Quadra Fire Castile Insert Does Not Drop Enough Pellets

[taytowers]

My New Castile insert does not drop enough pellets.... I'm guessing this is the case as the Control Box light stays green when the stove is set to low... turns red on Medium and High...

the flame is buried in the burn pot ( on low) and most times not visible... and when the insert is set to high the flame is just an inch or two above the pot. (see Sad Pic Below)

the aluminum tubes are warm... but not hot. I can stick my fingers in and tap them without too much pain..

I'm getting lots of blower noise without much heat...

I have pulled the pellet adjustment lever all the way up (open)

both fans are working (at each setting ) and the thermostat is set to 90 degrees - (red light calls for heat)

the selection screw switch is turned to 5 (five blinking lights) so I should have 10 % more pellets dropped...

QUESTION... is it possible that the Auger is spinning too slow?

Has anyone encountered this problem.

 

[tech tchr]

I am new to this also but have a Castile insert I rebuilt.

Is this a new install?

Is this the first time burning it? Is it possible that some packaging is blocking the auger tube?

What kind of pellets are you burning? How long are they? Could they be bridging over the hopper opening?

Have you cleaned stove?

Is the vent clear? Could there be a blockage.?

 

[Fish On]

I would check your auger is this the first time using it?

I've had to push the reset button a few times when I cleaned out the hopper to get pellets to drop. Sounds like the same thing.

 

[DMKNLD]

Welcome to the forum, taytowers. Lots of knowledgeable Quad folks on here to help you. Tech tchr beat me to the post on the possibility of pellet bridging or an auger obstruction. Get a small mirror and a flashlight and shine it up the pellet drop chute to see if it is obstructed with something or bridged with pellets if they are longish in length.

Dealer support can be hit or miss, but if you had someone do the install I would be calling them up, as a reputable installer shouldn't leave you with a new stove that isn't working properly.

 

[kappel15]

New stove is under warranty. I would be calling the dealer. If dealer installed, they should of fired stove to make sure everything was working. kap

 

[taytowers]

"Is this a new install?" yes, new... the instructions said to set the control box to 5, and I did... but then the Call Help phone line said this was old information and I should set the box to 7... I did this as well still poor flame.

Have been burning for a few days and the auger is clear

burning Eastern Ember soft wood pellets... new and dry and auger is open and clear

All vents are fine...

Maybe my expectations are now too high... maybe a tiny fire is normal on low...

If your Castile is burning well... could you post a pic of how it looks on low?

Thanks

 

[taytowers]

New stove is under warranty. I would be calling the dealer. If dealer installed, they should of fired stove to make sure everything was working. kap

Is under warranty.... This is the busy season... so as the stove is working, they will take some time... and suggested the control box be set from 6 to 5... (this I then did myself) the tech help line suggested the unit be set to 7, and this I just did as well with little change...

I don't want to be overly critical... So with any luck, a Castile user may post a picture of their unit burning set on low.

Thanks

 

[DMKNLD]

How long are your Eastern Ember pellets? That will determine how open your pellet feed gate should be - the longer the pellet the more open it needs to be to get the correct fuel to air mixture. With the Castile you can only adjust the fuel feed rate as it does not have an air adjustment. Quad combustion blowers pull allot of air through the fire pot so you should hear a high pitched whistling sound as it starts up after the initial pellet drop.

Put your stove on the high setting and let it get up to temperature so that your convection blower turns on - usually takes 10 mins or so. Your flame should be burning brisk and yellowish white and lapping 4 or 5 inches above the fire pot when the feed gate is set properly. Make small adjustments in the feed gate and wait 10 mins or so for the pellet feed to stabilize at that setting, then you can move the heat setting to low or medium as needed once the feed gate setting on high is correct.

Here's pics of the flame levels at high and low settings.

 

[kappel15]

The flame on low, is low in the pot. The stoves need to have the flame height set on high. This then sets it for all settings. I would try a different brand of pellet and see if that changes anything. The 5 setting on the control box is +10% for Castiles. The 7 setting is +10% for Sante Fe's. kap

 

[taytowers]

Thanks for the photo's DMKNLD and settings info 'Quad Service tech'

I will compare the High Setting and let you know... the pics you uploaded do look several inches higher.

Also, the control box light stays green while the unit is set to low... (This I was told is normal) as the low setting keeps the stove below 200 degrees...

I would guess then that your stoves stay green on the low setting as well? (Turning red on medium and High?)

I will also try a different variety of pellets.... I am burning soft wood...

thanks for the info

 

[xSpecBx]

I have a classic bay that I just had installed a few weeks ago. On mine the color of the LED has nothing to do with the setting directly. The light is green when the temperature at the thermocouple is hits 200 degrees and red when its 600 degrees (I may be a little off but I think those temps are right). On mine there is an anger feed rate adjustment bar in the hopper. Does the Castille have something similar?

 

[xSpecBx]

Take a look at this

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/quad-castile-feed-adjustment.55552/

 

[kappel15]

Yes, the green light means the thermocouple reads 200*, and red when 600*. On low, the fire isn't producing enough heat to reach 600 degrees, so the red light isn't on.

