Castle Serenity Alarm Low Temp

[Jman90]

First time poster here. I bought a house in June that came with a Castle Serenity pellet stove in the basement. I’m familiar with the basics of pellet stove maintenance but not with more detailed work.

Been running the stove for about 4-6 weeks as a secondary heat source and in the last week I’ve been getting the “alarm low temp” error a few times randomly. Shutting down and then restarting the stove has worked before but after having it happen twice today I’m a bit worried something more is going on. I read through the manual but didn’t see anything specific to that error message. I read some useful Serenity posts on this forum so hoping someone has some insight here!

Also is anyone familiar with how Castle warranties are? I assume since the stove was purchased by a prior owner that any warranty they had doesn’t transfer to me. I know they have had this stove for at least a few years but not sure exactly how long...

 

[JRemington]

First time poster here. I bought a house in June that came with a Castle Serenity pellet stove in the basement. I’m familiar with the basics of pellet stove maintenance but not with more detailed work.

Been running the stove for about 4-6 weeks as a secondary heat source and in the last week I’ve been getting the “alarm low temp” error a few times randomly. Shutting down and then restarting the stove has worked before but after having it happen twice today I’m a bit worried something more is going on. I read through the manual but didn’t see anything specific to that error message. I read some useful Serenity posts on this forum so hoping someone has some insight here!

Also is anyone familiar with how Castle warranties are? I assume since the stove was purchased by a prior owner that any warranty they had doesn’t transfer to me. I know they have had this stove for at least a few years but not sure exactly how long...

Do you know what the low limit/proof of fire switch is? If you do jump that switch and see if the problem ends.

 

[JRemington]

Also, what heat setting is it shutting down on?

 

[Jman90]

Also, what heat setting is it shutting down on?

When it happened earlier this week I was in low heat level mode while filling the hopper before bed. Was on level 1 heat setting in temp mode. Today I had the issue with a full hopper while in the heating stage (was trying to bring the temp up to 66. Stove said 59 when I first started). Error occurred at 61, 63, and 65 respectively.

I will check the proof of fire switch and see if I can jump that. I haven’t been a big fan of this stove so far (I really don’t like that it doesn’t slow down once it hits the temp I want) but hoping this doesn’t turn into a serious issue.

 

[Jman90]

Well I tested one more time tonight and the vacuum indicator does not come on which is what seems to be causing the fault. Will be calling tech support in the morning to figure out my options.

 

[JRemington]

Is your stove pipe clean? Did you take the rubber hose off the vacuum switch and blow through it?If so do you know how to adjust it?

 

[tophog64]

Are you cleaning the burner pot daily?

 

[bgk]

When it happened earlier this week I was in low heat level mode while filling the hopper before bed. Was on level 1 heat setting in temp mode. Today I had the issue with a full hopper while in the heating stage (was trying to bring the temp up to 66. Stove said 59 when I first started). Error occurred at 61, 63, and 65 respectively.

I will check the proof of fire switch and see if I can jump that. I haven’t been a big fan of this stove so far (I really don’t like that it doesn’t slow down once it hits the temp I want) but hoping this doesn’t turn into a serious issue.

It happens on mine every so often after a fill. If you take too long filling, or the hopper door isn’t shut (there’s a little white button the door pushes down) it seems that the auger stops feeding, allowing the fire to go out. Then when you do shut the door properly it fills the burn pot with pellets that won’t ignite.

So, make sure you fill the hopper quickly, or hold down that little white button as you do so and make sure the lid shuts properly.

 

[Jman90]

Is your stove pipe clean? Did you take the rubber hose off the vacuum switch and blow through it?If so do you know how to adjust it?

Pipe itself looks clean. I called CS yesterday while in front of the stove and they agreed the vacuum switch has gone bad so they are sending me a new one.

Are you cleaning the burner pot daily?

Yes, I clean burner pot before each use.

It happens on mine every so often after a fill. If you take too long filling, or the hopper door isn’t shut (there’s a little white button the door pushes down) it seems that the auger stops feeding, allowing the fire to go out. Then when you do shut the door properly it fills the burn pot with pellets that won’t ignite.

So, make sure you fill the hopper quickly, or hold down that little white button as you do so and make sure the lid shuts properly.

The first 2 times I had this issue was while filling the hopper so I thought that might have been the case, or that I bumped the little white wire by mistake. But after it shutting down Sunday multiple times while not even touching the hopper I think it’s grown into another issue.

I spoke with CS yesterday and they are sending me a new vacuum switch. Will hopefully be able to install myself once it comes in.

 

[Manly]

Let us know if this resolves the issue. Always looking to learn. Installed a new serenity in our garage and it’s been wonderful thus far.

 

[Jman90]

Forgot to post my resolution. Turns out my vacuum switch and door gasket both had failed, once I replaced both of those the stove has been working just fine.