Hello
I just worked on a newer version Breckwell Big E. It has the 300 Degree Manual Reset Snap disc which I agree if it trips then it makes it easier to diagnose the problem then if it auto resets and you do not know what happened!
However there seems to be another very frustrating change that I found.
In this case the issue was what I call, “the lazy auger syndrome” when there is an Auger jam and in this case it seemed to happen because the pellets used had a higher moisture content. Help we really need low cost wood pellet moisture meters!!
Anyway, the motor tried to turn and sheared the hitch pin off and ripped the hole in the auger shaft and bent the bottom of the auger enough so after grinding down the ripped metal, the auger bushing would still not slide off!
So I pulled out a new Breckwell Auger which turns Clockwise compared to a US Stove auger which turns counterclockwise! It does not matter to me which way the auger turns as long as it does turn! However these auger are only 1/2” in diameter and that does matter! If they were 3/4” in diameter like the old Whitfield augers they would still be working!!
The real frustration here is that the Breckwell Auger Bushing did not fill the hole and the retainer did not fit the Bushing! It was too large!
So I said Ah Ha, US stove bought out Breckwell so I pulled out a US Stove auger Bushing! The inner diameter is the same but the outer diameter of the US Stove bushing is larger. So I tried inserting the US Stove bushing into this newer version Big E. Well it is very close but even with some tapping it really did not want to go in!! So I said let’s clean and lube the old version and put it back! Remember it does not slide off, so I pulled out a sawzal and cut the bottom of the auger off, slid the Bushing off, cleaned the inside with a wire brush on the drill and added synthetic bearing oil!
Then the new auger, Auger Motor, and auger bushing with retainer clip all went back together and the stove is working better. The brand of pellets was also changed from the big box store brand to a better quality.
Should it be this hard? Has anyone else seen this issue???
See old bushing and ripped auger hole below!
I just worked on a newer version Breckwell Big E. It has the 300 Degree Manual Reset Snap disc which I agree if it trips then it makes it easier to diagnose the problem then if it auto resets and you do not know what happened!
However there seems to be another very frustrating change that I found.
In this case the issue was what I call, “the lazy auger syndrome” when there is an Auger jam and in this case it seemed to happen because the pellets used had a higher moisture content. Help we really need low cost wood pellet moisture meters!!
Anyway, the motor tried to turn and sheared the hitch pin off and ripped the hole in the auger shaft and bent the bottom of the auger enough so after grinding down the ripped metal, the auger bushing would still not slide off!
So I pulled out a new Breckwell Auger which turns Clockwise compared to a US Stove auger which turns counterclockwise! It does not matter to me which way the auger turns as long as it does turn! However these auger are only 1/2” in diameter and that does matter! If they were 3/4” in diameter like the old Whitfield augers they would still be working!!
The real frustration here is that the Breckwell Auger Bushing did not fill the hole and the retainer did not fit the Bushing! It was too large!
So I said Ah Ha, US stove bought out Breckwell so I pulled out a US Stove auger Bushing! The inner diameter is the same but the outer diameter of the US Stove bushing is larger. So I tried inserting the US Stove bushing into this newer version Big E. Well it is very close but even with some tapping it really did not want to go in!! So I said let’s clean and lube the old version and put it back! Remember it does not slide off, so I pulled out a sawzal and cut the bottom of the auger off, slid the Bushing off, cleaned the inside with a wire brush on the drill and added synthetic bearing oil!
Then the new auger, Auger Motor, and auger bushing with retainer clip all went back together and the stove is working better. The brand of pellets was also changed from the big box store brand to a better quality.
Should it be this hard? Has anyone else seen this issue???
See old bushing and ripped auger hole below!
![[Hearth.com] Newer version Breckwell Big E Auger Bushing BugA-Boo Bugaloo!](/talk/data/attachments/240/240594-ec5c989a7b959df6e853e3de9f10e357.jpg?hash=GZRmq7M3SZ)
