Quadrafire Castille Insert won't feed pellets

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LiteWait

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Nov 14, 2008
22
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I was working around this issue all last winter, but in the Spring the unit wouldn't feed pellets. The trick I used (other than cleaning the heck out of it) was to vacuum out the pressure hose and it would run for a week or two. However, that stopped working and then I used to jiggle the hose as I started it up and it would start feeding pellets again. I've checked numerous times for obstructions but it's all clean. Blower is running. Doors have a good seal.

I assume the pressure switch hasn't tripped because my tricks worked for a while (but it is really hard to see from the manual where all the switches are).

Can someone give me a couple of tips on how to isolate the problem?

Also, this is an insert so I have to pull it part way out to test it, are there any tricks here?

Thanks!
 
One thing I did with my quad was to disconnect the vacuum hose from the vacuum switch and blow compressed air into the stove. The connection at the stove is in the auger area and it would always get clogged with saw dust. If that doesn't fix it?

Sounds like the vac switch isn't pulling in. I would make a jumper wire to temporarily bypass the switch. When you wiggled the hose and it worked sounds like the switch could be defected. Just in case I would also check the door seals and any gaskets that could be letting air into the stove. Don't run the stove for long periods with the switch jumped. It is just for testing purpose only and its a safety device. Best to fix the issue before running the stove.
 
First off, it's not a 'pressure switch, but, as j-takeman said, it's a vacuum switch. You mentioned that you vacuumed out the hose. Don't do that because the switch is meant to detect very slight amounts of vacuum. you could have wrecked it right there! By moving the hose around and having it work might mean that the hose has a crack in it. Maybe it's time to replace it or at least inspect it closely.
A lot of things could cause the vacuum switch from not being pulled in. If this is happening on HIGH, there definitely is a problem. On LOW, it's a close call as to whether it pulls in or not. A bad door gasket could be leaking. The dump gate on the bottom of the firepot could be hanging down too far (clearance should be no more than the thickness of a dime opposite the pivot) or maybe it's not closing all the way. You should leave the hose hooked to the back of the feed chute and disconnect it from the switch and blow air through it making sure it's coming out into the chute area. Also a dirty combustion fan or build up in that area could be causing low vacuum.
The clue may be your wiggling the hose though.
 
UNPLUG the stove before you stick your hands in there. 110 VAC in some of the wires!

Proper way to test the Vac switch is to first bypass it with a jumper. If the stove runs you know the vac switch is causing the "no feed" problem.

To determine if the switch is bad or not I would check it two ways. First I would set a multimeter on ohms and hook to leads on switch. Gently put a small amount of suction on the switch and you should get continuity. At this point you can wiggle things around and such to see if you get any failure. Other test is to hook a manometer up to the hose on one end and the stove on the other. See what kind of pressures you get. If its in the rated range on the switch, the switch is probably bad.

If you pressure readings are very low then you have a blocked vent pipe or a bad seal someplace.
 
tjnamtiw said:
First off, it's not a 'pressure switch, but, as j-takeman said, it's a vacuum switch. You mentioned that you vacuumed out the hose. Don't do that because the switch is meant to detect very slight amounts of vacuum. you could have wrecked it right there! By moving the hose around and having it work might mean that the hose has a crack in it. Maybe it's time to replace it or at least inspect it closely.
A lot of things could cause the vacuum switch from not being pulled in. If this is happening on HIGH, there definitely is a problem. On LOW, it's a close call as to whether it pulls in or not. A bad door gasket could be leaking. The dump gate on the bottom of the firepot could be hanging down too far (clearance should be no more than the thickness of a dime opposite the pivot) or maybe it's not closing all the way. You should leave the hose hooked to the back of the feed chute and disconnect it from the switch and blow air through it making sure it's coming out into the chute area. Also a dirty combustion fan or build up in that area could be causing low vacuum.
The clue may be your wiggling the hose though.
Click to expand...

2nd Off, vacuum is the evacuation of air through negative pressure, so it is in fact a pressure switch. 1 in a thousand vac switches actually fail. First make sure the switch is mounted securely in a vertical plane. Remove the hose from the switch and BLOW. Inspect the hose for signs of breaks, dry rot etc. You can test the switch by placing a Multi metre on the switch and sucking slightly. USE A CLEAN HOSE!

Are you positive that the vent for the stove is entirely clean? Have you removed it and looked through or pushed brushes through to the outside air?
 
smwilliamson said:
2nd Off, vacuum is the evacuation of air through negative pressure, so it is in fact a pressure switch. 1 in a thousand vac switches actually fail. First make sure the switch is mounted securely in a vertical plane. Remove the hose from the switch and BLOW. Ah, you mean, put a negative vacuum on it??? ha ha ha
Inspect the hose for signs of breaks, dry rot etc. You can test the switch by placing a Multi metre on the switch and sucking slightly. USE A CLEAN HOSE!

