PelPro Pellet Stove Troubleshooting Guide

A Brief History of PelPro

PelPro pellet stoves used to be owned and manufactured by Danson’s Inc. until the company was sold to HHT (Home and Hearth Technology) in 2014. The models made by Danson’s were as follows; the HH120, HH300, Bay View, and Bay View Insert and were made from 2006-2014. In addition to these models, other brands such as GlowBoy and Cheap Charlie were manufactured by Danson’s for sale in Canada and other midwest states which bordered Canada.

HHT currently makes 4 PelPro models; the PP130, PP70, PP60, and PPC90. In keeping with PelPro tradition, the the model number denotes the hopper capacity in pounds of fuel. The “C” in PPC stands for “Cast”. The PPC90, a freestanding cast stove, is also sold under the Tractor Supply Label as the TSC90.

PelPro pellet stoves manufactured by HHT have little in common with their previous pellet stoves made by Danson’s, because of this, parts for Danson’s era stoves are somewhat obsolete. Because of this lack of support and proper sourcing of older PelPro pellet stoves, our troubleshooting section is for HHT PelPro ONLY.

All PelPro pellet stoves utilize a motherboard / daughterboard setup for their controller. The PP60, PP70, and PP130 have a single dial controller with a multi-colored LED for system reporting, and the PPC90 / TSC90 use a digital LCD screen for their controller.

Using the Stove

Dial and LED Light Controller

• Turning the controller dial all the way counter-clockwise puts the stove into “SHUTDOWN” mode and allows the stove to power “OFF”.
  
  
• From the “OFF” position, turning the dial clockwise all the way to “HIGH”, then back to “OFF”, and then back to “HIGH” again will initiate the prime function. The LED light will be steady on GREEN. This allows pellets to feed into the feed system so that the stove can startup without an error code. You can use this function if the hopper is empty (first time being used) or was allowed to run to empty the last time the stove was used.
  
  
• To start the stove, simply turn the heat dial to anywhere clockwise above the “OFF” setting. The LED status light will continuously blink green letting you know that the system is starting up.
  
  
• Startup sequence of events: The combustion blower turns “ON”, a vacuum is created and vacuum switch closes at .10”WC, the igniter receives power, the feed system is powered. If the hopper lid is closed, both the igniter and the auger motor will have power. The stove will feed pellets intermittently for roughly 75 seconds and a fire should establish within 4-6 minutes. When the exhaust temperature sensor reads 140°F on the metal exhaust housing, the stove will go to “RUN” mode, in which case the LED light will be amber and steady on. At 160°F a fan switch will activate the room blower.
  
  
• The controller can be set to run the stove in 1 of 3 modes, “LOW”, “HIGH” or “COMFORT”. Low is the lowest spot on the dial; at this setting, the stove will burn at a minimal rate, never fluctuating. At the furthest end of the dial is the high setting; at this rate, the stove will burn at a maximum heat setting, never fluctuating. Anywhere in between the “Low” and “High” is considered the “Comfort Mode”. Using a room temperature probe, permanently mounted on the back of the stove, the room temperature is monitored according to the dial. This dial can be turned up or down at your desire to adjust the temperature in the room. There is no temperature display on the the PP130, PP70, or PP60. As such, this dial should be adjusted based upon your own comfort preference. The PPC90 and the TSC90 use a digital LCD readout. This controller does not have a dail but instead uses up and down arrows with a corresponding “visual” readout on a screen. With these two models, you can see the temperature of the room probe and, if you choose, you can mount an external room thermostat for a more accurate reading of the room temperature. The reason the external thermostat gives a more accurate reading is because it is located away from the stove, unlike the internal thermostat which is in a much hotter region, providing a less accurate average room temperature reading.

PelPro Status Lights (dial controller ONLY)

Steady on GREEN - feed system priming.

1 GREEN blink, while stove is off - system ready.

Steady continuous GREEN blinking - the stove is starting up.

Variable multiple GREEN blinking - vary according to burnt rate setting.

Steady on AMBER - the stove is on and set to either LOW or HIGH burn rate

Continuous blinking AMBER - Stove is in the shutdown sequence. *Early models may have a green continuous blinking light during the shutdown sequence.

