Enviro EF3 Auger Not Working - Need Help

[Peltz]

Hello. I have a Enviro EF3 insert that is about 8 years old (does not have circuit board) and the auger will not feed pellets.
Things I have tried to fix the problem include:

* Cleaned the clean out at the flue
* Fed a hose and a 12 ft pole from the top of the chimney down and fed an 8 ft hose from my ShopVac up the chimney in an attempt to clear any obstructions. No obstruction found. The chimney is 16 feet and has a 4" diameter liner.
* Removed the exhaust motor and thoroughly cleaned it and all of area around it. It appears to be working as it blows exhaust, although I do not have a magnehelic pressure guage.
* Applied direct power to auger and it works
* Cleaned the entire firebox and around heat exchanger tubes.
* Checked the gasket around the door and it is tight
* By-passed several circuits including the temperature sensor, the vacuum switch and the auger timing module. None of this has fixed the problem
* Checked the vacuum hose for leaks and the ports for clogs

I did not remove the convection blower and clean around it but it does blow air and seems to work.

I am stumped. Everything seems to be clean and everything seems to work. Unless the exhaust blower is bad and not producing enough vacuum or the auger timing module is bad I do not know what could be wrong. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks

 

[imacman]

Since you say you jumped the vacuum switch, that rules that out as the cause. Have you checked the auger motor connections? Is there 120V getting sent to the leads? Any fuses that can be checked?

 

[jtakeman]

Sounds like the high limit switch is out. Push the reset(red button) on it. If you have a multimeter. Check the ohms on it with the stove unplugged. It should be closed. If its open and you pushed the reset the switch is NG. Try jumping it and see if it feeds pellets.

Otherwise it most likely the control(auger timer). Check the hi limit for now and post what you find. I'll do some diggin in the tech manual on testing the timers. Here a link to the tech manual and on page 33 is where the dial a fire info starts.

http://www.enviro.com/images/manual...C-12145 Instruction PELLET Service Manual.pdf

 

[smwilliamson]

or a bushing

 

[jtakeman]

* Applied direct power to auger and it works

or a bushing

I assumed from the qoute that the OP tested it in place. Should rule out a bad bushing if so.

 

[DexterDay]

What type of "Jumper" are you using? And how? I only ask because some have tried to jumper the vac switch, by unplugiing the 2 wires and then putting the jumper on the switch!! (Yes, happened)

The Vac switch could still be culprit? Did you remove the hose from the switch and blow through it (Towards stove) to clean the barb on the stove? Check ends for cracking? If there is enough slack, cut a 1/2"-1" off the ends.

Or the Reset as Jay suggests. (Boy wouldnt that be nice )

It could be a controller issue? Hate to even think that, but you seem to have your act together and know quite a bit about the unit. You pretty much covered everything.......

Welcome to the Forums, hope you stick around. Where abouts are you located?

 

[DexterDay]

Any updates?

 

[Peltz]

Hi. Been away. Thanks for the suggestions.

* The high limit safety switch was not "popped". Also, I jumped it.
* For a jumper I used a piece of wire. I disconnected the leads to whatever switch I was jumping and inserted one end of the wire in each lead.
* I did not remove the auger when I applied direct power. I assume the bushing is not an issue.
* I checked the vacuum hose, removed it, etc. and it is not cracked or clogged.

I have taken the unit apart and cleaned it pretty well. I wonder if there is something I am missing in the cleaning. I have not removed the main blower that moves the air over the exchangers. Do you think that needs to come off and cleaned?

Thanks

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The convection blower likely needs to be cleaned but that isn't the cause of the auger not turning.

Your dial a fire control is kaput if you have jumped the vac switch and auger motor doesn't turn.

 

[Peltz]

Hi. I went back and tried jumping all the switches one more time just to be sure. When I jumped the vacuum switch I noticed that the auger turned about 1/2 or 1 turn right at start up but then did nothing else. I waited to see if it would turn again but it did not. When I re-connected the vacuum switch connection the auger did not turn at all. Also, I blew in the vacuum hose towards the switch and could hear it open and close. I also blew and sucked on the hose to where it connects near the exhaust blower and it there were no air restrictions. In terms of the door seals, they seem pretty tight and paper definitely can not slide through. I am wondering if there is not enough vacuum being generated and that is why the auger does not turn. Either that or the auger timing control module is bad, the dial a fire is bad or the exhaust blower itself is bad. Any thoughts? Thanks

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Never blow towards a vacuum switch it pushes any ash in the tubing towards the switch.

With the stove off, cold, and unplugged what follows next is extremely dangerous if you have any question at all do not do what follows

If you hot wire the combustion blower does it start up and go to full speed (be very careful playing with 120 volt stuff, it kills) you disconnect the blower from the stove's wiring and connect a suicide cord (an electric lamp cord that has the plug still attached and the lamp end cut, with the wire split apart for a few inches and insulation removed so you can connect it to the blower) to the blower then making sure that any bare wire is not against any metal or parts of your body plug the cord into a wall outlet.

 

[Peltz]

When I blew in the hose towards the vacuum I had disconnected it first to see if had any tears, etc, so there was no ash going into the switch. I do believe the exhaust blower works, I do not know if it is full speed, but at one point I pulled the whole stove away from the flue liner and when I started the stove some residual ash blew out of the exhaust of the blower. This was before I cleaned the stove. I used the electric cord trick mentioned above to test the auger itself.

 

[smwilliamson]

Never blow towards a vacuum switch it pushes any ash in the tubing towards the switch.

With the stove off, cold, and unplugged what follows next is extremely dangerous if you have any question at all do not do what follows

If you hot wire the combustion blower does it start up and go to full speed (be very careful playing with 120 volt stuff, it kills) you disconnect the blower from the stove's wiring and connect a suicide cord (an electric lamp cord that has the plug still attached and the lamp end cut, with the wire split apart for a few inches and insulation removed so you can connect it to the blower) to the blower then making sure that any bare wire is not against any metal or parts of your body plug the cord into a wall outlet.

and never suck on the hose...yukky