M55 Auger and Rust Removal

[vinny11950]

After 3 plus years of running the stove near the coast, it had developed some rust.

So I removed it to the outside and sanded down the rust spots I could find.









For the first layer of paint I went with a Rustoleum high heat spray paint that I have used before with good results. I was ambevilant about mixing Rustoleum and Stove Bright but I am glad I did, as the Rustoleum paint gave much better coverage and filled into the metal nicely. Then I sprayed on some of the Stove Bright metallic black which left me disappointed as the paint did not cover very well and seems easy to scratch off.

I really went crazy in the exchange tubes and sprayed major amounts of the Rustoleum in there as there was some rust dust and I am hoping the paint will slow it down.

And while I had the stove out, I figured I would take apart the auger for some grease maintenance.



Interestingly Enviro lists the auger motor as being manufactured by someone else instead of Gleason Avery, so I was surprised to find Gleason Avery. It's good because Gleason Avery has a friendly customer website that lets you buy them direct.

(broken link removed to http://www.gleasonavery.com/catalog/pellet-corn-stove-motors.html)


I was ready to replace the bushings but they looked pretty good so I left them in. Instead I put some high heat auto grease on them. I then put some high heat black silicone on the cover and placed it back on.






Funny thing I noticed when reinstalling the auger motor was that the shaded part of the pole was facing to the inside of the stove but when I unscrewed it the locking screw was facing to the outside. This makes me believe the locking screw was not on the shaded side of the pole but on the round side. Small thing but it might explain some weird movements from the auger at times.

I then prayed some Wurth 2000 on the motor hoping to grease it up a little.

Hopes this helps anyone who has to do this.

 

[Domino]

Thanks!! Your link to Gleason Avery just saved me big time! I couldn't find the 3RPM Auger motor anywhere for a reasonable price. Your link sent me right to the page!

 

[vinny11950]

Finally had an auger jam. Stove shut down in the middle of the night. When turned on, the fans kicked on like normal, but no pellets dropped into the burn pot.

This is the process I followed to diagnose the issue.

1) Unplugged the stove, and checked the fuses, specifically looking at the auger fuse for damage. It looked good so it must be something else.



2) With the stove still unplugged, I look around at the wires and connections, again focusing on the auger. Everything looks good.

3) So I plug the power back in, and turned on the stove. The fans kick on as normal, but pellets are not dropping. I look at the control panel looking for a trouble code (blinking light) and there is none, as there is no code specifically for an auger jam. However, there are big clues that this is an auger jam: a) there is a new, noticeable electrical motor buzzing sound (which I guessed is the auger motor trying to turn and not being able to move). I open the door to the stove to test out the vacuum switch, and surely enough the buzzing sound goes away, as the vacuum switch trips and cuts out the auger motor. Once I close the door, the buzzing comes back. The same goes for the hopper lid switch. So now I know those 2 switches, that can shutdown the auger are working normally, I dive into the hopper.



4) I empty the 2 bags of pellet in the hopper and vacuum out what is left. The final proof of the jam was me trying to move the auger back and forth with my fingers. WARNING: DO THIS WITH THE STOVE UNPLUGGED BECAUSE IT DOES LOOK LIKE THE AUGER IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CRUSH FINGERS. I know, with the lid open the auger shouldn't turn, but who knows what will happen in a malfunctioning device. Better safe than sorry. Anyway, the auger is stuck solid, no wiggle either way.

5) So I decide to take off the auger cover (torx 20 screw driver). Easier said than done, that RTV I used last time really did the job. taking the screws out was no problem but separating the RTV was a pain. I had to use a putty knife to get the thin edge in between the cover and hopper body. Eventually it came off.



The jam seemed to be at the top, where the pellets drop into the chute, by the blades.



Once a cleared that up, the auger had a some play back and forth, about 1/8 of an inch.

I wanted to pull out the auger, but I couldn't find the right size socket for the screw that holds the auger to the motor. Hell if I remember how I got it off and on 5 years ago. Why Enviro would use a square head screw it beyond me.



I cleaned off the old RTV and replaced the cover with new RTV.



I waiting 4 hours to let the RTV set and turned it on. It takes like 5 minutes for an empty auger to fill up with pellets enough to carry them up, and drop them in the chute. But it eventually got going. Just in time for the snow storm.

These little guys woke up too soon and are now being buried in snow.

 

[vinny11950]

When your own thread helps you remember the link to buy a new auger motor....

 

[Threerun]

Nice. That's a good write-up. I think I'm going to go through a thorough disassembly like that at the end of this burning season..