Bixby
From Cornburning
Bixby product User/Support Community 
MaxFire Model 100, 110, 115, 120 
Model UBB (Ugly Black Box) 
Forum
iburncorn Bixby forum <-- excellent reference and assistance - factory rep moderated
FAQs / Troubleshooting / Why is that?
Bixby FAQs <-- Click here for wealth of info on running Bixby stoves
Bixby Product Statement
Bixby scientists developed new MaxYield™ technology (patent pending) that drives air into the burn pot as a powerful vortex to increase oxygen supply and achieve an amazing 99.7% combustion efficiency. The result: a reduction in fuel cost of up to 70%.
The Bixby Biomass System now brings MaxYield™ to the home. For superior biomass technology and a better-engineered, better-built stove, count on the biomass leader. Count on Bixby.
- Maximum burn efficiency for lower fuel costs
- Starts with just the push of a button
- Easy heat output adjustment from 8,000 to 50,000 BTUs
- Large fuel hopper holds almost two bushels for less filling
- Reliable fuel-feeding system design prevents jams
- Self-cleaning burn pot automatically removes ash
from Company web site
Specifications
Installation: Install in accordance with manufacturer's instructions
Heating Area: Heating area will vary depending upon floor plan, heat loss and geographic location of home, stove venting configuration and climate
Shipping Weight: 350 lbs.
Electrical: 120 volt AC (all loads shown are combined) -Normal Operating Mode: 1.6 Amps -Ash Dump: 4.6 Amps -Ingition Mode: 8 Amps
Tested and Listed By: OMNI-Test Laboratories Inc.
Tested To: ASTM E 1509, ULC C1482
Dimensions: height: 33" width: 28" depth: 30"
Deluxe Trim Options: Nickel Plated or 24k Gold Plated (Doors & Vents)
Supplemental Performance Data (Unofficial)
Table of feed consumption, ashdump rate, BTU output and default calibration settings as a function of Bixby stove heat level setting operating under version 2.02 and 2.06 stove software. (Warning - approx. 300 kByte) ref: http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=6308
Manuals
Owners Manual (115): http://www.scribd.com/doc/3156715/Owner-Manual-115-
Owners Manual (110): http://www.scribd.com/doc/3156710/Owner-Manual-110
Owners Manual (100): http://www.scribd.com/doc/3156706/Owner-Manual-100
Service Manual (Maxfire and UBB): http://www.scribd.com/doc/3155803/Bixby-MaxFire-and-UBB-Service-Manual
Motherboard Pinout (115/110): http://www.scribd.com/doc/3144205/115-110-Mother-Board-Pin-Out
110 Troubleshooting & Adjustment Guide Portrait: http://www.scribd.com/doc/3153009/110-Trouble-shooting-and-Adjusting-Guide-Portrait
115 Troubleshooting & Adjustment Guide Portrait: http://www.scribd.com/doc/3153035/115-Trouble-shooting-and-Adjusting-Guide-Portrait
Thermal Images of the Bixby 115
Click on the thumbnail at right to see a collection of thermal images of the Bixby 115 stove, captured by Aircooledboy using a thermal imaging camera worth over $50,000; not a toy. The images show the front of the stove at different heat levels. They also show the insides of the stove taken from both the left and right sides. Also included are images of the outside pipe and cap. Note that the camera "sees" radiating heat surfaces and not moving hot air. For this reason, the hot air from the vents isn't represented in the images. Note also that the images were apparently taken without the optional childproof safety screen provided by Bixby to prevent burns from the window. Warning: the images are approximately 170 kbytes in total, but they're well worth the download, even over a slow dialup connection. To see these and more individual images in higher resolution and temperature information (how about a 351 degF door handle???), see http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?p=89728. Enjoy!
User Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arUEQ1q4sIk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ8ZYLAkwOA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5GhN51DFgk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad0YEGRYjxk
Automatic Ash Dumping
The Bixby stoves automatically clean the burnpot by dumping ash at preset intervals governed by the amount of feed wheel revolutions. The intervals are user-adjustable using Bixcheck software so that the stove can be configured to burn very low ash through to very high ash fuels. Click on the link below to see a short video of the ash dumping process viewed from inside the ash drawer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad0YEGRYjxk
Sketch of 110/115 Burner Assembly: http://www.scribd.com/doc/3153032/115-110-BURNER-ASSEMBLY.htm
Error & Warning Codes
The 8 heat level indicator lights on the Bixby Room heater (e.g., model 115) are also designed to act as potential problem indicators. Whenever one of these lights begins to flash, consult the Bixby manual for reason and recommended solution. Additional information is available below. Most of the information is gleaned from the Bixby section of the http://forum.iburncorn.com.
Light #1
Power failure during Room Heater operation: Push the “Off” button and then the “On” button to restart.Lights #1,2,3&7
From Tomorokoshi http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5430: "I need to look back at the other thread to see what the history was. When you get the 1237 light combination, does the stove turn the air compressor on? The 1237 code is listed as an "internal fault", which is that the igniter current was detected at a time when they are supposed to be off. The stove then assumes that something went wrong with the igniter circuit and turns the air pump on. However, if the stove is running for some time and then it happens, there might be something else. In the meantime, which I look into a couple things, can you look into: 1) Is there a pattern to the shutdown problems? How often they occur, etc. 2) What kind of electrical circuit is the stove plugged into? 3) What operation is the stove doing when it happens?"EtOH reported problems with random 1237 shutdowns ( http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5430&start=28 ) with the compressor remaining on after the shutdowns until the stove was powered off. The problem was corrected with a new igniter board (http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?p=92969) with thanks to Tomorokoshi at Bixby for prompt and accurate diagnosis.
Lights #1&7
See Lights #7&1, below.Light #2
Operating temperature not reached: Push the “Off” button and then the “On” button to restart. Verify fuel level in the hopper.From JET http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5663&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0: "Was it just a small white plug in the upper right hand corner? If so, that shouldn't snap into place. It doesn't connect positively and can come off." (i.e., Ensure that flue thermocouple wire (white plug, brownish wire) is plugged in place at the upper right of the board, it can come off easily.)
Lights #2&3
Empty hopper or potential blocked flue warning. Check hopper for fuel. If fuel is present, flue (exhaust) may be blocked. Clean the exhaust portion of the Room Heater and the attached venting. See Maintenace and Cleaning Procedures for details. If problem continues, contact your Bixby Dealer.From Corny http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5157&highlight=corny: "A failure with the 2&3 lights blinking usually indicates that you were running too lean if the flue isn't blocked and the hopper isn't empty. Solution would be to turn up the feed rate or back off the exhaust fan rate. If your pellets are very long, it could be that the feed wheel pockets aren't filling completely and you aren't getting the proper amount of fuel, hence too lean. If this is the case, smaller pellets would help. If the 2&3 lights are blinking (with the new 2.06 firmware) but the stove is still running, then that indicates that the stove is trying to compensate for a too-lean condition by increasing the feedrate. Thus, there are fewer shutdowns for this condition when running the new firmware. "
Lights #2&5
From Tomorokoshi http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5312 :"Check the ash drawer switch. Where does it close relative to the drawer position and the latch closure? It might be on the edge. Usually this would lead to a #5 only, but if the drawer is actually open, because the air flow changes a bit, it could lead to a cold shutdown before the ash drawer timeout. Likewise, the exhaust fan speed is increased a bit if the drawer is open, but if the drawer is actually not open, then the fire could be blown out. Another possibility is if it shut down with a regular #2, after which someone left the drawer out for around 20 minutes - it would then capture that error as well."
Light #2&7
See Lights #7&2, below.Light #3
Exhaust system or hopper area is overheating. Reduce the feedrate (see troubleshooting section of Bixby manual). If problem persists, contact your Bixby dealer.
