Quad Castille FS will not feed

[rap69ri]

I've been working on my friends Quad Castille for a couple of nights, and this thing has me absolutley baffled. When we power up the stove the exhaust fan comes on and the igniter starts to glow. The auger does not turn and start to drop pellets. The stove will light if we throw a handful of pellets in the burnpot, and the room air fan then comes on. We jumped the snapdisk attached to the vacuum switch and still nothing; we also jumped the vacuum switch and nothing still. We then started checking for voltage and we intermittently had 115v at the vaccum and snapdisk switches, but it would drop to 85v and sometimes to 2v. At this point we checked the wiring harness for any broken or nicked wires, but didn't find anything.

The owner has tried a new auger motor and control board with the same outcome. I believe it has to be the wiring harness that's the issue, but am open to any other suggestions you may have.

 

[smalltown]

rap69ri I've got a copy of the sevice manual that I could send you if it might help it has diagrams and a section on "FEED MOTOR TROUBLE-SHOOTING"
If you interested send me a pm with your E-mail and I will send it out to you. I may be away from my computer for about 45 minutes.

 

[rap69ri]

rap69ri I've got a copy of the sevice manual that I could send you if it might help it has diagrams and a section on "FEED MOTOR TROUBLE-SHOOTING"
If you interested send me a pm with your E-mail and I will send it out to you. I may be away from my computer for about 45 minutes.

PM sent smalltown, thanks for the help. I'll let you know what the outcome is.

 

[smalltown]

rap69ri I've got a copy of the sevice manual that I could send you if it might help it has diagrams and a section on "FEED MOTOR TROUBLE-SHOOTING"
If you interested send me a pm with your E-mail and I will send it out to you. I may be away from my computer for about 45 minutes.

PM sent smalltown, thanks for the help. I'll let you know what the outcome is.

Good I am back and watching my messages as soon as it arrives I will send it out.

 

[rap69ri]

rap69ri I've got a copy of the sevice manual that I could send you if it might help it has diagrams and a section on "FEED MOTOR TROUBLE-SHOOTING"
If you interested send me a pm with your E-mail and I will send it out to you. I may be away from my computer for about 45 minutes.

PM sent smalltown, thanks for the help. I'll let you know what the outcome is.

Good I am back and watching my messages as soon as it arrives I will send it out.

I actually sent it about an hour ago so it should have already arrived in your inbox.

 

[smalltown]

Never received the PM I just sent you one with my personal E-mail address

 

[smalltown]

Got you PM that time it's on the way. about 3Mb

 

[rap69ri]

Got you PM that time it's on the way. about 3Mb

Got it! Thanks for the help.

 

[smalltown]

Good hope you get that puppy going. Good luck!

 

[rap69ri]

Good hope you get that puppy going. Good luck!

I may be doing the physical labor, but you might be the hero if I can get it running.

 

[tjnamtiw]

When you changed the auger motor, did you pull out the auger or just change the motor? You should pull out the auger and check to be sure nothing is jamming it. If the igniter is coming on, then it thinks the auger has run for a minute during initial start up. When the pellets you threw in were burning, did the green light come on in the control box indicating 200 degrees and telling auger it was OK to start feeding?

Also when you replaced the control board, are you certain that the stove was unplugged???? If it wasn't, you toasted the new control board most likely.

 

[GIPPER]

My castille has a reset button on the back. With the stove unplugged do you get any ohm reading on the reset.You know open,short as you push the reset in and out? Just a thought.

 

[DannMarr]

The feed is controlled by the vacuum switch and the snap disk. You mentioned jumping these, but did you jump them both at the same time? Try jumping them both, if the motor still does not engage, test the voltage on both side of the capacitor.

 

[rap69ri]

When you changed the auger motor, did you pull out the auger or just change the motor? You should pull out the auger and check to be sure nothing is jamming it. If the igniter is coming on, then it thinks the auger has run for a minute during initial start up. When the pellets you threw in were burning, did the green light come on in the control box indicating 200 degrees and telling auger it was OK to start feeding?

Also when you replaced the control board, are you certain that the stove was unplugged???? If it wasn't, you toasted the new control board most likely.

The stove was torndown to the shell and then rebuilt to make sure everything was clean and there were no obstructions. The board was replaced with the power unplugged. This is not my first rodeo with electronics.

 

[rap69ri]

My castille has a reset button on the back. With the stove unplugged do you get any ohm reading on the reset.You know open,short as you push the reset in and out? Just a thought.

