Quadra-Fire Castille blower problem

[Trying To Keep Warm]

Just cleaned stove and flex. chimney liner. It's clean throughout. Stove starts and runs fine. Pellet feed is fine.

Blower fans run perfectly on High setting. After about 20 minutes or so I turn the blower to Medium. Fans run OK. Then later on Low setting fans run for a while, THEN STOP. Feed slows, etc.

Then I turn the fan to Medium, no blowers. After about 5 minutes the Medium speed starts again. Back up to high fans OK. sounds like a heat sensor problem.

Dealer mentioned problem could be Snap Disc -- #2 possibly.

Ceramic thermo. is tight against wire in burn bot.

Anybody have experience with this problem?

Trying To Keep Warm

 

[tjnamtiw]

My guess is that on low you aren't feeding enough pellets to keep the temp high enough for the circulation blower to run OR on low you aren't getting enough vacuum to keep the vacuum switch closed, which will stop the feed. When you cleaned the stove, did you also disconnect the rubber hose from the vacuum switch and blow 'canned air' back up the hose to clear it? I have found on mine that ash will sometimes clog the vacuum port which is right at the top of the feed chute.

I've also found through experimentation and monitoring the vacuum switch, that on Low it is really borderline on whether it closes or not. Without the help of the flue heat rise, it will not close on either of my stoves on the LOW setting. Sooooo, if you are feeding very little on low, you might not have enough draft up the chimney to pull in the switch. Also, on a windy day a gust of wind might negate the draft and open the vacuum switch. For me, LOW is about useless since you can't count on it. I'd rather run on Medium and use the thermostat to turn it on and off.

Not a great endorsement for Quads, is it? ) Hey, I have two so I have to live with my choices. Once they are out of warranty, I am toying with the idea of putting a better controller on them that gives me more control and choices.

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

I did not disconnect the rubber hose from the vacuum switch and blow ‘canned air’ back up the hose to clear it. Bet this is my problem.
Also, I did notice that the feed was low before the fan shut off.

I do have a new can of air. I'll give it a try.

Thanks,
Trying To Keep Warm

 

[tjnamtiw]

I did not disconnect the rubber hose from the vacuum switch and blow ‘canned air’ back up the hose to clear it. Bet this is my problem.
Also, I did notice that the feed was low before the fan shut off.

I do have a new can of air. I'll give it a try.

Thanks,
Trying To Keep Warm

good luck! Even if that isn't the problem, it's a good preventative routine measure. Just don't blow back toward the vacuum switch because it will load it with ash. Not good..... :-S

 

[jtp10181]

Which blower is problematic, the combustion blower (exhaust) or the convection blower (room air) ?

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

The convection blower (room air) is the one that is shutting down. Exhaust seems to be OK.

The blower never shuts down on the high setting.

 

[smwilliamson]

Just cleaned stove and flex. chimney liner. It's clean throughout. Stove starts and runs fine. Pellet feed is fine.

Blower fans run perfectly on High setting. After about 20 minutes or so I turn the blower to Medium. Fans run OK. Then later on Low setting fans run for a while, THEN STOP. Feed slows, etc.

Then I turn the fan to Medium, no blowers. After about 5 minutes the Medium speed starts again. Back up to high fans OK. sounds like a heat sensor problem.

Dealer mentioned problem could be Snap Disc -- #2 possibly.

Ceramic thermo. is tight against wire in burn bot.

Anybody have experience with this problem?

Trying To Keep Warm

If the units starts on it's own and continues to feed pellets after the fire is established, it's most likely not the snap disc #2.

Take the ceramic disc out and wipe the crud off of it and reinstall it.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I'm still betting (if you blew out the vacuum hose) that you are not feeding enough pellets on low to keep the temp high enough to satisfy the convection blower snap switch. On mine, on low I lose the red temp light sometimes on the controller also. When you are on high setting, how tall is your flame?

 

[jtp10181]

You guys ask the wrong questions.... I fix these things for a living.

Is this a new problem or an ongoing problem since install?
How old is the stove?
Do you know how to properly clean the stove? Baffles, firepot, convection and combustion fan blades, etc....

You said on low when the fan stop the feed slows down? The convection blower does not effect feed rate. Or were you simply saying when on Low the feed slows and then the blower stops?

How is your door gasket? Extra air getting into the firebox could cool it off a little.