From Tomorokoshi http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5663: "The #3 light is used to indicate an extreme overtemp. How this is done, however, can lead to a misleading indication. The idea behind an overtemp is that too much fuel is being loaded into the stove. Perhaps the feed motor is stuck on. This method to deal with this is to have a thermal snap switch in series with the feed motor. If the temperature is reached, the switch open up, and power to the motor is turned off. However, this is only half the process. Somehow the computer need to know that the circuit opened up. To do this, there is a detection circuit on the control board. It effectively measures if the feed motor is using current when voltage is applied: if no current is used when it is expected to be on, then the circuit is open, and the #3 overtemp shutdown process happens. Note that there are now any number of things that could cause this: an actual overtemp, a malfunctioning snap switch, the internal feed motor thermal cutout, a motor that uses less power than expected, a system voltage reduction, a general wire disconnect... or a fault in the detection circuit. If you look carefully on the control board, behind the metal tab that holds the trim pots is the main processor. It is the large chip on the board. To the right of it, just below the metal crystal can, are four components. The third one down from the can is R36; it's designation is upside-down relative to your view. That R36 resistor sets the sensitivity of the detection circuit. It's original value was 100 K Ohms, which has a color coding of Brown-Black-Yellow-Gold. After tracking down issues like this, it was changed to 10 K, which has a color coding of Brown-Black-Orange-Gold. When the change was made, boards with the 100 K resistor has a 12 K resistor soldered on top which made the total resistance close to 10 K. If you do not have the second resistor soldered on, look at the color bands. It can be difficult to tell the difference between the colors. If you have an ohmmeter you can measure the value if the stove is unplugged. If you determine that you have the 100 K resistor, a board exchange will take care of the problem. You will also automatically get the new software."
From JET http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5663: "Another likely cause is a bad hopper snap disk. This is located just to the left and above the feeder wheel motor, behind the left side panel. There will be 2 small black wires with pink connectors on them. If you have an ohmmeter, then you can check to see if the snap disk is open, it should be closed. If you don't have one, then you can put a jumper on the brown wires that go to the snap disk and try the stove again to see if it is fixed."
From http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?p=80082#80082, Tomorokoshi reminds us that "the convection fan shutting down (can) trigger this problem. A noticeable radiant heat from the stove, unusual quietness, and unusual "hot" smell are all symptoms of the convection fan shutting down. If it shuts down, then the hopper overtemp switch can open up.". In the same thread, DLS mentions that a dirty air filter could also cause an overheat shutdown. If the convection fan shuts down, see the Bixby FAQ/Troubleshooting page on Convection Fan in this WIKI.
Lights #3 & 4 , or Lights #3 & 5
From Tomorokoshi http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5312: "A #3 light all by itself means the stove was operating too hot and opened the snap switch on the exhaust manifold. This cuts power to the feed motor. This is detected when the feed motor is attempted to be run, which makes the error show up. However, there is another way to detect the stove running too hot - via the thermocouple in the exhaust. The test and safety specification the stove complies to limits how high the exhaust gas can be. If the stove approaches this temperature, it will try to do the high temperature pull back mode. If the stove is not able to pull back in time, which is about 5 minutes, it will display the #3 and #5 lights. This was done so I could answer exactly this kind of question - instead of chasing around a #3, which is really hard to do. By the way, a #3, #4 is the same issue except during startup mode. There are a few things you can do: 1) Is the stove in a warm room? Ambient temperatures in the +80 F range can be trouble some. Use a fan to get the heat out of the room. 2) Wait for cooler temperatures before going as high as level 8. 3) Check the fuel fill of the burn pot - if it is high, the pullback mode will not be able to do anything if there is a large charge of fuel. 4) Watch the stove - there is only a short window to catch it. When it is in pullback mode the LEDs should flash like they do if the thermostat is telling it to be cool. 5) Attach a thermostat to keep the ambient temperature in the room a little cooler. Once it gets cool outside, it should stop happening."
