Your pellet stove is reliable, strong, and sturdy. You’ve been using it for years, so what could just cause it to stop working out of nowhere? There are a few potential problems we can look at to determine if you’re in need of repair or if it’s something else entirely.
Do you know what stinks? Searching for “pellet stove repair near me” and being bombarded with a ton of clear sales pages and no helpful information. We’re going to use this opportunity to tell you what we believe could be wrong with it before deciding whether or not you need professional assistance.
Bad Airflow Problems
Airflow is everything for your pellet stove. Without airflow, there’s no oxygen to feed the fire, and it will quickly die out. You can control the amount of oxygen that enters your pellet stove, but if your stove is dirty or blocked, you’ll run into problems.
Check the blower settings to make sure it’s providing enough air. Make sure the stove is clean. Essentially, try to make it look like it did the day you bought it and start there.
Blocker Auger
Your auger is designed to handle pellets but sometimes jams can happen anyway. You shouldn’t try to unblock your auger while your pellet stove is on; this runs an unnecessary risk of injury.
Shut it down, wait until you can get in there, and remove the auger. When you pull it out, you may notice a few large pellets that caused the jam, or small levels of buildup around the edges of the auger that caused it to get stuck.
Your Igniter Went Bad
An electric signal is sent to your igniter and then it ignites the pellets. It sounds simple, but there are a few layers to your igniter. First and foremost, your igniter itself may have simply died. If so, it won’t heat up (which means it won’t glow red), and it’s done for. This happens from time to time.
But don’t give up hope yet. Make sure there’s a signal coming from the control board to the igniter. Use a voltmeter to see if you’re getting a consistent 115V to 120V powered to the igniter. If you are, but it won’t heat up, then the igniter is done for. If you’re not detecting any current, you can reverse engineer the starting point of the breakdown by using your owner’s manual.
Your Stove is Dirty
Just like with a dirty auger, other components of your pellet stove can get in the way of operation. When your stove is dirty, buildup decreases the available amount of oxygen in your pellet stove.
This is called creosote which is derived from plant-like materials such as wood. It’s going to build up slowly over time and needs to be cleaned out.
You can avoid the rapid buildup of creosote (though you cannot prevent it entirely) by using higher-quality pellets. These break down easier and don’t leave as much residue behind so you won’t have to clean your pellet stove out as often.
Restore That Pellet Stove
Your pellet stove sounds like it’s in need of a full-scale tune-up. That’s where we come in. If your pellet stove encounters any problems that you can’t troubleshoot or solve on your own, it’s time to let the professionals do their thing. We’ll restore your stove to its former glory.
Contact HB Energy Solutions for all your energy needs. HB Energy Solutions delivers peace of mind.
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