Checked that and it works properly.

 

[rap69ri]

The feed is controlled by the vacuum switch and the snap disk. You mentioned jumping these, but did you jump them both at the same time? Try jumping them both, if the motor still does not engage, test the voltage on both side of the capacitor inside the junction box.

Jumped them one at a time and then both at the same time, but that doesn't matter if yu're not getting power to the red wire on the vacuum switch. No power there no power ot the snap disk or the auger.

 

[DannMarr]

You did mention you had some voltage before. OK, if you have power to the other items, then the problem is probably within that circuit. With the power off, do a continuity check between all components, board terminal to vacuum switch, vacuum switch to snap disk, snap disk to capacitor, capacitor to motor. Check them individually by disconnecting them from each other before testing. I hope you find the problem. Also check the return wire on the motor.

 

[rap69ri]

You did mention you had some voltage before. OK, if you have power to the other items, then the problem is probably within that circuit. With the power off, do a continuity check between all components, board terminal to vacuum switch, vacuum switch to snap disk, snap disk to capacitor, capacitor to motor. Check them individually by disconnecting them from each other before testing. I hope you find the problem. Also check the return wire on the motor.

I'm going to start ohming out the wires from the harness to components tonight. Hopefully this points me to the culprit. At this point I have to believe I have a wire in the harness that's broken internally, because the shielding is intact.

 

[tjnamtiw]

When you changed the auger motor, did you pull out the auger or just change the motor? You should pull out the auger and check to be sure nothing is jamming it. If the igniter is coming on, then it thinks the auger has run for a minute during initial start up. When the pellets you threw in were burning, did the green light come on in the control box indicating 200 degrees and telling auger it was OK to start feeding?

Also when you replaced the control board, are you certain that the stove was unplugged???? If it wasn't, you toasted the new control board most likely.

The stove was torndown to the shell and then rebuilt to make sure everything was clean and there were no obstructions. The board was replaced with the power unplugged. This is not my first rodeo with electronics.

My questions were not meant to demean you or your skills but simply questions often asked and problems often overlooked or forgotten. Good luck.

 

[rap69ri]

When you changed the auger motor, did you pull out the auger or just change the motor? You should pull out the auger and check to be sure nothing is jamming it. If the igniter is coming on, then it thinks the auger has run for a minute during initial start up. When the pellets you threw in were burning, did the green light come on in the control box indicating 200 degrees and telling auger it was OK to start feeding?

Also when you replaced the control board, are you certain that the stove was unplugged???? If it wasn't, you toasted the new control board most likely.

The stove was torndown to the shell and then rebuilt to make sure everything was clean and there were no obstructions. The board was replaced with the power unplugged. This is not my first rodeo with electronics.

My questions were not meant to demean you or your skills but simply questions often asked and problems often overlooked or forgotten. Good luck.

I know and I apologize if I came across like an a$$. You are right that the obvious is often overlooked, and I appreciate the input.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

(broken link removed)

i get asked about this alot

 

[rap69ri]

http://blog.woodheatstoves.com/bid/18268/Quadrafire-Castile-Feed-Motor-101-pellet-stove-parts

i get asked about this alot

Thanks for the info. Another member emailed me the tech manual the other day. Hopefully I can get to it this weekend and determine the exact issue.

Rick

 

[slls]

There has been some issues with the pins in the wiring plug going into the controller.

 

[kilbury]

what color lights are coming on on the control box when first plugged in. Should blink blue for 1 min after plugged in, this is assuming you have the clear box and not the grey box. If you have a flashing or steady amber light you have a bad thermocouple, ditto if you have a steady red. This would cause you to have intermittent voltage at the vacuum switch after powering up. It should have a steady voltage for roughly 45-60 seconds on startup at the vacuum switch, assuming the switch is working correctly.

 

[rap69ri]

what color lights are coming on on the control box when first plugged in. Should blink blue for 1 min after plugged in, this is assuming you have the clear box and not the grey box. If you have a flashing or steady amber light you have a bad thermocouple, ditto if you have a steady red. This would cause you to have intermittent voltage at the vacuum switch after powering up. It should have a steady voltage for roughly 45-60 seconds on startup at the vacuum switch, assuming the switch is working correctly.

The control box flashes blue in a set of four during the first minute, not other color come on. The voltage at the vacuum switch is intermittent during start up and afterwards. With Christmas it's been a little busy, and haven't gotten back to work on the stove since Tuesday night. Looking at getting back to it this weekend. I'll keep the post updated.