To work on the exhaust motor on my Santa Fe, I had to remove the back cover on the stove. When I put the screws in the cover 1 of them would not grab any metal. I didn't think much about it. I have had metal screws in the past, that when replaced, have not wanted to grab. Just figured I'd find one a bit larger and replace it.
I knew that the hopper was full and ran the stove for a few hours. Didn't use the stove again for a few days. Next time I used it I looked in the hopper to see if it needed pellets and noticed something gray sticking up out of the pellets. I grabbed it and found it was a 14 inch x 1 inch piece of sheet steel. My first thought was it had been in the bag of the last pellets that were put in the stove. I was glad I had discovered it before it got caught in the auger. It was a few hours later the it dawned on me that it might have been a backer plate the was inside the hopper. Sure enough, I compared the holes in the plate to the screw holes on the back of the stove and sure enough they matched. Now I know why the original screw wouldn't grab.
I knew that the hopper was full and ran the stove for a few hours. Didn't use the stove again for a few days. Next time I used it I looked in the hopper to see if it needed pellets and noticed something gray sticking up out of the pellets. I grabbed it and found it was a 14 inch x 1 inch piece of sheet steel. My first thought was it had been in the bag of the last pellets that were put in the stove. I was glad I had discovered it before it got caught in the auger. It was a few hours later the it dawned on me that it might have been a backer plate the was inside the hopper. Sure enough, I compared the holes in the plate to the screw holes on the back of the stove and sure enough they matched. Now I know why the original screw wouldn't grab.
