Quadrafire Castile Pellet Insert - 2006 model - 100% Dead

[grendel336]

Hi,

I have a Quadrafire Castile pellet stove insert. I bought it new in 2006. Original owner.

Never any problems with it until this week.

Ran perfectly every winter, then one night this week went to turn on stove using wall thermostat and there was nothing.

Not a blinking light on control box. Not a fan stirred. No noise. Nothing.

I checked the main fuse near the control box. It's fine.
I checked to see if the fans still freely spin. They do.

I checked to make sure my wall outlet still had power. It does.

If a snap disk is "blown" would that completely shut off all power to the control box? No lights at all anywhere?

Is my first step to just replace all snap disks and hope that's the problem? That's certainly cheaper than ordering a new control box.

Also, there's a third snap disk right? I found the two right near the control box. Where's the third one?

What else can I check before calling a technician to come look at my stove?
Is there a way to check snap disks if I have no power anywhere?

Thank you very much for any and all suggestions.

 

[Jack Morrissey]

!st thing you should unplug the stove and then plug back in to see iff it resets.

 

[Rick @ Great Northeast]

I would check the end of the 120 volt line that goes to stove, make sure connections or tight and you have power @ the end.

 

[jtakeman]

If a snap disk is "blown" would that completely shut off all power to the control box? No lights at all anywhere?

Yes, The high limit. Should be on the auger tube. It has a manual reset red push button. It will kill power to the unit until its reset. If its tripped, You might want to clean the convection blower. It the high limit tripped, Its because the unit got too hot.

 

[grendel336]

Yes. I unplugged unit and left it unplugged for hours, then plugged back in. Nothing.
I'm also sure the connections are all good. Unplugged and replugged numerous times.


Will check auger tube snap disk.

Thanks.

 

[tjnamtiw]

My first reaction was to also say unplug and replug. Second suggestion was to replace batteries in thermostat since mine wouldn't turn on call light this fall until I put new batteries in it. Both of those are out the window with you cycling power and having no exhaust fan. Yep, best hope is #3 snap disk followed by fuse. There is also a small 0.7 amp fuse on inside of control box to check. It also would not hurt to UNPLUG THE STOVE AND THEN unplug and reseat the control box. Many times after this long, slight corrosion on terminals can cause problems.

 

[grendel336]

What does a bad snap disk look like?

Here's mine:

How does one reset it?

 

[grendel336]

No batteries in thermostat.

How does one open the control box? Just pry it open with screw driver?

Thanks to all for prompt replies.

 

[grendel336]

Fuse inside control box looks fine.

 

[grendel336]

And I did find snap disk on auger:

So how does one reset a snapdisk?

Or how does one know if it needs to be reset? Does it look different?

 

[tjnamtiw]

See the finger sticking up between the two terminals? If you push it down slowly and you feel a 'snap', then it was tripped. If you feel nothing then it was either not tripped or it's bad. Unplug the terminals and measure across the terminals with an ohm meter. That one should read 0 ohms meaning it's closed. I see it looks like all your disks are resettable. Interesting as mine are not.

 

[tjnamtiw]

If it's not the main fuse or the snap disk#3, if your stove has a two prong receptacle on the base of the control board mounting box, see if you have 110 volts there. There is no fuse protection at that point and if you don't have power, then the plug coming into the stove is bad. If you don't have that receptacle, then it sure looks like a bad control board. Do you have a dealer who will swap one out to see if a new one works or if yours will work in their stove? I don't see anything that indicates an obvious problem on the board. The transformer is a little brown but that's pretty normal.

 

[grendel336]

Checked outlet and the end of the power cord that goes into stove.

Same readings on volt meter.

Cord is not the issue.

I've pressed the snap disk tabs about a million times. Various pressures without going crazy.

Noticed no changes. No clicks. Nothing.

I may have access to a dealer. He has a Castile freestanding model.

What are the odds my control board from 2006 would fit his free standing model that's surely pretty new?

 

[mr coffee]

The transformer is a little brown but that's pretty normal.

in my world that would be DOA.. is there a schematic around to trouble shoot (if you were so inclined..)

AND have the unit un plugged why you are prying/pulling and generally getting you hands up in there

this is one example of snapdisc with reset

 

[tjnamtiw]

OK, the very FIRST time you pressed in the snap disk, did you feel it snap? After that, you wouldn't feel any snap if it were reset.

