Need Help: Quadra Fire Castile B - Not working...

Hey Joey,
The guy your looking for is Kap. Think his handle is Kappell15. He's a pro on the Quads. Others know some stuff too. He shows up here frequently so hang tight and give it another bump. You could PM Kap. Very helpful fellow. He's a tech too if I remember correctly. Good Luck!

Hello Joey,

Welcome to this forum - and to Maine, and our 'bi-polar' weather of recent ! Lots of Quad owners on here to help out. I'll give a first whack at it for you, I'm sure others will join in. Not sure what is different on the Castile-B vs the other free - standing models, but looking at the manual it looks mostly alike. http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/7021_130.pdf .

When you connected the thermostat then plugged the stove in, did the red 'call for heat' light come on (behind the control box and above the 7 amp twist-in fuse holder)? If that red light isn't on, with the thermostat set all the way up, then you could have a thermostat wire connection problem at the back of the stove or somewhere along the wires, or the thermostat itself is bad.

The thermostat wires that connect to the stove end can get brittle from heat exposure over time - you're sure both wires are intact and solidly connected to the stove, and at the thermostat end as well ? Mine broke last season on my Castile right at the stove connection, and I had to trim them back a bit to get to 'fresh' wire.

Your single orange / amber light flash followed by the multiple 4 blue / purple flashing light series seems like a normal control box start-up sequence, which should occur simultaneously to your combustion blower turning on - is your combustion exhaust blower working ?

Or is the 'humming' you hear the combustion blower perhaps trying to turn, but it isn't ? With your stove not run for over a year, then moving it a good distance, there could be a number of potential issues - the blower fan could be clogged up with ash, or the motor could be fritz-ed, or yes, your control board could be the problem, but often there's an easier (and cheaper) solution prior to 'throwing a new control board at the problem'. But, sometimes not........

Did you clean the combustion blower and stove of all the fly ash and hopper pellets when you 'decommissioned' it in Maryland? I'd also check all your wiring loom connections to the various motors, switches and snap discs just to make sure something didn't get jostled loose or pinched / cut during the stove move to Maine.

You could try, after UNPLUGGING THE STOVE, to remove then re-install your control box, as they are prone to vibration loosening the electrical board contacts.

If your combustion blower is by chance working, but you're not getting any pellet drop from the auger, then probably the next thing to rule out is a tripped snap disc or vacuum issue - a door seal leak, plugged auger tube or nipple, or bad vacuum switch. But probably easier to start with the thermostat, red call light, and combustion blower functions, and then go from there, OK ?

Thermostat wires are solidly connected to the stove? Red 'call for heat' light on ? Combustion blower working ? Wiring connections are tight? Vent system is 'good to go' ?

Whew! What he said. Sure you're not a service tech in disguise??

Having inherited a several years dormant Quad stove myself, and ending up with - go figure - thermostat issues, then the thermo-couple, then multiple gasket / vacuum leaks, then a failing grey control box, finishing with a combustion blower that 'faded away', "I feel Joey's pain".

Wasn't it Julius Caesar who said "experience is the teacher of all things" ? Pellet stoves can certainly be 'a cruel mistress', no doubt !

See Joey. Your in good company now! Welcome BTW. Let everyone know what's up so others can learn.

DMKNLD said:

Having inherited a several years dormant Quad stove myself, and ending up with - go figure - thermostat issues, then the thermo-couple, then multiple gasket / vacuum leaks, then a failing grey control box, finishing with a combustion blower that 'faded away', "I feel Joey's pain".

Wasn't it Julius Caesar who said "experience is the teacher of all things" ? Pellet stoves can certainly be 'a cruel mistress', no doubt !

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Esp. if you treat her wrong! lol

JPAllegar said:

Also, the pellets are from a few years ago that were left in the hopper. Possibly 3-4 years old now...

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Read DMK's post above, check things out, and get back to us. kap

I just bought a Castile that sat for a while. Had same issue you described. I actually saw it on Craigslist and when I called about it I ended up trying to help seller diagnose the problem. Had him check snap discs,bypass vac switch and blow out the tube to vac switch but it still wouldn't feed pellets but he could hear a hum from stove. I drove 40 mins to check it out. When I got there they had made their mind up that they were done with stove and decided to install a mini split. I got it for $150 and 78 bags of spruce points and platinums for $200. Turns out it was an easy fix. Auger jam. Cleared out hopper,jiggled the auger and ran coat hanger up chute and within 30 mins of getting her home we had fire. Now to find a good home for it.

I would make sure the exhaust fan is running first. Sometimes if they set too long, they can jam a little bit. If it isn't turning in the back, give it a little spin with your hand to see if it will start turning. I have had a few act up like this. And then check auger. Some discs have a reset button, some don't. This is a process of elimination, following the power to see where it is, and where it isn't. The only snap disc you need to consider is the #2 snap disc. And you can bypass it by jumping the wires together with a jumper wire. Just make sure not to ground the wires out on the stove any where. And if a red light is flashing and the green light stays on, it could be your thermocouple. kap

JPAllegar said:

I can definitely say that there is no fan movement when the call light comes on. Will take the back plates off and check the fan.

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If fan isn't running, it won't create a vacuum in firebox, closing the vac switch, and supply power to the auger. Like I said, you can try giving it a helping hand to spin, and it might take off. kap

kappel15 said:

If fan isn't running, it won't create a vacuum in firebox, closing the vac switch, and supply power to the auger. Like I said, you can try giving it a helping hand to spin, and it might take off. kap

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And the fan sticks out the back of the stove firebox, so you can reach it there too

JPAllegar said:

Update:

Took out the back plates, both sides cleaned down the ash/soot build up. Cleaned the fan with my shop vac, spun it a few times. Put everything back together.

Took out the pellets from the hopper, vac'd out what I couldn't scoop. Pulled the auger out... doesn't seem to move freely (unless this is normal) put it back in.

Pulled vac tube. Tube is open.

Spin the bottom fan at the bottom of hopper (outside) Spun freely.

Plugged unit in. No hum. Bottom fan started blowing. Inside control box, orange light lit, followed by 4 blue flashes. Took thermostat bumped it til I heard it click; call light came on. No pellets dropped to fire pot. But now I can feel air moving out the exhaust.

Unfortunately, the pellet stove will have to wait until I return...sometime near the holidays... heading back to Maryland in a few hours.

I will be monitoring the feed for input. And most importantly, THANK YOU for taking the time to assist me.

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Since you emptied the hopper and sucked it out, it will take hitting the reset button 2 or 3 times before you will get fuel back up the auger tube, to drop down into the firepot. kap

JPAllegar said:

Thank you Kap. Will try that when I return!!

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And you should be able to hear the auger running, or feel it turning. Remember it will only run for 60 seconds on initial feeds. That is why you have to hit the reset button a few times so it will auger enough fuel to fill everything. kap