Quadrafire 1100I no fire.

[downtime]

I recently purchased a home with the 1100I pellet stove. It worked fine for about a week, then I woke up one morning cold. No request for heat light but t-stat was much cooler than setpoint. I had just poured in a new bag of pellets that seemed longer than the ones the owner left with the house. Found fuse blown and replaced. I blamed the longer pellets, stopping up the auger perhaps? Now the light comes on auger starts turning, and blowers turn on as they should but the igniter never gets hot. I'd expect most to say the igniter is bad but I put my voltmeter to the junction box leads that I believe are going to the igniter and get nothing. Please help

 

[begreen]

If the red call light is on and no voltage at the ignitor, then it sounds like the control box may be gone. If you're lucky, there will be an internal fuse on that circuit and that also blew. If not, and it's a triac, you may need a new box unless you have electronics repair skills.

You might want to run it for awhile to check out other systems. If you can get a handful of pellets burning (with the stove off) then close the door and run it. The stove should run until the thermostat is satisfied. To start the pellets use pellet starting gel or in a pinch, soak about 2 tablespoons full with a little vegetable oil first.

 

[downtime]

Thanks for the reply. I'll pull the box apart when I get home tonight. I'm assuming I should have ~110vac at the ignitor, correct?

 

[downtime]

Took the box apart, found a fuse and it's good. Do you think it's time to replace? Is this very common? It seems odd that it would conveniently go out just a week into owning the house.

 

[begreen]

Knowing nothing of the history of the stove it's hard to say. You might check with your local Quad dealer about a test replacement box. Also, look closely at the board for signs of an overheated component. If the triac blew, it will often darken the board below it and will smell burnt.

Have you tried running the stove without the ignitor? I'd try that to determine the extent of the issue. Then you can make a better informed decision on repair.

 

[downtime]

Haven't been able to get a fire started. I thought about using lighter fluid, bad idea?

 

[stoveguy2esw]

test igniter with meter for resistance , shoule not be open , means its blown (like a light bulb) usually you should get resistance which will vary based on wattage rating of igniter. they really are like a light bulb, they burn the filament that creates the resistance due to a thin line which gets very hot (like 1500 degrees F) when they pop its like a light bulb burning out , just breaks the filament , in which case you get an "open" meaning no continuity. if open , replace igniter

 

[begreen]

I think he opened with there is no voltage going to the ignitor. But you bring up a good point. Perhaps he has not tested the correct junction points. Far better to test for voltage at the ignitor and a resistance check on the ignitor is an excellent suggestion.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

there is a plate you can take off to change the ignitor. Take that cover off and just look if its getting red. If its not, but there is voltage going to it, then replace the ignitor. The ignitor is a 3-5 year item.

 

[downtime]

Perhaps he has not tested the correct junction points.

This seems to be the case. I went ahead and pulled the igniter, tested open. Looked pretty bad. Checked voltage at igniter wires, 200vac. After some digging around I realized that I was way off. The leads I was checking only appeared to be going to the igniter. Just another lesson learned. I do appreaciate all the help. Any recommendations where to get the igniter?

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

any quad dealer will have them for approx $31, does yours have the ceramic ignitor or the metal loop one?

 

[downtime]

Called local dealer (20 miles away)...$37. Its the metal loop.

 

[begreen]

I see it online for $35. Go for the local one. Be warm and happy soon.