Door gasket on new Quad Castile

[BaltoJoe]

Good morning, I've been lurking here for a few weeks while waiting for my new (2013) Quad Castile to be installed. During the install I noticed that the door gasket runs across the TOP of the glass and the two sides, not the bottom and two sides as I have seen in all the pictures, help videos, etc. I called my dealer and he said that they revise the stove from time to time and it's probably normal. The dealer has otherwise seemed trustworthy and knowledgeable, but this doesn't look right to me. I did search the forum before posting, and didn't see anything about a change in the gasket arrangement. Anybody know if there's been a change on the latest Castiles?

Also, assuming that mine is wrong, is it an easy fix to put it right? I have tools and I'm not afraid to use them!

I have not started the stove yet -- picking up a ton of Statesman (Hamer Hot Ones) later today...

Thanks

 

[Jack Morrissey]

Good morning, I've been lurking here for a few weeks while waiting for my new (2013) Quad Castile to be installed. During the install I noticed that the door gasket runs across the TOP of the glass and the two sides, not the bottom and two sides as I have seen in all the pictures, help videos, etc. I called my dealer and he said that they revise the stove from time to time and it's probably normal. The dealer has otherwise seemed trustworthy and knowledgeable, but this doesn't look right to me. I did search the forum before posting, and didn't see anything about a change in the gasket arrangement. Anybody know if there's been a change on the latest Castiles?

Also, assuming that mine is wrong, is it an easy fix to put it right? I have tools and I'm not afraid to use them!

I have not started the stove yet -- picking up a ton of Statesman (Hamer Hot Ones) later today...

Thanks

What does your owners manual say?? By the way welcome to the forum and pellet world!!

 

[BaltoJoe]

Thanks for the welcome! I have been over the manual and didn't see anything specific to the door/gasket, but perhaps I'm missing something. I'll look again. It's just an install/owners manual, not a service manual. The DVD that came with the stove (dated 2005) shows the gasket across the sides and bottom.

By the way, forgot to mention it's an insert, in case that matters.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Quad moved the gasket from the bottom to the top in about 2007. One of my stoves has it on top and the other on the bottom and they were both made in '07. The opening on the bottom does a better job, supposedly, of keeping the glass clean.

 

[peirhead]

Mine was made in 2008 and the bottom of the door is not gasketed

 

[BaltoJoe]

Thanks for the quick replies. Sounds like mine should be gasketed on the bottom after all, but it also sounds like it doesn't matter a whole lot either way.

The stove's been running full bore for about three hours now -- no rattles and the blowers are quieter than I expected. The Hamer pellets are very small -- most are only about 1/4" -- and my flames are barely out of the burn pot with the feed gate all the way open. Is this normal for small and/or Hamer pellets? Stove is on "high". No OAK, but very drafty house.

 

[tjnamtiw]

No, since yours is new, your gasket should be and is across the top and open at the bottom.
The OAK wouldn't make any difference as to the height of the flame. Usually when I have smaller pellets, I have to close down the feed gate to prevent the flame from getting too high. Curious. I'll let some others comment on this one.

 

[Jack Morrissey]

Your flame should be more than barely out of the burn pot.

 

[BaltoJoe]

Your flame should be more than barely out of the burn pot.

Indeed. According to the OM I should have at least 4" above the burn pot on HI. I don't want to rush to judgement - not even through my first bag yet. Once the hopper is empty I'll double check the auger and feed gate. Maybe I got some crappy pellets. I'm going to try a different brand when I get home tonight.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Indeed. According to the OM I should have at least 4" above the burn pot on HI. I don't want to rush to judgement - not even through my first bag yet. Once the hopper is empty I'll double check the auger and feed gate. Maybe I got some crappy pellets. I'm going to try a different brand when I get home tonight.

There is a thumb screw on the feed rod that could be restricting movement. (not real likely) Also, take a flashlight and mirror and look up the drop chute and see if there's anything blocking the opening. I had all kinds of problems at first with mine. Things like aluminum labels that came off and found their way into the auger, pieces of wood, plastic packing material.

 

[Countryboymo]

You have a good start. The more you pay attention to how it works when all is well and how it starts and the light sequences on the control box the easier it will be to recognize when things aren't 100% and how to diagnose issues that might arise down the road.

 

[BaltoJoe]

There is a thumb screw on the feed rod that could be restricting movement. (not real likely) Also, take a flashlight and mirror and look up the drop chute and see if there's anything blocking the opening. I had all kinds of problems at first with mine. Things like aluminum labels that came off and found their way into the auger, pieces of wood, plastic packing material.

Good ideas, thanks. I let it run out of pellets last night and checked both the drop tube and auger. I didn't see any obvious obstructions. I have run through a whole bag of Hamers and most of a bag of Lignetics -- burn is about the same for both brands - a noisy roaring burn with active tornado flames which ebb and flow between an inch out of the burn pot and an inch below the top. (On high.)

I started it on low last night and after 40 minutes the convection blower still had not come on so I switched to high and the blower came on a short while later.

My gut feeling is that it seems like it's getting plenty of air but not enough fuel. Although as a complete noob I don't feel qualified to make guesses or have gut feelings, lol. Pellets are definitely dropping every few seconds.

