Quadrafire newbie seeking answers/advice

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i'm thinking that could be the proper quad post, just the position of the screw being on the back side makes it seem bigger.
but even so, it looks like it *might* be protruding farther than it should.

gonna need a shot of another stove to be sure.
or someone who knows exactly how it should be.

it could well be correct. i've never "looked" up the drop chute.
mines not a quad, but the auger is the same parts/assembly.

***i just took some shots. the heatilator chute actually has a baffle like plate in the drop chute.
looks like it's there to keep the grouping tight as the pellets drop to the firepot.
but it makes it impossible to see much up there. not that it's really relevant. same parts, but a somewhat different design.

the more i look at your pics, the more i see that that is the normal quad attachment post.

and if it was protruding too far into the opening, then it should also be too far down at the bottom.
i'm just guessing, but i think that's the way it's supposed to be.
i'm just amazed you are able to get a picture of the entire upper opening.
 
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I just wanted to post these so you guys can see the difference the new fresh pellets made.
 

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Here's a dumb question...is the auger speed dependent on the thermostat for any reason? It's the original thermostat..just curious if that could cause slow auger speed therefore less than expected pellets.
 
The thermostat calls for heat and the stove lights and runs for 4 minutes, then it is supposed to go to whatever the setting on the panel is L M H
 
You need to get that auger completely out of the stove so you can see whats down in thew auger tube.

My bet is that there is a broken piece or ??? in the tube that got augered up to the top and is blocking / blocked the drop tube.
 
So the rust is most likely from humidity. Most people either disconnect or plug the flue pipe during the non-burn season. Doeant look like that was done.
 
I think the rust goes with where the stove is.

Here in Western Oregon we just shut them off and maybe I will clean them right away as summer comes on, but usually not until all bets are off of needing a fire.

We never empty the hopper of shells. If it was half full then it stays that way til falls first fire.

I think a high humidity area could see issues.

Our 3 stoves have zero rust on any of the bare metal in the stoves
 
Friend of mine disnt cap his after the first year and the whole thing was rusted over. Its gets humid in new england in the summer
 
xSpecBx said:
Friend of mine disnt cap his after the first year and the whole thing was rusted over. Its gets humid in new england in the summer
Click to expand...
Did not cap either of mine this past season (in PA) and had massive rusting. Will not make that mistake again. Much cleaning to do for fall prep.
 
Before you spend the time taking the augar out take a look at the hooper feed adjustment mechanism. On my Quad there is a flat headed screw that must be loosened before the gate can be moved either up/down for adjustment. To me your augar shots look like a normal deal and what looks like rust I believe is just the cast metal looking ugly from having fire and flames constantly hitting the general area. My drop chute looks about the same and I've never had any kind of rust preventative in the stove.

Have you taken all the pellets out of the hopper and cleaned all the old fines out of the bottom where the augar picks up the pellets. If you have a lot of fines in this area you will indirectly restrict the amount of pellets getting to the augar.. JMO
 
The one piccy that shows the drop port nearly covered by a rusty piece of metal is very strange.

I am very suspicious that there is something in the auger tube that should not be in there.

It only takes a few minutes to yank the auger out and take a good look.

Great time to vacuum out the entire auger tube and such too.
 
I definitely don't mind taking things apart to clean them thoroughly...I've just never taken one of these apart before obviously...and being an older unit that has some rusty internals...I worry about disturbing things and opening up a can of worms.

Right now I'm just burning off what's left in the hopper then decide what I'll do from there. The unit ignites properly every time now, produces better flames with the new pellets and the blower kicks on and heats the first two floors of the house quickly. It's in much better shape than it was so I'm definitely happy. I appreciate the help and info from everyone here.

Once the hopper is empty I'll see what's involved to get in the auger.
 
While you are waiting, now might be a good time to spray WD40 or some penetrating oil on any of the screws or bolts that you may want to remove later.
 
Always willing to help.

Keep us in the loop

Snowy
 
If you didn't get a manual with the stove, I would download one off the internet to help you familiarize yourself with the stove. kap
 
Alright, so as st_Earl had mentioned, that rusty piece of metal is indeed a post that the auger turns around. Every pic I got showed the auger behind it, so it was deceiving. I dug out what was left near the hopper and inspected as best I could. There was a clump of old sawdust at the bottom of the pickup so I cleaned that out and that seemed to improve feed rate a bit.

Then, I had someone come over who also owns a quad, and he confirmed the feed rate seemed normal. However, he asked if the cleanouts under the heat exchanger had been done. This was news to me as the "tech" who I paid good money for to inspect and clean never did this, nor mentioned it. You can imagine my aggravation. So upon opening these two cleanout plates sure enough there was a good 2-3 inch thick layer of ash. Unbelievable. So I stuck my vac in there best I could. Closed it all up, threw new pellets in and sure enough she runs like a charm, great consistent flames and all.

So I apologize to those who asked about the exhaust system being cleaned...that area was missed out of ignorance.

For anyone searching for these type of answers in the future, I replaced my door gasket, cleaned out old sawdust from auger pickup area, got new pellets as well the ones I had were old and probably absorbed moisture, and then...probably most importantly...cleaned the ash from the two cleanouts on either side of the firepot under the heat exchanger.

Again, thanks to all for the help, info, and advice...I couldn't have gotten to this point without you all!
 
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You should google or YouTube pellet stove leaf blower trick, great way to clean pellet stove exhaust,,just make sure to disconnect the vac switch or leave the door open.
 
Glad you finally found the culprit, and can now enjoy some nice heat. Stay warm. kap
 
Congrats! As most of us have found, often the "hard way", clean = fire = good.
 
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