Ash bed and the merrimack

hello all,

Having problems getting the thermal switch to go on in my merrimack. i cant get it to go on in under 2 hours. today they replaced the thermal switch and also installed a block off plate above the insert and used rokwool to insulate.

i have a theory as i am watching the fire roar right now with no fan on. the top of the merrimack is blazing hot, i guess do to the block off plate. which is good.

Anyway could my ashbed be causing the merrimack thermal switch not to go on? i know its located at the bottom mid section of the unit. my ashbed is a few inches high, could this thing actually be insulating the fan from going on? i have been told you need an ashbed to protect the floor? is this true? is there any realpurpose to the ashbed? I am going to try to remove much of the ashbed tommorrow and try again but i wanted to see if anyone had ideas.

i might try the penny trick, i installed 2 large washers on the bolts that hold the temp sensor in, in an attempt for it to make contact better, nevertheless it doesnt seem to work.

my fan takes at least 2 hours to go on.

i was thinking maybe the ashbed was too thick and hence the iron wasnt getting hot enough