Pellet stoves use intricate configurations of sensors and circuitry to automatically adjust the heating and consistently maintain the desired room temperature. But what if all this automation backfires and the pellet stove doesn’t turn off, even when you want it to?
When a pellet stove will not turn off, you will need to troubleshoot the faulty component and replace it with a new working one. In most cases, problems with the thermostat, the control board, or both can prevent your pellet stove from turning off.
In this article, I provide a detailed look into the various reasons why your pellet stove isn’t turning off and what you can do to fix it. After that, I also share a quick section discussing why pellet stoves take time to turn off.
Why Your Pellet Stove Isn’t Turning Off
It’s natural for pellet stoves to take a couple of minutes to about half an hour to shut off all their components after you’ve turned them off. That said, if the pellet stove keeps working and doesn’t turn off at all, it might indicate a problem with one or more of its internal components.
Here’s a look at some of the common issues that keep a pellet stove from turning off.
A Defective Thermostat
All pellet stoves have a thermostat to detect the room temperature so the system can adjust the output heat and maintain the desired temperature. However, if the thermostat is damaged or faulty, the pellet stove might not turn off because it “believes” the room is cold and therefore needs to heat it even more.
A Faulty Control Board
The control board is like the brain of the pellet stove. It takes in information from all the different sensors, analyzes the data, and decides how the different components will operate. For example, it determines whether the hopper should drop more pellets, the blower should keep blowing, and so on. It also decides whether it’s safe to turn off the pellet stove or if the system should keep running.
Likewise, if the control board is faulty, it can cause your pellet stove to run continuously and not shut down.
How To Fix a Pellet Stove That Doesn’t Turn Off
To fix a pellet stove that doesn’t turn off, you’ll first need to identify the faulty component and replace it with a working one.
A surefire way to tell whether a component is faulty is by doing a continuity test. For this, you’ll need a multimeter like the AstroAI Multimeter 2000 (available on Amazon.com). This one is perfect for testing basic household appliances.
For reference, here’s a 3-minute YouTube video showing how to do a continuity test:
If the continuity test shows that the part is faulty, replacing it should fix the problem. In the following sections, I’ve shared detailed guides on how to replace the thermostat and control board on your pellet stove.
Replace the Damaged Thermostat
Here’s a step-by-step guide on replacing a pellet stove thermostat:
- Unplug the pellet stove from the power source.
- Some fire might be left inside the firebox. Open the door to the firebox to release the smoke. Make sure the room or area around the pellet stove is well-ventilated.
- Let the stove cool down to room temperature.
- Remove the panel covering the thermostat.
- Detach any wires connected to the thermostat. If some of the wires are damaged or worn, take them out.
- Unscrew the old thermostat and take it out.
- Install the new thermostat in its place and mount it with screws.
- Reattach the wires to the thermostat. If you take out damaged wires, replace them with new ones.
- Reinstall the panel to cover the thermostat.
- Check to see if the system turns off properly.
Replace the Bad Control Board
Replacing the control board on your pellet stove follows almost the same process as replacing your thermostat.
- Unplug the pellet stove to cut it off from the power source.
- Let the remaining fire die out and wait for the stove to cool. Make sure to ventilate the space to let out all the smoke and gasses.
- Remove the panel holding the control board.
- Disconnect any wires connected to the control board.
- Unscrew the control board and take it out.
- Install the new control board in its place and screw it in.
- Reattach the wires.
- Reinstall the panel.
- Test your pellet stove. The heating appliance should now turn off as intended.
Call a Licensed Technician
When running the continuity test, did both the thermostat and control board check out okay? If yes, the problem might go deeper — either at a firmware level or with other hardware components. It’s also possible that there are issues with the thermostat and control board, but these aren’t necessarily causing your pellet stove not to turn off.
Either way, I don’t recommend fiddling with the pellet stove further as that might do more harm than good. Instead, call a licensed technician or your dealer. They can help troubleshoot more complex problems, especially if it’s a firmware issue.
Why Do Pellet Stoves Take Some Time To Fully Turn Off?
Pellet stoves take some time to fully turn off, as they keep the internal convection and combustion blowers running. This is to remove any smoke or gasses created by the remaining fire inside the firebox as it burns out and avoid potential accidents.
It usually takes around 30 minutes for the fire to die out and all the smoke to clear out. At this point, a working pellet stove will fully turn off.
It’s important that you don’t unplug the pellet stove during this cool-off phase as that can damage the internal components.
Key Takeaways
A pellet stove usually takes some time to fully shut down after you’ve hit the turn-off button. However, if the stove keeps running and doesn’t stop at all, you might have a faulty part. Issues with the thermostat or the control board can cause your pellet stove to keep running continuously. You’ll need to troubleshoot the malfunctioning component and replace it to solve the problem.
Steve Rajeckas is an HVAC hobbyist with an avid interest in learning innovative ways to keep rooms, buildings, and everything else at the optimal temperature. When he’s not working on new posts for Temperature Master, he can be found reading books or exploring the outdoors.