1994 Breckwell P24 Auger

[centromatic]

Hello folks. New guy here. Glad to be part of your forum.

I have a 94 Breckwell P24 free standing stove. This stove has served me well since I purchased the house in 2001. In turn, I have treated it well with plenty of preventative maintenance. That being said, this morning, I awoke to a chilly downstairs. Lo and behold, there was no fire burning. Both blowers were still running, the auger light was on, but no pellets were feeding.

Upon closer inspection (after removing all of the pellets from the hopper) I noticed that the auger was not turning. I figured it was an auger motor malfunction, however, I soon heard the motor making it’s typical turning sound.

With the motor running, but the auger not turning, it appears that the gearing is stripped? Has anyone experienced this before? If so, how difficult (or, hopefully easy) is this repair?
Thanks!!

 

[imacman]

Yes, it may be stripped gears, but did you go into the back of the stove, and make sure the motor shaft and auger shaft aren't just slipping? If not, replacing the gears is a non-starter, as there is nowhere to buy them. Cheaper to just try to find the replacement auger motor complete.

Is yours a Merle Korf?

There was a thread on here recently that gives info on getting replacement auger motors better than most originals.

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/34017/

Oh, BTW, welcome to the forum!

 

[hearthtools]

Yes, it may be stripped gears, but did you go into the back of the stove, and make sure the motor shaft and auger shaft aren't just slipping? If not, replacing the gears is a non-starter, as there is nowhere to buy them. Cheaper to just try to find the replacement auger motor complete.

Is yours a Merle Korf?

There was a thread on here recently that gives info on getting replacement auger motors better than most originals.

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/34017/

Oh, BTW, welcome to the forum!

if it is the auger motor/gear box you have several options
that stove uses a 4 RPM auger motor
you can get a replacement

or you can upgrade the stove with a 1 RPM motor kit
this kit has a new digital control board.
new wire harness
new auger
new 1 rpm auger motor

Makes the stove run more quite because the 4 Rpm noisier
and you will be using the new control board that controls voltage to the blowers better that the old analog board that is no longer available

 

[imacman]

or you can upgrade the stove with a 1 RPM motor kit
this kit has a new digital control board.
new wire harness
new auger
new 1 rpm auger motor

Makes the stove run more quite because the 4 Rpm noisier
and you will be using the new control board that controls voltage to the blowers better that the old analog board that is no longer available

Just curious Rod...what does an "upgrade" like that cost?? Is it worth it in a 15 yr old stove?

 

[hearthtools]

or you can upgrade the stove with a 1 RPM motor kit
this kit has a new digital control board.
new wire harness
new auger
new 1 rpm auger motor

Makes the stove run more quite because the 4 Rpm noisier
and you will be using the new control board that controls voltage to the blowers better that the old analog board that is no longer available

Just curious Rod...what does an "upgrade" like that cost?? Is it worth it in a 15 yr old stove?

Prob around $500 you would need to ask your local dealer to call breakwell for a price of a 4RPM removal kit for stoves that have the old 950 board.

but you are getting New wires, New board, New auger, New auger motor
and new stoves that heat the same are $2500 to $4000


As much as I hate the way the stove is made and designed the P24 stove GO AND GO and heat great.
The new stoves suck because they keep trying to cut cost.

 

[hearthtools]

they list a kit now that is just the 950 board replacement to the new digital board.
it has the wires and new board. Woodheatstoves list it for
A-E-950KIT- C-E-950 UPGRADE KIT Breckwell pellet control panel
$396.00
the other added parts would be the auger and auger motor
you need the auger because the flights are different pitch for the change in RPM and it has the hole in the end for the clevis pin that hold the auger motor in.
the old auger has the set screw.

 

[hearthtools]

they list a kit now that is just the 950 board replacement to the new digital board.
it has the wires and new board. Woodheatstoves list it for
A-E-950KIT- C-E-950 UPGRADE KIT Breckwell pellet control panel
$396.00
the other added parts would be the auger and auger motor
you need the auger because the flights are different pitch for the change in RPM and it has the hole in the end for the clevis pin that hold the auger motor in.
the old auger has the set screw.

that might be the wrong board
need the board that is a 1 RPM board just cant remember what one it is. but I think it is the 401 board
you would need

 

[imacman]

.....The new stoves suck because they keep trying to cut cost.

