Santa Fe Pellet Stove

[mdvorski]

This is the 3rd year I've heated with my pellet stove and have no issues until now. I cleaned the stove, pipes, blowers and everything I could safely get to without dismantling anything. My stove is hooked up to the standard thermostat that the unit came with. My problem is the stove will not stop feeding some times. When this happens the stove has a mind of its own and keep adding in pellets. I've unhooked the thermostat and it still keeps feeding. The only way I can get this to stop without cutting off the power is to disconnect one of the leads to the vacuum controller. Any help any reader could supply would be great.

Thank you

 

[ARGlock]

This is the 3rd year I've heated with my pellet stove and have no issues until now. I cleaned the stove, pipes, blowers and everything I could safely get to without dismantling anything. My stove is hooked up to the standard thermostat that the unit came with. My problem is the stove will not stop feeding some times. When this happens the stove has a mind of its own and keep adding in pellets. I've unhooked the thermostat and it still keeps feeding. The only way I can get this to stop without cutting off the power is to disconnect one of the leads to the vacuum controller. Any help any reader could supply would be great.

Thank you

Have you checked your therma couple cover to make sure the wire is touching all the way to the end? If that doesn't fix it, you might check with Kap over on IBC. He's a real Quad expert. I'm sure there are several here but I'm new here and have not figured out who is who yet.

Good Luck,
AR

 

[kilbury]

have you actually watched or felt the auger to be sure the auger is turning constantly? What color light flashes on your control box when you plug the stove in? If the TC is bad the control box will flash an amber light when plugged in, sometimes it will stay on constantly. You can also the the TC with a multimeter.

 

[ARGlock]

have you actually watched or felt the auger to be sure the auger is turning constantly? What color light flashes on your control box when you plug the stove in? If the TC is bad the control box will flash an amber light when plugged in, sometimes it will stay on constantly. You can also the the TC with a multimeter.

Good info I think I remember you over on IBC Balls of FAR!

AR

 

[kilbury]

Actually on on both forums, just gluten for punishment! lol

 

[tjnamtiw]

One other thing to try is to UNPLUG THE POWER and THEN unplug the control box and clean the contacts with an eraser and plug it back in. I hear that sometimes the contacts get corroded. I'm only on my second season so haven't had the problem YET. The control box is one of the culprits for your condition according to the service manual. Worth a try. Just make sure you unplug first.................

 

[mdvorski]

This is the 3rd year I've heated with my pellet stove and have no issues until now. I cleaned the stove, pipes, blowers and everything I could safely get to without dismantling anything. My stove is hooked up to the standard thermostat that the unit came with. My problem is the stove will not stop feeding some times. When this happens the stove has a mind of its own and keep adding in pellets. I've unhooked the thermostat and it still keeps feeding. The only way I can get this to stop without cutting off the power is to disconnect one of the leads to the vacuum controller. Any help any reader could supply would be great.

Thank you

Have you checked your therma couple cover to make sure the wire is touching all the way to the end? If that doesn't fix it, you might check with Kap over on IBC. He's a real Quad expert. I'm sure there are several here but I'm new here and have not figured out who is who yet.

Good Luck,
AR

I have not checked the Therma couple yet - I will try this. I will also ask the Quad expert if I can't fix this soon - thank you

 

[mdvorski]

have you actually watched or felt the auger to be sure the auger is turning constantly? What color light flashes on your control box when you plug the stove in? If the TC is bad the control box will flash an amber light when plugged in, sometimes it will stay on constantly. You can also the the TC with a multimeter.

The auger cycles on/off just as it would when starting up or running in normal mode. The light flashing is white (behind plastic so hard to see any other light) when the unti is pluged in. When the auger comes on the light also flashes white.

I will check the TC with a meter -

Thank you

 

[mdvorski]

One other thing to try is to UNPLUG THE POWER and THEN unplug the control box and clean the contacts with an eraser and plug it back in. I hear that sometimes the contacts get corroded. I'm only on my second season so haven't had the problem YET. The control box is one of the culprits for your condition according to the service manual. Worth a try. Just make sure you unplug first.................

I will give this a try as well - thank you

 

[tjnamtiw]

This is the 3rd year I've heated with my pellet stove and have no issues until now. I cleaned the stove, pipes, blowers and everything I could safely get to without dismantling anything. My stove is hooked up to the standard thermostat that the unit came with. My problem is the stove will not stop feeding some times. When this happens the stove has a mind of its own and keep adding in pellets. I've unhooked the thermostat and it still keeps feeding. The only way I can get this to stop without cutting off the power is to disconnect one of the leads to the vacuum controller. Any help any reader could supply would be great.

Thank you

Have you checked your therma couple cover to make sure the wire is touching all the way to the end? If that doesn't fix it, you might check with Kap over on IBC. He's a real Quad expert. I'm sure there are several here but I'm new here and have not figured out who is who yet.

