstall the cleanout port covers, using the screws previously removed.

Yearly Maintenance
End of season maintenance should include the steps listed in this section AS WELL AS the steps listed in the previously sections.
The stove and the flue system should be given a complete cleaning at the end of the heating season.
Remove the burn pot assembly, clean it thoroughly, and re-install it. This will require new burn pot cradle gasket. Be sure to tighten the set screws when you replace them, but do not over-tighten.
In addition to the cleaning mentioned earlier, the Exhaust Blower should be removed annually, and the blower tube vacuumed of any ash build-up. When cleaning or replacing the blower, a new combustion blower gasket should be added between the blower flange and the steel exhaust tube.
Soot and Fly ash also need to be removed - The products of combustion will contain small particles of 'fly ash.' The fly ash will collect in the exhaust venting system and restrict the flow of flue gases.
In addition, incomplete combustion, such as occurs during startup, shutdown, or incorrect operation of the room heater, will lead to some soot formation, which will collect in the exhaust venting system. The exhaust venting system should be inspected at least once every year to determine if cleaning is necessary. Always follow your vent pipe manufacturer's instructions, and local codes.

One of the biggest keys to getting peak performance from your pellet unit is gasket maintenance. Our pellet units are designed to pull combustion air in through the fire and eject the exhaust out through the vent pipe.

The gaskets which seal around the window, the door, the ash pan, and the hopper lid ensure that the air that is pulled through the stove is not pulled through these areas. Air that enters through leaky gaskets is air that does not pass through the fire, leading to incomplete burning of the fuel and diminished performance.

The combustion blower gasket will need replacing when the component it is sealing is removed.

Fresh air intake is mandatory for all Englander pellet stoves to overcome the effects of negative pressure inside the home in which they are installed. Newer homes are particularly prone to this phenomenon due to improved construction technology, but all homes, no matter how drafty they may seem, are affected in this way. Fresh air intake can also be beneficial for wood stoves, for the same reasons as mentioned for pellet stoves.

Since the early 1970's homebuilders have built houses in such a way as to make them more economical to heat and cool with electricity . This is done by making the house more airtight than was practiced in the past, which diminishes loss of heat through drafts and leaks in the home's structure. In addition, a lot of older homes have been renovated to gain efficiency.

This tightly-built construction can cause problems with combustion devices such as woodstoves and pellet stoves - more so with pellet units, as a higher quantity of airflow is required for the unit to burn its fuel effectively. Running a pellet stove using air pulled from inside the structure can lower the air pressure in the home in relation to the air pressure outside the structure, and this is known as "negative pressure."

Negative pressure buildup inside a home reduces the unit's ability to receive the proper volume of air needed to effectively burn the fuel, and drastically reduces the performance of the unit. The size of the structure does not matter in relation to negative pressure. Outside intake air defeats the buildup of negative pressure, as the airflow comes from directly outside, and is then exhausted back outside after combustion.

As a result of the high temperatures reached on the surface of any wood heater, most types of high temperature paint will tend to discolor over time. However, if your paint has completely turned white in some areas shortly after you purchased your heater, it is a sign that it may have overheated. Many things can cause a unit to overheat. Here is a brief list:

-The air intake control has been left fully open and flue temperatures have reached excessive levels for a long period of time;
-The chimney draft is excessive;
-The door was left ajar for a long period with a fire going;
-The door gasket is worn out;
-The firebricks have been damaged or disintegrated and have not been replaced;
-Pressure treated wood or other bi-products of wood were used as fuel;
-An excessive quantity of manufactured logs were used in the heater.

It is important to identify why the heater has overheated. Otherwise, it may wear out prematurely. Make sure you use a chimney thermometer and keep flue temperatures within the comfort zone of 250 °F to 475 °F when the heater is operated in the slow combustion mode. It is okay to reach temperatures between 500 °F and 900 °F upon the start-up of the heater. The paint is tested to resist peak temperatures (non-continuous) of up to 1,200 °F.

You can paint your heater and make it look brand new. If the paint has not peeled off, you need to prepare the surface with a 180 grit sand paper. Then, repaint the heater with the original high temperature aerosol paint for a more resistant and uniform finish. If the paint has peeled off, you need to prepare the surface with a 180 grit sand paper and remove all the paint until you reach the steel.

It's pretty hard to miss the metal data tag, since it's fairly large, but here's a general guide as to where it is on most models:
(Looking from the FRONT of the stove)

Wood Stoves - the tag is located on the side, usually bottom left, or the rear of the unit.

Pellet Stoves - the tag is located on the side, usually bottom left, or inside the hopper lid.