2 Months In..My experiences with the Quad Castile

[peirhead]

2 months now and here is a summery of my experiences:

- Pulling the burn pot cleanout daily (or more) while stove is off. After the 1st couple of weeks the cleanout became VERY hard to pull..carbon buildup, so I tried the Dremel trick and it worked great. I have since started adding some corn to my mix (about 20 Percent) and the carbon issues have not returned...very minor clinker but much cleaner burning stove. I plan to continue adding corn.

- I am cleaning the stove very 2 - 3 days....after 3 days the ash pan is almost full. Cleaning takes 15 minutes after stove has cooled off. I remove the top and rear baffles, sweep all ash into traps, brush down all interior surfaces including heat exchanger tubes, the vacuum everything. I use a gun brush on the burn pot air holes and lastly wipe the glass with damp (water) paper towel.

see pics of cleaning tools I am using.

The worst part of cleaning is actually cleaning the vacuum when the filter plugs up!!

I have had one auger jam which was quite easily fixed...otherwise stove has performed flawlessly, easily providing all the heat for our home (1600 sqft, 1993 construction 2 story)

I am sure I could leave it longer between cleanings but would still have to dump ash every 3 days...
all in all .....very happy!!.. and here on PEI Pellet heating is still cheaper than oil at $300/ton

 

[Shortstuff]

Good writeup. You're cleaning tools are almost identical to mine except I have a Loveless Ash vac and after every use it has a rod that allows me to shake the filter clean in seconds for the next use and works great.

I'm glad that you also have found that your stove works flawlessly as mine has since day one (last October). I've only got about 15 bags left of my 3 tons so I'll have to grab some more pellets just to finish the winter.

Steve

 

[peirhead]

I forgot to mention a couple of things in my original post:

- I switched to programmable thermostats for the pellet stove for downstairs and upstairs (the oil furnace)...it took a while to figure out swing times and coordinate them. The thermostats have many anticipator options but I chose the 1 deg C option (approx 2 deg F). Typically now daytime the lower room with the stove runs around 23 (73.5) with upstairs keeping at around 21 (70) nighttime downstairs 21.5 (71) keeps the upstairs at 19.5 (67)....I have the pellet stove turn down at 6:00 am for a 1/2 hr so I can give the burn pot a quick scrape and dump before going to work. It is great to be able to just let the controllers look after temperatures.

-One other thing...there are only 2 adjustments on this quad: temperature output (hi med low) and the feed rate bar that regulates pellets unto the auger...I have mine set on medium mostly but once in a while on high. The feed rate bar I have set all the way closed and actually would like to be able to close it further..I might take it out and grind out another 1/4 inch of the slot...but that is just my nature..I have a compulsion to mod everything love the stove though!!

 

[MainePellethead]

Good to see good reports on the Quad.

This is my second season with my Castile and have absolutely no regrets....love the stove as well. Mine has performed flawlessy as well....outside of one instance that was my own fault lol. Carbon had built up on the trap door of the Burn pot. When i pulled the handle and the trap door went back into place. Stove lost its vacuum and I was baffled lol. After talking with a couple peaople on here....I traced my steps....and sure enough....the trap door was not quite closed and there was a little opening that I overlooked causing the stove to lose its vacuum so the stove would not ignite.

Alot of problems with stoves are merely things we forget or overlook.


Loving the Quad!

 

[gog222]

Love my Castile as well!! Nice read and pics! one question..what diameter is the brush you use to clean the air holes?

 

[CanadaClinker]

Nice pics peirhead....like your collection of tools....... I see you said "so I tried the Dremel trick and it worked great." I have a quad cb1200 with the identical same pot setup and a cleaning rod to pull but it sticks too at times. Can you describe what you did please.... (I also own a Dremel too... love it for making mods to stuff!) Thanx. :coolsmile:

 

[Augmister]

We have twin Castiles! Really like this stove but am having problem getting the door open on the bottom of the fire pot. What is this Dremel trick? Please post and explain as I think this might be a great help!

My tools are very similar but I went with a Rigid 6HP with Hepa filter and drywall bag. What a sucker! Does a fabulous job.... just make sure the stove is cold and no embers! I have also been thinking a grinding down that hopper control so I can lower the pellet flow from the auger. Even at the lowest setting, I think too many pellets are dropping into the fire pot....... like minds!

Have been burning Green Team from Lowes with no issues. Has anyone burned the LG Granules? Am thinking of buying two years worth and having it delivered, as I am tired of doing 1/2 ton runs with my Ford Ranger.

 

[peirhead]

Ahh yes the Dremel trick...I read it somewhere here a while ago. I put a grinder bit on my tool, (one with a flat surface on the bottom). I used it to grind the top surface of the plate at the bottom of the burn pot...I would keep testing it till it pulled smoothly. I assume I need to do it as little as possible so I don't eat into the plate itself.

 

[ablejoy]

First season running quad castile stove no problems ran 2 tons through the stove. I use the med setting and feed rate is set in the middle. Clean stove with vac every Sat. clean pot and ash pan daily. I use 9mm gun bore brush for the air holes in the pot.
Love the the stove heats 1800 sq ft living area keeps temps 70-73 degrees outside temps in low 20's never had the house above 68 degrees with propane.

 

[CanadaClinker]

Well thanks peirhead for the neat tip....... used the dremel tool and flat grinder bit like you said this morning before fire up and fixed the cleanout like you did.... it worked like a charm..... when I looked close up, I could see the 'hump' of hard material in the middle of the upper side cleanout slider door that was getting in the way of allowing it to open smoothly & properly. Ground it off and ....voila..... smooth as silk operation now...works just like new....thanx again...... !! (gotta love this forum and all the help u get here!! :coolsmile: )

 

[Jack Morrissey]

Hi, its my second yr with the castille insert. I clean my firepot every day(dump it) and the firebox every other day or so. BUT, i dont clean behind the bricks and the exchanger until after i burn 1 ton. (approx) thats what the manual says

 

[peirhead]

The gun brush I referred to (and shown in picture of my original post) is .22 cal it is a bit big for the smaller holes by the bottom cleanout and maybe a bit small for the other holes but seems to work OK......by the way it only takes a few extra seconds to remove the back and upper baffle plates and clean behind them..I highly recommend it if you are already in there with the vacuum.

We don't have much selection of pellets here and possibly with a better pellet I could get by with cleaning less often, but heck... 15 minutes every few days isn't too bad!!

My next job will be to clean the blades on the exhaust fan...any best ways to do this?? I tried a toothbrush but the fan turns too easily to get friction on the brush...I'd rather not remove it!!

 

[tonyd]

Add a can of spray PAM cooking oil to your cleaning tools. Spray it in the bottom of the pot and it really helps loosen things up. I use it on the linkage also.

 

[MainePellethead]

Add a can of spray PAM cooking oil to your cleaning tools. Spray it in the bottom of the pot and it really helps loosen things up. I use it on the linkage also.

Thats a very good idea tony.....I will be trying that as well.

 

[ablejoy]

Peirhead thanks for the tip using the dremel tool I also use pam to soften the carbon on pot door works good. Try a 9mm or 38 bore brush there larger and fit the holes better. I have worn my brush out and need to buy a new one.
I clean out behind the plates every week as you said only takes a few minutes better safe than sorry I would hate to loose a blower motor.
I removed the cap off my stove pipe and dumped the ash after burning one ton the clean out cap was full. Will be cleaning the whole stove pipe this spring.
Eric