I purchased the stove one month ago (my first pellet stove) and have had problems with the pellets not dropping reliably. The initial run was a 2 day affair with pellets finally dropping after numerous attempts of 2 minute re-set button pushes along with thermostat up/down sequences outlined in both the manual and online. After only 2 days worth of use the stove now fails to drop ANY pellets. I have repeatedly cleared out the hopper and checked the feed adjustment control rod to ensure it was open. I opened the front door to check things out and to clean any ash and immediately noticed that the bottom of the door's window did not have a gasket (only 3 of the 4 edges have a gasket), is that normal? Would a missing gasket section be the root cause of the pellet drop issue since a vacuum cannot be established? Note: When I plug in the stove the blue light flashes, then a green light blinks for a short period. The red light remains on. I plan on calling the business that I purchased the stove from again (each time I have called and stopped by the person who would be knowledgeable was not in). I am also perplexed by the directions concerning "snap disks"... I have searched for any thing that looks remotely like a button to push and only find sold plastic. The directions mentions Snap Disk #1 has 2 purple wires, which I located, same with Snap Disk #2 with orange wires but I am unsure of location of Snap Disk #3 (directions did not say what color the wires are), the manual reads as follows: "If the fire tries to burn back into the feed system or push exhaust up the feed tube, this snap disc will shut the entire system off. This disc must be manually reset." So I could not test this out. Perhaps there are multiple causes to the pellet drop issue, one being the missing gasket and the other a faulty auger? I have spent hours and hours trying to have my new stove warm me up and am really regretting this expensive purchase. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!
Pellets not dropping (new Quadra Fire Castile)
- Thread starter Lynn0101
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Read your owners manual
Pages 9 to 12
If you do not have a manual here is one
note pellet hopper lid must be closed for pellets to feed
If you have emptied the stove and auger it takes time to prime the auger with pellets
Pages 9 to 12
If you do not have a manual here is one
note pellet hopper lid must be closed for pellets to feed
If you have emptied the stove and auger it takes time to prime the auger with pellets
Thank you. Yes, I do have the owners manual and have completed every step (repeatedly). I have provided ample time after filling/re-filling the hopper and the hopper door has been closed. I even re-set the thermostat's software in case the stove was not receiving the call for heat properly. Could the pellet drop problem be caused by the missing gasket section which then caused the vacuum switch from functioning?
The missing gasket as far as I know is not missing that is the air wash for the glass
Someone with more experience on your stove will be along and may be able to help you out
Someone with more experience on your stove will be along and may be able to help you out
A busy day, I spoke with the store owner, explained all of my troubleshooting steps and was handed a new auger motor assembly. I spent the remainder of the day removing the old one and installing the new. My BIG question now is this: Should the tip of the auger be very visible in the hopper where the pellets fall? I wish I had taken a "before" photo to compare the auger's tip location. I want to make sure it is not too close to the "end" of the section before I fill the hopper with pellets and turn it on. Does anyone know how far the auger protrudes? Thanks!
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
it goes almost to the end of the chute, about1/8 - 1/4 inch clearance. don't fill the hopper just put in 5-6 lbs to see if you solved the issue..if it works good then fill it
Thank you for the info! I placed just enough pellets into the hopper to enable it to work then plugged in the stove. The pellets still do not drop. I followed the steps outlined in the owners manual very carefully and provided a lot of time for the unit to fill/engage. I plan on returning to the store today and find out if the control board could be faulty, the reset button has no effect. (I did try removing the main lid and re-seating it in case the sensor was detecting an incomplete closure but this did not help either)
If you just bought this stove, i would be having the dealer out working on it, as it is under warranty. kap
Why are you working on the stove? the selling dealer should be out their fixing this or sending someone on their behalf... A month old stove i would not even be opening it up or replacing anything myself. I would also be contacting the manufacturer and letting them know of your issues and that you are not getting help from selling dealer
The stove was a display model that was part of the store's inventory when the new owner of the store bought it not too long ago. After my replacing numerous components (which were also past inventory) without any luck (the pellets still failed to drop) they took the stove back and I got a completely different model (and brand). It works flawlessly! Thinking back on the 1st stove I believe the next thing I would have changed out would be the sensor for the hopper door, perhaps it never sensed the door was fully closed. My new (and functional) stove is a Breckwell Maverick. I like the fact that a thermostat does not have to be attached to it and that it has an actual on/off button. The fan is quieter that the Quardra Fire's too. I received store credit for the higher amount the first stove cost me and will use it to purchase pellets. It sounds like a crazy story but at least it turned out OK!
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
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