The dealer is coming this evening to check it out. Hopefully it's something simple.

 

[BaltoJoe]

Other details which may be relevant:

The insert is vented through a masonry chimney with 4" duravent - about 16-17 feet vertical to the cap. The top 8 feet of chimney passes through unheated attic space.

The burn pot trapdoor fits very tightly. It was extremely difficult to use the clean out rod even with almost no ash or clinkers in the burnpot. Not sure if there should be a looser fit with some kind of air gap to aid combustion.

 

[tjnamtiw]

You can loosen the nut on the swivel bolt just a little to make it easier to pull the cleaning rod. One of mine was impossible to pull while the other one never needed adjustment. Think 'Made in China'. You don't, according to prevailing wisdom, want the trap door to hang down with more gap than the thickness of a dime. You won't need that much to free it up though. Any air that gets in that way takes away from the planned swirling action from the other holes so keep it to a minimum.

 

[BaltoJoe]

Loosening the nut did the trick for the trap door. The tech found that the control box was set to 6, instead of 4 (normal) or 5 (+10%). It's set to 5 now, and the flames are up 2-3 inches out of the burn pot. Still not 4-6 inches, but better. Maybe the air flow isn't what it could be thanks to the long cold trip up the chimney. I'm going to relax and not worry about it for a week or two while I burn through a few more different brands of pellets and enjoy the Christmas holiday. Peace and joy to all y'all and your families!

 

[tjnamtiw]

Good on loosening the bolt! It's probably a good idea to get the hang of the stove at this stage and play with the feed rates a little. 5 setting is right for +10% for a free standing or insert Castile. 6 was the CORRECT setting for a normal setting for your insert. That's what I use. I don't know why 7 would give 10% for a Sante Fe but 5 would give 10% for a Castile when they are essentially the same.

I also have a 17 foot chimney but I used 3" flex and don't have any turns other than past the smoke shelf since I have the insert. I also have several feet in an unheated attic.

 

[SwineFlue]

I don't know why 7 would give 10% for a Sante Fe but 5 would give 10% for a Castile when they are essentially the same.

Yeah, I never understood why the setting for the Castile FreeStanding is 4, the Insert is 6, but both Castiles use 5 for the +10% feed.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Yeah, I never understood why the setting for the Castile FreeStanding is 4, the Insert is 6, but both Castiles use 5 for the +10% feed.

Must be Chinese Logic??? If there is such a thing.

 

[Augmister]

Two Castilles and neither has the seal along the bottom of the glass door. With the break in the weather, I will be putting the 3rd gasket on my 2006, this weekend.
I have also notice a high flame, even with the pellet feed slid all the way down. It does seem to vary with the different pellets I use. Also, I spray the bottom of the burn pot (when stove is cold!) and the entire pull rod linkage for the burn pot with Kroll Oil. Fantastic product.

 

[SwineFlue]

Must be Chinese Logic??? If there is such a thing.

You might have something there: my stove doesn't have the selector switch and it says "Made in the USA"

 

[tjnamtiw]

You might have something there: my stove doesn't have the selector switch and it says "Made in the USA"

REALLY???? I thought they were all made in China Wow, I stand corrected. Or does it say 'Assembled in the USA'??

 

[SwineFlue]

REALLY???? I thought they were all made in China Wow, I stand corrected. Or does it say 'Assembled in the USA'??

It really does say "Made in USA"... but that could mean final assembly only (more than 11 years ago).

 

[tjnamtiw]

It really does say "Made in USA"... but that could mean final assembly only (more than 11 years ago).

Ah, 11 years is a long time ago in this age of 'pleasing the shareholders' rather than building the best product. I can only find one sticker on mine and that's the big one inside the hopper that shows the manufactured date. It has no manufactured by info. It says that some report was listed in Beaverton, Oregon but nothing else. When I first started the stove, it 'swallowed' an aluminum sticker and wadded it up at the top of the auger. Maybe that was the sticker in question. hahaha.

 

[SwineFlue]

Ah, 11 years is a long time ago in this age of 'pleasing the shareholders' rather than building the best product. I can only find one sticker on mine and that's the big one inside the hopper that shows the manufactured date. It has no manufactured by info. It says that some report was listed in Beaverton, Oregon but nothing else. When I first started the stove, it 'swallowed' an aluminum sticker and wadded it up at the top of the auger. Maybe that was the sticker in question. hahaha.

Check the fine print just below that manufactured date. It's even on the example sticker in the manual.

edit: even the latest manuals have it, though they added "of US and imported parts"

 

[tjnamtiw]

Check the fine print just below that manufactured date. It's even on the example sticker in the manual.

edit: even the latest manuals have it, though they added "of US and imported parts"

I was in there with a magnifying glass and it doesn't say anything about country of origin. 'Imported parts' is the dead give away. There's probably one screw in there that's made in the USA. Just about everyone on here has said that they are made in China. Heck, I put all new steering linkage parts on my son's Chevy K1500 and I figured I'd order good ole German MOOG parts. Picked them up and 'Made in China' right there on the box. Figured I'd get a good Milwaukee brand drill. Can't go wrong with Milwaukee, right? MADE IN CHINA. What is happening to this country?