Cab50 Fuel Adjustment Rod

[MommyOf4]

I noticed my fire dying out quickly after it starts to burn so I tried to adjust the fuel amount, but my fuel adjustment rod seems to be hard to adjust. I can't seem to move it up or down without putting alot of pressure to it. Does this need to be cleaned or could it be something else?

 

[jrsdws]

From the manual:

The feed adjustment control rod is factory set, and should be adequate for most fuels. However, if the flame height is too high or too low, you will need to adjust the feed rate. Wait until the appliance has been burning for 15 minutes before making your adjustments and allow 15 minutes for feed adjustment to take effect.
1. Loosen the thumb screw.
2. Pull the feed adjustment control rod up to increase the feed rate and flame height or push down to decrease the feed rate and flame height.
3. Re-tighten the thumb screw. A new stove has a break in period. The fire characteristics should be checked again after 5 bags of pellets and adjustments made if necessary.

A lot of fines can make it difficult to slide. Also if its accidentally gotten bent it will bind up.

And the 5 bag thing in the manual sounds a bit crazy. 15-20 minutes should be adequate time for flame characteristic to change and stabilize.

 

[jrsdws]

I'd also check that screw on the gate. Maybe it's a little snug, making it hard to slide.

 

[DexterDay]

Yep. The screw on the bottom maybe tight or there is fibes built up in the slot. empty hopper and go up and down a bunch of times and use a vacuum to suck the fines from behind.

 

[MommyOf4]

I cleaned out the hopper and vacuumed out the shoots that the pellets come out of, but now I seem to hear a clicking noise when it first starts up. Is this normal?

 

[kinsmanstoves]

empty the hopper and take the rod apart, clean and reassemble. Really easy to do.

Eric

 

[kalisiak]

Hello all!

First time posting, but it's an interesting coincidence that my question was just asked a few days ago.

I have a QuadraFire Castille insert, purchased 8 or 9 years ago, and I'm pretty sure the feed rate is a little too high. I've never been able to figure out the mechanics behind how the feed adjustment arm actually actuates. Like the OP, I haven't been able to figure out how it moves, and don't want to torque something in the wrong direction and create more problems for myself.

I couldn't find any videos on youtube that show how the rod actuates. Are there any videos that anyone's aware of, or maybe can just describe how it actuates?

(The original dealer is no longer in business, and QuadraFire doesn't want to answer questions, so I'm glad there's a forum I can ask!)

Thanks!
Chris

 

[DexterDay]

Up is open. Down is closed. If its sticking? Its the lower portion is is filled with fines? Or the lower screw is to tight?

Empty the hopper. Vacuum it out and take a look. Its a simple metal plate that will cover the auger intake if lowered (close) or uncover the auger (open)

Its pretty clear in the manual. I still read my manual EVERY YEAR to make sure I understand the proper operation of all my stove.

Have you ever emptied the hopper and looked inside of it?

 

[kalisiak]

Thanks for the quick reply.

There's not a lot of room to maneuver inside the insert's hopper area, so I haven't really looked that closely inside. I've taken the rear of the unit apart a few times for cleaning, to hit one of the snap switches, and to replace one of the vacuum switches, but I've never figured out how to get into the hopper area.

Thanks for the explanation about the metal plate, that gives me a better idea of what I'm working with. As soon as this hopper of pellets has run out (NG has gone down a lot so the pellet stove doesn't see a lot of love this year), I'll work on cleaning it out. I'll probably have an update in the next week or so.

Chris

 

[St_Earl]

i've been messing around with the feed gate on my heatilator the past few days as it's getting colder.
i had it shut down as far as it would go. but as the temps drop, i need to open it up a bit.
i sure wish they hadn't totally buried it at the bottom of the hopper.
seems like it would still work if they made the slide a little longer so you could reach it without the hopper trending towards empty.

in any case- you need to let it become exposed enough to reach the thumbscrew as they call it. you might mistake the thumbscrew for the actual 90 degree bent tab that you grab to slide the gate open and shut. the thumbscrew is actually just a half inch or so further down.

loosen that and then grasp the tab and slide the slide while having part of a finger on the wall of the hopper so you can gauge how much you are sliding it.
then retighten the thumbscrew.
(the slide is on the forward wall inside the hopper and towards the bottom.)

