Whitfield advantage will not stay running on setting2

[sawdust1]

HI I have a Whitfield advantage free standing stove. The problem is that it will not stay running on setting 2 but will run on setting 3 with no problems. Have cleaned out the stove and the exhaust pipe as well. Burning L G Granule pellets. Could it be the low limit switch or another switch that is causing the problem. Also I have tried adjusting the damper setting as well. Tanks in advance for any help. DENNIS

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Hi there.

Does the auger cycle on and off on the two lower settings ??

setting 1 should cycle on for about 2 seconds than off for about 7 seconds. (Red light)
Setting 2 should cycle on for about 2 seconds then off for about 5 seconds.

If the system is not cycling correctly then we can proceed with diagnostics.

Let us know

Snowy

 

[sawdust1]

Tanks for responding. Yes the auger does cycle on the lower settings. Also I tried adjusting the auger trim control to the plus side.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

OK

While the auger is cycling do pellets drop and burn ??

If pellets are dropping and burning this is good.

The fire on 1 or 2 is relatively low.

Now does the fire go out ?? or does the stove just shut off (fans and such stop running)

If the fans and such shut off, then the issue is the low temp snap switch is opening when it sho

Now the entire diagnostics is based on a CLEAN stove.

The entire interior of the fire box needs to be clean and the fire brick needs to be removed and all the ash cleaned/vacuumed out.

The advantage can also have interior ash baffles behind the fire brick that need to be removed and the area cleaned out.

The exhaust fan chamber can also fill with ash and crud that can insulate the snap switch.

If you have a direct vent or an easily accessable chimney then the use of a leaf blower on SUCK applied to the stack/vent withthe stoves door open and the baffles removed will clear any residual ashes out of the stove.

Now with a clean stove and all things being as they should be, the low temp snap switch should close at about 120F


The Low temp switch is mounted on the exhaust fan housing.

The switch may be of the wrong value or may be faulty.

These are a Bi Metal type disc that when heated "SNAPS" closed at a preset temperature and closes a switch.

If the wrong switch is present then the temp at which the stove will shut down would/could be too high.

A faulty switch that opens too soon can cause the same results.

The draft rod needs to be set as per the instructions in the book.
Too much draft at low feed settings can burn out the fire too soon and allow a long interval in which the exhaust housing can cool off too much.

Check the low temp switch.

There is high voltage inside the cabinet so use care in working inside the unit with the stove plugged in or running.

I would say to clean the unit well, then check the low temp snap switch to see if it is the proper type and rating.

Once running, the stove should be able to sustain a fire even on the LOW (1) setting

2 seconds of feed and 7 seconds of auger off time.


Keep us posted

Snowy

 

[sawdust1]

Snowy River, thank you for responding. I will try your suggestions. I do not know if the fire just burns out or if the stove shuts off. I will try to determine which one it may be. Again thanks for the information it will be helpful. Dennis

 

[sawdust1]

Snowy River can the low limit switch be jumped out and still run the stove safely until my new switch comes in? Thanks

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Snowy River can the low limit switch be jumped out and still run the stove safely until my new switch comes in? Thanks

Yes, except you need to unplug the stove after both the fire is out and the stove is cold. Otherwise the blowers are going to run 24/7/365.

You'll also have to watch the stove every start up to make certain that the fire is established.

By jumping the switch you are telling the stove there is fire all the time.

 

[sawdust1]

Thanks for all the help much appreciated.

 

[stellep]

I've had smaller pellets burn too fast so that the stove cannot maintain the fire. Bumping up the feed a notch fixes the problem. Could be a pellet thing?

 

[stellep]

Oh and I just remembered. I read something somewhere about the Advantage augers that the bushing at the bottom of the auger wears over time(long) and slows the pellet feed rate as the gears get further apart. It's like a 5 cent fix for a new bushing. Check it out.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

The gears are inside the feed motor and do not change their position.

The auger bushing can wear out but usually this will cause the auger to bind or otherwise not work well.

Small, softwood pellets (Pine) can burn rapidly and on a low setting cause the fire to go out.

The wide spectrum of pellets that are on the market makes this entire thing a "CRAP SHOOT"

Most brands of pellets should be able to run ok, BUTTTTTT some tweeking of the adjustments is somethimes needed.

I run crushed Nut shells in my whitfields and I had to mess with the adjustments a bit to get things into the sweet spot.

I rarely run the Advantage above the (1) setting. The materials feeds far different that pellets do.

I just bumped the feed motor on time up a tad to get the amount of materials just right to maintain a good fire on the low setting.

(2) is OK but it makes a much bigger fire than I usually want.


Question ???

When the stove goes out, and you come back to find it dead, do you find the burn pot full of Pellets ??

If this is happening, then the fire is dieing out and not rekinding due to too small of a fire or too long of a time between feed cycles.

If the pot does not have anything in it, then its likely that the low temp switch is opening and allowing the fire to simply go out.

Snowy

 

[sawdust1]

Snowy Rivers. The burn pot is empty. I took your suggestion and removed and cleaned the low limit switch and the stove has been running on setting 2 all night and all day today. Again thanks for your help.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Sounds like then maybe the Low limit switch was not making a good solid contact with the fan housing.

This would certainly allow the switch to "COOL" off or to not get the full heat potential from the housing.

Glad to hear things are better.

Snowy