Rod, I was speaking to Eric at Kinsman a while back, and he said the same thing. That's one of the reasons he took on another stove line (Harman)....said the Breckwell's had "problems".

 

[centromatic]

First off, thanks for the welcome.

Good news!! It was simply a jammed pellet. Odd? Sure is. I was thinking the worst, went through and checked the high limit thermodisk, power to the motor, etc, etc. Finally, put a channel lock on the Auger to motor coupler and the thing was locked up tight. Put a vice grip on it and was able to jimmy it back and fort a bit (not wanting to screw up the gears) and the thing just popped loose. Called the guy that does any heavy repairs on my stove and he says that it was a jammed pellet. Asked if my pellets this year are longer than normal....lo an behold, they are.

That being said, I have one more reason to not care for Pureflame pellets(first time ever using them). Too much ash, not enough BTU's and now, long pellets that have jammed the auger.

 

[imacman]

.....Good news!! It was simply a jammed pellet......Put a vice grip on it and was able to jimmy it back and fort a bit (not wanting to screw up the gears) and the thing just popped loose..........

A piece of advice for the future....if it happens again, I recommend removing the auger motor before trying to turn the auger. If the auger suddenly lets loose, and you turn the auger motor, you're taking a chance on stripping gears inside the case.....those can't be repaired or replaced, and you'll end-up having to buy a whole new auger motor.

 

[hearthtools]

First off, thanks for the welcome.

Good news!! It was simply a jammed pellet. Odd? Sure is. I was thinking the worst, went through and checked the high limit thermodisk, power to the motor, etc, etc. Finally, put a channel lock on the Auger to motor coupler and the thing was locked up tight. Put a vice grip on it and was able to jimmy it back and fort a bit (not wanting to screw up the gears) and the thing just popped loose. Called the guy that does any heavy repairs on my stove and he says that it was a jammed pellet. Asked if my pellets this year are longer than normal....lo an behold, they are.

That being said, I have one more reason to not care for Pureflame pellets(first time ever using them). Too much ash, not enough BTU's and now, long pellets that have jammed the auger.

I figured you already established it was not jammed already.
Some times just a wire poking up into the feed shoot from the inside of the stove will do the trick
but the best way is to remove the motor and then BACK off the auger. After you removed all the pellets and fines out of the hopper.

 

[ramdez]

First off, thanks for the welcome.

Good news!! It was simply a jammed pellet. Odd? Sure is. I was thinking the worst, went through and checked the high limit thermodisk, power to the motor, etc, etc. Finally, put a channel lock on the Auger to motor coupler and the thing was locked up tight. Put a vice grip on it and was able to jimmy it back and fort a bit (not wanting to screw up the gears) and the thing just popped loose. Called the guy that does any heavy repairs on my stove and he says that it was a jammed pellet. Asked if my pellets this year are longer than normal....lo an behold, they are.

That being said, I have one more reason to not care for Pureflame pellets(first time ever using them). Too much ash, not enough BTU's and now, long pellets that have jammed the auger.

I just got a batch of pureflame for my new harman after burning 5 bags of barefoot and i'm not happy with them either. my stove has already not lit in the 36 minute window and sat idle plus i swear i can't get the flames nearly as high as the barefoot. i know what you mean with the pellets being very long and can see them jamming the auger. i actually heard a funny story from the harman install tech about the harman auger. he said the handle bolt fell out of the plastic bag that it comes in while in the hopper and they hadn't noticed it yet. they were testing the stove for the customer and heard a crunch and looked in the burn pot and saw the mangled handle bolt sitting in the ash pan.. they took the auger out and inspected everything and it looked fine.. but that's one tuff auger. Boo to pureflame IMHO.

 

[Meneillys]

Just for future reference. I got the upgrade kit for $235 and a new auger motor for $135 from a local dealer. You can get the upgrade kit in the 4 and 1 rpm configuration also.