Combustion issue or incomplete burn?

From reading your signature, I see the Castille is 7 yrs older. Has it been completely torn apart and cleaned completely of all ash? Has a leaf blower cleaning been done on it? Door gasket been checked? Combustion blower checked for gasket leaks and running full speed? Etc, etc.

Black ash usually means incomplete combustion in a pellet stove (rich mixture). If there is any way to increase air intake to burnpot, try it.

Have you done the dollar bill test on the door gaskets lately?

does the castile have a 3 or 4 inch liner? You may want to dial up your control box for 10% boost and inspect the burnpot gasket.

Basically you trap a dollar bill between the door gasket at various points around the perimeter. If the bill is held tight you are getting a good seal, but if you can pull the bill out easily with the door latched it might be time for a new gasket. Although a leaky gasket would give more oxygen to the fire (too much air) and it seems your problem might be not enough air.

use some pb blaster on those 7/16 hex scews holding the burn pot down before turning to prevent snapping. the control box...if it a newer version, has 7 programs. castile is number 6, 7 is 10% more air.

goathead said:

Mine must be older because there is no adjustment on the control box...unless it's inside underneath the "void if removed" sticker.

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The newer control box was put in quadrafire models starting at the end of 2005 and beginning 2006. Which means yours has the older control box and the CSS (Cold Start Syndrone) problem where sometimes there is not enough vacuum to start the stove with the heat selector on low. This problem was corrected with the new control box by running the combustion blower on HIGH during the startup sequence. This can also contribute to your problem because there is more smoke during startup it would be much better if the combustion blower was running on HIGH!

Another issue to check into is the CFM of your combustion blower. Most combustion blowers are about 70 CFM to 85 CFM. I am currently working on some BabyCountryside stoves where my dealer support center recommends to upgrade the combustion blower to the 105 CFM to prevent sooting and hopper fires.

In your case I would try a newer upgraded control box first. Always good to get those bugs out!

I would look at the burn pot gasket. The control box is expensive and its best to check the cheap things.

I used 1/2" or 5/8" Flat (or tape) Gasket instead of the Chitty Lytherm factory gasket. I applied the flat gasket to the bottom of the burn pot and is going on 3 yrs with no problems. Its thicker and seals better. Plus it can be reused again and again. The original gaskets are one use only (most times). Sometimes you get a second life.

CT-Mike said:

Basically you trap a dollar bill between the door gasket at various points around the perimeter. If the bill is held tight you are getting a good seal, but if you can pull the bill out easily with the door latched it might be time for a new gasket. Although a leaky gasket would give more oxygen to the fire (too much air) and it seems your problem might be not enough air.

Click to expand...

Spot on with the dollar bill test. But... The air leak or gasket. This is not true.

Air coming in "After" the burn pot, is an air leak. Which reduces the air to the pellets. Or its commonly referred to as a Burn pot by-pass. Any air that comes in after the pot will affect the burn. A bad door gasket will decrease vacuum through the pot. FYI.

DexterDay said:

I would look at the burn pot gasket. The control box is expensive and its best to check the cheap things.

I used 1/2" or 5/8" Flat (or tape) Gasket instead of the Chitty Lytherm factory gasket. I applied the flat gasket to the bottom of the burn pot and is going on 3 yrs with no problems. Its thicker and seals better. Plus it can be reused again and again. The original gaskets are one use only (most times). Sometimes you get a second life.

Click to expand...

You can make your own Lytherm Gasket from sheets that are really cheap. Dexter has a great idea with the flat rope gasket also!
Here is how to make your own Lytherm Gasket. See pics
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...lytherm-gasket-from-sheet.86680/#post-1119199
For the quad fire pot I made a template out of cardboard. That works good!

If you are taking the fire pot apart, I recommend you replace the fire pot bolts with some nice stainless steel bolts and stainless wing nuts like I had to do when my bolt snapped! See pics!
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...-on-a-quadrafire-santa-fe.88471/#post-1148392

DexterDay said:

Spot on with the dollar bill test. But... The air leak or gasket. This is not true.

Air coming in "After" the burn pot, is an air leak. Which reduces the air to the pellets. Or its commonly referred to as a Burn pot by-pass. Any air that comes in after the pot will affect the burn. A bad door gasket will decrease vacuum through the pot. FYI.

Click to expand...

Bingo.

DexterDay and I thought you weren't paying attention that day in class.

Don, that is a good one also.

goathead,

Any gasket, including the one holding the glass tight, can if they are bad or going, allow air to enter the fire box and not come through the burn pot, since this air is part of the volume the combustion blower is trying to move, the amount of air through the burn pot is reduced leading to a rich burn (too much fuel for the amount of combustion air) and various nasty condensates (including the bad boy known as creosote).