Hi! So I got the Auburn all cleaned out and a new burn pot. I am burning pellets. I now am doing a test burn to see get damper adjusted right. It was so dirty before and I had it wide open. I have it set to the pencil width. In researching it sounds like that is a good starting point. I just have the stove setting in the unheated side of my shed and no vent pipe hooked up. I have had it running on high #5 for a couple of hours and it just is not getting hot. Fire is mostly below burn pot and the burn pot is not filling up at all so far. Is this not a good test? Will it not get really hot in this large cold room and not vent pipe or do I need to close down damper even further? Or is it something else? Thanks!
St. Croix Auburn Not Getting Hot in Test Burn
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SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
This a new stove or used and is the control set for manual and the jumper installed?
This is a 8 year old stove. I have been the only owner. I just did a major, major cleaning, a 1 in 8 years cleaning actually. I still have it in the shop. It is set on manual.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
Is the jumper on the control board still there, the stove itself should have gotten very hot on 5 for an hour.
If some control boards are set to manual they still need that jumper where the thermostat wires would go. It is not out of the realm of possibilities that the jumper isn't there and as a result the stove is on pilot or low burn. You should be able to time the auger both the on and the off times and look things up in the manual (at least for a lot of stoves) that will tell you what firing rate is actually set.
Ok, I have a manual setting and thermostat setting. There is a light that blinks and it stays in low if on thermostat setting. I don't think that is what is going on. I will look into timing it.
heat seeker
Minister of Fire
In 'stat mode, if it's not calling for heat, the power light blinks.
At heat level 5, your auger should run for 5.5 seconds every 11.5 seconds, or approximately 50% of the time (at least my Afton Bay does). You can watch the auger light to check that. If that's okay, watch the auger itself on startup to make sure it's running at 2 RPM. (Or hold the auger button down for 30 seconds and look for one complete turn of the auger.)
The stove should be HOT on level 5.
The damper setting isn't critical, it's more for fine tuning. The stove should get hot with or without a vent pipe.
At heat level 5, your auger should run for 5.5 seconds every 11.5 seconds, or approximately 50% of the time (at least my Afton Bay does). You can watch the auger light to check that. If that's okay, watch the auger itself on startup to make sure it's running at 2 RPM. (Or hold the auger button down for 30 seconds and look for one complete turn of the auger.)
The stove should be HOT on level 5.
The damper setting isn't critical, it's more for fine tuning. The stove should get hot with or without a vent pipe.
Off 8 seconds, on 3.5 seconds, off 8 seconds, on 3.5 seconds. That is the auger. When I cycle it back to low the blower definitely slows down. This is an Auburn and it always did run better on corn. I don't have any right now though. Shouldn't this auger be running more?
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
From page 25 of the Auburn installation and operation manual.
14.
The ON/OFF light is always blinking and the stove only runs on with a low fire, even
though I have the Heat Level on #5. This usually indicates a problem in the Thermostat circuit. There is either a bad
connection in the wires or the Thermostat itself has a problem. Troubleshoot all of the components in the system.
If the stove is not operating on a Thermostat, check the small jumper wire between the
Red and Black connectors of the Thermostat wire Terminal on the back of the stove.
(See page 20 of the Installations Manual, Thermostat Hook-up).
14.
The ON/OFF light is always blinking and the stove only runs on with a low fire, even
though I have the Heat Level on #5. This usually indicates a problem in the Thermostat circuit. There is either a bad
connection in the wires or the Thermostat itself has a problem. Troubleshoot all of the components in the system.
If the stove is not operating on a Thermostat, check the small jumper wire between the
Red and Black connectors of the Thermostat wire Terminal on the back of the stove.
(See page 20 of the Installations Manual, Thermostat Hook-up).
Ok, I will check this out, but the on/off light is not blinking. I have had that problem in the past. I will check that jumper wire to make certain though. Thank you for your help
I haven't had time to check on the control panel yet and verifty the jumper cable is connected, but looking in the manual I can see that the 3.5 second time is the #3 setting. So it seems I cannot get past the #3 setting.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
There is a controlled ramp up on St Corixs IIRC they do not respond to heat setting changes immediately. So if you are changing the heat settings fast you may not get the results you expect. The book also cautions against going from 1 to 5 on T-stat which is yet another reason to make absoulutely certain that you are in manual mode.
The controller also will not change heat levels if it detects vacuum issues or so I have heard. It locks out the key pad as it also does during start up. The controller has to at least exit start up before it reacts to the heat settings, a lot of controllers exit start up and then adjust to the heat setting you have set.
