Quadrafire Classic Bay 1200 won't feed pellets

[quader]

Hi there, we just recently purchased and installed a classic bay 1200 in our basement. It's been running real well for a good three months and the other day I noticed the flame that used to be crisp and bright was now mostly orange and long and lazy. Didn't think it was a big deal, this happened all the time in our old Whitfield.
So I shut it down and scrapes out the burn pot and cleaned out the air holes. Vacuumed out the exhaust blower chamber and took down the baffles that cover the heat exchangers. Not really dirty.
Put it all back together and turned the thermostat up and waited for it to kick in. The exhaust fan started up but nothing else happened. The igniter heats up bit no pellets dropped. It's as if the auger isn't turning. It can't be jammed because I scoped all the pellets out and vacuumed the auger channel out and it still doesn't turn.
Any ideas anyone? It's getting fairly cold in our house and I'd like it fixed!

 

[Fsappo]

You may want to cut and paste/repost this in the pellet forums. But until then, your auger still may be jammed. Depending on the stove, I see if I can grab the auger motor and use it to rotate the auger back and forth (with power off, stove unplugged) Is there any kind of code that shows up on the control board?

 

[quader]

You may want to cut and paste/repost this in the pellet forums. But until then, your auger still may be jammed. Depending on the stove, I see if I can grab the auger motor and use it to rotate the auger back and forth (with power off, stove unplugged) Is there any kind of code that shows up on the control board?

Sorry I posted in the wrong spot. No code comes up that I can see. It just has a call light to call for heat and it's on. It still could be jammed, I can't turn the auger with my hands but it's sethe up differently than I'm used to.

 

[Fsappo]

You may also want to check the #2 snap disk and make sure your stove has vacuum. An open or very leaky door could hinder this.

 

[quader]

You may also want to check the #2 snap disk and make sure your stove has vacuum. An open or very leaky door could hinder this.

We tried jumping #2 snapdisk and nothing changed. Tried jumping #1 and it turned the convection fan on. Thought about jumping #3 but it's hard to get to and I don't think that that one is the issue

 

[Fsappo]

I don't know what serupted means. Unless I'm mistaken, if it was me I would work on getting that auger out. As you work it, you may start hearing that tell tale noise of pellets falling. I would work on that unless someone with more knowledge pops in. Gaskets good? All doors shutting tight? did you try jumping the #2 snap disk see if that's the issue?

 

[quader]

The doors shut pretty tightly and the seal looks good. We tried the#2 snapdisk and nothing happened. I expected the auger to start turning.
And my phone auto corrected it wrong. Meant to say 'set up differently than I'm used to'. I'm not at home anymore but I'll have another look at that auger. I'm thinking your right that it could still be jammed

 

[Lake Girl]

Got you moved around where you should be... Have you cleaned out your venting? #1 cause of problems is usually related to not keeping exhaust pathways clean - from the air intake, through the stove, right out to the termination of the exhaust vent.

Manual page 27 gives the areas to trouble shoot.

(broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/7014_179.pdf)

Keep us posted.

 

[quader]

Thanks for the manual. Cou please thingo in there I will try when I get home. I've cleaned out all the exhaust airways I can get to except the chimney which has a vertical section in it. It runs on low setting most of the time so it could be too dirty. Tried starting it with the vacuum hose off and it still didn't drop pellets. It should have if thast the problem I think.

 

[kappel15]

If you emptied the hopper, it will take a while for the feed to get back up the auger. You will have to hit the reset a couple times. Auger turns real slow, so you may not know it is turning if you can't hear it. If that isn't it, you can try jumping the vac switch wires together to see if you have a vacuum issue. What year stove is it? If it is newer, there is a switch on hopper door that won't let the auger run if it is open. If you just purchased it new, you are under warranty. Call the dealer. kap

 

[DMKNLD]

Tried starting it with the vacuum hose off and it still didn't drop pellets. It should have if thast the problem I think.

