Auger Rotation Drag - Brass bushing running dirty! - Not bad Control Board timing!

[Don2222]

Hello

Well, the Avalon Astoria was great the 1st 3 years but the 4th season has been tough! alot of caked ash in the burn pot. So a Selkirk Masonry DT kit and a new exhaust blower completely cured it!

Still there is inconsistant flame height and low heat output! A brand new Gleason-Avery 1 RPM auger motor only helped a little. A new control panel did nothing!

The auger was turning by hand. It did not stick or hang but seemed sluggish and not as freely as it should be!

So I finally pulled it apart again and I found this #@@##$! Crud ! ! !

See yellow arrows in pics below.

I cleaned with a cue tip and Acetone from Home Depot then added Tuff-Oil Lube-It-8 to the inside of the brass bearing.

Last 2 days we did not need heat but tonight and tomorrow we will, so I will try it and see.

Any comments? Has anyone seen this here crud?

 

[smwilliamson]

Auger bushings should ALWAYS be replaced if you feel you also have a bad motor. Think about it? Why did the motor go bad?

 

[dhall28]

Auger bushings should ALWAYS be replaced if you feel you also have a bad motor. Think about it? Why did the motor go bad?

i may be wrong but from the motors i see fail, most of them i attribute to people never cleaning the dust and other crud off of them or it didn't have enough grease in the gear case or the grease leaked out, both of which overheats the motor/ motor bearings/bushings. i have seen them fail from bad auger bearing/bushings but in my experience this isn't always or very often the case at all (I mostly work on harmans and quads though). other brands of stoves may have auger motor failure more often from auger bushings/bearings

 

[billb3]

Looks like dried out white lube to me.
At higher RPMs and a bit more HP I've seen those hard flakes start scoring. Deep grooves.
I'd use STP on it after it was cleaned out because that's what I have and what I've used but I can't say I've used it in a high temp environment.

 

[Don2222]

Auger bushings should ALWAYS be replaced if you feel you also have a bad motor. Think about it? Why did the motor go bad?

Not nylon bushings, they last along time!

 

[smwilliamson]

What I'm saying is if you are going to bear the expense of a new motor...why not add another $4 to it and do the bushing as well? Gosh..always an argument. Over time Don, you'll realize that swapping out a lot of parts starts to become really expensive and if you are doing it at other people's home...even more so. Timing from board is really easy to figure out and so is voltage. Bad motors too are very easy to figure out. How many times do you hear me chime in on bushings! Nylon, Delron, Brass, Steel...it doesn't matter, if dust is getting between it and the auger shaft, you got problems with the feed. Don't forget about the upper bushings either! They are mostly always overlooked but contribute just as much to failure...they usually have creosote in em instead of dust OR...because they are above the heat of the fire...they dry out quicker (brass) or melt (Nylon)

 

[Don2222]

What I'm saying is if you are going to bear the expense of a new motor...why not add another $4 to it and do the bushing as well? Gosh..always an argument. Over time Don, you'll realize that swapping out a lot of parts starts to become really expensive and if you are doing it at other people's home...even more so. Timing from board is really easy to figure out and so is voltage. Bad motors too are very easy to figure out. How many times do you hear me chime in on bushings! Nylon, Delron, Brass, Steel...it doesn't matter, if dust is getting between it and the auger shaft, you got problems with the feed. Don't forget about the upper bushings either! They are mostly always overlooked but contribute just as much to failure...they usually have creosote in em instead of dust OR...because they are above the heat of the fire...they dry out quicker (brass) or melt (Nylon)

I am just a little frustrated with the Astoria this year. It was great the first 3 years and this year the heat ouput was less. The flame height seems to be inconsistant. A Harman with a hopper extension is a great design for feeding pellets. This large Astoria hopper is spread out and seems to have air pockets at times. Then less pellets drop into the chute causing some inconsistancy. So I was wondering if some type of lube on the hopper would help?

 

[smwilliamson]

I am just a little frustrated with the Astoria this year. It was great the first 3 years and this year the heat ouput was less. The flame height seems to be inconsistant. A Harman with a hopper extension is a great design for feeding pellets. This large Astoria hopper is spread out and seems to have air pockets at times. Then less pellets drop into the chute causing some inconsistancy. So I was wondering if some type of lube on the hopper would help?

Spray Graphite or Liquid Wrench Dry....how about that Molly Lube? Can't believe you haven't done that already!

