Quadra-fire only runs for 10 min

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light on = circut closed. so thats that. and i assume for test purposes you are turning the thermostat all the way up.
Check that control board.
 
here is what would cause that problem your having
bad thermocouple
dirty thermocouple cover
dirty flue creating to much backpressure on the unit
bad combustion blower not creating enough negative pressure on the unit
vacume leak somewhere on the stove
bad control board
loose control board
pellet feed set to low, it burns out the pellets before it can reload
 
MSG's the man. The vacuum switch itself could fail also or could have a disconnected or crimped hose.

Tacoma, are you in Tacoma, WA? or is that your Toyota handle?
 
i have learned every thing i know here :red:

mabey you can go fix it for him! a new side line for ya, stove consultant and pellet stove repair guy.
 
Great thread guy's.... a bit hard to read though.... since you both answered each other so damn quick ;-)
Hey quick question how does the air get into a quad is it adjustable?
Just wondering My brother in law has a castille...
 
I spent many frustratng hours today trying to figure this stupid thing out to no avail again. Is there anyway I can take the board to a shop to see if it's working properly? If they are fairly inexpensive how would I go about finding one?
 
Just a couple of questions?
Do you have the log kit installed? If yes remove it for now and try to run the stove..
Do you have outside air installed?
Recap what you have for a venting setup.
I have no Idea about your stove.... but I would think if the call light was on it is calling for heat so if the stove seems to be doing a normal shutdown (like the temp is satisfied) then the control board could be wacked..... Although not knowing the quad circuitry I suppose the t-stat could be the problem.. But to be sure I would jump it at the stove and not at the t-stat, cause you could have a screwy wiring problem.... You havn't changed the t-stat to a different one (programmable) recently have you?
Also if the stove starts I would think it's not a vacuum switch (or draft) problem as with most the draft needs to be established before the auger can feed.
But if the exhaust pipe is partially plugged the draft could possibly be tricked until the fire starts and somehow creates back pressure.....

If you have outside air I would disconnect it for a quick test to see if it starts and runs.
And if you do have outside air what kind of pipe is it is it the selkirk pipe in pipe or a seperate line from the flue?
 
I do not have the log kit nor outside air. Venting is just a 45 degree straight out to a horizontal cap. Thermostat hasn't been changed. I did notice that the flame seems to get a bit larger than normal just before the auger stops feeding. Maybe 8 inches off the pot.
 
The problem is you got a Quadrafire (Tacoma245) Lets go beyond that, since i have one also and i was reading your post. Mine is a 1200-I insert and have had it for about 6 years. Ran perfect for about 5 years, and then starting acting up just as you describe yours, except mine runs for about 25-30 mins at a time. It cycles everything okay and shuts down normally, except the red call light always stays on, I have to shut off the t-stat for the red light to go off.
I went bonkers and bought every thing new: #1,#2 disk thermocouple, thermocouple cover, new t-stat and new control board nothing has worked. Funny thing happened back in mid December, this stove ran perfect for about a month and a half and about 45 bags of pellets later it started doing the same thing. Hope this will help so you don't have to go out and buy everything new, and it turns out to be something as simple as a draft or air problem.
I will probably go to a different manufacturer when I purchase another one and hope I get a better bang for my buck. Good Luck!
If the forum has any suggestions on this problem on the quad, it sure would be appreciated.
tomalh
 
BeGreen said:
MSG's the man. The vacuum switch itself could fail also or could have a disconnected or crimped hose.

Tacoma, are you in Tacoma, WA? or is that your Toyota handle?
Click to expand...

hey guys , a question for i do not know how a quad is laid out ,"does the unit have a vac switch that stops feed auger when the door is opened? if so , here is a scenario (if it dont have one then this is moot) the stove lights up right? , ok think air here, as air heats up it becomes less dense, the lighter the air gets the harder it is for this air to hold vacuum pressure. if the door open interrupt has a hose connected , it will have to be connected into the firebox somewhere, if this hose connection's opening is restricted (ash in it , crimp in hose, or a crack in the hose (silicone hoses will crack if they get too hot) the stove will feed as enough vac pressure is generated with the cold air before start, then as the air heats up the vac is lost due to less dense air and restriction/leak switch opens, feed is interrupted, but the board , which probably does not read the switch open is still calling for heat.

just a possibility, but if this unit (or the older one that the other poster mentioned) have this type of door open interrupt, it could be your culprit.


hope this helps,

mike esw
 
Yes, it does have a vacuum switch.I think you are correct in checking the vacuum switch. It can be checked by shorting it out temporarily.
 
tomahl, I can understand how you'd be upset after throwing a lot of parts at the stove. This is not typical. I sent you the service manual via email. Feel free to contact me with questions. Start with checking the vacuum line, switch, etc. Also be sure the control box is jumpered correctly for this stove model.
 
I have checked the vacuum line on my stove and it was fine. How do I go about checking the vacuum switch itself? Do you think that it would be possible for it to be bad even though my flame is perfect when it is running? Also, what do you mean by the control box being properly jumpered?
Thanks for everyone's input.
 
tacoma 245, I was responding to tomahl. Hadn't heard from you in awhile.

For your questions. To check the vacuum switch you can *temporarily* short across it's terminals. Some control panels have a jumper block on the front to adjust for stove type. If you haven't touched this then it should still be correctly set by the factory. Control boxes are expensive. If you want to have it checked at the dealer, call them first and make sure they have the proper equipment to check it with.

Question: When your unit is running, then stops after 10 minutes, is the green thermocouple light on the control box lit as well as the red call light?
 
Yes the green light on the control box stays on. I can also see a flashing green light inside the control box through a small gap.
 
OK, the green light means a go signal from the thermocouple. If it goes out in 10 minutes, it means the thermocouple is not sensing heat. If the stove stopped, did the green light on the control box go out or stay lit? Does the stove start up again when the reset button is pushed?


Did you try to short out the vacuum switch temporarily? (A paper clip between the spade lugs will work, just be sure it doesn't touch anything.)
If yes, describe what happened? Did the stove still run for just 10 minutes again then stop? Or did it keep running?
 
Ok, The temperature outside reached mid 40's the other day and the stove began to work fine. Kicked on and off as it should and ran until the room met the proper temp. What could possibly cause the stove to work properly in warmer weather rather then when I really need it, in the coldest of days?
 
How is the stove getting it's combustion air? From the room or via an Outside Air Kit (OAK)?
 
tacoma245 said:
I do not have the log kit nor outside air. Venting is just a 45 degree straight out to a horizontal cap. Thermostat hasn't been changed. I did notice that the flame seems to get a bit larger than normal just before the auger stops feeding. Maybe 8 inches off the pot.
Click to expand...
BG
I had to reread this post from start to finish to remember it No OAK.
 
Thanks, no time for the long read at work. If not the intake, then it's the output. That's the only two potential outside air connections where the environment can influence the stove. Next to check is the flue. Have you checked the flue cap screen? Is there snow or anything in it's way? That is unless, the stove really needs an OAK cuz it's starving for air. Opening a nearby window would tell there.
 
I have a similar problem but my fan is the only thing working. i brought the stove a 1100i and it worked fine for a week then i found out that i needed to replace the ignitor. ever since then it will not turn on. no red light no control box light only thing that turns on is the exhaust fan. i brought a control box but same thing. is the power supply box is the cause of this? ..anyone out there have this issue or can advise me
 
arnie, you should start a new thread and give as much info as possible.
 
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