Saranac auger obituary Edit: He came back to life!
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I contacted the manufacturer, as my dealer in Bangor is no more. There is a defect with the auger. The CS person I spoke with was friendly and helpful and we are working out when a rep will come and replace mine, as my stove is not functioning currently without jamming. I too think the vertical auger thing leaves a lot to be desired. It seems the parts are being manufactured and should be ready to be deployed in March. They said they will honor the warranty and have a new auger installed.
A couple things that have worked for me up to this point a stove stops feeding.
After letting it cool and shutting off normally, unplug for 5 secs before restarting - Not sure why this works but the auger cycle seems to get screwed up after a jam. This will result in a too fast or too slow feed... wierd..
If the unit jams completely, it is probably near the fins on the top of the auger shaft. The design is flawed. This can loosen the auger as a failsafe to keep it from (more?) damage. On the back of the auger shaft accessible from the right door, is an allen screw that you can re-tighten. This isn't mentioned in the manual anywhere.
Also, it I turn my stove up past "3" it is a sure bet it will shut off due to the high heat failsafe. This is reset with a button accessed from the left door of the unit.
If the unit is going out at night, check the manual and follow the instructions for adjusting the auger trim. I found I can't burn anything on the "1" setting without doing this. Because of how the auger operates, the pellet feed is pretty inconsistent on the lowest setting. If you watch the stove for any length of time, the flames rise and fall; rise and fall; At some point the fuel doesn't get there fast enough and the stove goes out.
At this point, my unit isn't functioning. I am anxious to get my new parts and see how that works out. All in all, this winter has been a real pain with the Saranac Stove. At least Hudson River acknowleges a problem and is willing to address it. I'll let you all know how that works out. At this point, I wish I had purchased something else.
A couple things that have worked for me up to this point a stove stops feeding.
After letting it cool and shutting off normally, unplug for 5 secs before restarting - Not sure why this works but the auger cycle seems to get screwed up after a jam. This will result in a too fast or too slow feed... wierd..
If the unit jams completely, it is probably near the fins on the top of the auger shaft. The design is flawed. This can loosen the auger as a failsafe to keep it from (more?) damage. On the back of the auger shaft accessible from the right door, is an allen screw that you can re-tighten. This isn't mentioned in the manual anywhere.
Also, it I turn my stove up past "3" it is a sure bet it will shut off due to the high heat failsafe. This is reset with a button accessed from the left door of the unit.
If the unit is going out at night, check the manual and follow the instructions for adjusting the auger trim. I found I can't burn anything on the "1" setting without doing this. Because of how the auger operates, the pellet feed is pretty inconsistent on the lowest setting. If you watch the stove for any length of time, the flames rise and fall; rise and fall; At some point the fuel doesn't get there fast enough and the stove goes out.
At this point, my unit isn't functioning. I am anxious to get my new parts and see how that works out. All in all, this winter has been a real pain with the Saranac Stove. At least Hudson River acknowleges a problem and is willing to address it. I'll let you all know how that works out. At this point, I wish I had purchased something else.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
Jon P said:
Jon,
As for the stove shutting down on heat settings 3 and above. I suggest that you check two things.
1. Some of the stoves left the plant with 200 degree instead of 250 degree high limit snap discs. They are supposed to be 250 degree snap discs.
2. The motor powering the convection blower has built in thermal protection, these will sometimes thermal off, then the stove will go high temperature shut down. After a period of time the blower motor will reset and the blower will once again function. The blower needs to be replaced if this is the case.
BTW what are you burning for pellets in your stove?
Burning decent pellets for the most part.. I had an issue with the Pennington Nature's Heat but resolved that by returning them.. As a rule the stove is picky about fines etc. I was most recently using Blazer pellets from Home Depot. They were super. As I mentioned, I am optimistic the company will replace my auger. I have had professionals to the house 3 times since November. I also expect I have the wrong snap discs you mention. I have seen several posts to that and anything over the #3 setting is a bet the stove will shut off requiring a high heat reset.
I have never had a blower issue. It functions without any error. My primary problem is jamming and it has been progressive. Even sifted pellets with me hand-checking for appropriate length etc. will eventually result in a jam now between the wall of the shaft in which the auger turns and the "fins" on top of the shaft. As I mentioned to the person at tech support, I felt they should be filed or something and she confirmed the part has been overhauled...
