2004 Quadrafire Castile insert

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Chadknox96

New Member
Nov 11, 2024
5
Pennsylvania
I’m at a loss here my friends. My Castile has had a series of issues. It was initially struggling/not feeding after initial start up and would wither out. I have bypassed and checked all 3 snap discs with no change. I have bypassed the vacuum switch as well as cleaned the tube, no change. I replaced the thermocouple even though I did not suspect it was the problem, no change(it is positioned correctly in the sleeve). I completely emptied the hopper and removed the auger. I bench tested the auger and found it was operating adequately. I checked the chimney for obstructions as well as the blower both are clear.

At this point it will start up and run. However it surges up and down. The fire will grow to a medium height(low for the high setting it’s on) and then it will slowly wither down to the point where it almost goes out. Then again it will feed enough pellets to bring the fire back before withering down again. All wiring connections seem tight and I am beginning to suspect the controller. All opinions are welcome.
 
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Pulled the trigger on a new control board and still no chance. It stays lit but surges up and down. But even when it surges up the fire is very low in comparison to when it’s working right. I’m at a loss on what else to replace
 
Does the auger run erratically? Or more likely the exhaust fan on the way out, runs fine then slows down then runs fine slows down can you here it change speeds?
Hard to say what you would considered erratic. It seems to be feeding at a steady pace. I was just considering the blower to be suspect. I do get an audible change on all 3 settings and did confirm a full 120v on the high setting. However im not sure that on high I’m getting an adequate rpm out of the motor and I’m not sure how to diagnose that possibility. It’s not squealing and does move freely by hand
 
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Have you tried opening up the feed gate a little? Or you could try a different brand of pellets. It maybe a problem with the length of the pellets not allowing them to feed evenly.
 
Have you tried opening up the feed gate a little? Or you could try a different brand of pellets. It maybe a problem with the length of the pellets not allowing them to feed evenly.
I’m going to grab another brand of pellets even though I was previously using these same ones without issues. When I cleaned the hopper I made sure the gate was fully open. Still considering replacing the blow as it’s 20 years old and possibly slowing down with age