 

[DMKNLD]

Thanks for the photo's DMKNLD and settings info 'Quad Service tech'

I will compare the High Setting and let you know... the pics you uploaded do look several inches higher.

Also, the control box light stays green while the unit is set to low... (This I was told is normal) as the low setting keeps the stove below 200 degrees...

I would guess then that your stoves stay green on the low setting as well? (Turning red on medium and High?)

I will also try a different variety of pellets.... I am burning soft wood...

thanks for the info

Yes, on low my control box light stays green, and the convection room air blower will cycle on and off as the firebox temperature fluctuates below the #1 snap disc temp setting. On medium and high settings the control box red light and combustion blower stays on all the time. I am burning my 'shoulder season' premium grade 100% softwood pellets.

I find I am fiddling regularly with the pellet feed gate, especially when I change to platinum pellets in the cold winter months, and even between bags of the same pellet brand you will find varying burn quality. Maybe that's just the tinkering instinct, but it is really the only stock adjustment you can do on these stoves, short of keeping the stove and vent clean and making sure the stove gaskets are sealing any air leaks that would impair the burning efficiency.

Kap's suggestion to try a different grade pellet sounds like the thing to try next. Keep us posted on how things are going.

 

[tech tchr]

Best pics I could get.
On low, flame very low in pot.

On medium about 1-1/2" above pot


On high about 4" above pot

 

[tjnamtiw]

What everyone has told you is right on target! The flame height is rather subjective as it goes up and down. Up immediately after a drop and down just before another drop.
If you don't get a 4-6" flame height on high, then I suggest you again look closely up the drop chute with a mirror and MAKE SURE you don't have bridging or a foreign object up there. I've had both on numerous occasions when first starting out and with looooonnnggg pellets. Aluminum labels that came loose, junk in the bags of pellets, other stuff the kids decided to give a ride to.....
Also, there was a screw on mine that prevented the slide gate from opening all the way. That could VERY WELL be your problem. For that one, empty the hopper and feel all around the slide for obstructions or bumps that could be stopping the gate. Make sure the screws are loose. Some people have also removed the gate and elongated the slot to allow it to open more.
Get the dealer back in there too. You'll soon find out if he's worth anything.

 

[taytowers]

Thanks to all the Quad burners

I appreciate the pictures provided of the Castile burning on low... this is what I am seeing... and it good to know that other users have their temperature lights showing green while the unit is on low. This then must be normal.

Expectations need to be realistic... the tiny flame made me assume something was wrong. I really was expecting a taller flame... just not use to pellet heat (having wood downstairs)

I will check to ensure that their is no bridging or foreign packing material inside the hopper with the next fill, and will call the tech line to ask for an average temperature that I should expect from the vent tubes....

Will up date when all is done.

thanks again to all

 

[tjnamtiw]

Don't just look at the feed gate for blockage, look up that drop chute! That's where most problems occur with long pellets or 'hotwheels'

And check to be sure you're getting the full open position on the slide. I was NOT on either stove!

 

[cocey2002]

This is my first season burning the Castile- I installed last March and burned under 20 times last year. I questioned the flame height also but I think those pics that were posted are pretty close to what I am seeing. I heat the house with wood but purchased the Castile for my 12 x 16 sunroom. It takes some time for the Castile to heat up this room as I must be losing a lot through the windows and joint connections. On low the stove produces very little heat. What I have been doing is keeping the stove on high for a few hours and getting the temp I want and then backing down to medium or low once up to temp. It's a nice stove but expectations might have been too high. Today I plan on caulking the sunroom again. I have a nice remote thermostat that I originally thought I could use on a 3 degree swing but heat loss is so great that as soon as the stove shuts off it comes back on again. Thinking of mixing some corn into the mix as I have heard it burns hotter.

 

[kappel15]

I use a Sante Fe to heat my ranch style house. This is the same btu stove as you. Most of the winter it only runs on medium, and rarely have I had to put it on high. There are times that it will run nonstop to maintain heat,if it is really cold out. You have to remember that these are "space heaters", but can heat a whole house. And it does take a while to get a place up to temp. kap

 

[tjnamtiw]

'Sunroom' spells mucho windows which spells mucho heat loss. A 30K btu stove on low won't cut it as you've found out. You might think about adding a layer of plastic to those windows as an extra insulating barrier.

 

[taytowers]

An update for one and all. after burning for five days I decided to do the first full cleaning... removed all plates and vacuum the nooks and crannies.

And this is when I noticed that the seal around the pellet shoot was off.. see pic

I'm assuming that the installers did not tuck it behind deep enough? (I will call them Monday)

With the control board set to 7 and the seal.. sealing... the stove is burning better now.

The last thing for me to tend to now is the Fire Pot Floor Plate... it wont open... I have to cool the stove and then force it open and closed from the bottom. Looks like the bolt may be too tight?

As for the Auger opening... I will run it dry and then peak in with a small mirror.

 

[Papelletman]

You should be able to loosen the nut and bolt on the fire pot floor plate a little.

 

[cocey2002]

Question on top baffle. When looking at the stove should the baffle be in the center or all the way to the right with an opening on the left?

 

[Jack Morrissey]

to the right, with a inch plus gap on the left.