Country Winslow PS40 Issues

[Markb]

Suggestions on two issues would be MUCH appreciated!

1) The augur is squeaking like crazy as it pushes the pellets up. It is not constant but will occur frequently throughout the day. It basically sounds like it needs some oiling.

2) The auto ignition is not working. I CAN run my stove. I start it manually in the burn pot with rubbing alcohol/pellets mixed together. Once I have a good flame, I close the door, and run the stove.

Inside the stove, you CAN see the heating element (through the hole in the igniter) turn red when I turn the stove on, so it appears that that part is working. But it does not actually light any pellets.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

On 2 above there has to be a good air flow past the igniter for it to work as it actually uses the superheated air to lite off the pellets. Sometimes ash gets in around the igniter preventing it from lighting the pellets, it is also possible for the igniter itself to block the air flow by being to far forward in its mount. It is also possible for the igniter to indicate is is fine but not all sections are firing and the air flow doesn't get hot enough. I'd start by cleaning around the igniter and for that matter the entire system from air intake to vent termination but I'm strange that way.

The auger situation may be a warn or gummed up auger bearing, they do go bad over time.

 

[Markb]

On 2 above there has to be a good air flow past the igniter for it to work as it actually uses the superheated air to lite off the pellets. Sometimes ash gets in around the igniter preventing it from lighting the pellets, it is also possible for the igniter itself to block the air flow by being to far forward in its mount. It is also possible for the igniter to indicate is is fine but not all sections are firing and the air flow doesn't get hot enough. I'd start by cleaning around the igniter and for that matter the entire system from air intake to vent termination but I'm strange that way.

The auger situation may be a warn or gummed up auger bearing, they do go bad over time.

Thanks for taking the time smokey. I will give these a try. I actually moved the ignitor forward thinking that it may not be close enough....maybe too far. Will adjust it again. Let you know.

 

[EZsteve]

Hey Markb, I am having the same problem right now. My stove is a 2008. I have never had a problem with the igniter. I have my stove on a thermostat. So I got home yesterday and the stove was off. I tried to restart it and got no ingintion. The igniter did glow red but no fire. To my eye it looked just as red as I always does. The funny thing is I did a full clean just this weekend. I took the ingnitor out this morning and I am going to check it today to see if it glows all the way to the end. Maybe as Smokey said it is possible it is not functioning fully to get the air hot enough. I will keep you posted. Please let me know what you come up with. Thanks

 

[Delta-T]

not uncommon to accidentally bang into the igniter tube when removing the burnpot on the winslow, which can move it back into the tube, away from the burnpot. it only held in place with a metal strap style clamp. pull it back so that it sits right up against the burnpot. also not uncommon for the igniter rod to glow red, but still not work because it has partially failed. If the tip appears to be deflected toward the side of the tube, ity has probably failed somewhere causing it to bow. also make sure you set the burnpot in perfectly straight, otherwise the hole in the back will not line up with the igniter, it just has to be a tiny bit askew to flub it all up. good luck.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

My chickens take great exception to your motto Delta-T and they are discussing a road trip.

 

[EZsteve]

Thanks Delta-T for the info. I tested the ingnitor and it only gets hot at the base of it. About ⅓ of the way there is nothing no glowing or heat. Basically the end of the thing was warm at best. So I have to order a new one. Been checking online anywhere from $99-$200. Does anyone of a better place to get them? Thanks.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Has that igniter got a collar on it or is it a straight cylinder. If it is a straight cylinder match up the length, diameter, voltage, and wattage to one on graigers site (broken link removed)

 

[EZsteve]

Has that igniter got a collar on it or is it a straight cylinder. If it is a straight cylinder match up the length, diameter, voltage, and wattage to one on graigers site (broken link removed)

I took a look Smokey, but I could not find a close enough match. I guest I will bite the bullet and the OME ingnitor. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Markb]

On 2 above there has to be a good air flow past the igniter for it to work as it actually uses the superheated air to lite off the pellets. Sometimes ash gets in around the igniter preventing it from lighting the pellets, it is also possible for the igniter itself to block the air flow by being to far forward in its mount. It is also possible for the igniter to indicate is is fine but not all sections are firing and the air flow doesn't get hot enough. I'd start by cleaning around the igniter and for that matter the entire system from air intake to vent termination but I'm strange that way.

The auger situation may be a warn or gummed up auger bearing, they do go bad over time.

Smokey - Still not auto lighting. 2nd time through complete cleaning. Pulled the igniter back and looked for clogging, but nothing. What do you mean by "It is also possible for the igniter to indicate is is fine but not all sections are firing and the air flow doesn't get hot enough"

The situation is odd to me. The heating element in the ignitor is definitely red, but the pellets are not even warm after the ignition failure. So it seems that there is no 'super heated air' getting to the pellets. Where does this super heated air come from? Is it simply pulled through by the exhaust fan turning on upon ignition?

