The short version is: Hi, I'm new here but I've done a lot of reading before signing up and you've all been a big help. The longer version of my odyssey follows:
1) A few weeks back, I bought a used St. Croix Hastings for a great price. Built in 2003, with the doubly-outdated control board, and for the life of me, I cannot find a manual for that one. The owner inherited it with the house purchase and didn't know a thing about it. So I bought it and didn't know a thing about it. I loved the look of it and I loved the price even more. I couldn't take another winter of electric and fuel oil heating so it all just seemed right. I did some research, which meant reading through a lot of troubleshooting and FAQs here. Once I got it cleaned up (or so I thought, HA!) and installed, I flipped the switch. It started...and stopped. The On/Off light blinked the entire time.
2) Got a vacuum error, which I traced to the combustion fan. It didn't want to turn. I coaxed it a little with a gentle nudge through its protective grate. It started working, but the amps were a little high compared to its plate. So that was my first deep-er cleaning. Pulled it and chiseled and scraped and sprayed and soaked and sucked until I could at least see metal again. A dab of lube and a blast of air. Started it again. More vacuum errors, jumped the vacuum switch for testing. It worked...kinda. Low, lazy flame.
3) Got a snake and started poking and spinning and whipping and what-not and got several cups of ash out of the stupid hidey-holes (only two on mine). More sucking, with a small hose to get into those same holes. Better, but not right. Flame was still lazy.
4) I finally broke down and bought a leaf vac. Hooked it to the exhaust and whoosh! There goes another few cups of ash. Turned it back on again and voila! Compared to the lazy Bic lighter flame from before, it looked like a jet engine. Power light still blinked (blunk?) and the fire burned, but it never really got hot. So...
5) I finally found a thread about a different model St. Croix which had the blinky power light after a cleaning. Finally found the last problem. It's in thermostat mode. Traced some wires, jumped them and there it is - that's what it's supposed to look like!
That was about an hour ago. So, I'll see if anything new develops but I am so stoked right now, and none of this would have happened without this particular group of people posting their experiences. In fact, prior to #5, I finally signed up just to post that very question. I'm sure I'll be around for a while; I haven't learned everything...yet.
So, yeah. Hi, I'm Boris and I now own a "restored" 2003 St. Croix Hastings, thanks to you all.
1) A few weeks back, I bought a used St. Croix Hastings for a great price. Built in 2003, with the doubly-outdated control board, and for the life of me, I cannot find a manual for that one. The owner inherited it with the house purchase and didn't know a thing about it. So I bought it and didn't know a thing about it. I loved the look of it and I loved the price even more. I couldn't take another winter of electric and fuel oil heating so it all just seemed right. I did some research, which meant reading through a lot of troubleshooting and FAQs here. Once I got it cleaned up (or so I thought, HA!) and installed, I flipped the switch. It started...and stopped. The On/Off light blinked the entire time.
2) Got a vacuum error, which I traced to the combustion fan. It didn't want to turn. I coaxed it a little with a gentle nudge through its protective grate. It started working, but the amps were a little high compared to its plate. So that was my first deep-er cleaning. Pulled it and chiseled and scraped and sprayed and soaked and sucked until I could at least see metal again. A dab of lube and a blast of air. Started it again. More vacuum errors, jumped the vacuum switch for testing. It worked...kinda. Low, lazy flame.
3) Got a snake and started poking and spinning and whipping and what-not and got several cups of ash out of the stupid hidey-holes (only two on mine). More sucking, with a small hose to get into those same holes. Better, but not right. Flame was still lazy.
4) I finally broke down and bought a leaf vac. Hooked it to the exhaust and whoosh! There goes another few cups of ash. Turned it back on again and voila! Compared to the lazy Bic lighter flame from before, it looked like a jet engine. Power light still blinked (blunk?) and the fire burned, but it never really got hot. So...
5) I finally found a thread about a different model St. Croix which had the blinky power light after a cleaning. Finally found the last problem. It's in thermostat mode. Traced some wires, jumped them and there it is - that's what it's supposed to look like!
That was about an hour ago. So, I'll see if anything new develops but I am so stoked right now, and none of this would have happened without this particular group of people posting their experiences. In fact, prior to #5, I finally signed up just to post that very question. I'm sure I'll be around for a while; I haven't learned everything...yet.
So, yeah. Hi, I'm Boris and I now own a "restored" 2003 St. Croix Hastings, thanks to you all.
!
