quadra fire auger jam

[rpfxst]

i have a mount vernon AE insert that keeps getting an auger jam fault on the thermostat. i removed the auger and cleaned the heater and exhaust. the auger does turn about a half turn then turns backwards about 1 turn before giving the auger jam alert on the thermostat. i tried it several times and the last time the auger was out and in my hand so i know it wasn't jammed. I'm burning hardwood pellets. the heater is a 2008 model with the 7000-456 rev C control board. does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? thanks RP

 

[serveprotect]

Sounds like the auger optical sensor. It senses the movement of the auger by reading the metal disc that spins through it. The sensor is located beneath the auger motor. There should be 4 small wires running to it if i remember correctly. It is easy to swap out if that's it. Keep us posted.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

The sensor may just need cleaning. Dust can cause problems with optical sensors. A little compressed gas or a gentle wipe might clear it

 

[rpfxst]

i cleaned the optical sensor and that solved the problem. thanks for the info. RP

 

[john193]

Where exactly is the sensor, for future reference?

 

[rickwai]

Where exactly is the sensor, for future reference?

Sensor is the thing fastened to the auger assembly just below the motor.
It is black and horseshoes shaped and wraps around the metal disk that turns w/
the auger

 

[mralias]

Where exactly is the sensor, for future reference?

 

[john193]

Much appreciated guys.

 

[mralias]

Much appreciated guys.

Just read your other post with the manual link. Guess I was a little late. Nice trouble shoot manual though.

 

[john193]

Just read your other post with the manual link. Guess I was a little late. Nice trouble shoot manual though.

Yea found the manual after this post. Not the most detailed service manual, but it can't hurt.

 

[chaleur]

Hi,

I have a very similar issue so this is why I am bringning back this thread.

It's a 2008 Quadra Mt. Vernon AE with the 7000-456 rev B. Had issues at installation but it's been running smooth since then.

So I also get auger jam messages. I vacuumed everything, removed the auger a few times while doing the whole cycle many times.

I think I pinned it down : the auger does a full clockwise turn then 5 counter clockwise turns then jams, so in reality it is pushing the pellets instead of pulling them.

What part could cause that issue? The dealer is puzzled as they never encountered this issue yet. Maybe one of you has seen this issue before.

Thanks for your prompt collaboration as we are under a cold spell out here.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

Clockwise and counterclockwise don't mean anything unless I know which end I am looking at. Likewise push and pull don't tell me which direction. The auger should be pushing pellets up to the drop tube. Is it pulling them back down instead?
My first guess would be dust on the optical sensor or a serious misalignment (loose screw?) of the optical sensor. Another possibility is a bad connection on one of the sensor leads.
I don't see how motor lead errors could cause a direction error unless you are saying that it always goes the wrong way. Does it always do this, or is this an intermittent problem?

 

[chaleur]

Thanks Harvey,

Sorry for the confusion.

Is it pulling them back down instead? : yes

The stove did run perfectly (5 years) up to this auger jam issue.

So here is the breakdown :

I vacuumed the hopper and the feed tube. There was no obtruction.

I removed the feed spring (and the feed motor) assembly and all seemed fine : no obstructions in the feed tube. The feed spring was solidly attached to the motor.

I removed the vacuum hose and vacuumed it as there was some wood dust in it.

I replaced everything and put some pellets in.

I repluged, the convection blower started, the igniter started then the feed motor started.

The feed spring pushed the pellets up (clockwise) for 1 turn, then back down ( counterclock wise) for 5 turns then everything stopped and I got the auger jam message. I reset the thermostat but got the auger jam message right away. If I try to reset nothing happens unless I unplug and replug the stove.

I have repeated this process 4 times and the above described cycle repeats itself exactly as I stated it.

Again, thank your very much for any help.

P.S I will not be able to answer back right away but will be able to read y

 

[Harvey Schneider]

I think the problem is probably a dirty optical sensor. When the control software doesn't see the rotation that it is commanding, it tries to clear a jam by reversing direction. The problem is that it didn't see rotation even though the rotation occurred. That can only be the optical sensor. The sensor is at the bottom of the auger motor and can be cleaned with compressed air/gas or a soft cloth. you need to clean inside the "U" shaped sensor that straddles the disk on the motor shaft.

 

[pconti622]

Sensor is the thing fastened to the auger assembly just below the motor.
It is black and horseshoes shaped and wraps around the metal disk that turns w/
the auger

 

[pconti622]

The sensor may just need cleaning. Dust can cause problems with optical sensors. A little compressed gas or a gentle wipe might clear it

Cleaning the optical sensor with a cotton wraped toothpick with alcohol on it solved my auger jammed error. The sensor is located on the top of the auger motor on my quadrafire Mt Vernon stove. Thanks for the info on that.

 

[smwilliamson]

Ok so I have a similar issue right now. 2011 AE insert, we get auger jam codes when the stove is in auto mode but in manual mode the stove seems to operate properly. I'm guessing we have a firmware corruption issue, question is...do I replace the Tstat or the motherboard? Optical seems to be clean and working properly. Auger motor itself, when in auto mode gets power initially but nothing is happening, but I can feel and heat the power being sent...hummm, but then it starts going in forward rotation like it should then backwards...and it doesn't flip back and it won't shut off until everything is good and jammed.

Weird.

 

[smwilliamson]

I think we figured it out. Auger motor isn't spinning on lowest voltage sent while in auto mode. The voltage sent from the stove in manual mode is higher on the lowest heat setting that the SS phase of auto

 

[mralias]

I think we figured it out. Auger motor isn't spinning on lowest voltage sent while in auto mode. The voltage sent from the stove in manual mode is higher on the lowest heat setting that the SS phase of auto

So would that be a board issue or an auger issue?

 

[smwilliamson]

So would that be a board issue or an auger issue?

Hoping it's the motor we'll find out once I swap it out stay tuned

 

[smwilliamson]

Yes, my theory was correct, new motor solved the issue