Quadrafire CB 1200 turns off during start up.

[Spaz]

Title pretty well says it all. I started it up, it light up and turned itself off before it got going. This happened also about 2 months ago. I though it was the remote, got a new one. Worked fine until today. The remote was still on, just the stove shut off. It has been sitting for a day. Power light was off. It acted like it had reached its set temperature. Stopped dumping pellets etc. It was cleaned the day before and only ran 3 hours. I got a hold on my technician and was told it "probably missed a cycle". Any one experience this? Can't have it missing a cycle in the winter. I use it just to warm the house up in the mornings so I was up when it happened.

Update
I heated up the house to temp after restarting it. Turn it off, let it cool down and shut off
Gave it another hour and tried it again. Started no problem. Getting a tech in here is probably a 3 week wait, anything I can check in the mean time? I'm an amateur so can't do much. Oh I also cleaned it out again before I started it. Wasn't really dirty, just covering my bases.

Update
Warmed it up again no issues, so I guess I'll find out in the morning if it comes on during the night ( if necessary) or when I manually start it.

 

[stovelark]

So, by power light, assuming you mean red call for heat light? This stove knows either you're calling for heat, or not. If red call light is not coming on when remote is on, one of two things, the connection of the receiver to the t-stat terminals, or a flaky control board. It doesn't sound like the board. If it misses a cycle, could be pellets not filling burnpot at ignition, or if pellets are normal, the ignitor slit in front of burnpot could be blocked. Make sure the half moon underneath burnpot is fully closed, not jammed partly open etc.. The 1200CB is a great example of a keep it simple, very good workhorse stove. Good luck with her.

 

[Spaz]

On mine it's orange, but yes the call for heat light. It had just started burning was dumping pellets and it powered off. Stopped dumping pellets like it had reached its set point which it hadn't. The remote was showing on as it was on manual because I started it with the Skytech remote. It didn't get far enough to turn the blower fan on though. It had almost gotten up to temperature to turn the blower on ( which is about 20 minutes, it got to 10 minutes) and powered down light off. Remote still was showing on. So it just shut off all by itself.

 

[begreen]

Look at the door gasket and make sure debris is not embedded, causing leakage. Check the vacuum circuit. Jumper out the vacuum switch temporarily to see if that fixes the issue.

 

[Spaz]

Look at the door gasket and make sure debris is not embedded, causing leakage. Check the vacuum circuit. Jumper out the vacuum switch temporarily to see if that fixes the issue.

The door and window gaskets are brand new. No idea where the vacuum stuff is. Not mechanically inclined. Eye site isn't good either.

 

[begreen]

If the door or window gaskets are leaking, then that can be the issue if it just started after their installation. Sometimes the door gasket is not bedding in adhesive properly.

Also, try a dollar bill test around the door opening by putting in a dollar bill between the door and the frame, then closing it. Try to pull out the dollar. If there is a lot of resistance, that's good. Try this at multiple locations around the door. If the bill pulls out easily at any spot, then the gasket is not sealing well there.

 

[Spaz]

Update this morning the Orange light was on. And it wasn't running. Turned it off and restarted it. started okay and stayed running. It wasn't warm, so if it had started it didn't get very far. It was on 69 which is the set point for it to turn on. Not sure if that helps other then it's not the controller. Instead of warming the house up to 75ish as I usually do im going to let it run on the temp control and see if it does it again.

 

[Spaz]

Update. It ran upto 73 and shut off, so I'm waiting for it to do it again. I usually sits for 24 hours between heating cycles. I may manually turn it on later today, to see if it does it once it cools down to room temperature. It started yesterday after going through a heating cycle but was still warm to the touch. That being said, which sensors control the start up cycle? Or is it the computer which has crapped out? It seems it's during the the start cycle where it looks for a temp to turn the blower on, instead it doesn't and thinks it's off and shuts down.