 

[Don2222]

Spray Graphite or Liquid Wrench Dry....how about that Molly Lube? Can't believe you haven't done that already!

I thinking more on the lines of a Polymer type coating that builds up over time.
Such as > >

Mo Deck From tractor supply
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/mo-deck-non-stick-polymer-coating-for-mowers-11-oz

Or Clean machine with Teflon so it lasts longer
(broken link removed to http://www.gardenersedge.com/CLEAN-MACHINE-NON-STICK-MOWER-PROTECTANT/p/CMMP/)

Good review too
http://www.sears.com/clean-machine-...machine-protectant/p-07133977000P#reviewsWrap

Or
Ariens non stick spray
http://www.mowersdirect.com/Ariens-4409120/p2890.html?utm_source=google shopping&utm_medium=shop portals&utm_campaign=4409120&gclid=CN-W_srJxbYCFcbb4AodaEIARA

Looks like Clean Machine with the Teflon is the best seller.
What do you think?

Click Pic to enlarge.

 

[will711]

how about that Molly Lube? Can't believe you haven't done that already!

 

[smwilliamson]

I thinking more on the lines of a Polymer type coating that builds up over time.
Such as > >

Mo Deck From tractor supply
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/mo-deck-non-stick-polymer-coating-for-mowers-11-oz

Or Clean machine with Teflon so it lasts longer
(broken link removed to http://www.gardenersedge.com/CLEAN-MACHINE-NON-STICK-MOWER-PROTECTANT/p/CMMP/)

Good review too
http://www.sears.com/clean-machine-...machine-protectant/p-07133977000P#reviewsWrap

Or
Ariens non stick spray
http://www.mowersdirect.com/Ariens-4409120/p2890.html?utm_source=google shopping&utm_medium=shop portals&utm_campaign=4409120&gclid=CN-W_srJxbYCFcbb4AodaEIARA

Looks like Clean Machine with the Teflon is the best seller.
What do you think?

Click Pic to enlarge.

Why would you want a build up of anything in yer hopper? Maybe try a better quality pellet with less fines?

 

[Don2222]

Why would you want a build up of anything in yer hopper? Maybe try a better quality pellet with less fines?

Well, maybe the best way is a real good cleaning with Acetone?

I just did that because the Sears Web site page is so far out of date! The internet web page stated our Local Sears had the Clean Machine for mower decks in stock. When I visited the store and the salesman stated it was not on the shelves yet we checked the stores Intranet web page and they no longer even carry it! It states they carry Mo Deck, the cheaper formulation which I did not want and they do not even have that!

So glad I can keep my web site pages up to date myself!

 

[imacman]

......Astoria hopper is spread out and seems to have air pockets at times.....

WHAT??? Air pockets? I NEVER had any problems with mine that made me think of that. Don't see how that's even possible with wood pellets. I think you problem lies elsewhere.

 

[Don2222]

WHAT??? Air pockets? I NEVER had any problems with mine that made me think of that. Don't see how that's even possible with wood pellets. I think you problem lies elsewhere.

Yes, not very big ones compared to the West Point I worked on!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Don did you by any chance change your pellets this past year?

 

[Don2222]

No, still using Maine's Choice

 

[chamas]

If those are oil-impregnated bronze bushings, I would not grease them. Heavy grease can clog the pores and prohibit the bushing's ability to slowly furnish oil to the bearing surface over its lifetime.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Don were those gaps in the pellets going up the flight if that is the case maybe your hopper sides are impeding the pellet flow down to the feed system due to crud build up or the pellets are just enough longer this year to bridge part of the feed system.

Or if there is a feed re-stricter on your stove it is closed too much.

 

[Don2222]

Don were those gaps in the pellets going up the flight if that is the case maybe your hopper sides are impeding the pellet flow down to the feed system due to crud build up or the pellets are just enough longer this year to bridge part of the feed system.

Or if there is a feed re-stricter on your stove it is closed too much.

Hi Smokey
I let the stove run dry and snapped a pic. The hopper is dusty and a little dirty.
Since this pic, I gave it a good cleaning with Acetone. That really gets any crud off!

How does it look?

 

[Don2222]

If those are oil-impregnated bronze bushings, I would not grease them. Heavy grease can clog the pores and prohibit the bushing's ability to slowly furnish oil to the bearing surface over its lifetime.

I agree, I only use light oil. Tuff Oil Lubit-8. That is the best.