Quadra Fire Castile 2004 project/input

[Burd]

First things first
I found a deal for the stove on Craig list.
It's a 2004
What I found is that the glass door needs a gasket.
I'm hoping that the gasket is cheap? With this being a2004 does this stove have air wash? Is the gaskets only three sides on the glass
I also found out that the stove was sitting in a garage for years and the fire box has a lot of surface rust. I toke the back panels out and the sheet metal was in really good shape and so was the convection tubes...on the exhaust fan there was little ash and the fan looked intacted.
I opened the ash pan and it looked to have very little wear...the clean out handle at this time seized
to the fire pot but looks in good shape. The fire pot needs a good cleaning
I plugged in the stove and the exhaust fan started ? Why
Their isn't thermostat at is time..
I toke the panel off to find Cobb Webb's but very little ash and dirt.
The control box is in cased in a plastic box with two small red and green lights. When I plugged the stove in they didn't light up? Is this normal? How do you open the box to get to the fuse?
Tomorrow I'm going to start cleaning it.
O how do you get to the combustion motor? It's it behind the convention fan?

I'm so hoping that I got this stove for a good deal. So far it looks like it was well takin care of.. But then again this is my first pellet stove.
I'm hoping for some pointer before I tar it down.

 

[Mt Bob]

(broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/250_6422.pdf)


(broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/serviceParts/Castile-FS-B.pdf)

Gaskets probably the cheapest thing.Air wash probably the missing gasket.Do not worry about blower coming on,built in safety.Clean and lube(if possible) both blowers.

 

[SwineFlue]

The door "tadpole" gasket is cheap... dealer charged me $3 last year. The gasket is on 3 sides: the Castile started with a top-airwash, then switched to a bottom-airwash somewhere between my 2002 model & maybe 2005 or so. The older stoves used metal tabs to hold the glass in. Be careful bending those tabs, you don't want to crack the glass. Newer stoves use metal rods, much easier. The glass door lifts off at the hinges, by the way.

If the firepot cleanout is stuck... reach under the firepot with your right hand and use your thumb to push the cleanout (it pivots toward the back of the stove) while pulling the rod with your left hand hand. The extra leverage may free it up.

The exhaust fan will always run for about 5 minutes when you first plug it in. It's to clear out any smoke if there had been a power outage.

To test the stove, you can use a wire across the thermostat terminal screws instead of an actual thermostat.

The older stoves have a control box with a red and a green light. They indicate the thermocouple temperature. Green lights up around 200F and red at 600F.

Download the manuals that bob bare linked, they provide good instructions for replacing blowers. You'll need a new gasket for the combustion blower.

 

[Burd]

I read the manual last night..
I really thought the pellet stove has three fans. Boy was I wrong.
How do I now if I have the top air wash. The door has the four metal tads..
Thanks for the help. I'll be taking pic.
Could someone tell me how the stove puts air on the burn pot. Is this done from the exhaust fan.
I know this my sound stupid but. What's the stove process on start up?

 

[Mt Bob]

Wherever the glass gasket is missing(top or bottom) is your air wash.Stove requires a thermostat.You can wire a on off switch to the 2 thermostat terminals.Page 21 is startup.Put a handfull of pellets in burn pot,temp switch to hi,turn up(on) thermostat,sove will self light.If does not stay running may have to press reset and do again,as auger system needs to fill itself.Most dtoves have 3 motors,2 blowers.Combustion blower draws air through firebox/burnpot and pushes it out.Good luck.

 

[stovelark]

Hi Burd, the Castile is a very stove nice still supported logistically from Quadrafire. The air wash is the opening on the bottom of the glass, gasket is on 3 sides. On start up, when you plug in stove, exh blower comes on. When thermostat calls for heat (or if you jumper across terminals) you'll see a red call light come on at control board area. If vacuum is established in burn pot area/combustion chamber, the auger will be allowed to drop pellets. The ignitor will come on. When the thermocouple senses a burnpot temp of 200 degrees the green light will come on the control board (that plastic box) at 600 a red light comes on. If you get a yellow light, that means the thermocouple signal is missing and its prob bad. The thermocouple senses heat, so its the ignition, proof of fire sensor. When this is achieved, the auger will start feeding again. The stove has three heat levels (on back) hi/med/lo. When the combustion heats up the heat exchanger housing S1 (snap disk 1) will turn on the convection blower. Bypassing this snap disk will also turn on convex blower. On initial power up also, you will get a series of blue blinking lights for 1 minute from the control board, this tells you the position the box is set to (the control board is used in many stove models, and selects the software for that model of stove). Shutdown is the opposite of this, after you disconnect jumper across tstat terminals or if the tstat temp is satisfied, the red call light goes off, and the stove cools off and shuts down. Sorry this so long

 

[Burd]

