Napoleon Pellet Stove Troubleshooting Guide

Napoleon pellet stove is a sensible solution for heating your home. The stove provides Zone Heating performance and a reliable heating source. But when it breaks down it will cause you a lot of trouble, especially in winter, so today we're going to look at the possible faults, causes and simple solutions for Napoleon pellet stoves, to keep your family safe and warm.

Before troubleshooting, always confirm that all components are free of ash buildup, and that the appliance is unplugged from the receptacle to prevent electrical shock or damage to the components.

The Heater Will Not Start

• Make certain there is power to the outlet and that the heater is plugged in.
• With the heater unplugged, examine all connections. Make sure no exposed wires are touching the heater (except the chassis ground wire) and that they are all fi rmly connected.
• Check the manual reset hi limit switch.
• Check the stability and placement of connections against the wiring.
• Check that the burn pot is positioned properly. 
• Push the "START" switch. If the heater fails to start, unplug the unit.
• Ensure that connections to the power control module are connected.
• Place a jumper wire between the red and white wires that attach to the start switch. 
• Plug stove in, if stove starts replace switch.
• Replace the power control if this fails.

CAUTION: Check the ignitor resistance before installing a new start-up timer as it may result in another failure to the new start-up timer due to a short in the ignitor. The proper resistance through the ignitor should be 30Ω to 50Ω (± 3Ω).

Smoke In The Room

• Check all gasket seals.
• Vent connections all sealed.
• Unit has failed to reach 140°F within 15 minutes and the blower has shut off.
• Restart unit.

NOTE: A minimal amount of smoke is normal during the start up process.

The Exhaust Blower Is Not Operating

• Remove the left side access panel and check all connections. For the insert - remove from cavity.
• Apply 115V AC directly to the exhaust blower and if the motor does not run, replace the blower.
• If the motor runs, check the wire harness.
• See "The heater will not operate when hot" section

The Heater Will Not Operate When Hot

• Check the hopper for fuel.
• Incorrect air damper setting may cause excessive air to consume the fi re too quickly before the next drop of fuel. Therefore leaving the fuel completely unburned in the burn pot and will cause the fuel to burn cold and very slowly. Fuel also may build up and smother the fire. 
• Combustion blower failure may occur because it is not turning fast enough to generate the proper vacuum in the fi re box. Do a visual check to see if the motor is turning.
• Check vacuum levels in the exhaust channel by bypassing the vacuum switch, then remove the vacuum hose from vacuum switch. When checking the vacuum exhaust place the open end of the vacuum hose on the gauge (readings must be above 0.10" W.C. on low fi re). (NOTE: if the motor fails to reach a 0.10" W.C., then replace the combustion blower).
• Poor quality fuel may not produce enough heat to keep the stove burning or operational.
• If the exhaust temperature sensor fails try bypassing the sensor located on the exhaust blower. If the stove operates properly, the unit may require cleaning or a new sensor. 
• Unplug the stove, open the left side panel and jump the two brown leads that are attached to the 140°F (60°C) temperature sensor. If the stove operates replace the  140°F (60°C) sensor.

The Ignitor Will Not Light The Pellets However Everything Else In The Heater Operates

• Push the burn pot back against the ignitor tube making sure the ignitor lines up to the hole in the burn pot. 
• Make certain the air control rod is pushed in to start up position. 
• Check all the electrical connections on the 120°F (49°C) temperature sensor located on the exhaust channel.
• Place a jumper wire between the two leads on the 120°F (49°C) temperature sensor and if the ignitor works, replace the sensor.
• If it still fails to light, Replace the Ignitor.

Appliance Shuts Off And The #2 Light Flashes

• Appliance Shuts Off And The #2 Light Flashes
• The air inlet, burnpot, interior combustion air chambers, combustion blower or exhaust pipe are blocked with ash or foreign material.
• The fi rebox is not properly sealed.
• Vent pipe is incorrectly installed.
• The vacuum switch wire connections are bad.
• The gray wires are pulled loose at the connector on the wiring harness.
• Combustion blower failure.
• Control board not sending power to combustion blower.
• Control board not sending power to vacuum switch
• Vacuum switch has failed (very rare).

Solution: 

• Unhook the air hose from the vacuum switch and blow through it. If air flows freely, the hose and tube are fine. If air will not flow through the hose, use a wire coat hanger to clear the blockage.
• Make sure the door is closed and that the gasket is in good shape. If the ash door has a latch, make sure the ash door is properly latched and the gasket is sealing well.
• Check to make sure the vent pipe installation meets the criteria in the manual.
• Check the connectors that attach the blue wires to the vacuum switch.
• Check to see if the blue wires are loose at the connector.
• With the appliance on, check to see if the combustion blower is running. If it is not, you will need to check for power going to the combustion blower. It should be at 115 volts. If there is power, the blower is defective. If there is not, see the next step.
• If there is no current going to the combustion blower, check all wire connections. If all wire connections are properly connected, you have a defective control board.
• There should be a 5-volt current (approximately) going to the vacuum switch after the appliance has been on for 30 seconds.
• To test the vacuum switch, you will need to disconnect the air hose from the body of the appliance. With the other end still attached to the vacuum switch, very gently suck on the loose end of the hose (Hint: remove the hose from the vacuum switch and the appliance fi rst to see if it is clear). If you hear a click, the vacuum switch is working. CAUTION: TOO MUCH VACUUM CAN DAMAGE THE VACUUM SWITCH.

Appliance Shuts Off And The #3 Light Flashes

• The hopper is out of pellets
• The hopper lid is open.
• The burnpot is not seated completely into the burner housing.
• The burnpot holes are blocked
• The air inlet,the interior chambers, or the exhaust system has a partial blockage.
• The auger shaft is jammed.
• The auger motor has failed.
• The low limit switch has malfunctioned.
• The fuse on the control board has blown.
• The control board is not sending power to the low limit switch or other auger system components.
• Flame has gone out in burn pot, a few unburned pellets are in the pot.

Solution: 

• Refill the hopper. Close the hopper lid.
• Insure the burnpot locating notch engages with the ignitor and that the burnpot sits flat.
• Remove the burnpot and thoroughly clean it.
• Follow all cleaning procedures in the maintenance section of the manual.
• Maintenance cleaning of the pellet stove

• Disconnecting the power supply and emptying the hopper.
• Remove the auger motor from the auger shaft and try to run the unit. If the motor will turn, the shaft is jammed on something. If the motor will not turn, the motor is defective.
• Temporarily bypass the low limit switch by disconnecting the two brown wires and connecting them together with a short piece of wire, then plug the appliance back in. If the appliance comes back on and works, you need to replace the low limit switch. CAUTION: This is for testing only! Do not operate the unit with the low limit switch bypassed.
• Remove the control board. If the fuse appears to be defective, replace it with a 5 amp 125 volt fuse. Plug the appliance back in and try to run the unit.
• There should be an approximate 5 volt current going to the low limit switch after the appliance has been on for 10 minutes.
• Adjust trim of combustion blower down or auger motor up.

Conclusion

The above summarises the common fault solutions for Napoleon pellet stoves and we hope you find them helpful. Please take care when checking and operating the appliance, make sure it is unplugged from the socket and if it is under warranty you can contact the seller for troubleshooting.