American Harvest Not Feeding Enough

jc101285 said:

I have an American Harvest 6039 that I burn about 7 tons per year in. Has worked great every year but now all of a sudden is not feeding enough to stay lit. The auger only spins for 3 seconds regardless of the setting (1-9) and after lighting the fire goes out in 5-10 mins. The unit is clean and I did a by pass on the air pressure switch to see if it was an air problem, did not help. I have been told to try direct powering the auger but I don't know how to do that. Maybe a circuit board issue? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

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Direct powering the auger would help determine if the auger is any good. If you do not feel comfortable with AC voltage, then I suggest you call someone that does. I assume the board is not showing any error codes. Also I assume you have read the section in your manual on trouble shooting issues. The manual does address auger issues and what to look for.

jc101285 said:

I did look through the manual but I did not see anything specific enough to help. I don't mind dealing with the electrical side I just simply don't know which if the wires to put power and how.

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I would not put power to any of the wires. I would remove the auger, after I UNPLUGGED THE STOVE, and power the auger direct to the two terminals. I would use a "suicide cord" to achieve the desired result. If you don't know what a "suicide cord" is and/or how to remove the auger then I suggest you don't mess with it. Better off being safe and not breaking something that did not need fixing. IMO. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Do you have the 3 or 4 button panel? You can run the diagnostics test with the info. I would also check your feed rates and see if something changed from maybe a static discharge to the board during the off season. Also you might want to check the jumper on the thermostat posts on the board. If that jumper has fallen off or is cracked and not jumping across the posts then you will not be able to change the HR settings. It will look like they are changing on the board but the board will sense an external thermostat and will be waiting for it to call for heat and then ramp up the feed rate.

Take the back cover off the stove..Take a picture centered on the auger motor. Post the picture in this thread...

Considering that the auger is moving and it is clear with nothing plugging it, I would hope that he would look into troubleshooting from the board before ripping anything apart. Usually the 4 button board will tell you what you need to know as far as motors/fuses, loss of vacuum, power or fuel. One thing not clear is does the auger continue to turn and the stove then goes out? Or does it only turn once, stop turning and then the stove goes out?
I'm going on these assumptions from a previous thread that the poster made about the same problem but had more information than this one.

FirepotPete said:

Considering that the auger is moving and it is clear with nothing plugging it, I would hope that he would look into troubleshooting from the board before ripping anything apart. Usually the 4 button board will tell you what you need to know as far as motors/fuses, loss of vacuum, power or fuel. One thing not clear is does the auger continue to turn and the stove then goes out? Or does it only turn once, stop turning and then the stove goes out?
I'm going on these assumptions from a previous thread that the poster made about the same problem but had more information than this one.

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I am also having this problem, yesterday it ran for 15 hours and then about 3:00 pm started to die out. I am new to this stove so any input would be appreciated. Sometimes it shuts down within 15-30 minutes or it will run for a while but eventually shuts down.

Skeeter1 said:

I am also having this problem, yesterday it ran for 15 hours and then about 3:00 pm started to die out. I am new to this stove so any input would be appreciated. Sometimes it shuts down within 15-30 minutes or it will run for a while but eventually shuts down.

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Are all you settings still default from the factory?
Usually when it runs for as long as 15 hours and then starts to die, one of a few things is happening. First is the auger clear and fuel falling into the burn pot?
If you are using HR2 to start the stove are you bumping it up or down after it gets going good? If so then either you don't have enough fuel coming in or your draft setting is to high for the amount of fuel. The other thing could be to much fuel not enough draft and it smothers the fire.
Are you getting any error messages on the board when it shuts down after running? E2 will be out of fuel.
If you can post your HR1 and HR9 fuel feed settings and the D1 and D9 settings that would be of help to see if your settings are off and need to be adjusted.

Oh and the stuff above about the settings is for the four button board. Which board do you have?

FirepotPete said:

Are all you settings still default from the factory?
Usually when it runs for as long as 15 hours and then starts to die, one of a few things is happening. First is the auger clear and fuel falling into the burn pot?
If you are using HR2 to start the stove are you bumping it up or down after it gets going good? If so then either you don't have enough fuel coming in or your draft setting is to high for the amount of fuel. The other thing could be to much fuel not enough draft and it smothers the fire.
Are you getting any error messages on the board when it shuts down after running? E2 will be out of fuel.
If you can post your HR1 and HR9 fuel feed settings and the D1 and D9 settings that would be of help to see if your settings are off and need to be adjusted.

Oh and the stuff above about the settings is for the four button board. Which board do you have?

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I have the ABC control board and no error messages are displayed. Still on the default settings. I just cleaned out the auger before I started it and cleaned out the entire stove, I was running it at HR5 and the blower the same. Thanks

Dont forget to check your thermostat jumpers and do a factory reset on the boards. the old 3 button boards suck. They're buggy. but, when they work they do great.

PETE: i thought this thread looked familiar too but i didnt see any of my posts and got confused.

On your 3 button board when its running, do you have any flashing LED's? Did you check the jumper to ensure it IS making contact?

