Hey fellas (at least mostly!), I tried cleaning the hopper front wall and waxed it. Filled it with pellets and still have the bridging problem. I have tried several things since and didn't want to update until I found something that works well to share with y'all. First I just placed a vintage enamelware medical tray inside with the bottom up. They are very slick and it was about 3/4" deep. I just leaned it against the front wall when the hopper was empty. Then I filled the hopper and it actually worked pretty well by making the front wall a little more vertical. But I kept thinking about the issue. I have had this pellet insert since early 2023 and have not had this issue with pellets hanging during previous seasons. So I believe it is actually an issue with the pellets left from last year. I bought a new ton this year, however, I realized I had about 26 bags left from last season because I got a steal ($.55 per 40 lb bag at Tractor Supply!) on them mid-winter when I was afraid I might run out. Anyway, they have been stored where they stay dry, but they still could have been subject to humidity (I live in far NE Texas). I store them in 4' cube laminated plywood shipping containers. They keep critters from chewing holes in the bags. I will share that I am a 64 year old widow and I unloaded a half ton of pellets in 30 minutes into the first container! The hardest part was trying to heave them across the 4' wide box to try to keep the level even all the way across. I wanted to move the other container to sit beside the first one and that's when I realized I still had 26 bags left. Those containers are very heavy empty (each is the equivalent of 2.5 sheets of 1" plywood, coated with laminate, with straps, and a pallet attached to the bottom) so there was no way I could move it with all those pellets inside. That meant leaning over the 4' high side to remove all the bags I could reach, then climbing in to get the ones from the bottom. Got the container moved and unloaded the other half ton from my truck. I had also purchased 10 extra bags and moved 4 of them. I was too worn out for any more that day. I moved the other 4, plus 8 of last year's pellets into the 2nd container. The other 18 bags of last year's pellets were moved into my rarely used den because I wanted to use the old ones first but didn't want them left outside and I was out of room in my containers. So, basically, I moved 2+ tons of pellets by myself in 2 days. All that to say, I think the old pellets could be why I'm experiencing issues with the bridging this year. I will try burning one of the new bags, and hope it burns well like they have in the past. But I still have to use the old ones, so had to find a solution. I wondered if I used some kind of a weight placed on the sloped front of the hopper above the pellets, maybe the weight would help to push them downward as the auger moved ones from the bottom. It needed to be heavy, sorta small, yet big enough that it wouldn't slide all the way to the bottom and get in the way of the auger. I searched the house and found a motorcycle battery I bought for my generator. It was still in the box, so I just placed it above the pellets, where it would slide. And it worked! I need to send that battery to my brother who is working on my generator though, so I had to find something else. I remembered my hand weights, so I made a very sturdy box for one of them out of the heavy duty cardboard corners used in shipping fragile stuff. The box is taped up well so it slides, and the 8 lb hand weight fits into it perfectly. I placed it on the front hopper wall and it pushes those pellets all the way down to the bottom. I check from time to time and move the pellets along the sides of this box so they are below it in the hopper. It works great and I don't have to worry about it. The inside of my hopper doesn't even get warm when a fire is going, so I felt it was safe. Definitely safer than a motorcycle battery! But that was just for short term anyway. This will work as long as it needs to. And I still hope that it really is just a "last year's pellets" problem. If not, I will use this solution until I figure out something even better! Thanks guys, for your help! I read every thread on this site that had anything to do with the 1100i, or any of the other issues I have had to tackle! I am pretty proud of how much I have learned! I will be selling this home in a year or 2 and building a barndo on my parents' property in central Oklahoma. I will check back with you guys as I start planning my new home. I will definitely heat with a pellet stove but will know better what to look for in my next one! Will be ready for your recommendations at that time! Thanks and stay warm!
Oh, the pictures! First shows how it slid down to the bottom, pushing the pellets, but stopping above the auger!
Second shows how I fill the hopper and place this at the top so it slides and pushes the pellets down.
Third is just the box with the hand weight. The box could be deeper, but it works fine. It is very sturdy.
![[Hearth.com] Quadra Fire 1100i not feeding pellets when hopper is full](/talk/data/attachments/275/275448-27056607dabf127faa5b0d2f6c658372.jpg?hash=CSy5BciOKN)
![[Hearth.com] Quadra Fire 1100i not feeding pellets when hopper is full](/talk/data/attachments/343/343855-a19d43e2aaf4faed7f5e006fd782e6c5.jpg?hash=q8mf1GE3rM)
![[Hearth.com] Quadra Fire 1100i not feeding pellets when hopper is full](/talk/data/attachments/343/343856-ee7f41c2770d3801d314755319a699a2.jpg?hash=L1EFiwFQhl)
![[Hearth.com] Quadra Fire 1100i not feeding pellets when hopper is full](/talk/data/attachments/343/343857-7ba25d04f9b2072f7a5d713105bf7ece.jpg?hash=R7m8dUPENy)