As to the progressive nature of the problem, I can only surmise the auger has more play or is somehow weakened from all the jamming. The Sunrise Home and Hearth people who serviced it a few times were not able to offer much explanation. The first problem I had involve loose weld in the auger chute which had bent outward causing blockage, so I believed that problem to be solved for a time... Then I had bad pellets that exacerbated the problem... Then the high heat issue... Now the auger is failing and it will not run sans jamming...
It has been hard to diagnose because of multiple problems and a poor dealer who went out off business during all of this. We set up service calls.. They would blow me off.. etc...
I have spent HOURS messing with this stove... cleaning.. reading the manual... observing how it operates etc. I'm not an engineer but am a self-professed computer geek. I worked in tech many years and am pretty good at isolating a problem.. The issue here has been multiple problems and issues. When you eliminate all the variables it comes down to a couple things..
I think at this point, I need the auger replaced. Anytime a pellet fails to drop down the tube and hits the fins at the top of the auger shaft (Which I assume are designed to send the pellet back down) it has a real good shot at getting trapped between the auger fin and the wall of the chute. Then the auger jams.. If the fin were a bit shorter or the chute wider, the pellet would drop back down the chute... You can observe this if you operate with the auger cover off for a bit. I have watched and seen the stove jam this way. Pellets exacerbate the problem. Use premium pellets - fewer jams.. Use crappy ones - constant jams.. At this point - nothing works for me more than 20 mins or so than Bam! Jam!
Second, I am convinced I have the 200 degree snap disc you mention. Regardless of the pellet, it will shut off.
Anyway, thanks for the post! By the time this is resolved I hope to have my Tech Certification for the Saranac FS Stove!
I have never had a blower issue. It functions without any error. My primary problem is jamming and it has been progressive. Even sifted pellets with me hand-checking for appropriate length etc. will eventually result in a jam now between the wall of the shaft in which the auger turns and the "fins" on top of the shaft. As I mentioned to the person at tech support, I felt they should be filed or something and she confirmed the part has been overhauled...
As to the progressive nature of the problem, I can only surmise the auger has more play or is somehow weakened from all the jamming. The Sunrise Home and Hearth people who serviced it a few times were not able to offer much explanation. The first problem I had involve loose weld in the auger chute which had bent outward causing blockage, so I believed that problem to be solved for a time... Then I had bad pellets that exacerbated the problem... Then the high heat issue... Now the auger is failing and it will not run sans jamming...
It has been hard to diagnose because of multiple problems and a poor dealer who went out off business during all of this. We set up service calls.. They would blow me off.. etc...
I have spent HOURS messing with this stove... cleaning.. reading the manual... observing how it operates etc. I'm not an engineer but am a self-professed computer geek. I worked in tech many years and am pretty good at isolating a problem.. The issue here has been multiple problems and issues. When you eliminate all the variables it comes down to a couple things..
I think at this point, I need the auger replaced. Anytime a pellet fails to drop down the tube and hits the fins at the top of the auger shaft (Which I assume are designed to send the pellet back down) it has a real good shot at getting trapped between the auger fin and the wall of the chute. Then the auger jams.. If the fin were a bit shorter or the chute wider, the pellet would drop back down the chute... You can observe this if you operate with the auger cover off for a bit. I have watched and seen the stove jam this way. Pellets exacerbate the problem. Use premium pellets - fewer jams.. Use crappy ones - constant jams.. At this point - nothing works for me more than 20 mins or so than Bam! Jam!
Second, I am convinced I have the 200 degree snap disc you mention. Regardless of the pellet, it will shut off.
Anyway, thanks for the post! By the time this is resolved I hope to have my Tech Certification for the Saranac FS Stove!
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
Jon,
Don't be too hasty in ruling out your convection blower as being part of the high temperature shut down issue.
The number one reason for high temperature shut downs is a failed or failing convection blower.
Just because it is turning doesn't mean it is turning fast enough nor does it mean it is moving enough air to keep the high temperature snap disc from indicating an over fire situation and shutting the stove down at setting 3 and above.
As for the fins they should break up over length pellets. If your auger isn't properly seated so those fins clear the slots that is an alignment issue. Something has likely moved as the result of loosened fasteners.
Don't be too hasty in ruling out your convection blower as being part of the high temperature shut down issue.
The number one reason for high temperature shut downs is a failed or failing convection blower.
Just because it is turning doesn't mean it is turning fast enough nor does it mean it is moving enough air to keep the high temperature snap disc from indicating an over fire situation and shutting the stove down at setting 3 and above.
As for the fins they should break up over length pellets. If your auger isn't properly seated so those fins clear the slots that is an alignment issue. Something has likely moved as the result of loosened fasteners.
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