Afton Bay Auger Motor

[jzm2cc]

95% of the time it's the top bushing that seizes on St Croix's. The heat really cooks them up high whereas the bottom bushing has more dust to deal with but less heat. My 2004 Prescott is still on original bushings with 4-5 year oiling intervals, so they last if tended to. She burns about 180- 200 bags a season.

 

[chuck p]

Thanks for the info. I will have to check the top bushing to see if i can get some oil in it.

 

[SidecarFlip]

4-5 years, seems like a stretch. I tear mine apart every spring. Every drive motor and gear boxes come out, the room air blower comes out as well as the combustion air fan. Everything goes to the shop for a careful blow out with compressed air and every motor gets oiled and checked for lateral armature play and bushed with new fiber washers if necessary. All the gearboxes get greased. I vacuum the inside of the firebox with all the baffles removed, vacuum out the exhaust plenum fog the inside of the firebox with Stabil fogging oil, replace all the components including the cleaned and scrubbed with scotchbrite burn pot, unplug the unit, disconnect the thermostat wires and call it good for the fall. I always disconnect the remote thermostat.

Learned the hard way that an electric storm in the summer with a nearby lightning strike can cause current in the wire and fry the board. even if the unit is off and unplugged. Was a 300 buck mistake on my part so now the remote t'stat gets unplugged from the board when mothballing the stove for warm weather.

Venting gets taken apart, cleaned inside and pressure washed (inside) and put up in the garage until needed in the fall.

 

[chuck p]

That's my plan for the spring.