[This is more of an "I answered my own question" post, but I figured I'd post it anyhow, so maybe it might help someone else]
My 11-year-old Accentra suddenly stopped feeding pellets after running out, shutting down and then being refilled and restarted. The feed motor light would illuminate, but the auger would only just barely move for a split second. There were no exhaust obstructions, or leaks in the door or hopper gaskets. It seemed to me like something was jamming the auger.
The stove is installed very close to the wall, accessible only from one side, and has an outside air kit, so access to the back is a bit challenging. I found a nice, short video - see link below - which shows how to remove the feed motor, which I thought I would do, so I could try to either rotate the auger manually, or see if the motor works when detached from the auger. From the video, seeing where the feed motor was located, and how easy it is to remove, I felt like I could get the motor out even with the limited access.
After I removed the back panels, I spotted the problem immediately! The bracket - the one attached to the motor with three screws - was almost completely detached. All the screws had backed-out over time. One of them was completely out, and wedged between the motor bracket and the "feed door cam arm" (for lack of the correct name). When the motor started to rotate, the cam jammed up against the bracket, preventing the auger from turning.
I thought maybe the motor might have been damaged by straining against the jammed bracket, but I figured I had nothing to lose by reattaching the bracket and reinstalling the motor. I loosened the set screw, pulled the motor off the auger, screwed the bracket back on, and reassembled everything... and... presto! Good as new!
Well, maybe good as old. The combustion blower is pretty noisy, so I'll probably disconnect the stove and replace that this summer. This stove is really simple, and servicing it will be super easy with some room to work.
Cheers!
My 11-year-old Accentra suddenly stopped feeding pellets after running out, shutting down and then being refilled and restarted. The feed motor light would illuminate, but the auger would only just barely move for a split second. There were no exhaust obstructions, or leaks in the door or hopper gaskets. It seemed to me like something was jamming the auger.
The stove is installed very close to the wall, accessible only from one side, and has an outside air kit, so access to the back is a bit challenging. I found a nice, short video - see link below - which shows how to remove the feed motor, which I thought I would do, so I could try to either rotate the auger manually, or see if the motor works when detached from the auger. From the video, seeing where the feed motor was located, and how easy it is to remove, I felt like I could get the motor out even with the limited access.
After I removed the back panels, I spotted the problem immediately! The bracket - the one attached to the motor with three screws - was almost completely detached. All the screws had backed-out over time. One of them was completely out, and wedged between the motor bracket and the "feed door cam arm" (for lack of the correct name). When the motor started to rotate, the cam jammed up against the bracket, preventing the auger from turning.
I thought maybe the motor might have been damaged by straining against the jammed bracket, but I figured I had nothing to lose by reattaching the bracket and reinstalling the motor. I loosened the set screw, pulled the motor off the auger, screwed the bracket back on, and reassembled everything... and... presto! Good as new!
Well, maybe good as old. The combustion blower is pretty noisy, so I'll probably disconnect the stove and replace that this summer. This stove is really simple, and servicing it will be super easy with some room to work.
Cheers!