Skeeter1 said:

I have the ABC control board and no error messages are displayed. Still on the default settings. I just cleaned out the auger before I started it and cleaned out the entire stove, I was running it at HR5 and the blower the same. Thanks

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Do you have the manual so you can try and adjust the setting if need be? If not here is a link for the pdf download.

http://usstove.com/resources/OwnersManuals/English Owners Manuals/6039 Manual.pdf

FirepotPete said:

Do you have the manual so you can try and adjust the setting if need be? If not here is a link for the pdf download.

http://usstove.com/resources/OwnersManuals/English Owners Manuals/6039 Manual.pdf

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Got busy and just got back to working on this stove. I took the auger motor off and ran power directly to it and it runs fine, I cannot grab the auger and stop it, it just keeps going no matter how hard I squeeze it. Here are some other things maybe you can give your opinion on. I have this tied into my wood stove exhaust, so it goes into a 4" pipe which T's into a 6" inch pipe going straight through my ceiling. When the stove is running and I open the draft the fire takes off and you can see the difference. I talked to an HVAC guy and he looked at it and said draft is not the problem (he hasn't dealt with pellet stove at all though), my question is how touchy are these stoves with the exhaust, I do not have the joints sealed with RTV either, another question is if this is an issue would the stove work for 3-4 hours and then quit or would the stove quit right away if exhaust is an issue? I do have the manual but thanks for the link.

Skeeter1 said:

Got busy and just got back to working on this stove. I took the auger motor off and ran power directly to it and it runs fine, I cannot grab the auger and stop it, it just keeps going no matter how hard I squeeze it. Here are some other things maybe you can give your opinion on. I have this tied into my wood stove exhaust, so it goes into a 4" pipe which T's into a 6" inch pipe going straight through my ceiling. When the stove is running and I open the draft the fire takes off and you can see the difference. I talked to an HVAC guy and he looked at it and said draft is not the problem (he hasn't dealt with pellet stove at all though), my question is how touchy are these stoves with the exhaust, I do not have the joints sealed with RTV either, another question is if this is an issue would the stove work for 3-4 hours and then quit or would the stove quit right away if exhaust is an issue? I do have the manual but thanks for the link.

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I must say I'm confused. In post #1 you say the stove has run well for years. Post #8 you say you are new to this stove.

We all will help you here but I'm surprised that you have the stove exhaust into a shared pipe. Not to jump you but that's a big, let's not do that. Did the HVAC guy know the exhaust setup? If so I wouldn't ask him anymore questions.

I hate to say it but with the exhaust they way it is, I won't even try and tell you what the problem(s) is. Unless someone here has dealt with a setup like that I think most will only tell you to vent it properly and start from there.

I'm not walking away from your problem, I just don't have anything to add to what it could be and direct you with the exhaust setup the way it is.

FirepotPete said:

I must say I'm confused. In post #1 you say the stove has run well for years. Post #8 you say you are new to this stove.

We all will help you here but I'm surprised that you have the stove exhaust into a shared pipe. Not to jump you but that's a big, let's not do that. Did the HVAC guy know the exhaust setup? If so I wouldn't ask him anymore questions.

I hate to say it but with the exhaust they way it is, I won't even try and tell you what the problem(s) is. Unless someone here has dealt with a setup like that I think most will only tell you to vent it properly and start from there.

I'm not walking away from your problem, I just don't have anything to add to what it could be and direct you with the exhaust setup the way it is.

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The guy I bought it from stated it ran fine, I've only had it for 4 weeks or so. That what I was thinking also, will put this back together tonight and install over the weekend. Thanks for the info and help.

Skeeter1 said:

The guy I bought it from stated it ran fine, I've only had it for 4 weeks or so. That what I was thinking also, will put this back together tonight and install over the weekend. Thanks for the info and help.

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OK, please let us know how it turns out, they are great little stoves that can keep ya warm and save money. Any info helps us all with tips about the stove.

whoa, exhaust is ducted into an existing chimney and wood stove? Thats gonna make things tough! lol

FirepotPete said:

I must say I'm confused. In post #1 you say the stove has run well for years. Post #8 you say you are new to this stove.

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Two different people posted this.

mralias said:

Two different people posted this.

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Yup, had two guys working on almost the same problem, one had made to different threads, lost track of who was who, hey I'm closer to 60 than 55 so I have an excuse! Stay warm!

Skeeter1 said:

I have this tied into my wood stove exhaust, so it goes into a 4" pipe which T's into a 6" inch pipe going straight through my ceiling.

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I hope you do not mean you still have a wood stove and a pellet stove in the same venting system. If so....big no no.

mralias said:

Two different people posted this.

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Hi Again,

Well hooked up the venting exactly like the manual says, took out the auger motor and hook it directly to elect (runs fine), put it back together and the auger still quits running after a short time. I bypassed the pressure switch and that did nothing, the auger still does not turn. The small amount of time I have run this, maybe an hour there has been some soot build up, will clean up again tonight and try it but I am loosing faith in this one, don't know what else it could be. Let me know.

Thanks

I'm wondering if your HI limit switch is bad. Is the red light above the "B" flashing after the auger stops?

FirepotPete said:

I'm wondering if your HI limit switch is bad. Is the red light above the "B" flashing after the auger stops?

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Hi Guys,

Still working on this issue. I have replaced the auger motor as that was bad, I bypassed the pressure switch and that helped but I still had to run it on 9 to get good heat to keep a 24x28 garage 60 deg's, the stove finally shut off. I took my pipe off and made sure all the joints and screw holes had RTV sealant around them and re-installed, hooked the pressure switch back up and now there still is not enough pellets going into the burn pot. Called the factory and re-set the auger output setting to 3 and that did nothing either. I have never witnessed the "B" flashing when it shut off, I have seen the "A" flash when I open the door. I have also replaced the window gasket, the door seal is fine. Any recommendations would be great. About a week ago the factory had me do a test from the board, pressed and held A and B at the same time and went through and checked all the motors and fans and everything passed. I wonder why the stove quit with the pressure switch bypassed.

Thanks