Since you have a volt meter, I assume you also have an ohm meter function on it. Did you test across the snap disk with the leads pulled off?

You DID check the main fuse, right? I know it's a simple question but humor me.

The receptacle I was talking about would be internal to the fireplace at the base of the control box .

You could also try putting a jumper between the two leads that were attached to snap disk 3 JUST to see if you get life in the control box.

Is your control box a gray one or a translucent one with the red and green lights internal? (((ah, I see the LED in the lower right corner so I assume it's the newer translucent one)

Yes, either way a new box would work in your stove and should also work the dealer's new stove. Your box should flash blue six times when first energized. His, being a free standing Castile will flash 5 times but that's no problem and won't hurt anything. You just want to see if your board is dead or not.

I also sent you a PM.

 

[tjnamtiw]

This is a schematic of the Castile Insert from our age group, I believe. I modified it in the past to show how I wired it to keep the convection fan on high at all feed rates. Should help in troubleshooting.

 

[grendel336]

I will check across leads with ohm meter right now.

Yes - I have checked the main fuse about 5 times.

Control box is translucent.

 

[grendel336]

I will check across leads with ohm meter right now.

Yes - I have checked the main fuse about 5 times.

I have a really old digital multimeter. Not exactly sure what I'm looking for.

When I touched leads together the numbers changed.
That's basically what I'm looking for right?

So I unplugged the snap disks and touched the multimeter leads to the snap disk tabs.
On both the resetable snap disks I saw the same change in numbers on the multimeter that I saw when I just touched the leads together.

On the one snap disk that is not resetable I got no reading change at all.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I will check across leads with ohm meter right now.

Yes - I have checked the main fuse about 5 times.

I have a really old digital multimeter. Not exactly sure what I'm looking for.

When I touched leads together the numbers changed.
That's basically what I'm looking for right?

So I unplugged the snap disks and touched the multimeter leads to the snap disk tabs.
On both the resetable snap disks I saw the same change in numbers on the multimeter that I saw when I just touched the leads together.

On the one snap disk that is not resetable I got no reading change at all.

OK, sounds like you are on the ohms or resistance scale like you should be. Snap disk #1 controls the room fan so I would guess that's the one that the reading didn't change on. It has purple wires running to it. Since the reading didn't change, it indicates the switch is open and will close when it gets hot enough.
Snap disk #2 and3 should be closed so they should read just the same as when you touch the meter leads together, which they did. Soooooo, sounds like the snap disks are OK and you're down to testing the control box in another stove.

There was someone on the forum who was toying with the idea of repairing the control boxes. Can't remember who but maybe a 'search' might turn him up.

I'm sending you the service manual that might help a little too.

 

[grendel336]

Thanks a bunch.

Thanks to all.

I was afraid it was the control box and so far all arrows point that way.

I'll follow up with whatever I find out. I'm hoping local dealer will be able to test my box in his stove before I order a replacement.

But what else could it be?

There's little left to this stove.

 

[grendel336]

Anybody purchased a control box from Amazon, or even eBay?

I'm seeing price ranges from $290 to over $400.

eBay always makes me nervous. Is it a rebuilt one being sold "as new"?

I hope I can support my local dealer, but if his price is in that "over $400" range I might be forced to look elsewhere.

Thoughts?

 

[wwert]

Before I started throwing money at that stove I wold put a jumper between the 2 wires that go to the snap disc. Remove both wires from disc, insert jumper wire between the 2 wires. Turn stove on and see if it works, if it does replace the switch. Always check the least expensive parts first. Good luck.

 

[grendel336]

Before I started throwing money at that stove I wold put a jumper between the 2 wires that go to the snap disc. Remove both wires from disc, insert jumper wire between the 2 wires. Turn stove on and see if it works, if it does replace the switch. Always check the least expensive parts first. Good luck.

My immediate plan is to see if I can arrange to drop my control box into the local dealership's freestanding Castile stove on their showroom floor.

If that can be arranged I'll have a very direct answer as to if I need a new control box.

That local dealer is closed today. I might not be able to get out there until Wednesday at the earliest.

In the mean time I will be making a jumper wire to try the snap disk by-pass test.

 

[Turbo-Quad]

Let us know if its the snap disc......fingers crossed.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Let us know if its the snap disc......fingers crossed.

Hey Turbo, you were the one looking to rebuild the control boxes, weren't you? Or was it B-Mod?