Mt Vernon AE Auger Stuck

[Cobalt]

My Mt Vernon AE seems to have a stuck auger. I have vacuumed it from the top and I can reach in from the top and move the auger from side to side but it does not turn. I tried to start up the stove with no pellets to see if the auger would move and I can hear some noises like it is trying to but no turning at all. When I face the stove from the front is the auger on the right side or the left side? I hoping to get some advice on how to remove the auger to really clean it but until I know what side it is on, I wont be able to post some pictures of what I am looking at and to see what I need to do. Thanks very much.

 

[Mt Bob]

Right side.Here is the service manual.(broken link removed to http://www.mortonsstoves.com/wp-content/uploads/Quadra-Fire-Mt-Vernon-Troubleshooting-Manual.pdf)

 

[Cobalt]

Right side.Here is the service manual.(broken link removed to http://www.mortonsstoves.com/wp-content/uploads/Quadra-Fire-Mt-Vernon-Troubleshooting-Manual.pdf)

Thanks. So from that picture in the manual i believe that after you remove the panel on the right side the feed assembly is to the left. Is it just a matter of removing the 4 screws?

 

[Cobalt]

So I began to remove the four screws but I could only get two of them out as two of them are hard to reach and I don't want to strip them. Since I could look up there and see part of the auger shaft I thought I would plug it in and see if it moved even though there are no pellets in the stove. Nothing happened and the control panel gave me a vacuum switch error. I unplugged it and put the two screws back in and waited a bit and plugged it in again to see if I got the same error and sure enough I did. Is this the vacuum switch??

 

[Mt Bob]

Yes is vacuum switch,you can try jumping it for a test.Do you hear the combustion fan running?

 

[Cobalt]

Yes is vacuum switch,you can try jumping it for a test.Do you hear the combustion fan running?

Yes I can hear and see the fan running. All seals seem to be very good.

 

[Cobalt]

Yes is vacuum switch,you can try jumping it for a test.Do you hear the combustion fan running?

Thanks. How would I jump it? Would I need a special tool?

 

[Mt Bob]

And take that black hose off switch end and try blowing in it.

 

[Mt Bob]

See the two wires?They need to be hooked together.If you do not have the means to make a jumper wire,you could(carefully) use a paper clip.Just be careful it does not ground out to anything,or yourself.

 

[Cobalt]

And take that black hose off switch end and try blowing in it.

I took the hose off and blew into it (yuck) and it blows clear as there does not seem to be an obstruction.

 

[Cobalt]

See the two wires?They need to be hooked together.If you do not have the means to make a jumper wire,you could(carefully) use a paper clip.Just be careful it does not ground out to anything,or yourself.

I have some speaker wire around here. So I could cut a short piece of wire and insert it into each of those red clips? If that is what I do, what should happen after I do that?

 

[Mt Bob]

see if auger runs,and stove starts

 

[Cobalt]

see if auger runs,and stove starts

Thanks. I just want to be clear before I do it. I can just put the ends of a wire into those two red clips? Am I correct?

 

[Mt Bob]

yep,just remember it probably is house voltage,115v.Unplug stove first.

 

[Cobalt]

yep,just remember it probably is house voltage,115v.Unplug stove first.

Thanks. So Im ready to go and I know this is going to be a really STUPID question but I may as well be sure. Unplug stove, connect wires and then plug back in? Correct. Sorry.

 

[Mt Bob]

yep

 

[kappel15]

If the hopper is empty, the auger will not run as there is no vacuum present in firebox. You have to jump the vac switch wires, to bypass that issue. And there is only one screw to remove , to take the auger out. You are trying to take out the screws that hold the motor to the bracket. Below them, there is one screw that you unscrew to remove auger assy. But you can't take it all the way out, because the wire harness's don't have that much slack in them. But it will let you look at the top area to see if there was a jam up there. kap

 

[kappel15]

Everything is 12 volt on this stove, except the auger which is 120. kap

 

[Mt Bob]

Everything is 12 volt on this stove, except the auger which is 120. kap

Thanks,Kap.

 

[kappel15]

What error codes were you getting before you unhooked vac switch?

 

[heat seeker]

Note: remove your jumper wire after your testing. Do NOT run the stove with the jumper in place - the switch is a safety device.

 

[Cobalt]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help and here is some more info to try and answer your questions. I heard it start this morning when I was in bed but after about 20 minutes it shut down and when I got up it was off and I think the error code said something about fire pot temp to low. I thought the auger was jammed so I pulled out all the pellets and vacuumed it from the top and then the error I got was auger jammed. You can move the auger from side to side from the hopper but you can not turn it. So after next time I tried again I got a vacuum switch error message.

So now on to bypassing the switch. The first I did it with just a handful of pellets in the hopper and the stove did not start but I do see the shaft turn. It turns slowly and quietly but where there seems to be what looks like a screw or a set screw, the shaft was moving. Still no fire. I unplugged it and added more pellets to the hopper but just a few cups or so and added some pellets in the firebox so it would start and it did start and the shaft was turning but when those pellets were done, it did not add more. It has been stuck on "start up" now for 15 minutes and not giving me an error. Is that because I bypassed the vacuum switch? Now I am going to connect the switch normally and see if the shaft still turns and come back and add to this post.

I now connected the switch normally and again I can see the auger turn slowly but it is not sending pellets to the firepot. I do see a image on the wall unit that shows the fire pot and it means low fuel but we know that. I only have about 2 pounds of pellets in the hopper, I don't think that could be a problem but could it? Thanks. And after twenty minutes it still says start up.

 

[Mt Bob]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help and here is some more info to try and answer your questions. I heard it start this morning when I was in bed but after about 20 minutes it shut down and when I got up it was off and I think the error code said something about fire pot temp to low. I thought the auger was jammed so I pulled out all the pellets and vacuumed it from the top and then the error I got was auger jammed. You can move the auger from side to side from the hopper but you can not turn it. So after next time I tried again I got a vacuum switch error message.

So now on to bypassing the switch. The first I did it with just a handful of pellets in the hopper and the stove did not start but I do see the shaft turn. It turns slowly and quietly but where there seems to be what looks like a screw or a set screw, the shaft was moving. Still no fire. I unplugged it and added more pellets to the hopper but just a few cups or so and added some pellets in the firebox so it would start and it did start and the shaft was turning but when those pellets were done, it did not add more. It has been stuck on "start up" now for 15 minutes and not giving me an error. Is that because I bypassed the vacuum switch? Now I am going to connect the switch normally and see if the shaft still turns and come back and add to this post.

I now connected the switch normally and again I can see the auger turn slowly but it is not sending pellets to the firepot. I do see a image on the wall unit that shows the fire pot and it means low fuel but we know that. I only have about 2 pounds of pellets in the hopper, I don't think that could be a problem but could it? Thanks. And after twenty minutes it still says start up.

good info,lets wait for Kap to reply/help.

 

[heat seeker]

If the auger was out of pellets, it will take a few minutes for pellets to reach the pot. I would suspect a pellet bridge in the hopper, but you have had all the pellets out, so that's not happening. If you can manually run the auger, do so until pellets come out.

If the gearbox shaft was turning faster than the auger, the set screw is probably loose.

 

[Cobalt]

If the auger was out of pellets, it will take a few minutes for pellets to reach the pot. I would suspect a pellet bridge in the hopper, but you have had all the pellets out, so that's not happening. If you can manually run the auger, do so until pellets come out.

If the gearbox shaft was turning faster than the auger, the set screw is probably loose.

After about 20 minutes of being on start up it finally gave me the error message of auger jammed. Im just not sure how to go about un jamming it.