Quadra Fire Santa Fe Auger not working....trouble shooting

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M

MKirk

Member
Feb 5, 2011
11
Pennsylvania
Santa Fe Auger is not working and can't seem to figure out why. Looking for some suggestions
When I plug in the stove the exhaust fan come in instantaneously, but I cannot get the auger to feed the fire box.

- Fuse is good as I have a continuous red call light.
- Control box blue light flashes six times for about 60 seconds at start-up.
- Can hit the reset button and just get the above start-up lights with no change.
- Ignitor works as I can get a flame if I manually put pellets in the fire box (and then get a green light on the call box).
- Vacuum hose is clear and I put a wire to clean out both inserts for the hose
- Pulled the Auger apart and cleaned it out and removed all excessive dust. I don't hear the auger even trying to run so it's not a jam.
- I manually overrode Snap disc #2 as well as the vacuum switch (pulled the connectors off and wired them directly) and no change. Snap Disc #2 button seems permanently in....meaning I am not able to "push" the button in....it already seams in.

- I just ran the everything on the stove again. Had the Vacuum seal bypassed and pulled the auger motor off to see if it was even running (earlier today I don't think it was), but this time the auger motor was turning so I installed the motor to the auger and tried start-up. Nothing. Pulled the auger motor off and it was not running this time......so am I thinking it's actually just a bad auger motor? At startup, I can hear the board "click" as I think this is to turn on the auger motor.

What am I missing??
Could the door seal/vacuum be the problem?

Michael
 
Last edited:
If the augur worked once might be a loose wire.
 
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Played around with the stove more tonight and seems like the augur motor is fine.
Ran a solid bypass connection on the vacuum and can get the stove to work fine bypassing the vacuum.

Question...so is it definitely a bad vacuum switch or could it possibly be a bad door seal?
 
I would start with a good cleaning and a door seal test. Make sure the tubing to the vacuum switch is good and not leaking and also check to see that the fitting at the combustion side of the vacuum tube is clear. My guess is the switch is fine and the stove is plugged up or leaking badly at the door.
Ron
 
Did you do the dollar bill test on the door gasket
 
It is either a bad door seal, plugged exhaust somewhere, or bad vac switch. If the gasket on the door isn't terrible bad, sometimes you can just push on the door a bit to help seal it, to see if it is a bad gasket. Cleaning the exhaust will tell you if you have a plug there, causing no vacuum in firebox. Cleaning exhaust not only means the pipe, but the path of exhaust thru the stove as well. And you can do a continuity test on the vac switch by lightly sucking on the hose while it is attached to the switch, and putting prongs on posts of switch at same time. kap
 
Did the dollar bill test and the door has a good seal (couldn't budge pulling on the bill in any area on the door seal).
Vacuum hose is clean and air flows freely thru it.
Cleaned the stove thoroughly.
I'll make sure the exhaust pipes are clean, but I'm almost certain I did this at the end of last season.
Is there a way I can test the vacuum switch to determine if it's good or bad?

Michael
 
If you jumpered the vacuum switch (in post #1) you've eliminated it. That would also rule out venting and the exhaust blower, since the jumper eliminates a lack of vacuum problem.
 
So you jumped the vac switch and stove runs good but when vac switch is back in line stove does not run. Your original post tells us you've checked just about everything. I would replace the vac switch. Not an expensive part and an easy fix. To test the vac switch disconnect the hose from stove end leaving it connected to the switch. Suck lightly on the hose and you should hear a click. That's the switch sensing vac
 
Correct, I have pulled the Vac switch off and lightly sucked on the hose and heard the click and then was not able to suck air. Light blow and air could pass into the switch, light suck and hear the click and unable to suck air.

Yes, the stove runs perfect when I have the vac switch bypassed and as soon as I connect the wires back to the vac switch, the auger will no longer work.
 
I wonder if the other end of the vacuum line could be plugged. On my stove there is a little fitting on the other end of that hose that could get plugged preventing the vacuum from getting to the vacuum switch. If you had a mutimeter I would also check to see if when you operate that vacuum switch, and hear that click that the contacts are actually closing on the vacuum switch.
 
Hose is clear as well as the connection into the vac switch as well as the end into the feed tube (I can blow cleanly into the tube thru the feed).
Baffled!
 
Just because you hear the relay "clicking" doesn't mean that the relay is working properly. I would still want to put an ohm meter on the two terminals coming out of the vacuum switch to verify electrically that when a vacuum is applied the two terminal show 0 ohms across the terminals. Disconnect the two stove wires from the vacuum switch so you don't get any funny readings.

I was thinking that I should have said that the clicking you are hearing is not really a relay in the regular sense, but probably just a set of contacts that are closed under vacuum pressure. My point was that although you hear the clicking there could be a problem with the contacts inside the pressure switch.
If you do buy a new vacuum switch it might be worth your while to test the new switch before installing.
 
Last edited:
Found the problem, looks like a birds nest hidden into the exterior vent pipe. Small bird apparently as it was able to get in between the small grate at the exhaust opening. I had cleaned out the pipe at the end of last season so didn't think to double check. I guess I'll need to move my pipe cleaning to the beginning of each season now. Bright side is this was a $0.00 cost.
 
Great news Mkirk, its getting cold !
 
smalltown said:
Great news Mkirk, its getting cold !
Click to expand...


So here we are 2 1/2 years later and damn if the auger on this stove has stopped working again. I brought the auger to my stove place and they tested it and said the auger is fine. I ran a bypass wire on the vacuum switch and nothing, doesn't work. All the pipes are clean........ ran bypasses on both Snap Disc and they are fine........what's left - control board?
 
You can have that tested at dealer if he has equipment, or putting it in a stove, to see if it is good or bad. kap
 
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