 

[Markb]

Hey Markb, I am having the same problem right now. My stove is a 2008. I have never had a problem with the igniter. I have my stove on a thermostat. So I got home yesterday and the stove was off. I tried to restart it and got no ingintion. The igniter did glow red but no fire. To my eye it looked just as red as I always does. The funny thing is I did a full clean just this weekend. I took the ingnitor out this morning and I am going to check it today to see if it glows all the way to the end. Maybe as Smokey said it is possible it is not functioning fully to get the air hot enough. I will keep you posted. Please let me know what you come up with. Thanks

EZsteve - my model is a 2004 and one issue that I had many problems with was the proof of fire snap switch (located on the exhaust). I have had to replace it almost yearly. Actually had a couple good years recently....check out the error codes (blinking reds) and see if you are getting this message. Real easy to change that switch if its the case.

But isn't that Murphy's law? You clean your stove and then it acts up. Its like you get your breaks fixed and the alternator goes in the next week.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Igniters come in several configurations one of which is swaged, there are several sections if one fails the others still run and until several fail the igniter can light a fire.

ETA: It will glow but not produce enough heat to heat the air which lights the pellets.

 

[EZsteve]

I got my new igniter today in the mail. Only took me 10 minutes to put in and the stove fired right up. So just like smokey said the old one was glowing but it was not getting hot enough to start a fire. I got mine on amazon but it actually came from Earth Sense Energy Systems Inc. I did buy two of them just to have a spare. $99 each. No shipping charges. Hope this helps. Stay warm.

 

[Vognorth]

I got my new igniter today in the mail. Only took me 10 minutes to put in and the stove fired right up. So just like smokey said the old one was glowing but it was not getting hot enough to start a fire. I got mine on amazon but it actually came from Earth Sense Energy Systems Inc. I did buy two of them just to have a spare. $99 each. No shipping charges. Hope this helps. Stay warm.

Do you remember the part number on the ignitor you ordered? Was this an OEM or a universal type? Just curious as I'll need one sooner or later myself - I'm going on 3 years with mine. Thx!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I got my new igniter today in the mail. Only took me 10 minutes to put in and the stove fired right up. So just like smokey said the old one was glowing but it was not getting hot enough to start a fire. I got mine on amazon but it actually came from Earth Sense Energy Systems Inc. I did buy two of them just to have a spare. $99 each. No shipping charges. Hope this helps. Stay warm.

Hey glad to hear you are up and back to push button lighting again

 

[EZsteve]

Do you remember the part number on the ignitor you ordered? Was this an OEM or a universal type? Just curious as I'll need one sooner or later myself - I'm going on 3 years with mine. Thx!

Part number is H6005. Google it and you will find a bunch of places that sell it. It is the OME. Fits like a glove and works great. I did go ahead and get two for $99 each.

 

[Vognorth]

Part number is H6005. Google it and you will find a bunch of places that sell it. It is the OME. Fits like a glove and works great. I did go ahead and get two for $99 each.

Excellent - thanks for the time saver on that one!! Glad to hear it's an easy install as well.

 

[Markb]

not uncommon to accidentally bang into the igniter tube when removing the burnpot on the winslow, which can move it back into the tube, away from the burnpot. it only held in place with a metal strap style clamp. pull it back so that it sits right up against the burnpot. also not uncommon for the igniter rod to glow red, but still not work because it has partially failed. If the tip appears to be deflected toward the side of the tube, ity has probably failed somewhere causing it to bow. also make sure you set the burnpot in perfectly straight, otherwise the hole in the back will not line up with the igniter, it just has to be a tiny bit askew to flub it all up. good luck.

Delta T - Good call. My igniter rod was only glowing at the base/bottom 1/3. I have put an order in on Amazon, as well. Hopefully this works!.

Any idea how hard it is to change the augur motor? Thanks

Mark

 

[Markb]

Delta T - Good call. My igniter rod was only glowing at the base/bottom 1/3. I have put an order in on Amazon, as well. Hopefully this works!.

Any idea how hard it is to change the augur motor? Thanks

Mark

Delta T - just finally got around to installing my new igniter. Started right up. Thanks for the suggestion to look down the tube and thus notice that only half of the igniter was turning red. That said, I have come to enjoy starting the pellet stove with just a small amount of isopropyl alcohol. I have not had the bad luck that many have had with this igniter on this stove, but it seems like an easy way to prolong the life of the igniter.

On a side note: It seems like the electricity use from this stove comes from two places the fan which uses nothing and that rod which probably uses much more. Any idea how much electricity that igniter uses?

Also, while I have you (or anyone else). My auger is squeaking like crazy. Advice so far says its the auger motor bearings. Before I order a new motor, do you have any idea if the problem could be farther upstream? Brass bushings, etc?