Help with Quadrafire Mt. Vernon pellet stove blower

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chuckdog

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Jan 31, 2009
3
Southeast WI
Hello, got a Quadrafire Mt. Vernon pellet stove. Earlier this heating season the blower fan started squealing and would not start up when the stove was hot enough. I usually run the stove on the medium setting, which works the best for the area that we have it in. When the blower started to act up, it would not blow on the medium setting but if I turned the heat setting to high, it would start up and then I could turn the heat setting down to medium and the blower would stay running. I have since replaced the blower with a new one from Quadrafire and it worked ok for awhile but now it is doing the same thing. If I set it on the high setting, it burns too hot for the room we have it in and it will cycle on and off too much as well as use too much pellets. What is wrong with my stove and where should I look at to get it fixed? I have done all of my own service work on it, and so far it has run flawlessly for 6 heating seasons 24/7, and this is the first problem that has stumped me. Thank you for any help.
 
6 Years old, this must be a "classic" Mt Vernon and not a new AE unit. How long did the new blower last? I think that unit has the GFK-160 style blower with the plastic squirrel cages. Check the cages and see if they are warped at all. Also check to make sure the cages have not slide in or out on the spindle. The end of the spindle should be flush with the nub on the cage. There was a batch of defective GFK-160A fans where the cage would slide around, not sure if it effected fans for other units with the same design.
 
yes, it is the older style unit. I did not have any problems with the old blower as far as the squirrel cages. It was just making so much noise from one of the bearings going bad, that I ended up getting a new one. I use this pellet stove 24/7 throughout the heating season and it has worked well for me, but sometimes, it seems the blower doesn't want to start. I have never replaced any of the thermodiscs. Could one of those be worn out and acting up?
 
There is a thermodisc for turning the fan on and off. Its the only one without a reset button on it. Its more likely the connectors on it are loose / bad than the disc needs to be replaced. You could test the disc itself for continuity with a multimeter, or also bypass it to make the fan run to test if it will go 100% of the time.
 
That disc will only test good though if it is up to temperature, correct? I will take the cover off of the side and take a peek at the connections tomorrow and see what I can find out. Thanks for the help.
 
Yes once its up to temp it will close.
 
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