Intermittent Pellet Feed - Santa Fe

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I'm sure this has been covered, but a search didn't find anything.

My 10 month old Quadra Fire Santa Fe has recently begun erratic operation of the pellet feed. Almost every morning now, it will be off and house is freezing. Press the re-set and it'll take right off and run fine. I've taken the pellets out of it, cleaned everything, checked auger rotation, opened pellet feed restrictor......no help. It'll run fine for hours, then suddenly shut down. I've checked #2 snap disc and it's not tripped, checked vacuum switch and it shows continuity when blower is going.........what now ?? I have no confidence/trust in the dealer and trying to reach Quadra Fire is extremely frustrating. I sat on hold for a long time, piling up minutes before I gave up and I'm pretty antagonized now. Their customer service sucks.

Thanks

Lar.
 
What is the length of some of your pellets? I had some pellets that would be approximately 2 inches and that would cause my Santa Fe to shut down. When none of the pellets were long, I had no shutdowns.
 
Well, I take back some of the above. It turned on a few minutes ago and I soon noticed that there'd been no ignition. Checked it and no pellets in firepot. Igniter was glowing. Pressed re-set and nothing. Waited and pressed it again and got a trickle of pellets - and there are plenty of pellets in the hopper - then nothing. Tried several more times and the auger won't go.

Pellets average about ½" long with a very few of an inch. They are Heat'r pellets and are quite soft, but it doesn't appear to be feeding sawdust when it does go.

Lar.
 
how about the rod inside the hopper ?

I may not remember correctly but i think mine was doing this last season because i had restricted the feed by moving down the rod too much maybe. For a test try leaving the rod all the way open or just open it more and give it a test.

Make sure you always pull the rod at the bottom of the pot when unit is off to scrape any residue of clinker or ash and that you clean the holes in the pot as well.

Let us know,
 
Yah, one of the 1st things I did was to take most of the pellets out so I could see the auger. It wasn't turning, but there were pellets down in the hole. I did open the pellet feed some, too, but that doesn't help if auger doesn't do its' thing.

Lar.
 
If, during your testing, you emptied the hopper enough to see the auger and it wasn't turning, that's because with an empty or almost empty hopper, you were losing vacuum through the auger. Without vacuum, the auger won't turn.
My first thought was also long pellets, which I have been struggling with most of the season, but with your short pellets that shouldn't be a problem. Take a flashlight and small mirror and look up the pellet chute. You should see a bare auger screw. Several times an errant long pellet has bridged across the opening and stopped things up. Also, I've had an aluminum warning label come from somewhere and wad up at the top of the feed. Also a 'packing peanut' and a piece of wood. You never know what's in those bags! Worth looking there. Also, disconnect the hose from the vacuum switch and blow it out with 'canned air' so that the tubing AND the nipple at the top of the feed chute are clear.
Opening up the feed gate, which you say you've done, is still an option as long as your flame is about 4" above the burn pot on HIGH.

With you getting only a trickle of pellets when you hit reset, it sounds like you might have a blockage at the top of the auger at the chute. Check that out first before you pull the auger.
 
Thanks. I'll take a look, but when it works it works fine, so I kinda doubt if there's an obstruction in there.

I did find a problem a bit ago with the vacuum switch, but not sure how it would relate to my problem. When I pulled the wires off the switch to put the alligator clips from the multimeter onto the terminals, the black switch assembly pushed right into the metal housing. When I took the whole switch assembly right out of the stove, I found that with it pushed part way in it would be on (contacts closed) all the time. Pull it out to where the adhesive line is and then it operates normally with the vacuum.

From what I understand of the operation of this thing, vacuum switch contacts closed for whatever reason should give a go ahead for the auger, shouldn't it ?? Maybe if it tilted a bit in the housing, the diaphragm wouldn't pull up high enuf to actuate the switch ?? Whaddaya think ??

I very carefully pulled the switch out to the adhesive line and epoxied it into place. When one side was cured, I hooked the multimeter to it and sucked very gently on the hose and it operated properly. Now the epoxy on the other side is curing, so we'll see what happens later this afternoon.

I'll also clean out the tube and all, as suggested here. Thanks again

Lar.
 
biglar said:
Thanks. I'll take a look, but when it works it works fine, so I kinda doubt if there's an obstruction in there.

I did find a problem a bit ago with the vacuum switch, but not sure how it would relate to my problem. When I pulled the wires off the switch to put the alligator clips from the multimeter onto the terminals, the black switch assembly pushed right into the metal housing. When I took the whole switch assembly right out of the stove, I found that with it pushed part way in it would be on (contacts closed) all the time. Pull it out to where the adhesive line is and then it operates normally with the vacuum.

From what I understand of the operation of this thing, vacuum switch contacts closed for whatever reason should give a go ahead for the auger, shouldn't it ?? Maybe if it tilted a bit in the housing, the diaphragm wouldn't pull up high enuf to actuate the switch ?? Whaddaya think ??

I very carefully pulled the switch out to the adhesive line and epoxied it into place. When one side was cured, I hooked the multimeter to it and sucked very gently on the hose and it operated properly. Now the epoxy on the other side is curing, so we'll see what happens later this afternoon.

I'll also clean out the tube and all, as suggested here. Thanks again

Lar.

that sure sounds like your problem! I'm going to have to check my Castile because that's the one that gives me the most fits with the no-start condition you talk about. It happened this morning, as a matter of fact, but my pellets range from dust to 3 inches long!
 
yea it is prob the vac switch, there is a new design/ better design out. You are under warranty to get a new one.
 
I've had my Santa Fe for three winters and aside from learning which pellets it likes best, have not had a problem not related to cleanliness. Only came home to a couple of 47 degree days after forgetting to feed it or forgetting to clean the burnpot. Amazing performance. 1000sq ft, poorly insulated with a 3100 in the hearth for the really cold days.

Duane
Upstate NY
 
I guess I didn't get the switch assembly exactly right. Put it back together and it doesn't close when the fan comes on, tho' I can close it with suction. I did use a thin insulated wire to rod out the barb on the back of the combustion chamber. Jumped it and it took on re-set push to get it going, so we'll find out tonight.

Meanwhile, you mentioned there was an improved switch out there now. Where can I find one and how much do they cost ?? I'll call in the morning and get one overnighted.

For now, I've got it jumped to heat the place this evening and will turn it off before going to bed. I fully understand the danger of a jumpered vacuum switch. It's warmer now, so house won't be that bad in morning and stove will heat it quickly.

Lar.
 
Oooops - didn't read the above post closely enuf. Yes, it is still under warranty, so will check tomorrow. Does warranty cover labor, too ?? I have little faith in the outfit that sold it to me and if I have to pay labor, I'll just buy a switch and put it in myself.

Lar.
 
Morning update - stove cycled twice before I turned it off and went to bed last night. This morning I turned t'stat up and it took right off, no problem, so looks like the vacuum switch is the problem.

Yesterday I called the 509-684-3745 number for Quadra Fire and got stonewalled. They wouldn't talk to a consumer. (lady who answered their phone asked if I was dealer. I said, "no." Oh, you're a consumer" she said, almost with a sneer) Is there a direct line to the tech services department ??

Thanks

Lar.
 
If it was purchased new, it is still under warranty. The place you bought it from should service it under the warranty ...use the warranty ..
 
Hank Hill said:
If it was purchased new, it is still under warranty. The place you bought it from should service it under the warranty ...use the warranty ..

Normally this is the correct thing to do, sometimes however it may be the wrong thing to do.
 
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