Well I did have a thermostat wire disconnected. However that has made no difference because I am in manual mode. Stove runs in start up mode and then cycles up to #3 setting and will not go farther. Unless 8 seconds off and 3.5 seconds on is high for the auger, but according to my chart that is just number 3 setting. I have attached some photos showing this. Click on them to expand them to see my comments. Am I just missing something here or what should be next step? Thanks!
Attachments
heat seeker
Minister of Fire
On my stove, that would be heat level #3.
I can't think of anything that would prevent it from going past #3. At this point, I would suspect the control board. I think that I see a jumper on the board. Is it in the correct place? Your manual will probably tell you what the jumper is for and where it should be.
ETA: make sure the jumper is making good contact - remove and replace it a few times to be sure.
I can't think of anything that would prevent it from going past #3. At this point, I would suspect the control board. I think that I see a jumper on the board. Is it in the correct place? Your manual will probably tell you what the jumper is for and where it should be.
ETA: make sure the jumper is making good contact - remove and replace it a few times to be sure.
rona
Minister of Fire
When you are not using a thermostat you have to have a jumper wire connected to both posts where the thermostat wire was. The stove will probably go through the startup phase but after that is will drop down to a idle regardless of you settings. It sounds like that is what is happening. That switch won't mean anything unless you have that jumper wire on joining the two posts where the thermostat wires connect.
Hello again......................the stove is not dropping down to an idle. If I cycle it down to setting 1 there is a noticeable change. When it is idling in thermostat mode the on/off light blinks. That light is not blinking. Where would this jumper wire be located? This is a link to the exact manual I have and it says nothing of a jumper wire. http://thestovebarn.net/documents/Auburn_Operations_Manual.pdf. Here is another link of St. Croix manual that does talk of a jumper wire, but this manual does not at all match mine and neither does the control it is showing. I have a 2006 Auburn stove. I really appreciate all the comments and helpful suggestions here and hope it is simply a jumper wire, but can't figure out why I never knew of that wire before............and it doesn't make sense with my on/off light staying on. Thank you so much.
titanracer
Feeling the Heat
In your 1st picture, where the 2 wires are under screw on bottom left corner, loosen screws, take 2 wires out, take a piece of where about 2 inches long, strip both ends, place 1 end under 1 screw and tighten, take other stripped end, place under other screw and tight, that is your jumper.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
A number of stoves that have controllers with t-stat ability need a jumper across the t-stat connections for manual control to be effective.
Yours is one of them.
Frequently there can be a t-stat connection block on the back of the stove so you don't have to open it up to install a t-stat, however installing a t-stat will require removing a jumper that is there and inserting the wire from the t-stat and switching the mode on the controller. When reverting to manual operation the t-stat wiring is removed, the saved jumper is reinstalled and the controller switched to manual.
The installation manual which I generally use lays it out.
Yours is one of them.
Frequently there can be a t-stat connection block on the back of the stove so you don't have to open it up to install a t-stat, however installing a t-stat will require removing a jumper that is there and inserting the wire from the t-stat and switching the mode on the controller. When reverting to manual operation the t-stat wiring is removed, the saved jumper is reinstalled and the controller switched to manual.
The installation manual which I generally use lays it out.
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rona
Minister of Fire
rona
Minister of Fire
Opps hit the wrong button by mistake. Having said that the wire bloc you are looking for is on the back of the stove. I have been working on a auburn the last couple days and got it working. It is also a 2006 model But I had to print a manual as there wasn't one with the stove.
In cleaning it I went through both lil holes on each side of the pot with a cable and drill, then banged on the back. There was two clean out plates on each side where ash was falling out so I think I got that good. I opened the door and used a leaf blower and sucked out the back until nothing came out. Can I consider that good enough or is there someplace I missed? Somebody said remove the exh fan but it runs so am wondering if that leaf blower trick is enough?
In cleaning it I went through both lil holes on each side of the pot with a cable and drill, then banged on the back. There was two clean out plates on each side where ash was falling out so I think I got that good. I opened the door and used a leaf blower and sucked out the back until nothing came out. Can I consider that good enough or is there someplace I missed? Somebody said remove the exh fan but it runs so am wondering if that leaf blower trick is enough?
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
Rona, did you get between the two clean outs? That is the number one ash impedement area in the St. Croix line of stoves.
rona
Minister of Fire
I bent a small wire and pushed it towards the pot from each side wiggled it and more ashes and soot came out. How important are those covers for the cleanouts and the two round holes? I had only one cover where the ashes come out. None for the two round holes.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
They should be covered. Fake fire brick any thing to make sure that the air flow goes through the heat exchangers and not straight out the internal exhaust passage ways.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
I like to remove the fake bricks and give the metal wall a few taps with a rubber hammer to loosen up any ash thats back there.
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