 

[Spaz]

I did some googling and found out that it might be the thermocouple not getting hot enough. I cleaned it off and also checked to make the the doors on the pot were fully closed, which they were. Mines an older version so it only has the one orange power light.

Im thinking it's not sensing the heat properly once the pellets have ignited and thinking it's not starting and shutting off. Apparently it will start the second time because the thermocouple has had time to absorb the heat at this point, allowing it to continue it's start up.
I pushed the thermal couple further over the pot and brushed it off, hope it works the next time.

Any idea what temps it has to see to continue dropping pellets on start up? Or which disc controls that part of start up? It seems to see enough to continue dropping pellets after it ignites but not enough to recognize that's it still burning. Thinks it's not and shuts off? Just a guess. If I end up starting it manually I'll try to make notes on temps and times. My experience says it should light within 3 minutes of running which it does and another 17 minutes to turn blower on. It makes it maybe 5 minutes into the heating up so the blower comes on and shuts down with the power still on.

 

[Spaz]

I know the sensor on the left controls the blower fan, so I'm assuming the one beside it controls the feed control? it needs to exceed 200f to keep feeding the pot? I'll be checking these once it fires up? I know the one on the left works because once it starts and hits 13Oish f blower comes on. So I should moniter the one on the right to see if it's reading properly during start up. I should see it exceed 300f? At room temperature they're both reading 75f which it should be. It just occurred to me that it should be reading the thermocouple over the pot not the box temp so montering it is useless? Or wrong sensor?

 

[Spaz]

Okay that's 1 on the left 2 on the right according to google.

 

[Spaz]

More reading says it's not the snap discs, but the thermocouple isn't telling the computer to continue feeding. So it sounds like once it gets some heat craps out then starts working again.

 

[Spaz]

I restarted it 4.5 hours later, started fine. Temps on disc 1 were 135, disc 2 roughly 100f when it started. So that's enough posting for 1 day. Ignitor came on in 3 minutes, blower 17 minutes. See what happens in the morning

 

[Spaz]

If the door or window gaskets are leaking, then that can be the issue if it just started after their installation. Sometimes the door gasket is not bedding in adhesive properly.

Also, try a dollar bill test around the door opening by putting in a dollar bill between the door and the frame, then closing it. Try to pull out the dollar. If there is a lot of resistance, that's good. Try this at multiple locations around the door. If the bill pulls out easily at any spot, then the gasket is not sealing well there.

I did that before I put a new one in. The old one was good, this ones better. I was getting ash on the windows and this mostly fixed any other door leak.

 

[Spaz]

Started fine this morning, see what happens tomorrow.

 

[Spaz]

Was running this morning also. Must have worked. 😁

 

[stovelark]

The 1200CB is usually a very reliable, no nonsense heater. The thermostat controls the unit's call light being activated. Once the call for heat, the control board starts the exhaust blower, ensures vacuum switch closes establishing vacuum. That allows the auger to start and feed its startup fuel. Ignitor comes on (told by control board to do so), ignition happens normally in 3-4 minutes with visual smoking first.
When TC senses 200 deg burnpot temp, it starts feeding pellets again, green light comes on on control board. When 600 deg burnpot temp is achieved the green light on board (200 deg achievement) turns to red. Once warm enough, convection blower comes on (typical cycle takes about 20-25 minutes). S1 is for convection blower, 110V is always present, careful! S2 is auger motor protection, S3 is overtemp/hopper fire protection. TC is obviously proof of fire indication. One thing that can cause a non specific unusual event is the control board has a poor connection on one of its terminals. Once temp is satisfied, call light goes off, pellets stop falling, convection blower runs until it cools down, S1 opens and shuts it off. Exhaust blower normally runs another 10 mins or so, then she shuts down.

 

[Spaz]

Tried it this morning and it failed. So now I have to baby sit it. First attempt since last post

 

[Spaz]

Tried it this morning and it failed. So now I have to baby sit it. First attempt since last post. I've ordered a computer and thermocouple to be installed. Now the wait for a tech