Quadrafire Castile new problem

[Lesley]

I replaced the convection fan a few weeks ago and stove was running great. When I was doing my clean on Sunday and took the thermocouple cover off I found that one of the wires in thermocouple had partially broken. Got and installed a new one last night but now the stove is filling up with black soot within a couple hours and the flame is bright orange. I did a thorough cleaning on Sunday, yes really, and I did not have this problem prior to replacing the thermocouple. So, could it be the new thermocouple or is it more likely I messed something up during install?

 

[Jack Morrissey]

I replaced the convection fan a few weeks ago and stove was running great. When I was doing my clean on Sunday and took the thermocouple cover off I found that one of the wires in thermocouple had partially broken. Got and installed a new one last night but now the stove is filling up with black soot within a couple hours and the flame is bright orange. I did a thorough cleaning on Sunday, yes really, and I did not have this problem prior to replacing the thermocouple. So, could it be the new thermocouple or is it more likely I messed something up during install?

Is it a lazy flame??

 

[Lesley]

Is it a lazy flame??

The flame size is pretty much the same except it's a brighter orange.

 

[heat seeker]

Sounds like an airflow problem. Did you disturb the burnpot when you replaced the TC?

 

[Jack Morrissey]

The flame size is pretty much the same except it's a brighter orange.

Just guessing but sounds like something got messed up during the install, or even the cleaning??

 

[Lesley]

Sounds like an airflow problem. Did you disturb the burnpot when you replaced the TC?

It's possible, had to reach in under it to guide the wire through the little hole, so I'll take try taking the thermocouple out and check if I can see anything that looks off and reinstall. I doubled check all the blowers, venting etc this morning and couldn't see blockages. I did notice the gasket on one side of the door is worn so I'll replace that too and see if it makes any difference.

 

[BradH70]

Did you start using a different pellet?

 

[Lesley]

Did you start using a different pellet?

No, same pellets I've been using all winter.

 

[DexterDay]

The thermocouple has nothing to do with airflow. It's only job is to sense fire and feed pellets after the initial ignition cycle.

Sounds like you have a leak somewhere? Have you checked the door gasket? (Dollar bill test)?

Is the pot floor sagging real bad? Was the anything in the hole that goes into the firebox? That the T/C wire goes through? That hole is a burn pot by-pass. I plugged mine with aluminium foil.

 

[Lesley]

The thermocouple has nothing to do with airflow. It's only job is to sense fire and feed pellets after the initial ignition cycle.

Sounds like you have a leak somewhere? Have you checked the door gasket? (Dollar bill test)?

Is the pot floor sagging real bad? Was the anything in the hole that goes into the firebox? That the T/C wire goes through? That hole is a burn pot by-pass. I plugged mine with aluminium foil.

I went to reinstall the thermocouple and noticed that where the part goes into the stove the hole is has a round rubber piece that cover it (has a small slit that the thermocouple wire goes thru) and it was not seated properly so the hole was not covered. Fixed that, but after removing the frayed gasket, which I thought might also be the problem since it's frayed, I realized the one I had in my spare parts box was not the correct one, so now have to go off to the stove shop after work. Hoping the problem was the hole where the thermocouple is inserted; will let you know what happens when I fire it up.

 

[Kory]

Make sure ash pan is in and in correctly, burn pot is clean and has no clinkers or buildup, make sure glass door is latching tight and gasket is in good shape make sure hopper is at least 1/2 full and lid is shut, also clean behind your baffles remove the top metal panel and the two bricks vacuum and re assemble properly and if its still lazy flame you have a dirty exhaust flue, weak or bad exhaust blower (doubt it though) or you need to choke your feed rate down inside the hopper lid a little bit at a time until you get it adjusted correctly.

 

[Lesley]

I cleaned it good before replacing the thermocouple, fixed that install glitch, put a new door gasket on, and now the auger won't move. Cleaned the hopper out completely, can't see any pellets jammed in the spring, don't know why the snap disc would have gone bad since the auger was working fine before. I'll take it apart to see if there's something in there jamming it and if not replace the snap disc and see what happens.

 

[Kory]

Is ours the newer model with the hopper lid switch? Make sure the lid is positioned correctly.

 

[Lesley]

Is ours the newer model with the hopper lid switch? Make sure the lid is positioned correctly.

No, I got it in 2004.

 

[Kory]

Need to put a vacuum gauge on the end of the hose closest to the vacuum switch and make sure it is reading at least .05

 

[Lesley]

Don't have a vacuum gauge. I blew out the hose, it's clean.

 

[smwilliamson]

Did you clean the liner? Commonly when inserts are pulled out and pushed back ash falls down into the snout of the motor

 

[Lesley]

Did you clean the liner? Commonly when inserts are pulled out and pushed back ash falls down into the snout of the motor

It's not an insert, it's a free standing. I've pretty much cleaned everything that can be cleaned. Not I can't get the screw holding the disc to budge. Can I spay it with a little silicone lubircant or could that mess something up. And, thanks, I really appreciate all the help this sight gives!

 

[Lesley]

Also, is it likley to be the snap disc? Don't want to drive the 20 miles to the closet dealer to get a replacement if it's not likely to be that.

 

[smwilliamson]

Also, is it likley to be the snap disc? Don't want to drive the 20 miles to the closet dealer to get a replacement if it's not likely to be that.

you can always jump the disc by connecting the two wires that go to the switch

 

[SwineFlue]

I cleaned it good before replacing the thermocouple, fixed that install glitch, put a new door gasket on, and now the auger won't move.

Also, is it likley to be the snap disc? Don't want to drive the 20 miles to the closet dealer to get a replacement if it's not likely to be that.

Both the snap disk #2 and the vacuum switch can prevent the auger from turning. I would think vacuum is the more likely culprit. Are you sure the new gasket was installed properly and the vac hose didn't get knocked loose or something?

Like smwilliamson said, you can temporarily jumper the snap disk... and the vacuum switch too. You can also pull the wires from the snap disk and check it with a continuity tester or ohm meter.

When you try to start the stove I assume the exhaust blower is running, and only the thermostat "call for heat" is lit up.

 

[Lesley]

Both the snap disk #2 and the vacuum switch can prevent the auger from turning. I would think vacuum is the more likely culprit. Are you sure the new gasket was installed properly and the vac hose didn't get knocked loose or something?

Like smwilliamson said, you can temporarily jumper the snap disk... and the vacuum switch too. You can also pull the wires from the snap disk and check it with a continuity tester or ohm meter.

When you try to start the stove I assume the exhaust blower is running, and only the thermostat "call for heat" is lit up.

Tried removing the snap disc to replace, couldn't figure how, decided to pull control box out & put back in as a last ditch effort. Well, stove started up, auger started turning, & 2 hrs later no black soot! Either the control box is on its way out or I did something in my attempt to remove the snap disc that got it working. Of course it is now 58 degrees outside & I have the windows open, but will let it run for awhile longer just to see if anything goes wrong.

 

[SwineFlue]

Tried removing the snap disc to replace, couldn't figure how, decided to pull control box out & put back in as a last ditch effort. Well, stove started up, auger started turning, & 2 hrs later no black soot! Either the control box is on its way out or I did something in my attempt to remove the snap disc that got it working. Of course it is now 58 degrees outside & I have the windows open, but will let it run for awhile longer just to see if anything goes wrong.

Glad to hear it's working. You may have just had a bad (loose) electrical connection in there, possibly from the thermocouple?