after adjusting the feed gate opening, you need to let the stove run for a good bit so the auger can cycle the pellets already in the channel and refill itself with the new measured amount.

fine adjustments seem to make a great difference. so don't go in huge increments either way.

i have been adjusting mine mainly for the flame on the medium setting. having a thermometer in the room the stove in is how i'm gauging where i want it set.
all the way open is not recommended imo.

you have to find what works for you and the pellets you are burning. the length of pellets makes a difference as to how many are fed per cycle on a given gate setting.

of course you need the flame to be vigorous without there being so many pellets that they fill the pot up too much.

but after an acceptable flame, i am adjusting for where i want the temp to be in the morning after a cold night with the stove running on medium while we sleep.

i prefer not to use the thermostat when it gets cold. letting the house cool between firings takes too much energy reheating.

found this pic. (not my stove) i am also just assuming the cab 50 has the slide in the same spot as my ps50. i could be wrong.

 

[kalisiak]

Thanks, DexterDay, for the info. I waited until the stove burned through the pellets, reached my hand inside the hopper, and felt around and found where some pellets had jammed the feed adjustment arm. I was able to back off the feed rate a little, and the fire is now at the correct height. Have a happy New Year!

 

[St_Earl]

i had to revert to the all the way closed down position on the PS50 today.
running on high, the pot was filling up too much.
the pellets i'm burning are pretty short.
i hadn't noticed when testing because i didn't run it long enough on high then.

it's using way less on high now and the flame is way hotter because they aren't filling the pot too much.
it seems to me, that if the angled face of the bottom of the burn pot is never covered very much more than up to the bottom of the top row of holes (with air still blowing clearly through all the rows so you can still see them.), you will be getting the best burn possible.
i actually am preferring to have the pellets come up no further than the bottom row of holes.


less truly is more in this case.
and of course it depends on the length of the pellets you are burning as to where the gate will be to achieve this result
the flame is whiteish hot and has no lazy looping parts to it.
just vigorous dancing flames.


i am actually thinking again, as i did last season, that i may drill out a little bit at the back of the slot on the slide so i can close the gate down just a little more.

 

[nikeseer]

i've been messing around with the feed gate on my heatilator the past few days as it's getting colder.
i had it shut down as far as it would go. but as the temps drop, i need to open it up a bit.
i sure wish they hadn't totally buried it at the bottom of the hopper.
seems like it would still work if they made the slide a little longer so you could reach it without the hopper trending towards empty.

in any case- you need to let it become exposed enough to reach the thumbscrew as they call it. you might mistake the thumbscrew for the actual 90 degree bent tab that you grab to slide the gate open and shut. the thumbscrew is actually just a half inch or so further down.

loosen that and then grasp the tab and slide the slide while having part of a finger on the wall of the hopper so you can gauge how much you are sliding it.
then retighten the thumbscrew.
(the slide is on the forward wall inside the hopper and towards the bottom.)

after adjusting the feed gate opening, you need to let the stove run for a good bit so the auger can cycle the pellets already in the channel and refill itself with the new measured amount.

fine adjustments seem to make a great difference. so don't go in huge increments either way.

i have been adjusting mine mainly for the flame on the medium setting. having a thermometer in the room the stove in is how i'm gauging where i want it set.
all the way open is not recommended imo.

you have to find what works for you and the pellets you are burning. the length of pellets makes a difference as to how many are fed per cycle on a given gate setting.

of course you need the flame to be vigorous without there being so many pellets that they fill the pot up too much.

but after an acceptable flame, i am adjusting for where i want the temp to be in the morning after a cold night with the stove running on medium while we sleep.

i prefer not to use the thermostat when it gets cold. letting the house cool between firings takes too much energy reheating.

found this pic. (not my stove) i am also just assuming the cab 50 has the slide in the same spot as my ps50. i could be wrong.

Hi.. I have my feed almost closed all the way, but I feel at night in the teens here in central ct that medium doesn't keep up to where "I" want the temp to be.. During the day comfortable. This is with no cycling. How much do you go through in a day with yours on medium? Do you suggest that I open the feed a little more for medium or just turn to high at night? I have a 1500 sqft cape. As insulated as it's ever going to get unless we tear down walls and ceilings..