It is probably the Snap Disc that is making the fan stop, but it is probably not broken or the fan would not work at all.

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

Actually the fan problem started late in the season last year. It did not really bother me, Spring was coming so I let it go. New season coming so I want to take care of it.

Stove was purchased in August 2005. I pulled the top baffle and brick plates -- vacuumed all around. Stove is very clean now. Fan bades, too.

Door gasket -- got to check that. Could be something there. Got a few years on it.

Yes, when on Low the feed slows and then the blower stops. Then I go back to high and after say 5 minutes the high speed comes on. Same thing when I go from low to medium.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Whether we fix them or not for a living, we all have experience keeping these suckers running! When my service man is 1 1/2 hours away (which I have to pay for both ways), you better get good at learning the stove. In this case, clearly he's not getting enough heat to keep snap disc #1 satisfied when feeding on low. At this point, we were giving him quite a few things to look at that could be causing the loss of heat - low feed rate of pellets, pellets bridging at top of feed chute, did he change pellet brands when this started last year? (usually requires change in feed rate adjustment), dump gate on burn pot hanging down too much or not closed all the way, bad door gasket, clogged or partially clogged vacuum hose, cleanliness of exhaust path, fines building up in auger tube........

Running the Castile or the Sante Fe on LOW does NOT yield enough vacuum to pull in the switch, at least it didn't on either of my stoves when they were brand new last year. I have 17' of vertical pipe going up the chimney. He also has the pipe going up the chimney so we both have that resistance to overcome. So you need the draft of a hot fire to supplement the vacuum created by the combustion blower to keep the switch pulled in and the feed going. In our cases, you have to fight for every bit of vacuum you can save in order to run the stove on low. Personally, I run on MED or HIGH and use the thermostat to turn it on and off rather than hassle with the LOW problem. I wish they had some way to tweak the combustion blower speed.

 

[jtakeman]

Whether we fix them or not for a living, we all have experience keeping these suckers running!........

X2 :cheese: Along with my family, friends and neighbors so they don't have to call the stove guy! Well maybe when its time for a new stove? Only way I know how to save a buck or 2 is fix it yourself! Times have been kind of tough and money is tight!

 

[jtp10181]

Whether we fix them or not for a living, we all have experience keeping these suckers running! When my service man is 1 1/2 hours away (which I have to pay for both ways), you better get good at learning the stove. In this case, clearly he's not getting enough heat to keep snap disc #1 satisfied when feeding on low. At this point, we were giving him quite a few things to look at that could be causing the loss of heat - low feed rate of pellets, pellets bridging at top of feed chute, did he change pellet brands when this started last year? (usually requires change in feed rate adjustment), dump gate on burn pot hanging down too much or not closed all the way, bad door gasket, clogged or partially clogged vacuum hose, cleanliness of exhaust path, fines building up in auger tube........

Running the Castile or the Sante Fe on LOW does NOT yield enough vacuum to pull in the switch, at least it didn't on either of my stoves when they were brand new last year. I have 17' of vertical pipe going up the chimney. He also has the pipe going up the chimney so we both have that resistance to overcome. So you need the draft of a hot fire to supplement the vacuum created by the combustion blower to keep the switch pulled in and the feed going. In our cases, you have to fight for every bit of vacuum you can save in order to run the stove on low. Personally, I run on MED or HIGH and use the thermostat to turn it on and off rather than hassle with the LOW problem. I wish they had some way to tweak the combustion blower speed.

He is not having a problem with the feed stopping, so the vacuum switch has nothing to do with it. If the vac switch is not tripped the feed system totally stops. We have installed a few castile or santefe inserts with 20+ ft liners and never had any problems with the low setting feed working correctly. The only reported convection fan problems I have had is on the CB1200, where the fan will cycle on and off. Seems to be the fan blowing cools its own snap switch off to the point where it shuts down, then it heats up again and comes back on.

Most of the other suggestions are relevant however.

I would start with trying to figure out what might have changed when the fan stopped working properly.

I am surprised the fan does not cycle on / off after it goes off initially. That steel should heat up pretty nice after the convection fan is off. There must some serious lack of heat to cause the stove to stay cool enough to not kick the fan on at all in the low setting.

Have you tried running the stove on just low for a while. Run it for like 30-60 mins on low and see if the fan ever comes on.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Good point about the fan not coming back on if it's still in low. The residual heat in the stove's mass should heat the switch back up and turn it back on. smwilliamson suggested taking the snap disc off and cleaning its face off and the mating surface. That could very well be creating an insulation barrier. That's an easy one to eliminate.

