Jamestown J1000...need help

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JakeMs3

New Member
Feb 14, 2013
15
Hi guys, Hopefully somebody can help me figure this one out...one morning after running all night, my stove started to smell funny so i stopped it. I waited about 2 hours and cleaned it as usual. i tried to start it again, so turn to stove on, set the timer etc..but no more green light when i push the start button... and therefore the auger isnt turning. I changed the control boards and i still have the same issue. When i start the stove the combustion fan start as usual, i noticed the convection fan isnt turning though. Also if i want to set the stove on 3 or whatever level, the fan just stays at the same intensity you get when you turn the power button on. So i am wondering is my auger motor blown? convection fans? I really don't want to buy a new one..thanks for your help!
 
I am not experianced with your stove but I am a pretty good trouble shooter.
Was the smell unusual in a way you have not noticed before? Perhaps electrical in nature.
Did you try starting the stove with the damper closed?
Are you comfortable using a mutimeter?
Other members having experiance with your stove will most likey jump in but we can cover some the basics.
 
Yes indeed, that was an unusual smell i've never noticed before. I ordered a control board from jamestown last week and i changed it yesterday. I thought that would fix the problem which seemed to be electrical in nature but unfortunately it is still doing the same thing. I've never used a multimeter before but i guess i can figure that out, i will have to buy one though...and what do you mean by damper? thanks for your reply!!
 
According to your manual the j1000 has a damper and it is said to try closing it if the stove won't start.
Are you getting a flame? Have you tried starting the stove manually? My first suspect based on your description is the igniter.
Does the convection normally run when you first start the stove?
 
My girlfriend just said it was a regular smoke smell, she was downstairs when it happened and i told her to shut it off.
 
Did you see the post i made above? I just read that covection fan does not operate until the stove produces heat.
 
The stove was there when i bought the house and is not in the best shape ever. It worked fine so far...i don't have any manual with it but i can tell you it's an old j1000...to start it i have to turn on the unit, put some pellet and lighting gel in the pot then light that up. Then start the timer and finally press on the start button (a green light come on when you press on the start button) the start button basically activate the auger...so since the start button doesnt activate the auger anymore when i press on it, there is no pellet dropping in the pot.
 
If your comfortable around wires and electricity you can use a mutimeter to help troubleshoot. If the auger is not turning use a mutimeter to determine if the auger is getting power from the control board.
 
i think that manual is for the newer stove is it? i don't have an electronic panel like that on the side of mine.
 
I run one of those and maybe can help. If you've replaced the board with a known good one it should be an outboard problem. In order of likelihood:

Vacuum switch - if the switch isn't getting vacuum the auger won't run. Pull the hose and make sure that it's clear on both ends and that the nipple that threads into the combustion motor housing is clear. If it's blocked by ash or debris, that might be the problem. Put the hose back on the switch and suck on the other end gently. If the switch is working mechanically you'll hear it click when you put suction to the hose and again when you stop. An easy way to test whether the switch is functioning or not is to pull the electrical connectors from it and jump them with a piece of wire. That makes it look to the board like the switch has vacuum and is "closed", completing the circuit. (Unplug the stove before you mess with anything electrical on it!) With the connectors jumped, turn the stove on, start the timer and hit your start button. Give it a bit - if the auger starts to cycle, you've found the issue. If not, it's something else. Don't, I mean don't run the stove for real with the vac switch bypassed! You can test the electrical function of the switch by setting your multimeter to test resistance which will let you test for circuit. With the connectors pulled, touch the two MM probes to the contacts on the vac. switch. Use the suction test - no suction should give you no circuit, suction should complete the circuit. If you hear the switch opening and closing when you apply suction and the electrical connection doesn't close then the switch itself is bad (test the meter first by putting the probes together and watching the needle - it should go from nothing to full).

High temp cut-off snap disc. High on the right inside the door - the 250 deg snap can go bad. In the same way, if it's gone or tripped, the auger won't run. It's another safety device; it shuts the auger down if the stove gets too hot. Same test - pull the connectors and jump them. Start the stove as before. If the auger turns, problem found. That snap disc may have a manual reset button on it - this switch's normal condition is closed (opposite of the vac switch) so if you test its contacts for circuit your MM will give you a full needle if the switch is good. If it shows an open circuit, try the reset button (red thingie on the top of the switch). That might reset the switch - test again. Again - don't be tempted to run the stove with any safety feature bypassed - asking for disaster.

There are a couple more snap discs on the combustion blower housing. One is proof of fire that lets the auger continue to run after the timer runs out if the stove is above its temp. The other one shuts the stove off completely after cool-down.

Hope this helps.
 