Good Luck,
AR

I have not checked the Therma couple yet - I will try this. I will also ask the Quad expert if I can't fix this soon - thank you

I can't see how the thermocouple would have anything to do with it if it keeps feeding even when you disconnect the thermostat from the machine.

 

[jtakeman]

This is the 3rd year I've heated with my pellet stove and have no issues until now. I cleaned the stove, pipes, blowers and everything I could safely get to without dismantling anything. My stove is hooked up to the standard thermostat that the unit came with. My problem is the stove will not stop feeding some times. When this happens the stove has a mind of its own and keep adding in pellets. I've unhooked the thermostat and it still keeps feeding. The only way I can get this to stop without cutting off the power is to disconnect one of the leads to the vacuum controller. Any help any reader could supply would be great.

Thank you

Have you checked your therma couple cover to make sure the wire is touching all the way to the end? If that doesn't fix it, you might check with Kap over on IBC. He's a real Quad expert. I'm sure there are several here but I'm new here and have not figured out who is who yet.

Good Luck,
AR

I have not checked the Therma couple yet - I will try this. I will also ask the Quad expert if I can't fix this soon - thank you

I can't see how the thermocouple would have anything to do with it if it keeps feeding even when you disconnect the thermostat from the machine.

Wouldn't disconnecting the thermostat make the stove think its calling for heat? I would think you would need to put a jumper on the stat terminals to make the stove think its not being called for heat(same as the stat being at temp). Has to be something in the manual about that somewhere!

 

[mdvorski]

This is the 3rd year I've heated with my pellet stove and have no issues until now. I cleaned the stove, pipes, blowers and everything I could safely get to without dismantling anything. My stove is hooked up to the standard thermostat that the unit came with. My problem is the stove will not stop feeding some times. When this happens the stove has a mind of its own and keep adding in pellets. I've unhooked the thermostat and it still keeps feeding. The only way I can get this to stop without cutting off the power is to disconnect one of the leads to the vacuum controller. Any help any reader could supply would be great.

Thank you

Have you checked your therma couple cover to make sure the wire is touching all the way to the end? If that doesn't fix it, you might check with Kap over on IBC. He's a real Quad expert. I'm sure there are several here but I'm new here and have not figured out who is who yet.

Good Luck,
AR

I have not checked the Therma couple yet - I will try this. I will also ask the Quad expert if I can't fix this soon - thank you

I can't see how the thermocouple would have anything to do with it if it keeps feeding even when you disconnect the thermostat from the machine.

Wouldn't disconnecting the thermostat make the stove think its calling for heat? I would think you would need to put a jumper on the stat terminals to make the stove think its not being called for heat(same as the stat being at temp). Has to be something in the manual about that somewhere!

Another thing it does is the exhaust fan will come on (like when you plug it in) sometimes when I open my home exterior door - I probably will just have a service tech come out and check it for me. I'm thinking its the control board because of some post I have read and they are not cheap in any way.

 

[mdvorski]

This is the 3rd year I've heated with my pellet stove and have no issues until now. I cleaned the stove, pipes, blowers and everything I could safely get to without dismantling anything. My stove is hooked up to the standard thermostat that the unit came with. My problem is the stove will not stop feeding some times. When this happens the stove has a mind of its own and keep adding in pellets. I've unhooked the thermostat and it still keeps feeding. The only way I can get this to stop without cutting off the power is to disconnect one of the leads to the vacuum controller. Any help any reader could supply would be great.

Thank you

Have you checked your therma couple cover to make sure the wire is touching all the way to the end? If that doesn't fix it, you might check with Kap over on IBC. He's a real Quad expert. I'm sure there are several here but I'm new here and have not figured out who is who yet.

Good Luck,
AR

I have not checked the Therma couple yet - I will try this. I will also ask the Quad expert if I can't fix this soon - thank you

I can't see how the thermocouple would have anything to do with it if it keeps feeding even when you disconnect the thermostat from the machine.

Wouldn't disconnecting the thermostat make the stove think its calling for heat? I would think you would need to put a jumper on the stat terminals to make the stove think its not being called for heat(same as the stat being at temp). Has to be something in the manual about that somewhere!

Another thing it does is the exhaust fan will come on (like when you plug it in) sometimes when I open my home exterior door - I probably will just have a service tech come out and check it for me. I'm thinking its the control board because of some post I have read and they are not cheap in any way.[/quote

Another question for you -
I just fired up the pellet stove, fan came on and is blowing heat. I just turned the thermostat all the way down and now the control board has a solid red light - is this normal.

I appreicate any feed back at this point.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Wouldn't disconnecting the thermostat make the stove think its calling for heat? I would think you would need to put a jumper on the stat terminals to make the stove think its not being called for heat(same as the stat being at temp). Has to be something in the manual about that somewhere!

Just the opposite. Your thermostat closes a contact to start the stove.