 

[nikeseer]

Up is open. Down is closed. If its sticking? Its the lower portion is is filled with fines? Or the lower screw is to tight?

Empty the hopper. Vacuum it out and take a look. Its a simple metal plate that will cover the auger intake if lowered (close) or uncover the auger (open)

Its pretty clear in the manual. I still read my manual EVERY YEAR to make sure I understand the proper operation of all my stove.

Have you ever emptied the hopper and looked inside of it?

Where is the metal plate you're talking about? Is that only on the ps models? I have the cab50 and I don't think I have a plate to get to the auger/feed spring.

 

[St_Earl]

hey, nike. regarding the medium setting, i have the same question.
i have read it's not great to run on high for long periods.
i'm not really sure exactly why. but i have dialed in a setting for medium where i will open the gate a little when it gets well down into subzero temps. i marked it with a sharpie (not the pic i posted. that was a find on the net)
it's still a "spikey" energetic flame at the more open setting though.
too many pellets just slows the airflow and reduces the efficiency of the burn.
less heat with more pellets.

perhaps some more knowledgeable folks can expand on why it's not recommended to run on high for long periods.
i agree though, it would be nice to just leave the gate closed down and run on high when it gets colder.

as for the plate, it's the tab at the bottom end of the slide. (buried in the pic i posted.) bent at 90 degrees to the slide arm.
it partially covers the auger screw. and forms the gap as you move the slide up or down.
if your slide is the same as the one on my stove, you will see it if you remove all the pellets from on top of it.
it has a little slot in it too. with a small guide screw. ( the lower screw dexter mentioned)
i had to pick out a pellet that had lodged there to get the gate to close all the way.

the whole slide/gate assembly is really one piece of metal. aside from the thumbscrew.
at least on my stove.
i'm curious to know if it's the same on the cab50.

hope this helps.
maybe we can get more info/opinions on the burning on high setting question.

 

[nikeseer]

hey, nike. regarding the medium setting, i have the same question.
i have read it's not great to run on high for long periods.
i'm not really sure exactly why. but i have dialed in a setting for medium where i will open the gate a little when it gets well down into subzero temps. i marked it with a sharpie (not the pic i posted. that was a find on the net)
it's still a "spikey" energetic flame at the more open setting though.
too many pellets just slows the airflow and reduces the efficiency of the burn.
less heat with more pellets.

perhaps some more knowledgeable folks can expand on why it's not recommended to run on high for long periods.
i agree though, it would be nice to just leave the gate closed down and run on high when it gets colder.

as for the plate, it's the tab at the bottom end of the slide. (buried in the pic i posted.) bent at 90 degrees to the slide arm.
it partially covers the auger screw. and forms the gap as you move the slide up or down.
if your slide is the same as the one on my stove, you will see it if you remove all the pellets from on top of it.
it has a little slot in it too. with a small guide screw. ( the lower screw dexter mentioned)
i had to pick out a pellet that had lodged there to get the gate to close all the way.

the whole slide/gate assembly is really one piece of metal. aside from the thumbscrew.
at least on my stove.
i'm curious to know if it's the same on the cab50.

hope this helps.
maybe we can get more info/opinions on the burning on high setting question.

Thanks.. I've adjusted my feed and opened it up a little. Flame at peak is about 5 to almost 6 inches on medium. Hoping it keeps up with the colder temps coming. We definitely need to find out the issue with high. If it's not good to use even on a regular basis than why have it. I do know of one person on the blog that says they run theirs on high all the time and lets it cycle. Now if I remember they also work outside the home like most people and have a different temperature setting when they aren't home. I work from home so I like to keep the temp steady. How high is your flame when it peaks at your setting? What do you keep you thermostat at? What kind of house do you have and how many sq ft are you heating? Thanks for the info.