Yes, the vacuum switch would stop the feed, as you said. If the vacuum is borderline, as I said, and with the fire so low as to not give enough consistent draft to keep the switch closed, that would result in the switch opening and closing and he would have intermittent feed, which would look like 'the feed slows down', as he has said. Also, wind gusts would do the same thing. The next time you install one of these, just for sh*&s and grins, put an ohmmeter on the vacuum switch and run it on low without a fire. You'll see what I mean. My dealer/service man didn't believe me and didn't want to drive the 100 mile round trip to see. That's why we have to do it ourselves. The low setting is just not reliable with a long run of pipe. Maybe it is when you just shoot the exhaust out the wall, though.

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

Plan to pull stove out tomorrow and check it over. Will run a few tests and report back. Standby all!
I appreciate all the suggestions/comments.

 

[kilbury]

How about your fuel feed rate adjustment slide in the hopper? If that's set too low it can cause your problem.

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

Fuel feed rate adjustment slide could need adjustment.

Stove is now burning on high. Flame is pretty much confined to the burn pot. Might go an inch or so above it. On low flame is pretty low.

Manual says on high flame should extend closer to 4 inches.

Earlier this week -- pulled stove -- blew out vacuum tube (not into switch). Some soot, not bad.

Draft -- still a concern. When we cleaned the liner it took (6) four foot cleaning extension rods with the brush.

So what about that high flame -- should it extend 4 inches for most of the burn?

 

[tjnamtiw]

Fuel feed rate adjustment slide could need adjustment.

Stove is now burning on high. Flame is pretty much confined to the burn pot. Might go an inch or so above it. On low flame is pretty low.

Manual says on high flame should extend closer to 4 inches.

Earlier this week -- pulled stove -- blew out vacuum tube (not into switch). Some soot, not bad.

Draft -- still a concern. When we cleaned the liner it took (6) four foot cleaning extension rods with the brush.

So what about that high flame -- should it extend 4 inches for most of the burn?

ABSOLUTELY! I've been saying all along that you don't have enough heat on low to maintain a consistent draft/vacuum. Your flame on HIGH should be 4-6" above the fire pot. Of course, it varies but that's a good average height. When I changed brands of pellets, I had to readjust my feed slides on both stoves from almost closed to almost wide open, so pellet brands make a big difference. I asked the question earlier - when you started having problems last winter, did you change brands by any chance?

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

I did change pellets -- your probably right about the adjustment.

I also have a Harman Accentra freestanding pellet stove in my kitchen which I use all the time. I'm more used to it and it's workings. I only use the Quadra Fire sort of part time in the evenings and have not really fine tuned it with respeact to the feed system.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I did change pellets -- your probably right about the adjustment.

there you go! Open that feed gate up to get a 6" flame on HIGH and you're good to go!

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

Need to free up the slide rod (wing nut is loose) -- slide bound up! Need to check set screw, also.

Time to get out the big hammer!!

 

[tjnamtiw]

Need to free up the slide rod (wing nut is loose) -- slide bound up! Need to check set screw, also.

Time to get out the big hammer!!

Ha ha ha. Now you sound like me. If it doesn't move, get a BIGGER hammer! Mine doesn't slide very easily either. There is a phillips screw in the slot of the block off plate that might be too tight. Good Chinese engineering. Even in the 'closed' position, there is still about 2-3" of open area to the auger.

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

I see that screw. When stove cools down I'll pull it out a bit so I can get at it. I'm sure it's tight. Manual says set screw is shipped in a loosened position. I doubt that.

81 degrees here in Massachusetts. Don't really need the stove today! Just need to get it right.

 

[Trying To Keep Warm]

Just what I thought -- set screw was super tight.

Slide is now halfway between my previous setting and wide open. Will be interesting to see the results.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I see that screw. When stove cools down I'll pull it out a bit so I can get at it. I'm sure it's tight. Manual says set screw is shipped in a loosened position. I doubt that.

81 degrees here in Massachusetts. Don't really need the stove today! Just need to get it right.

Wow, 81 in Mass! Down here in Ga, it has been a horrible summer with no rain and temps in mid 90's for months. The AC is still going strong. It's the middle of Sept for Pete's sake! This is nuts. I wish I could have a little fire going.