Control box issue? Mt Vernon

[cpoulton]

Hi everyone,
Just new to the forum here, and I'm having some issues with my Mt Vernon and I'm hoping someone can suggest what might be happening.

When the thermostat calls for heat the unit kicks on, and starts the fire. It burns for 5 or 10 minutes then the hopper stops feeding and the fire goes out, the blower never starts, the red call light stays on and needless to say the temp hasn't come up. The unit will stay in that state and not start the fire again.
I can get the unit to fire back up if I lower the thermostat setting to below the current temp and then turn it back up. Starting the process all over again..

We're new to the house, though the previous owner told us that the unit had worked great last year as it was there main source of heat through the winter.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I could check before calling in a professional?

Thanks,

Craig

 

[SwineFlue]

So, you are getting the initial long feed of pellets, and they are igniting. After a few more minutes, you should then see a small green light on the control box and short batches of pellets should begin feeding. After maybe five minutes, you should see a small red light on the control box (separate from the call light). The blower won't run until the stove is hot, usually around 15 minutes or so.
The green light means the thermocouple detects the fire, and the red light means it is above 600 degrees. Are you seeing these?

The thermocouple is inside the ceramic tube that sticks out over the burnpot. Remove the ceramic cover and tap any ash out of it.

If you are starting it on the Low heat setting, try Medium or High.

 

[cpoulton]

Thanks for the tip SwineFlue,
After cleaning out the thermocouple the stove goes through the complete cycle properly. I thought we had it nicked, but unfortunately when I came downstairs this morning I noticed that the call light was red, but the stove wasnt' turning on. After setting the thermostat down and then back up it came back on as normal and heated the room up the the set temp.

 

[kappel15]

When it ran for 5 or 10 minutes, did the green light and then the red light come on?Make sure when you put the cover back on the thermocouple that it is touching the inside end of the cover or you will get false readings like this. Also, the fire could be not getting to temp soon enough and the stove does a safety shutdown. Make sure the firepot holes are all clean and open. Use a flashlight and a small mirror to see them. Also make sure the slit at the bottom of the pot where igniter is, is free and clear of any debris. This also could be the capacitor, auger motor, etc. Process of elimination. More information you have, the better we can diagnose the problem. Start watching and keep track of what it does. Stay in touch. kap