Hi Burd, the Castile is a very stove nice still supported logistically from Quadrafire. The air wash is the opening on the bottom of the glass, gasket is on 3 sides. On start up, when you plug in stove, exh blower comes on. When thermostat calls for heat (or if you jumper across terminals) you'll see a red call light come on at control board area. If vacuum is established in burn pot area/combustion chamber, the auger will be allowed to drop pellets. The ignitor will come on. When the thermocouple senses a burnpot temp of 200 degrees the green light will come on the control board (that plastic box) at 600 a red light comes on. If you get a yellow light, that means the thermocouple signal is missing and its prob bad. The thermocouple senses heat, so its the ignition, proof of fire sensor. When this is achieved, the auger will start feeding again. The stove has three heat (on back) hi/med/lo. When the combustion heats up the heat exchanger housing S1 (snap disk 1) will turn on the convection blower. Bypassing this snap disk will also turn on convex blower. On initial power up also, you will get a series of blue blinking lights for 1 minute from thcontrol board, this tells you the position the box is set to (the control board is used in many stove models, and selects the software for that model of stove). Shutdown is the opposite of this, after you disconnect jumper across tstat terminals or if the tstat temp is satisfied, the red call light goes off, and the stove cools off and shuts down. Sorry this so long

This is great info
We're can I find the codes for the lights on the control box. Please note that this stove only shows s red and green. Do they change color?

T

 

[Burd]

Is the exshaust fan the same as the combustion fan?

 

[Mt Bob]

Page 34 explains lights.Combustion blower is exhaust fan.No self diagnosis/trouble codes.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I have two Quads made in 2007. One has bottom air wash and the other has top air wash, so clearly that was the year they changed. Just put yours where it is now.

 

[Burd]

Update
I've toke the stove apart today and tested the fans and auger motor. So far everything is working including the igniter. I haven't fired it up yet as I don't have the door gasket.

 

[Burd]

Can I test the stove without the gasket?
how does the vacuum switch work when its connected to the auger chamber?
also in the manual it indicates the fuses on the back by the thermostat connector there is no fuse there. Could someone tell me were the fuse is. the control box is date 2004.

 

[Mt Bob]

Page 36 for fuse.Do not try and run without gasket.

 

[Burd]

It's not their? I had the entire stove apart.

 

[Mt Bob]

If there is no hole,follow power wires inside stove.If that does not work.take pictures and post.

 

[Burd]

I am NOT crazy I am just baffled I cannot find an inline fuse anywhere. there is a red clip on the side of the control box and it looks like a car fuse. But its not s fuse that I've ever seen.
What is the red clip?

 

[Burd]

Sorry for the sideways pictures.

 

[Burd]

how is vacuum detected in the burn pot when when the vacuum pump is hooked into the auger chamber?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

how is vacuum detected in the burn pot when when the vacuum pump is hooked into the auger chamber?

There is no vacuum pump.

The vacuum is actually a pressure difference caused by the airflow created by the combustion blower.

 

[Burd]

There is no vacuum pump.

The vacuum is actually a pressure difference caused by the airflow created by the combustion blower.

Thanks for the info.Im new with the pellet stoves. Do you have any other info on this stove?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Only what is in the manuals or has been posted by several Quad service folks to the forum.

That thing you were thinking is a pump is likely the vacuum (pressure differential) sensing switch it only needs a hose going to anyplace that is open to the firebox in order to work.

 

[stovelark]

Burd- The vac switch is just that, a switch. When the stove tstat calls for heat, the combustion blower comes on, if power is avail. The vacuum (or suction) created through the combustion chamber closes that vac sw, allowing power through to the auger circuit. The auger also has an overheat sensor (Snap disc 2). The vacuum hose connects to the drop tube on the castile for its vacuum detection. Ensure both ends of the hose are clear of obstructions. Also, if door isn't closed, glass breaks, the stove runs out of fuel or if the door gasket leaks excessively- no vacuum will be achieved, no auger movement. The last and most important thing, when the stove is sufficiently clogged up (or the exh path for that matter), the comb blower will not build up sufficient vacuum and no feed. That's why it's a safety switch, to let you know its had enough and is time to clean. The online videos will guide you on youtube, the manual details all this as well. Good luck. The fuse is normally in the housing that the control board resides in. You'll find it is a black fuse cap prob next to the tstat call light for heat.

 

[Burd]

Burd- The vac switch is just that, a switch. When the stove tstat calls for heat, the combustion blower comes on, if power is avail. The vacuum (or suction) created through the combustion chamber closes that vac sw, allowing power through to the auger circuit. The auger also has an overheat sensor (Snap disc 2). The vacuum hose connects to the drop tube on the castile for its vacuum detection. Ensure both ends of the hose are clear of obstructions. Also, if door isn't closed, glass breaks, the stove runs out of fuel or if the door gasket leaks excessively- no vacuum will be achieved, no auger movement. The last and most important thing, when the stove is sufficiently clogged up (or the exh path for that matter), the comb blower will not build up sufficient vacuum and no feed. That's why it's a safety switch, to let you know its had enough and is time to clean. The online videos will guide you on youtube, the manual details all this as well. Good luck. The fuse is normally in the housing that the control board resides in. You'll find it is a black fuse cap prob next to the tstat call light for heat.

Tahks for the gret info on the vac.. Please look at the pictures for the fuse its not were the maunual says it is? Im not crazy I toke that intier stove apart yesturday I can't find it. And its not on the the power lines going to the control box

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

tj or stovelark do you remember when HHT bought Quadrafire?

 

[stovelark]

Hi Smoke, not exactly sure, think it was late 1990's I bought my first quad wood stove in 96 and they were still Aladdin steel then..