This started happening on our new stove last winter and I tracked it down as coming from the motor/gearbox....can't remember for sure but I knew I took the back cover off and watched it and might have even stuck a rubber hose in my ear towards the noise to make sure...seems like something I'd do....because there is the fan noise and all. Anyways,it was annoying at night with every rotation of the auger screw....that noise. Not what I had hoped for from a fairly new stove. Anyways, long story short,after a lot of wrangling(warranty),got a new auger motor/gearbox unit put in and the thing is as quiet as a mouse that way....you don't hear it being fed at all except for the pellets clinking...I can live with that! The auger motors' bearing/bushing was shot. The unit still worked but the end coming out of the gearbox/auger motor had considerable play from side to side. By the way,you wouldn't believe the forces that those motors exert to be able to slice those pellets! That is where the gearing comes in. Anyways,had I not been able to get warranty,I would have taken the unit apart and replaced the bushing which is quite inexpensive,compared to the cost of a new motor. Just thought I'd share that. Oh,by the way someone is probably gonna ask the brand...it is a drolet,but most all of the auger motors I've seen are much the same,so that should not matter in this case.
