Quad Santa Fe help needed!!!!!

We've had a Quad Santa Fe (freestanding) for many many years without much problem until last winter. The combustion/exhaust fan went bad and we purchased a "quick change" replacement (not original equipment) blower motor marketed as PP7620, and touted as way better than the original part. Initially after replacement everything was fine. Howevever we have increasingly since then had this problem with our stove: When running on high, the firepot fills with mostly-burned pellets, yet not quite ash, within just about 4 or 5 hours of cleaning the pot. This causes the dreaded stove rumble. When on low, there is not near as much build up in the pot; and medium there is some but not as much as on high. Prior to the fan change, we would only get this rumble after burning the stove for long periods without cleaning the pot. Now, we can't even sleep through the night without having to get up and clean the pot.

We recently replaced both the firepot gasket and the door gasket. The feed is set to the lowest possible. We have tried many brands of pellets, and our current brand is relatively small in size. Most folks have said that they have had great luck with this aftermarket replacement motor; but we can't help but think it is our problem. We wonder if maybe the motor is failing which is why it did not initally do this and continues to get worse; or if that motor and the Santa Fe just don't do well together. Anyone have any ideas?

Lake Girl said:

Checked your vacuum switch (electrical connections, tubing, function)? If there is a hopper gasket, is it in good condition (not real familiar with your stove model)? Ash doors and burnpot door are closing well? Cleaning routine includes the combustion blower?

Usually smaller size pellet means a livelier, hotter burn. Piling pellets can mean an air issue but it sounds like you've replaced typical culprits.

The other end of the equation would be temperature sensing components... Have you tried testing/replacing the thermocouple?

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Vacuum switch seems to be functioning perfectly. No hopper gasket. No ash pan gasket. Yes it would seem the smaller pellet would help alleviate the problem...my guess is it would be worse with smaller pellets. I have not checked the thermocouple although I woke up thinking about that component this am. However I'm not really sure how it would play a part in the cause and effect here? We leave the stove on always except to clean. So you are thinking it could be calling for more fuel than is needed? Here is a pic of the firepot after burning on high for only about 5 hours. Sorry it's sideways but you get the picture

Cleaning done VERY regularly. Exhaust cleaning done at the beginning of this heating season. Both of those links go to the same aftermarket piece that we bought. They make it look like its the Quad part (812-4400) but it is not. I have not been able to find the specs on the factory part to compare the RPMs. No we don't have the original part unfortunately.

SmokeyTheBear said:

How clean are those lower air holes?

Is this burning the same pellets that you set your flame height with?

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Lower air holes are open. Except of course when the mostly burned pellets yet not quite ash build up in the pot and cover the holes which is what causes the rumble.
Yes, these pellets are the same. When burning with fan on high the flame is almost too big yet the feed adjustment is closed as far as possible and that is the only adjustment on our stove. Burning at low and medium the flame is closer to correct size and color but of course not being on high it's certainly not putting out as much heat.

tjnamtiw said:

Looking at the picture, WHERE IS THE FLAME? There is DEFINITELY an air flow issue. Either your exhaust is plugged or the fan is loose on the motor shaft or the motor is shot. Do you have a screen on the end of your flue that could be plugged with ash?

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The picture was purposely taken after turning the thermostat down and the flame went out, so that I could show the buildup in the burn pot. The exhaust is not plugged, the flue is not plugged. The exhaust goes straight out the back, no 90s so it's very easy to keep clean so we do it regularly. The fan is not loose but yes the motor probably has problems. It's less than a year old though and my issue is that it's under warranty however we have to send it in for their determination of problem and replacement, fixing, or whatever they decide. We would be with out a stove during that time. My thought is if I have to buy yet another new fan, if all signs point to this fan being the problem I should just buy the OEM Quad fan.

tjnamtiw said:

The only time I get the 'rumble' is on initial start up when a lot of pellets have been fed into the burnpot and the fire is quite intense and high. You will feed more pounds of pellets when they are small. An important answer is what kap said > how many flashes do you get on the control box when you first plug it in?

If it's set correctly, then it must be an air issue. You replaced the door and burn pot gaskets. Does the door now pass the dollar bill test? How is your exhaust routed? How do you clean it? Do you remove the exhaust fan when doing the yearly cleaning? Is there a T in the exhaust? When you have the fan out, do you clean the stove's internal ducting that goes up at an angle to the exhaust outlet?

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tjnamtiw said:

The only time I get the 'rumble' is on initial start up when a lot of pellets have been fed into the burnpot and the fire is quite intense and high. You will feed more pounds of pellets when they are small. An important answer is what kap said > how many flashes do you get on the control box when you first plug it in?

If it's set correctly, then it must be an air issue. You replaced the door and burn pot gaskets. Does the door now pass the dollar bill test? How is your exhaust routed? How do you clean it? Do you remove the exhaust fan when doing the yearly cleaning? Is there a T in the exhaust? When you have the fan out, do you clean the stove's internal ducting that goes up at an angle to the exhaust outlet?

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Exactly when we used to get that rumble...only on start up with a temporarily large flame.

The blue light flashes 6 times.

The exhaust goes straight out the back, no 90s no Ts. Yes it gets cleaned very regularly because it's pretty easy to get to. The exhaust fan has been cleaned as has all the internal parts of the stove and the freshh air intake tube. Yes those gaskets were just replaced however the door gasket doesn't seem right. When I checked it initially I only checked the corners thinking thats where the issue would be, and they were tight, but the center top is not. We are right now figuring out what was done wrong, and looking to redo that before ordering a new fan.

kappel15 said:

Sounds like an issue with the new exhaust fan like tj says. One thing to look at is unplug stove and plug back in, Then see how many times the blue light blinks. kap

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It blinks 6 times. What does this mean?

MountainSean said:

The OEM specs out as follows:
115v 60Hz 29W at .48 Amps. 2900 RPM Class H motor
We also carry that same aftermarket blower for the stove that you have, the PP7620, although we very clearly indicate that it is an aftermarket part and not OEM. The motor has been tested very thoroughly by independent labs to make certain it closely matches the OEM part. It is not a case of grab some motor that is close enough, slap it on a plate and call it good but one that has been tested and vetted. I would recommend checking your feed rate timing you are getting from the stove which would be .
9 sec LOW //// 1.6 sec MEDIUM //// 2.2 sec HIGH for auger on time.

If the stove is burning improperly and the feed rate is good I would contact the company you purchased it from and see if they have any suggestions or would be able to warranty on the blower for you.

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Are you saying that on high the auger would drop pellets every 2.2 seconds? It currently drops every 4.5 seconds and THAT seems like too much and also seems like MORE than it used to drop when the stove ran better.

kappel15 said:

THese are "on" times. This is how long the auger is on feeding.

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ahh ok yes that makes sense.