Okofen Pellematic problem: "ignition defective"

[Lilian]

Hello forum, Hello you,

I read a package of articles on my problem but for now I have not found the answer to my question.
We have just bought a house with an Okofen boiler, we are very happy with it! But since yesterday, it stopped (not at the right time, we're starting to curdle this season), with the indication "def ignition". I saw in the manual that there were 3 or 4 possible reasons for this message. In our case, I suppose it is the lack of pellets at the suction because you can see the screw in the pellet tank, so it must have turned a little in a vacuum. We brought the pellets that were on the edges to the middle of the tank, so as to cover the endless screw. But the triggering of the suction is programmed for 20 p.m. apparently. So I would like to know how to force the rotation of the screw and the suction to fill the boiler (the intermediate tank) at any time of the day, or program another schedule.
Do you have an answer ? I do not find it anywhere in any of the manuals I've seen.
Thank you so much!

[Did67]

I'm a bit late:

a) first of all, make sure that it is the lack of pellets in the burner that has triggered the message; it's simple: open the fireplace door and see if there is a small pile of pellets in the middle of the perforated tray, or not ... If there are none, your hypothesis is good ...

b) I'm not sure - as long as I haven't handled mine! -: you can try to disconnect with the "physical" button (on my model, it's a green bouyton); it seems to me that when the power is turned on again, the boiler runs a whole cycle of automatic procedures, including filling the tank ...

c) If this is the case, it may be that you have several attempts to start, because you have to fill the entire circuit (it's like re-starting a car that has run out of fuel).

d) The recharge time is set in the 2 rank parameters, those protected by a code; I am unfortunately in a hurry and will be leaving for ten days; I would have to find and go back to the doc ...

[Lilian]

Thank you so much for your answer !!

In the meantime, I still haven't solved the problem, but identified it a little better: I turned off the boiler yesterday, and as you say, after a few minutes of automatic procedures, the pellet suction starts up again. I could see that the pellets were not going up the pipe... I see them stuck in it, about 1 meter after the screw, in the pipe which goes up to then pass under the ceiling. As if the suction was not powerful enough, or that the pellets were too heavy... Or that something is clogging! So I would lean towards the latter hypothesis. I unscrewed the pipe, emptied the pellets that were in it, replaced all that, and again, after restarting the boiler, the suction starts up but in vain, the pellets get stuck in the pipe...

I would like to follow your 1er advice to see in the home, but I do not understand how to open the door of the home (or where the home is located.) Is it in the right part? (Higher than the other, with PELLEMATIC written vertically)

Thanks again !

[Did67]

Open the top of your tank, and see if the "holes" in the strainer that protects the fan are not blocked. It unscrews easily, once removed the "hat" which is just put!

Once opened, you can also fill by hand, waiting to solve the problem of aspiration.

Is the fan running at full speed? the electric motor does not "misfire"? (it's a brushed motor, once they get worn out)

You can also open the "box" at the exit of your extraction screw on which the pipes are connected; there are traps on the side if my memory serves me correctly, to see if there isn't a little clumped up deposit which would slow down the flow!

[Did67]

And first thing to do: check that your pellets are not too wet.

The microwave test:

- weigh a gratin dish
- weigh a plaster of pellets (in a gratin container); a layer not thick (like 2 cm)
- the difference gives you the weight of the pellets
- micro-onder one minute: repeser; normally, it has gone down
- start again after having stirred a little: this has again decreased
- begin again to the first of the two terms: a) the weight does not drop anymore; b) the pellets turn brown

STAY OUT - THIS MAY TAKE FIRE IF YOU ARE ABUSE. Or better, do it in a cellar with a blanket next to suffocate immediately ...

If the weight of water (the total decrease in weight) exceeds 10% of the mass of pellets, it's not good!

[Lilian]

Thank you for your last message!
So I went back into my tank, dug among the pellets to get to the endless screw, and in fact it's filled with extremely fine sawdust. All the sawdust falls to the bottom of the tank, in the screw, so I tell myself that it is surely that which closes the suction. After removing the pipe that comes out of the tank and removed the pellets locked in, removed some sawdust at the top of the screw, I restarted the bike, it sucked a few pellets, then the suction continues but the pellets do not go up anymore. So I think this is clearly an air filter problem probably clogged by all this sawdust. I have done all this manipulation 'several times in recent days, because after burning the pellets present in the intermediate tank, the boiler again stops obviously ...

So, new question: I removed the metal cap, the hull, the boiler, where the pipe comes from. And now there is a whole circular bazaar with screws, I dare not touch it. Should we unscrew all that to reach the filter to clean?

Another question: what is the purpose of the 2e pipe that leaves the boiler; and who arrives on the other side of the case that is connected to the engine near the tank? (From this case, there is a pipe that goes from each side).

Thank you so much !!!

[Did67]

Yes remove the cover, just pay attention to the electrical connection of the fan motor.
Fill good pellets - sift or buy some bags!
You must purge your silo; beyond 10% sawdust, you risk blocking everything - and a blocked screw is a hell of a hassle!
It is recommended to empty the silo every two or three years otherwise such accumulations are frequent

[Lilian]

Ok, we will continue to restart the boiler by hand and tinker to send the remaining pellets. There is still a good package. And then we'll empty what's left of pellets and sawdust at the end.
I still unscrewed the fan motor unit, the strainer is not blocked. There is really a more high-pitched sound than before in the suction, it really looks "clogged vacuum cleaner", is it possible to unscrew a few more things in this engine block to access a possible filter that we could clean?

Thank you for all answers, I bless the internet for that!

ps: I manually filled the intermediate tank, after removing a few handfuls of sawdust at the bottom.