Alright i'll get on that! Thanks for the info!!... the only thing i know so far is that the combustion fan assembly works when i turn on the stove so definitely not the problem....the auger motor is not the issue because i hooked it to an extension cord like the guy from Jamestown told me to do and it was turning. The guy at jamestown also told me to do that with the convection fans (Crossflow Fan Assembly) which i broke when unplugging the 2 wires, the plastic attached to the connector broke for both wires :( ...still manage to hook it to the fan and its not running. so maybe thats what it is...i will start checking what you told me and get back to you with more info! thanks
 
just pulled the electrical connectors from the vacuum switch and jumped them with a piece of wire still not working...then i did the same with the 250 deg snap and bamm! i got my green light back and the auger is turning! i guess i need to order one of those now! Do you think i can keep my ''broken'' convection fan assembly and just put the 2 red wire from it into my 2 electrical connectors and wrap that with some electric tape because that thing is like 200$ or something i believe...
 
i still can't adjust the intensity of the stove though...even if i put it on 6 the auger doesnt turn any faster and the combustion fan stays at the same level than when i start the stove...i did not start any fire in the stove or whatsoever but as far as i remember i was able the increase the intensity of the stove right from the start
 
Remembering that you changed the controller, the owners manual that was posted, (post # 12), pg 37, if you have C880 circuit board, it mentions auger adjustments that may have be done to it.
 
my problem is 50% fixed...my auger wasnt turning and i could not adjust the intensity of the stove before i changed the control board so i changed the control board for nothing basically...now that i by passed the sensor, my auger is turning when i push the start button but i still can't adjust the intensity of the stove from 1 to 6.
 
just pulled the electrical connectors from the vacuum switch and jumped them with a piece of wire still not working...then i did the same with the 250 deg snap and bamm! i got my green light back and the auger is turning! i guess i need to order one of those now! Do you think i can keep my ''broken'' convection fan assembly and just put the 2 red wire from it into my 2 electrical connectors and wrap that with some electric tape because that thing is like 200$ or something i believe...

Did you reset it, you may not need a new anything if it resets. You overfired the stove somehow.
 
I tried to reset it but the sensor is definitely not working...if i don't bypass it i can't get the auger to turn. I though that would fix everything but i guess i have 2 separate problems because i still can't adjust the intensity of the stove...if i can find what is causing that, my stove will be fixed!
 
If that snap disc went you also need to find out why the stove over fired (likely your convection air path is plugged or the blower motor isn't working, or one of those lovely snap discs that act as POF or over temp aren't working).

If the stove isn't out of startup you likely can't change anything.
 
The auger won't turn faster at higher settings - it will spin longer and with shorter intervals of stillness. You have to check that with a stop watch to know exactly what's going on - I bet it's working. As for the convection motor not adjusting, it won't do anything but idle unless the stove is up to temp so it may seem broken when it's cold. I bet that's ok too. There is a low fan trim pot that if it's maxed makes the convection blower go all the time and also can make it seem like the knob isn't doing anything, but I bet it's just that you're testing the stove cold. Does the high temp snap disc have a manual reset button on it? If so, even if it was tripped by an errant voltage spike and not heat (in which case the contacts could have been compromised by arcing) you still may be able to get it to work by messing with the button for a while - test it with the meter while you jiggle the button and you'll see what's going on. Sorry, what exactly is bust on the conv. blower?
 
Hey guys I have the same stove J1000 manual light. Just bought it used and hooked it up. Everythign is working well except the glass is getting dirty quick. I'm burning powerhouse pellets in both my stoves. No problem with the glass on my other stove using the same pellets. Is there an airwash on this stove? The manual stated to try to run with more air to keep the glass clean. Also my 1994 manual has a page dedicated to troubleshooting the manual control board using a multimeter. I can give you the info. if it is needed, but I think midfielder has your issues pinpointed, Please let us know what solves your issues. Good Luck.
 
Hey guys I have the same stove J1000 manual light. Just bought it used and hooked it up. Everythign is working well except the glass is getting dirty quick. I'm burning powerhouse pellets in both my stoves. No problem with the glass on my other stove using the same pellets. Is there an airwash on this stove? The manual stated to try to run with more air to keep the glass clean. Also my 1994 manual has a page dedicated to troubleshooting the manual control board using a multimeter. I can give you the info. if it is needed, but I think midfielder has your issues pinpointed, Please let us know what solves your issues. Good Luck.

Also check your gaskets.
 
Hey DW - Your stove is an earlier edition so I'm not sure how the airwash works compared to mine (or if the older model has it). My j1000 doesn't have the pane dividers on the door - the glass for the side panels is beveled at 45 deg. and the pieces butt at the corner. The airwash is a slot at the bottom of the panes that's created by a metal bracket inside the bottom of the window frame with little tangs on it that hold the glass up off the bottom and back from the frame. Air is drawn through that slot and directed up the inside face of the glass by an angle in the bracket. If that slot gets blocked it will mess up the airwash function. I vac it out with a crevice tool from both sides while doing ash clean out. These were shot just before a glass gasket change:

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