Auger won't turn but the motor is working

[northernnjnewbie]

US Stove 6039HF

The auger motor is fine, but the auger seems likes it's stuck. I emptied and vacuumed and cleaned everything this morning, but still nothing. It's our primary source of heat, so I'm not happy right now. I'm calling US Stove in a bit, but they tend to ahve no great customer service re: info. Any ideas?

 

[Fsappo]

Did you try contacting the Hearth proffesional retail store you bought this highly complicated piece of equipment from?

 

[Dr_Drum]

There is likely a coupling between the auger motor shaft and the auger. Maybe the set screw came loose. If you can see the auger motor shaft operating but the auger is not turning thats got to be the problem, or maybe the auger shaft snapped?
Mike -

 

[imacman]

.....but the auger seems likes it's stuck. I emptied and vacuumed and cleaned everything this morning..........

So are you saying that you removed the auger from the stove, cleaned everything including the auger flight, re-assembled, and the auger still doesn't turn?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Did you try contacting the Hearth proffesional retail store you bought this highly complicated piece of equipment from?

Don't go there Franks, as a number of those "Hearth professional retail stores" are anything but, and those that are can't guarantee they will be able to fit you in their schedule in a reasonable time frame.

A bit of useless advice, if you can't service your stove yourself and have common spare parts on hand or close by it is best not to rely on it as your primary heat source.

Defense in depth is the only way to go.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Dr_Drum, there is a coupling, it is also possible that the gears are shot. There is also a fuse (I'm raising this because I have no idea how the OP determined the auger motor was working.) that may be blown.

 

[MCPO]

Did you try contacting the Hearth proffesional retail store you bought this highly complicated piece of equipment from?

Don't go there Franks, as a number of those "Hearth professional retail stores" are anything but, and those that are can't guarantee they will be able to fit you in their schedule in a reasonable time frame.

A bit of useless advice, if you can't service your stove yourself and have common spare parts on hand or close by it is best not to rely on it as your primary heat source.

Defense in depth is the only way to go.

Heh,heh,heh, you beat me to it Smokey.
Franks seems to be a pretty helpful guy and he has to know we understand his point of view regarding "Hearth Pro stores" but we also recognize and appreciate the many advantages of being able to fix your own and help others since this forum is dedicated to that purpose. (I think)

 

[Dr_Drum]

Dr_Drum, there is a coupling, it is also possible that the gears are shot. There is also a fuse (I'm raising this because I have no idea how the OP determined the auger motor was working.) that may be blown.

I assume "working" means turning, but point taken.
Mike -

 

[BenG]

I have had a similar issue with my auger motor. The auger was getting jammed repeatedly, so I wound up buying a new motor. I put the thing in and minutes after installing it it was getting jammed again, I was very irritated. So, I took the motor out again and looked it over and realized that I didnt have the set screw lined up right. In my stove there is a flat part where the set screw tightens onto the auger coupling so that it doesnt slip. I did not line up the set screw right and that was why it wasnt turning. It could be a similar issue with your stove, especially if it sounds like the motor is working but the auger isnt moving.

 

[imacman]

.....and realized that I didnt have the set screw lined up right.......I did not line up the set screw right and that was why it wasnt turning......

So did you re-install the original auger & return the new one?

 

[Flem]

I don't think they allow you to return a motor, do they?

 

[BenG]

Old auger motor was jamming because it was weak, new auger motor was jamming due to improper installation.

 

[Flem]

BenG - how old was your auger motor when it became "weak"?

 

[BenG]

I only noticed that it was weak when I tried a different brand of pellets in my second season of burning. My stove would burn the Pennington's from last year with no problem, but I bought 2 tons of Corrinth this year and they jammed within 5 minutes of starting the stove. Rather than deal with trying to return the pellets and be forced to only use Pennington's I decided to drop the 90 bucks on a new Gleason Avery motor. A month later with not a single jam and I am a pretty happy camper.

 

[Flem]

Good to know. Mine has never jammed before but is now jamming quite a bit. All connections are tight so I am banking on needing a new motor since mine is 9 years old now.

 

[BenG]

When you do buy a new one, my personal experience and the reviews I have seen of auger motors on these forums point towards Gleason Avery as a great brand of motor.