 

[St_Earl]

925 sq. ft. single story.
the flame usually runs from just above the lip of the burn pot to just above the top edge of the pellet chute. (very top of the whole assembly)
it sometimes jumps up a good deal higher. like a group of pellets that are smaller than average get delivered or something.
the mwp blend i'm burning are pretty short pellets. that makes a difference on the total mass delivered by the auger. so there can be variations even in the same hopper load i think.
but i look for the action of the flame to be "spikey" and dancing energetically and not lazy or looping much at all.

i also look for the amount of pellets in the pot not to cover the middle row of holes completely.
mostly just want to avoid getting a large amount of pellets building up.
if the pot starts getting dirty, it seems like pellets will start to fill it up higher.
time to pull the cleaning rod and give it a quick few swipes with the mini wire brush i use to brush the ash build up off.
this is not a full scraping. but a clean burn pot makes a better burn.

when it's cold at all, i prefer to run a steady non stop burn and not use the thermostat as anything but an off on switch.
so i just peg it well above the level that room will ever reach.
thermostat setting is going to be very subjective for each person's house. because where is it? how fast does that room heat up relative to the room the stove is in? etc...

the way i actually control how the house heats is with my secondary fans. 2 vornado 510s lol. that's a whole different thread.

so it's really an individual thing once you get your system down.
hard for me to say i do thus and so and have it relate very well to anyone else's set up except for having a good spikey energetic flame.

i look at the back bedroom temp and base most adjustments off of that.
my wife likes it cool there for sleeping. and during the day she spends more time back there than me.
my den/lair is closer to the stove room.

as i said, it's a subjective thing one house to the next. : )

 

[nikeseer]

925 sq. ft. single story.
the flame usually runs from just above the lip of the burn pot to just above the top edge of the pellet chute. (very top of the whole assembly)
it sometimes jumps up a good deal higher. like a group of pellets that are smaller than average get delivered or something.
the mwp blend i'm burning are pretty short pellets. that makes a difference on the total mass delivered by the auger. so there can be variations even in the same hopper load i think.
but i look for the action of the flame to be "spikey" and dancing energetically and not lazy or looping much at all.

i also look for the amount of pellets in the pot not to cover the middle row of holes completely.
mostly just want to avoid getting a large amount of pellets building up.
if the pot starts getting dirty, it seems like pellets will start to fill it up higher.
time to pull the cleaning rod and give it a quick few swipes with the mini wire brush i use to brush the ash build up off.
this is not a full scraping. but a clean burn pot makes a better burn.

when it's cold at all, i prefer to run a steady non stop burn and not use the thermostat as anything but an off on switch.
so i just peg it well above the level that room will ever reach.
thermostat setting is going to be very subjective for each person's house. because where is it? how fast does that room heat up relative to the room the stove is in? etc...

the way i actually control how the house heats is with my secondary fans. 2 vornado 510s lol. that's a whole different thread.

so it's really an individual thing once you get your system down.
hard for me to say i do thus and so and have it relate very well to anyone else's set up except for having a good spikey energetic flame.

i look at the back bedroom temp and base most adjustments off of that.
my wife like it cool there for sleeping. and during the day she spends more time back there than me.
my den/lair is closer to the stove room.

lol! as i said, it's a subjective thing one house to the next.

Thanks soo much for the info. I agree. Just have to find the happy spot. I dump my firepot every day. Just trying to conserve some pellets. Afraid of burning through them too fast. My first season.. Can you tell? lol. And I found out high is not an issue for the CAB50. Just burns faster because it has a higher drop rate per min than medium and higher speed fan. Works just as well. I just like the longer run time on medium so the house can really soak up the warmth and hold it longer during the off time if it cycles. Thinking I'll just run on medium and at night when cold cold I'll run on high if I need too. My bedroom is currently 70 and it's around the corner from the stove. In morning it could be 65 or 64 on cold cold days if I left it on medium with the feed rate almost as closed as you can get it.

 

[St_Earl]

i started a thread on the high burn question.
i really prefer the low (closed gate) feed rate.
i know for a fact you can make less heat with more pellets if you are overfilling the pot

 

[nikeseer]

i started a thread on the high burn question.
i really prefer the low (closed gate) feed rate.
i know for a fact you can make less heat with more pellets if you are overfilling the pot

I too prefer the lower feed rate. I have opened mine a little bit more to see if it keeps up when the temps get a little lower. If it doesn't then I'll put it on high for the night and back to medium in the morning. On medium it usually doesn't cycle very often at all. My sister has a ranch and she keeps her feed half open and on medium and her stove cycles frequently and keeps up. So I'll have to see.