Blinking RED are error codes - see below for the operational issue

1 Blink - stove shut down, out of fuel

2 Blinks - Exhaust probe alarm - lost connection with exhaust sensor

3 Blinks - Ambient probe alarm - lost connection with room temp sensor

4 Blinks - Missed ignition, delayed start which exceeded 15 minutes

8 Blinks - Exhaust gas over 500°F, overheating

Trim Adjustments (PP130, PP70, PP60)

The trim adjustment is the small dial located below the main dial control. Rotating this dial will adjust the air/fuel ratio and below are examples of when to use it:

• If the fire is too large, lazy or producing black soot, rotate the dial counterclockwise one level at a time and allow 15 minutes for stabilization before making another adjustment
• If your fire is too small and sometimes goes out when there are pellets in the hopper, rotate the dial clockwise one level at a time and allow 15 minutes for stabilization before making another adjustment.

User Lock-out with Dial Controller

When turning the heat selection dial on the PelPro PP130, PP70, or PP60 (Dial controller models), it is important to note that if the stove has power and the dial control is turned, in any way, with the exception of the sequence to enter the “PRIME” mode, the stove will enter a 15 minute startup sequence. The status lights will continuously blink GREEN. If for any reason you now turn the dial back to the off position, this will stop the startup sequence but the stove will continue to run until the 15-minute shutdown clock has expired. Even if you turn the dial to initiate the startup procedure again, the controller will not begin that sequence until the 15-minute shutdown clock has expired. The frustrating part is that the status lights do not correspond to what is happening. Effectively, the user is locked out of the stove thinking that the stove is still in startup mode but it is not. At least not until the original clock expires. If the dial is left alone in the RUN position, at the end of the 15 shutdown clock the stove will enter into a new startup clock and should resume starting up as long as the dial is not in the “OFF” position.

LCD Display Controller (PPC90 AND TSC90 ONLY)

The PelPro PPC90 and the PelPro TSC90 are the exact same stove. PPC denotes Pel Pro Cast and the TSC denotes Tractor Supply Cast. This model stove is somewhat unique in that the controller for the stove is the only one of its kind. The controller mimics the operational functions of the dial controller on the PelPro PP130, PP70, and PP60, but instead of a dial, the user pushes the UP and DOWN arrows and all error reporting is displayed in words. One other difference, this controller allows for the use of an external thermostat (sold separately) but, if you prefer, the stove can be used with the built-in, factory supplied room probe already attached to the rear of the stove.

External Thermostat Use

The PP130, PP70, and PP60 (dial controllers) are designed to be used with a built-in room sensing probe which is located on the rear right side of the stove. These models cannot accept an external thermostat.

The PPC90 and the TSC90 (LCD Display Controller) have an option for connecting an external thermostat. To connect a thermostat, simply go to your settings in the controller, select “THERMOSTAT” from the settings menu and then select “EXTERNAL”.

Controller Issues with PelPro PPC90 and TSC90

Some owners of the early PelPro PPC90 and PelPro TSC90 have experienced a problem with the stove not restarting when using the stove in “COMFORT MODE”. The problem will go something like this: The stove user starts the stove and will set the comfort setting to the desired temperature ( let’s say it is 75°F.), the stove will burn and the room temperature will rise as the room approaches 75°F, the stove will then go into a maintenance burn or a slowing period as the demand is being met. This is normal and the time period for this cycle should be about 15 minutes. The problem some users will experience is that this cycle immediately stops the stove and the stove will shut down. Because the stove never completed the maintenance burn period, the stove does not start up again when the room temperature starts to drop. If you are experiencing this issue, you need to contact PelPro, the embedded firmware in your controller is not communicating properly with the motherboard and the controller will most likely need to be replaced under a warranty. To contact a Consumer Care Specialist, email: Info_PelPro@hearthnhome.com or call 877-427-3316.

Technical Specifications on Components

FEED MOTOR - RPM 2

CONVECTION BLOWER - CFM 160@3000RPM

EXHAUST BLOWER - CFM 50@2900RPM

SNAP DISC - (shuts off the power to the stove in case of burn back; manual reset) 250°F (121.11°C)