Too many pellets

Has the 20 ever worked properly ???

Thinking this through.

If the "Ash slide plate" is not covering the 2 side ports a couple things will happen.

Poor startup (Slow to lite off) due to low air flow.

Air at a modest velocity moves around the igniter unit and creates a HOT PLASMA that flows into the burn pot and ignites the pellets.

Poor burning of the pellets in general and the resulting "Stove chokes"

Removing the photo eye can cause issues.

If memory serves, the photo eye sends a signal to the controller that there is a fire in the pot.
Initially upon startup the auger will run for a short time to add fuel and then the auger shuts off.

Once the fire starts and the photo eye signals the controller that a fire is present the auger cycle resumes.

If the photo eye is bypassed then the auger will cycle even without fire.

The photo eye will also shut the unit off if for some reason the fire goes out.

The photo eye arrangement was a bit sketchy at best.

Many stoves have a heat sensor (Thermocouple) as they are not subject to the same issues as the photo eye (Getting dirty)

 

When bypassing the photo eye you should be using a close on rise thermo disc in the exhaust path both for pof and lof (loss of fire/out of fuel) my favorite flashing #3 led error.

 

OK.... the photo eye by-pass was outlined on this site. Works well...ran out of pellets last night and did fault and shut down.

The openings are for ash cleaning... they are closed during operation.

Today I moved the stove outside and it was sucked (leaf blower), while being blown (shop vac), and beat (rubber mallet)... don't have a brush that would fit.

Took about one and a half minutes to start to smoke when I started it up. Of course it was still dumping pellets in...took another three min to light... pellets stopped briefly....then started again and filled the pot full... quite a fire!

Fire looked much better but I still think there are too many pellets...see pics.

When did this start happening was asked...last year... about half way through the heating season.

 

Steve, you'll need to do the suck, blow, and pound many times to really get that puppy clean. Loosen by pounding move with the suck and blow, you can't get what is in there doing it once or even twice.

 

Get the mess in between the heat exchanger tubes from the middle towards each side wall.

 

I can 't speak to the start up but your airflow appears to be less on the right side looking towards the stove window.

 

I had to move the stove outside to do this....

Did you notice in the pic that the burn pot is full to the top....

I have the auger as low as I it will go.

 

The pictures are of the startup

 

My stove exits startup in high fire need the tech manual for that unit seems like it might be a one off unit. Controls then ramp down.

ETA: I don't have the information on your unit to comment.

 

Yes, but you likely should have done this for each ton burned.

 

Steve do a Google search on hearthtools and read a few threads Rod might have a comment or two on the "20" he has dealt with a few Whits over the years.

 

You didn't replace the auger motor by chance did you?

 

Yes...new auger motor

 

1 rpm I hope.

 

Yep

 

Burns like this once the start load is done...

 

Have you visually verified it's 1 RPM? Not that it was marked incorrectly..which I doubt but you never know

 

****edit...I should say timed the cycle?****

 

Looks somewhat normal hard to judge not seeing it in person.

 

Yes.. burning very well. I actually closed the damper just a little....it lights about a minute quicker ... I'll let you know how it runs over the next couple of days.