Light #4
Room Heater door is ajar (open). Make sure the door is tightly closed. If necessary, adjust the door latch by tightening the 2 doorlatch nuts (visible when the door is opened). If the door is tight, then LET reminds us that "the door switch can also be adjusted. I've had to adjust several from the factory with 'hair triggers'!" If the door is perceived to be open for more than one minute, the Room Heater will shut down. Contact your Bixby Dealer if problem continues. http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?p=79930#79930Light #5
Ash Drawer is ajar (open): Make sure the ash drawer is tightly closed. The Room Heater will not start if the ash drawer is not closed. If the ash drawer is open for more than 20 minutes, the Room Heater will shut down. Close ash drawer and restart the Room Heater.Mimadman http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=7254 suggests that a stuck ash drawer switch would cause the #5 light to stay on. To free it, he says to spray WD40 lubricant on the switch, then work the switch with one's finger until free.
From Blume98 on adjusting the switch http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=7254: "Take ash pan out and look in. You will see the switch (at the back, left of centre). It has a nut on each side. Loosen the nut you see, then back off the nut behind ash dump motor a few turns, then tighten nut in ash pan compartment. This will bring it out a little. The light should go out when you put drawer back in."
Light #6
Exhaust fan failure. Contact your Bixby Dealer for service.Light #7
Firepot mechanical malfunction: Push the "off" button then the "on" button to restart. If malfunction continues, allow burnpot to cool then clear the jam. See Bixby FAQ section of this WIKI for tips on clearing jam. http://forum.iburncorn.com/wiki/index.php/BixbyFAQ#Burn_Paddles_-_How_to_Clear_a_JamFrom the Troubleshooting section of superceded BixCheck manual: The burn paddles get stuck and a #7 error is produced – clinker looks normal except for perhaps being too tall Explanation: The ash content adjustment of the fuel parameters determines how often the ash dump is performed. With corn, the default factory setting is 32 (Note: It's since defaulted to 14 on the 2.06 version software). If this (32) were changed to 16, the stove would run for twice as long before performing the ash dump . This would allow the clinker to become too big, and it would jam the burn paddle mechanism. Remedy: Reduce the ash content of the selected fuel. By judging the size of the clinker that jammed the mechanism, adjust the ash content proportionally.
The burn paddles get stuck and a #7 error is produced – clinker is warped, folded, has marbled appearance Explanation: The material in the clinker is soft and somewhat sticky above some temperature. If the stove is operating such that the clinker is too hot when the ash dump process occurs, then as the paddles move in the clinker material, which initially is sticking to the paddles, gets moved and folded over while at the same time the relatively cool paddle freezes the clinker into a shape that may interfere with the paddle being able to fully extend and retract. Remedy: At this time, run the stove cooler by reducing the exhaust fan speed or by increasing the fuel amount. Reduce the Ash dump Fan setting for that fuel by perhaps 20% to 30%.
Unexplained operation Explanation: This stove is rather more complex than what would normally be expected for something that just burns stuff. However, when you look at it, if you are used to burning wood, a typical wood fire in a fireplace insert requires interaction every hour to keep things working well. There is a fair amount of software and calibration information that need to be correct to have the stove run well. With most stove operational issues, the first thing is to connect up the monitor and see what the calibration information is at. Improper calibration would primarily cause combustion problems. It is also going to be the case that as time goes by, new software will become available for the stove that may solve software problems as they are found. Remedy: Connect to the stove using BixCheck. Verify the calibration. Consider updating the stove to newer software.
From Blume98 when no jam is apparent http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=6606 : Try shutting off the stove then unplugging for a few minutes, then start up again. If the problem repeats, check to see if the ash dump motor is running when you hit the start button. If the motor runs and the arm doesn't move, then the gear or shaft is broken. If that's not the problem, remove the arm from the motor and see if you can turn the shaft. If it can turn readily, then the motor is bad.
From LET in the above thread: "The switch that the arm on the motor hits to stop it could be missadjusted, I have seen a couple of them come loose and move back. The other thing is if the brake on the bottom of the motor is stuck off then the motor will coast past that switch and give the error."
Light #7&1
Left igniter failed. Contact your Bixby Dealer for service. The Room Heater will continue to operate, but will take longer to ignite from a cold start.Note from Corny: Check the Left Igniter fuse and white connector on the sister panel. See also the note, below, from LET regarding the related #7&2 code.
