Quad CB1200

[crf450ish]

*PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST*


I cannot find my old thread about this so I have to post a new one. Since my last thread I have learned allot about these stoves. There is still something going on with my CB1200 that has me ready to throw it away and buy a new one! Seriously! Before I go into detail about what the problem is, let me give you some background info first. I have replaced and/or tested the following as a process of elimination:

*Ignitor is still good, I have unplugged the combustion motor and turned the stove on with the ignitor cover off and watched it glow red with my own eyes.
*Auger motor is still good, comes on when its supposed to
*Pellet feed rate is set, pellets do not get jammed up there
*Stove is clean clean clean clean!
*Thermocouple and thermocouple ceramic cover is new
*All necessary gaskets are new
*Vacuum hose thing has been unplugged and blown out multiple times
*Thermostat anticipator has been toyed with time and time again and set back to where it was originally, thermostat is in good shape and set to the proper volts etc.
*Snap discs are in good order



The problem that will not go away is this: in the evening when the stove is cold and we start it, it runs fine. We go to bed, we wake up freezing our A**es off and have to walk over and press the restart button...EVERY SINGLE TIME The red light calling for heat is on. I am SICK of this! I am about to literally take a sawzall and cut the chimney pipe off at the stove and wheel it outside with a hand truck and dump it off the cliff and have a stove company come install a wood stove! This is retarded. What is going on? About the only definitive solution/insight I have come across is that the cooldown time between start up is too small, therefore signaling the stove to go into shut down mode or whatever.

I have googled my symptoms to death and even found this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/quadrafire-cb-1200-problem-on-start-up.120067/


My issue is similar to the OP in that thread, however my problems happens EVERY TIME THE STOVE STARTS UP! Works fine till turns off at desired heat, then when the temp drops..it won't come back on, no pellets it pot, red light on.

 

[kappel15]

No pellets in pot, or did they burn up and not get to temp? Can you tell by the ash amount? kap

 

[kappel15]

And how old is stove? kap

 

[rparker]

When the red light is on and stove is not running, push the reset button. After the stove starts dropping pellets, wait about 15 seconds and push the button again. This is per the manual. Something about priming the chute.
Also check all of the connections to the snap disks. Had some very strange running issues and solved them by making sure all of the spade connections to the snap disks were tight. Unplug before you do this.

 

[DMKNLD]

Hey crf,

I was also close to turning my Quad into a decorative planter in the front yard when I had multiple unexplained shut downs as well. But hang in there brother and we'll try our best to help get your CB running !

Kap, I'll direct this to you too, but it sounds like maybe a thermostat 'swing' issue, assuming he's getting up to normal stove operating temps and getting a control box red light? Thinking maybe the thermostat anticipator has gone bad? I know allot of folks have replaced the OE 12v mercury bubble thermostat, which have a reputation for being poor quality, although my OE stat is still working after 14 years now. I know many folks have gone to the Lux or Honeywell stats. Maybe crf should try jumpering the thermostat terminals on the back of the stove and see if the stove keeps running, to rule out a thermostat issue?

crf, did you try taking your control box out and re-installing it? That's a simple troubleshooting trick to make sure the control box contacts are good, as the Quads have a habit of vibrating the box enough that the box to control board connection is compromised. Make sure you unplug the stove first or you'll crisp your expensive control box.

Regards, DK

 

[mralias]

or pellets are bridging in the hopper which is requiring the multi reset pushes. Have you been using the same pellet brand all this time? If yes try a different pellet like a bag of a softwood pellet and see what happens. It's a cheap test and will rule out the bridging issue.

 

[crf450ish]

^^^^THIS^^^^^ Is exactly what was happening! Weird, why would quadrafire design a feed rate that will just plug up the opening to the augar. I ended up on the phone for about 2 hours with a pellet stove repair man (god bless his precious heart lol) and we did a process of elimination over the phone and i couldnt believe it was something so damn simple. We have a 3k ft² house and the downstairs is heated with the 1200, upstairs with a good old santa fe! I love the santa fe. It does its job well without hiccups. Thank you all for your replies and help.

 

[rparker]

if pellets are bridging the hopper inlet there are a couple of things to do (might help).
1. check your pellets. Different mauf's have different tolerances for acceptable length. Some of the less expensive brands I have tried were over 2" long. This creates a problem. Experiment with different brands.
2. When it it time for a cleaning, let the hopper run dry. Use a mild abrasive pad (I used steel wool) and then wipe / vacuum out the dust. A little furniture polish on a rag to wipe down the sides makes it very slick. Also when empty, check the bottom part of the auger. Fines will collect there and not let pellets in. Vacuum it out.
3. Get in the habit of pushing your hand down into the hopper at the back. I always do this before I'm gone for a period of time or before bed. If pellets are bridging, you will instantly know.

 

[crf450ish]

Thank you rparker. Another question. Is it safe to run these stoves with power from a generator? I mean I will do it anyways because its our only source of heat if the power goes out. Surely having a surge protector between the generator and stove.

 

[kappel15]

Quad recommends pure sine wave, with a surge protector for all Quad stoves, except the AE, which has an inverter in it. kap

 

[Woodstack]

Is your feed rate in the hopper set halfway, and do you have large flame that makes the inside of stove black?