Are you positive that the vent for the stove is entirely clean? Have you removed it and looked through or pushed brushes through to the outside air?
Click to expand...
 
tjnamtiw said:
smwilliamson said:
2nd Off, vacuum is the evacuation of air through negative pressure, so it is in fact a pressure switch. 1 in a thousand vac switches actually fail. First make sure the switch is mounted securely in a vertical plane. Remove the hose from the switch and BLOW. Ah, you mean, put a negative vacuum on it??? ha ha ha
Inspect the hose for signs of breaks, dry rot etc. You can test the switch by placing a Multi metre on the switch and sucking slightly. USE A CLEAN HOSE!

Are you positive that the vent for the stove is entirely clean? Have you removed it and looked through or pushed brushes through to the outside air?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

?? I mean blow through the hose so you don't get a mouthful of ash from sucking.
 
Ha ha ha :lol:
 
smwilliamson said:
?? I mean blow through the hose so you don't get a mouthful of ash from sucking.
Click to expand...

Done that, it does not taste very good. Not ash usually though, but fines.
 
LiteWait said:
Proper way to test the Vac switch is to first bypass it with a jumper
Click to expand...

Can someone give me a bit of guidance here. I've got wire...jumper what to what?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Remove BOTH wires from the vacuum switch and connect them together with a short piece of INSULATED wire that is stripped at both ends. For safety sake, tape them up so nothing shorts out. It IS 110 volts and can short to anything metal in the stove. Make sure you unplug the stove when making the connection.
 
Ok, got the insert pulled out of the fireplace. Dumb question...is the vacuum switch near the feed auger or down near the blower on the QuadraFire Castille?

Probably shouldn't test fire in the middle of the dining room, right? :)
 
On mine, the vacuum switch is mounted to the back wall on the right side of the insert. Take the side cast piece off to more easily get at it. The best way to remove the cast piece, in case you don't know, is to loosen both phillips screws on the top hold down after opening the loading door on top.
 
Ok, initial observations.

1. venting is clear no blockage.
2. the vacuum switch doesn't appear to be held in by anything I just tapped it with my hand and it started to fall out.
3. put the switch back in put the ohmmeter on it and got continuity.
4. blew lightly into vacuum switch and continuity stopped.
5. stopped blowing continuity started again.

so the switch is OK? does that make sense? going to clean the nipples on each end of the hose.

debating whether to push the insert back and test it...or roll it on a furniture dolly outside and test it there.
 
hmmmmm. You said you got continuity across the switch (zero ohms) with no vacuum..... That's not good. Then you BLEW into the switch and it opened. Sounds like your switch is screwed up. It should be an open circuit with no vacuum and then close with vacuum. Maybe by you blowing in it, you unstuck the contacts. Still not a good sign though.
It would definitely be easier to work on outside if you can easily get it out there. The only thing missing would be the vertical draft of a chimney.
 
You should only get continuity on the vac switch if the hose is connected AND the blower is running AND the front door is shut AND pellets in the hopper.
Otherwise you should get nothing.

If you gently suck on the tube then you should get continuity. Never blow into the vac switch.
 
Ok I figured it out. When I looked at the switch I wondered why it was loose. Not knowing how it was designed I thought the switch just sat in the box. I pulled the box and looked inside and sure enough there was dried glue pieces in here. Only took and idiot like me 10 seconds to figure out the vacuum switch is an all-in-one unit where the switch is glued into the box. Seems like a design defect if you ask me.

Replace the switch and I am as good as new!

Does anyone have a supplier and/or a part number I can get the switch from? Quadrafire Castille bought in 2006/7.

Thanks.
 
SRV7000-531 is the current number, any Quadrafire dealer should have one on hand, reteil should be anywhere from 45-50 bucks.
 
Yes that one will be identical and it will work. I believe Quadrafire went to a different style and thats why the part number is different. 447 is the part # immediately before they switched to the 531 number. I know I had quite a bunch in your year range go bad so I think there may have been a bad batch. A vacuum switch is something that rarely goes bad.
 
531 is round not like the 447, but the hose looks thicker. If it is a direct replacement I'd rather get the newer model. Let me know. Thanks.
 
531 is the current and correct number. Yes it's a direct replacment. It is a round switch, made of plastic not metal. For some reason they changed the style they use. I had quite a few issues with the rectangular switch a few years ago, not sure if they had a bad batch or what. If you get the new switch it should come with a couple different size hoses to fit different units.
 
After searching some more I now see you are correct. It looks like this just happened recently. Maybe if I had time to read all the field updates I would know these things. I found an updated Santa-Fe parts breakdown which has the new vac switch in it.

Found a picture on woodheatstoves and it looks like the one they are using in the new PVI in-line power vent. Looks much more reliable than the old style. The metal ones on occasion would separate from the plastic switch and then they are not reliable anymore. This continuous molded plastic switch should have a much smaller failure rate.

http://www.quadrafire.com/~/media/Files/Quadrafire/Santa-Fe-MBK.ashx

http://woodheatstoves.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=292_90_221_170&products_id=2143
 
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