Light #7&2
Right igniter failed. Contact your Bixby Dealer for service. The Room Heater will continue to operate, but will take longer to ignite from a cold start.Note from Corny: Check the Right Igniter fuse and white connector on the sister panel.
Note (from LET) http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5527 : The 2 & 7 lights can be confusing sometimes, the indication that you really had is #7 (jammed dump mech) and #2 low temp, because the lights flash together at the same rate it looked like the igniter was out. To prevent another jam turn up your feed about 1/2 mark and try that if it still does it go up another 1/2 mark on the feed. When the stove runs too lean then the cookie will be too hard and sometimes jambs the mech.
Note from Oldschool http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5335: "I shut the stove down and killed the power. I checked the fuses they were OK. I also checked all the wire connections, I did find a short black jumper wire on the igniter board that seemed loose and when I pulled on the wire it came out of the terminal. I crimped a new terminal on the wire and placed it back on the board. I started the stove back up when the air pump started I pulled the tubing and the pump was supplying air as it should. The igniters worked as they should and the stove started great. No error light on. So maybe the 10 min power kill or fixing the loose wire fixed the problem."
Light #7,1&2
Both igniters failed. See Manual Lighting instructions in the Bixby manual.Note from Corny: Check the Igniter fuses and white connectors on the sister panel.
Light #7-3
Internal error - possible ignitor electrical fault - unplug Room Heater and contact your Bixby Dealer for service.Light #8
Feeder wheel failure. Open hopper lid, remove feeder wheel cover, clear jam and restart Room Heater. If this continues, contact your Bixby dealer for service.From Tomorokoshi http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=5115 re. #8 light during startup while the corn is feeding correctly: "In the previous software (before 2.06), the system would shut down with a #8 light after 7 or 8 moves without finding the magnet. You were therefore alerted after the failure of the system. In 2.06, the light starts to blink after the magnet was missed for something like 2 or 3 times. This gives you a 5 or 6 move time opportunity to clear a jam manually before the system shuts down; it's very little warning, but it can give you notice if the system is regularly shutting down with a #8 light. The really bedeviling situations are when it shuts down with a #8 and there is nothing there - it can happen when merely the act of removing the cover lets the material fall away. .... All right, Rox, I forgot about the startup case, so you can get the credit for that one. When the igniters are turned on and the current is checked, there are a lot of other things happening and the part of that involves various timers and status variables being reset. This leads to a false indication at that time - it's nothing to worry about. "
All lights flashing, up to the light for your selected heat level
1) If your stove is connected to a thermostat, the flashing lights are normal and they indicate that the thermostat is not calling for heat. 2) If your stove is not connected to a thermostat and if the stove is not on heat level 8 in overtemperature pullback mode (see All 8 lights flashing, below), there are two things to look at according to Tomorokoshi http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=6189: "a) On the bracket for the control board assembly there is a terminal block. Installed on the terminal block is a metal jumper. Check the connections there. b) Coming off the terminal block is a white wire that connects to J6 of the control board. Check the connection and make sure it's plugged in."
All 8 lights flashing
1) If heat level is set to 8 and stove is running on a thermostat, then it could be that the thermostat is not calling for heat and the stove is consequently going into idle mode (heat level 1) until the thermostat again calls for heat. 2) The 8 lights also flash in cases when the flue thermocouple exceeds a nominal value of 250. This indicates that the stove is in overtemperature pullback mode; i.e., it is ramping the temperature down as a safety precaution because the high temperature threshold of 250 nominal thermocouple units has been exceeded. The stove will shut down after 5 minutes if the thermocouple reading does not return to an acceptable value (below 250?) within 5 minutes.
Other Codes
The power light on the power board (visible by removing the left side panel, when facing the stove) flashes when the stove is adjusting heat level in preparation for an ash dump. This applies to stoves running 2.06 version software or later. See the following thread for tips on access through the side panels http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=2158&highlight=magnet+side+panel .
