I bought and installed this used stove last season. Ran all season like a champ. I cleaned it as needed but never disassembled it and did a deep cleaning until now. We have used it a dozen times or more this fall without so much as a hiccup.
A couple of nights back my wife was pouring a pellet bag in that was from where our 120 lb dog had been using a low stack of bags as bedding this summer. The bags had been worn thin and ripped here and there by our big boi, so as she poured it in the sack tore in the middle and a lot of pellets spilled across and in-between the stove. She cleaned stuff up and did her best to check things before turning the stove on. She says about 8-10 minutes later while the stove was making its usual buildup noises there was a sudden FWOOMP and the stove stopped making fan noises. From there nothing she could do would get it going again.
I got home late and wasn't able to look at it until the following day. I'm not super mechanically or technically inclined, but I use plenty of the Hearth forums and youtube to get by. Here's what I've seen, done, and where I'm at. I would love some help if folks have any to suggest.
1.) Broke down any build up and soot inside the stove, vac'd it out
2.) Cleaned off the heat exchanger
3.) Scraped/opened up and cleaned out the burn pot
4.) Put an allen through the burn holes, removed & cleaned the flame guide and brick
5.) Cleaned out combustion blower paddle, flue, and ESP
6.) Paddle was not moving freely, removed and cleaned
7.) Checked the combustion blower motor & found its fins broken and stuck by pellets that had gotten inside it
8.) Replaced the combustion blower motor (green to ground, black to red, white to white)
9.) Opened up the feeder box and cleaned out the fines and pellets
10.) Pulled the auger out to clear any jams and cleaned in there
11.) Took the exhaust vent off and cleaned it all out, then resealed it
12.) Disconnected the cold air intake on both the thimble and the stove then resealed
13.) Checked the tubing to the differential switch, seems connected
14.) Removed the seal to the stove door and resealed with a 3/8" Rutland graphite rope
15.) Checked ash pan door seal (seems just fine, but could replace it)
So now, when I put it in test mode, the distribution blower, combustion blower, and feed motor lights come on. Everything sounds right, but the auger does not turn and feed pellets. After 30-60 seconds the feed motor light goes off and the other two stay on. I can hear the fans blowing. No codes blink. Flipped the auto/manual switch a few times. I'm stumped. Do I buy a new auger motor and try that? Differential switch? I'm willing to do both. I'm just frustrated by not getting anywhere yet and not being mechanically minded enough to where I can problem solve beyond what I look up on here, reddit, or youtube. I don't know how to gauge the success or failure of my efforts. Any thoughts? I suppose I could always suck it up, admit defeat, and call a tech. We have a great dealer a town over.
A couple of nights back my wife was pouring a pellet bag in that was from where our 120 lb dog had been using a low stack of bags as bedding this summer. The bags had been worn thin and ripped here and there by our big boi, so as she poured it in the sack tore in the middle and a lot of pellets spilled across and in-between the stove. She cleaned stuff up and did her best to check things before turning the stove on. She says about 8-10 minutes later while the stove was making its usual buildup noises there was a sudden FWOOMP and the stove stopped making fan noises. From there nothing she could do would get it going again.
I got home late and wasn't able to look at it until the following day. I'm not super mechanically or technically inclined, but I use plenty of the Hearth forums and youtube to get by. Here's what I've seen, done, and where I'm at. I would love some help if folks have any to suggest.
1.) Broke down any build up and soot inside the stove, vac'd it out
2.) Cleaned off the heat exchanger
3.) Scraped/opened up and cleaned out the burn pot
4.) Put an allen through the burn holes, removed & cleaned the flame guide and brick
5.) Cleaned out combustion blower paddle, flue, and ESP
6.) Paddle was not moving freely, removed and cleaned
7.) Checked the combustion blower motor & found its fins broken and stuck by pellets that had gotten inside it
8.) Replaced the combustion blower motor (green to ground, black to red, white to white)
9.) Opened up the feeder box and cleaned out the fines and pellets
10.) Pulled the auger out to clear any jams and cleaned in there
11.) Took the exhaust vent off and cleaned it all out, then resealed it
12.) Disconnected the cold air intake on both the thimble and the stove then resealed
13.) Checked the tubing to the differential switch, seems connected
14.) Removed the seal to the stove door and resealed with a 3/8" Rutland graphite rope
15.) Checked ash pan door seal (seems just fine, but could replace it)
So now, when I put it in test mode, the distribution blower, combustion blower, and feed motor lights come on. Everything sounds right, but the auger does not turn and feed pellets. After 30-60 seconds the feed motor light goes off and the other two stay on. I can hear the fans blowing. No codes blink. Flipped the auto/manual switch a few times. I'm stumped. Do I buy a new auger motor and try that? Differential switch? I'm willing to do both. I'm just frustrated by not getting anywhere yet and not being mechanically minded enough to where I can problem solve beyond what I look up on here, reddit, or youtube. I don't know how to gauge the success or failure of my efforts. Any thoughts? I suppose I could always suck it up, admit defeat, and call a tech. We have a great dealer a town over.
