Not sure if this will resolve itself or not but I'm having issues with starting. All operations are working; red call light on, auger dropping pellets, exhaust fan blowing, ignitor red hot. My fires started taking longer and longer to "catch". I'd get plenty of smoke and then finally it'd flame up. Last week it wouldn't even smoke the pellets. My burn pot holes were clean and exhaust was cleaned with chimney sweep brush and the leaf blower. But just couldn't get much pull on heat through the pellets to ignite them. So I figured the exhaust blower was giving out and I ordered a replacement. (the blower from CSH for $150) It arrived today and I installed it and fired up the stove but still no smoke. I removed the right brick panel and shut the door and almost instantly I had smoke and then fire. I opened the door and put the brick back in and closed the door and the fire's been burning fine ever since. Is this a sign of poor quality pellets just having trouble starting? I was getting Somersets from Menards here in central Illinois, then they switched to Magic Spark. Those seemed to burn fine in November but the bags (only 8 of them) that I have now came off the top of a brand new pallet. If it turns out to be a pellet issue I may be in luck since my Father-in-law bought us a ton of pellets (Pro Pellet) as a Christmas gift. Just wondering if these symptoms sound like a pellet issue, or something else.
My first real issue with Quad Santa Fe
- Thread starter Foos
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Likely a dirty burn pot or pellet issue.. Do you scrape your pot good while doing regular cleaning..i use and old chisel..many use a gasket scraper
How long have you had the stove?
Have you opened the ash pan and seen if the ignitor is glowing?
Different pellets light differently.
Have you opened the ash pan and seen if the ignitor is glowing?
Different pellets light differently.
yep, ignitor glows and pellets ignite with proper air flow. But I had to remove the right brick to get them to start last night. I don't regularly scrape the burn pot. I just brush it out with a stiff brush and I run a small allen wrench through the burn pot air holes to make sure they're cleaned out. I have a feeling most of the problem is pellet related but just wanted any input from other Quad users if I might be overlooking something. Thanks for the replies.
smalltown
Minister of Fire
Foos I have the Quad Castile, but I suspect the burn pots are the same.
Just in case you wern't aware there are 4 additional small holes along the side at the bottom of the burn pot on the side facing the front of the stove that you cannot see without sticking your head inside the stove or better using an inspection mirror. Here is a photo when I used a larger mirror to reflect backwards from the rear of the burn pot to see the ignighter slot in the middle and it shows the two small holes on either side of the ignighter slot.
When I clean my stove i always use a small inspection mirror to verify these are not blocked.
P.S. If I burn MWP pellets on start up my stove fills with smoke then the fire starts, however if I am burning Okies pettets I get no smoke in the stove just a fire.
Just in case you wern't aware there are 4 additional small holes along the side at the bottom of the burn pot on the side facing the front of the stove that you cannot see without sticking your head inside the stove or better using an inspection mirror. Here is a photo when I used a larger mirror to reflect backwards from the rear of the burn pot to see the ignighter slot in the middle and it shows the two small holes on either side of the ignighter slot.
When I clean my stove i always use a small inspection mirror to verify these are not blocked.
P.S. If I burn MWP pellets on start up my stove fills with smoke then the fire starts, however if I am burning Okies pettets I get no smoke in the stove just a fire.
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Foos, if you say the fires started taking longer and longer to ignite until you finally had to remove the right rear brick panel, this sounds like a possible ventilation restriction. When you replaced the exhaust fan, did you make sure to clean out the ventilation system while you had easy access? I have an '03 Quad Santa Fe that gets fickle if I don't keep the ventilation hole behind the right brick panel cleaned out. I use a flexible head toothbrush to get in there and knock the built up ash loose and then follow up with a good vacuuming of that chamber. I have had to do this more often when using high ash producing pellets.
This might not be the cause of your failure to light, but being an 8 season user of this model stove, I have had my share of trial and error troubleshooting.
I hope this helps.
This might not be the cause of your failure to light, but being an 8 season user of this model stove, I have had my share of trial and error troubleshooting.
I hope this helps.
kilbury
Balls of fire
Have you checked the igniter slot on the firepot to make sure it isn't plugged with ash? Also on that model the scraper for the heat exchanger tubes does not reach the left and right end of the tubes or do a very good job on the center slot of the tubes. I usually use a piece of wire or putty knife to get these areas. They can restrict airflow enough to cause issues with lighting and burning.
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
Darn, you beat me to it, balls of fire! It sounds like the igniter slot was getting plugged and then when he pulled out the right panel, it put MAJOR vacuum on the slot and sucked it clear. Also gotta get all 8 holes cleared. I use a .32 caliber bore brush for that.
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