Pellet insert keeps shutting down

[hockeyfun1]

I have a St Croix Ashby pellet insert and anywhere between 15 and 60 minutes, on any heat setting, it just burns everything in the burn pot then shuts down for no reason. It was just cleaned this season and worked fine for a month or two. It's unusable now.

I called the place that sold it to me/installed it and they don't know.

 

[heat seeker]

Do you get any flashing lights on the control?

 

[hockeyfun1]

Yes, just a single flashing light that keeps flashing at the same speed.

 

[heat seeker]

Which one? That is telling you why it stopped.

 

[hockeyfun1]

According to the manual it's number 3 proof of fire.

 

[heat seeker]

That one is triggered when the stove cools off. The trick is to find out why. First thing, I'd watch the auger while it's running (or use the manual feed button) to make sure it's really doing the 2 RPM it's supposed to. My auger motor was running too slow, and the stove was about to die due to lack of pellet feed. It wasn't slow by much, but it doesn't take much when the stove is idling. The motor needed oil. The oil points were not visible, and were on the bottom, so no way to oil them. A few drops of oil cured the pokey motor.

First, however, I'd locate the Proof of Fire snap disc, and make sure it's firmly attached to the stove. If it's loose, it won't heat up properly, and will falsely indicate no fire.

Another thing to check is if the pellets are bridging and not dropping into the auger.

After your stove goes out, are the pellets in the burn pot, or have they been totally burned up?

 

[hockeyfun1]

What kind of oil did you use? I didn't see any mention of oiling it or oil points in the manual.

I found the proof of fire snap disc in the manual diagram but don't know how to access it. I searched a little and this is a possible culprit.

After the stove goes out, the burn pot is empty. They're all burned up.

Thanks.

 

[heat seeker]

I used 3-in-1 oil in the blue can, supposedly it's best for these motors. When I was troubleshooting the motor, I shot it with WD-40, which worked for about 5 minutes, but proved where the problem was.

My POF disc is on the exhaust blower housing on the left side of the stove. Perhaps your manual shows its location on your stove.

My manual isn't handy, but somewhere in it they explain the significance of the empty burn pot. If I recall, it means the auger stopped feeding before the fire went out, which agrees with your symptoms.

If you find the POF disc, you might try this - but you'd need to stay with the stove and monitor it, because you'd be bypassing a safety. After the stove gets running, put a jumper across the switch and see if the stove keeps running. I emphasize that you need to keep an eye on the stove for your safety.

You're welcome. I'm going off line for a while, be back in a couple of hours or so.

 

[jzm2cc]

If stove is older i would expect upper auger bushing to be dry from the heat, could be seizing at times so auger motor can't turn it, fire goes out, then #3 flashing light.

With empty hopper unlock allen bolt that holds auger motor to auger shaft. Auger should turn easily by hand, uniform torque, without pellets. Ive seen a bent flute at top if auger that would bind in one position. If hard to turn remove four 7/16 nuts, pull auger noting the washer position, and lube both brass bushings with motor oil.

 

[heat seeker]

What kind of oil did you use? I didn't see any mention of oiling it or oil points in the manual.

On my stove, the Versa Grate motor has two oil points, also. The VG rod has two bushings that should be lubed annually. If they get stiff, they overload the VG gearbox and shorten its life.