 

[tjnamtiw]

The solid red light inside the control box on newer models means that the thermocouple has sensed that it is up to heat and it tells the igniter to shut off. That's all normal. There are actually two red lights. One is inside the box on newer models along with the green light. (for the thermocouple, as explained) The red light on the outside is the Call light that says the thermostat is calling for heat. Which red light are you talking about? If it's the Call light, then disconnect the wires from the two terminals that the thermostat is connected to. The light should go out.

 

[kilbury]

Control box lights: Blue lights when first plugged in, should flash 6 times approx every 10 seconds. Red light next to control box or back of stove depends on model comes on when thermostat is turned up or calls for heat. After stove is lit and up to 200 degrees green light on control box comes on, stove starts to feed regular. After stove reaches 600 degrees red light ON control box turns on, stove is in regular operation. Flashing amber light means there is a thermocouple problem. Yes amber is a different color then red! lol I go thru this with my customers and some don't know the differance and it makes it really tough to diagnose the problem over the phone or without seeing the stove. The igniter actually turns off when the green light turns on, not the red and I believe it times out at 14 mins but I could be wrong on the time.

 

[tjnamtiw]

From my copy of the Castile service manual, which I assume mirrors that of the Sante Fe, > ''ALSO, THE GREEN LIGHT
ON THE CONTROL BOX WILL STAY ON AND THE RED LIGHT WILL FLASH IF THE CIRCUIT IS OPEN OR IF THE
THERMOCOUPLE IS FRACTURED.'' I wonder if the flashing red light appears as amber since it never gets fully lit??? Or have they added another light? Then again in the Installation Manual, it says """A fl ashing yellow light on the control box indicates a problem with the thermocouple."" Oh, so confusing! I guess if SOMETHING is flashing, the thermocouple is toast!

I could have sworn I saw a sequence of operation that showed the igniter going off at thermocouple 'red light'. Oh well. Live and learn.

 

[kilbury]

Yes, I forgot about the flashing red light, haven't seen that one in a while. Maybe what I call amber they call yellow, guess its up to whoever is looking at it. lol You are right, guess I forgot when the igniter turned off, had to look it up myself, sorry.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I have been searching like crazy for that flow chart but can't find it. It may have been on IBC, which appears to be down. I think his computer crashed again.

In any event, the OP's problem is most likely the control box, I think. He should unplug and plug it back in after killing the power. Also, haven't heard if he disconnected the thermostat wires at the stove. that would eliminate a short in the wires from the thermostat to the stove. If the call light is staying on, it sure sounds like the terminals are shorted together.

 

[mdvorski]

I found the problem and wanted to post a reply. The problem is with the thermostat wire to the stove. I had it running under a door jam along the floor to conceal, over time of using this door the wire got exposed. Only when I stepped on a certain area of the door did the connection start the stove, this would act as if the thermostat was calling for heat.

I thank you for all your input and will run a new wire - safe from any future foot traffic or invest in a wireless thermostat.

Mark

 

[tjnamtiw]

That's great news you got off cheap this time. ) Had to figure with the call light staying on, it had to think the thermostat was closing the contact. Disconnecting the wires at the stove's terminals would have pointed you in that direction. If they are in the same location as on my insert version, they are a pain in the butt, though. Hey, that's pretty cool though. You come home, walk through the door, and your stove turns on for you. ha ha ha.

I have a wireless thermostat on my Castile because there was no easy way to run the wires EXCEPT ALONG THE DOOR and it works great. Well worth the investment.

 

[mdvorski]

That's great news you got off cheap this time. ) Had to figure with the call light staying on, it had to think the thermostat was closing the contact. Disconnecting the wires at the stove's terminals would have pointed you in that direction. If they are in the same location as on my insert version, they are a pain in the butt, though. Hey, that's pretty cool though. You come home, walk through the door, and your stove turns on for you. ha ha ha.

I have a wireless thermostat on my Castile because there was no easy way to run the wires EXCEPT ALONG THE DOOR and it works great. Well worth the investment.

Yes this was driving me crazy - after reading the post I started to look outside the stove. Did you buy the dealer wirelss thermostat or aftermarket, if its aftermarket could you please tell me the type. Figured I just saved the price of a service call, now I can use that to purchase a upgrade.

Thanks in adv

 

[tjnamtiw]

I bought the wireless from the dealer although I didn't have to. He had one for about $80 so I bit. You can get this version and programmable ones on EBay and other stores that sell HVAC stuff. This one is a SkyTech 3002. You can sit it anywhere in the room. Batteries last all winter. The receiver is a small box that you can put inside (shortens the range of course) of the stove or sit it just outside. It's small and inconspicuous. It says it's for gas appliances but it works equally well for our usage. There are a bunch on EBay for around $110 that are programmable. Just make sure you get one that is a thermostat. They have remote controls that just allow you to turn it on or off!
http://www.efireplacesdirect.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=71 has them too.

Oh, and to even confuse you more, some models have the receiver working off of 110volt and not batteries. Unless you want this, I would go for the batteries.