noisey auger

[IHUNT]

I have a Harman Accentra-2. My auger has started to make a cluncking noise when feeding pellets. It is like something binding. Has anyone experieced this. If so does anyone know how to fix the problem. Thanks Chris

 

[lakside]

Are you sure it comes from the auger. There are several moving parts during the feed cycle. Check the fines box...make sure the slideplate is engaged at the right place. Watch the cam mechanism as it cycles through the feeding. Clunks and crunching are symptoms of long pellets.

 

[Lousyweather]

everything lakside says is spot on, but also check the slide plate for gumminess....if its kind of sticky, you could have the beginning of "gummy stove" syndrome. Also check the two auger retainer bolts for tightness (they can woork loose), check for a bent feed motor bracket, worn sprockets, loose feed motor, etc. With what lakside says, what pellet are you burning?

 

[IHUNT]

Sorry for the late reply. I just got home from work. I am burning NEWP from Jaffrey NH this year. They are a smaller pellet and seam to burn well. I still think the noise is coming from my auger but I will look at all moving parts this weekend. Thanks for your ideas.

 

[vferdman]

I also have an Accentra-2 made in 2005. I have gotten it used at the beginning of this heating season (September 2009). It turned out to have the dreaded "gummy stove" syndrome which caused it to shut down all the time with 6 blink code. I have repaired it and performed a modification to prevent future gumming up. The stove has been working great since then and no shut downs at all. BUT, it has started to make that loud clanking sound when feeding. Not frequent, but fairly regular. I opened the back and saw the auger motor bracket getting bent and bounce back with the chain jumping teeth. OUCH! In the course of my "gummy stove" work I have removed and reinstalled the auger motor many times and that put a lot of wear and tear on the rubber grommets on the motor gearbox that mounts to the bracket. I went to my local dealer to buy new grommets and instead the dealer sold me a whole new bracket as the grommet design was changed to the hard mount (no rubber). You can see my posts about the bracket with pictures by following this link. The dealer said that this bracket eliminates the banging. Well, it did not, thought he mounting method without the rubber grommets seems more robust. I looked and looked and realized that the chain was binding up in some links. The professional installer who installed my stove when I first got it mentioned that the chain is never to be oiled because of all the gunk that would collect in it. I found it to be strange, but the installer was very good and knew what he was talking about, so I never thought to even consider oiling the chain. However, after seeing what the chain was doing to the whole feeder motor assembly I figured I'd take matters into my own hands and lube the chain. I first used one of those dry lubricants that are sold in aerosol cans where the carrier evaporates quickly and leaves a layer of dry lube on parts. Well, that had very short-lived effect, but it did help temporarily, so I knew I was onto something. Well, yesterday I used a bicycle chain lubricant (something like tri-flow), which is a synthetic heat, pressure and moisture resistant chain lubricant. Even though it's a wet lubricant, after going through every link in the chain with a dropper I simply wiped the chain (almost) dry and it stayed nice and flexible. I also noticed that all that chain skipping has done some damage to the teeth on the motor sprocket. So, I gently filed the burrs off the teeth and made sure they are nice and smooth. Reinstalled everything, adjusted the chain tensioner and so far the thing runs quieter than it ever did on my watch.

I would check the chain and lube it gently. Also, make sure the sprockets are nice and smooth. After some banging there is sure to be some burring on the teeth.

Good luck!

 

[Lousyweather]

lubing the chain is fine, Vlad, as long as the customer realizes it should be cleaned and re-lubed periodically. The sprockets are replaceable as well, as the do get worn (the chain is hardened steel)......subsequent models use a need feeder mechanism, called the UL Feeder, which does away with the chain entirely

 

[vferdman]

lubing the chain is fine, Vlad, as long as the customer realizes it should be cleaned and re-lubed periodically. The sprockets are replaceable as well, as the do get worn (the chain is hardened steel)......subsequent models use a need feeder mechanism, called the UL Feeder, which does away with the chain entirely

I don't know why, but the installer, whom I respect, said to leave the chain dry as it will only collect crud if it's oiled. After oiling I thoroughly wiped it and it is performing so much better now! I used bicycle chain lube for off-road mountain bike applications. That stuff is very good at staying where it needs to be even under severe conditions. The chain does not need to be drenched in oil to be well-lubricated. I just put a drop of lube on each link and then rotated the chain on the sprocket a few times and I could actually see the chain "let go" where it binded before on the sprocket. I then wiped the chain dry with a rag.

That UL feeder you speak of, can the older stoves be retrofitted with it? Not that I am going to do it, I think the chain drive is fine as long as it's maintained properly. Still, I got all these mods in the stove, it's good to keep in mind what else can be done.

 

[IHUNT]

tell me about the UL feeder. I have my local stove shop coming in two weeks to look at the chain and sprocket, They told me that they found that the sprocket bends over time. The UL feeder was new to them and they wanted ti get more info on it. Is this something that I should consider or stay with the sprocket and chain.

Chris