Hello quader, welcome to this forum ! Lots of Quad folks on here to help. Your vacuum hose is part of the negative pressure safety system built into the stove, so it will need to be connected, and unobstructed, to get the auger to work.

If you're burning particularly dusty pellets, that hose can get plugged with fine sawdust and not let the vac switch close to complete the electrical circuit that turns the auger on. If you have some computer cleaner compressed air that comes in the spray can, you can take the hose off and jet some compressed air through it to make sure it is clear, or just blowing through it works OK, too to make sure it is clear of sawdust.

Check the end of the vac hose that connects to the auger tube to make sure it is not heat cracked - you can trim the brittle section back to get to a 'fresh' section of hose.

The auger nipple that the vac hose connects to can also get clogged with fine dust, and obstruct the vac switch function. Take a toothpick or straightened out paper clip and clean that small nipple opening out, then put the hose back on and see if your auger will feed.

Your lazy flame you discussed usually has less to do with the auger feed and more likely caused by an air leak, or obstructed venting, or obstructed fire pot air holes. Did you do the 'dollar bill' test for resistance when you pull the bill out from between the seal and the stove, to make sure the door seal is good? Are all the fire pot air holes clear of ash, including the small ones at the bottom of the sloped section? You can use an appropriate sized allen wrench to clear them if they are obstructed with carbon residue. Make sure your burn pot clean out 'trap door' is closing all the way so the there is no air leak through that.

Try those couple things, then report back and we can discuss the next steps as needed, which would be how to jump your vacuum switch, which may be bad, and rule out an auger jam. I may have to turf you to someone who has your CB model Quad, as all the above troubleshoots are generic to all Quads.

Good luck !

 

[quader]

Yeah...the dealer fix it guy for Sk is out for a week yet. It is new so it's got that sensor on the hopper lid so I tried putting a magnet there instead but idk if it makes the stove think it's closed or not. Hadn't thought of jumping the vacuum wires. I was looking at the auger shaft from the side with the hopper lid shut but it may have turned and I didn't see it.
Thanks guys for all the input so far. I've got a couple things to try out for sure!

 

[Lake Girl]

Always remember to unplug the stove when you're in there rooting around!!

 

[quader]

Ok this is weird, I got home and jumped the vacuum switch and heard and saw the auger start turning. Bingo.
So just for kicks I put the vacuum hose on the switch scattered some pellets in the bottom of the hopper and hit the reset. It started up and the auger started turning. The auger would turn for awhile then quite so I'd hit the reset again.
After a couple times I got pellets in the burn pot and they ignited. Now I'm sitting in front of a somewhay lazy fire and hearing the pellets drop in.
The weird part is that we blew air thru that vacuum line last nite and tried it and it didn't work!
I think I still will try cleaning out our chimney as this stove is in our basement and the vertical pipe has 2 elbows, and this stove spent most of its time on the low setting.
I know I have it cranked right up at the moment but the flame is fairly long and still somewhat lazy so I think I still have some exhaust restriction.
Thanks all for your input, I hope this has it!

 

[kappel15]

You have to remember that when the stove calls for heat, the augers initial feed will only run 98 seconds on the 1200. Auger won't run again unless fire is proven or you hit reset button. Stay in touch. kap

 

[quader]

Ok, I wasn't sure on that but that must be why. Mu dad just went outside and checked the chimney end and found that it was nearly plugged off. We got out our trusty blower and blew along with the exhaust fan and now it's running like dream. I think we've got it now, we'll just have to keep a close eye on that exhaust!

 

[Lake Girl]

What size venting and what over-all length? Have you calculated your EVL (equivalent vertical length)? 3" ok up to 15 EVL then should be 4" exhaust.
90 elbows = 5'; 45 elbows = 3'; horizontal 1'=1'; vertical 1' = .5'

Glad to hear you got her cleaned up and burning again!

 

[kappel15]

Glad you figured it out. With two elbows, you will need to keep an eye on exhaust. When flame starts getting lazy, time to clean all of it. Stay warm. kap