Quadrafire Pellet stove insert not feeding pellets

[Sunshinekim]

My Quadrafire Sante Fe Pellet stove has power and the fan comes on but the pellets don't drop in. I pulled it out, cleaned out all the pellets, removed the auger to make sure it wasn't jammed, and then I found a blockage in the chimney so I cleared that out. I've been reading that it is possibly a snap disc that needs to be replaced. Is this something a "mechanically-inclined" woman can do? I'm the one who cleaned everything out, pulled it out, checked the auger, etc, so I'm confident I can do it myself but I didn't want to waste my time if that's not what it is.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Hi,
The main thing that keeps pellets from dropping is the vacuum switch, that either round or rectangular box in there that has a hose plus two wires running to it. Pull the hose off AT THE VACUUM switch and blow some air through it to make sure it is open. It should be plugged into a nipple at the top of the drop chute that the pellets fall down. Make sure that the nipple is full of ash or dirt. It can happen quite often. I use a can of compressed air like you use for blowing dust out of a keyboard. Walmart has it in the computer section. 'Canned air'.

Make sure that your trap door on the bottom of the burn pot is closed all the way. Sometimes when dumping the ashes it doesn't go all the way closed.

Is your combustion fan (the one with the funny 'hat' on top) turning and not making noises? You said you cleaned out the exhaust pipe but did you clean out around the fan?

If that doesn't do it, unplug the stove UNPLUG THE STOVE! and remove the two wires attached to the box and put a piece of wire between them and wrap it with electrical tape so they don't short out. We're talking 120 volts here. While you have it unplugged, feel for the snap disk located on the back of the drop tube. There's a button between the two wires. Push it in. Did it snap in? If it did, it was tripped. If not, then plug the stove back in and see if it works. If it does, the vacuum switch might be bad. Or something else is causing you to lose vacuum such as bad gasketing around the door.

Get back to us.. Good luck.

 

[Lake Girl]

Hey Sunshinekim You shouldn't have a problem troubleshooting. Here's the manual if you don't have one (broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/7001_142.pdf) Figuring you may have already been using it to get this far...

Always unplug stove... When you cleaned the exhaust fan, was the gasket intact when you replaced? Torn or missing gasket could effect vacuum... In removing exhaust fan when cleaning, did you also disconnect vacuum? (different from my stove) Wires reconnected in appropriate positions?

Next I would check the burn back snap disc #3 - reset if it has been popped. Check to make sure vacuum switch tube is clean as described above and make sure there is no damage to the tube itself. With clog in venting, vacuum tube or connection to exhaust venting may be clogged. Make sure thermocouple is seated properly (another forum member just had this problem). Give it another try ... if no luck, unplug again and continue troubleshooting.

Snap disc procedure is on page 34 of the manual for snap disc #2. You get to disconnect vacuum switch and exhaust blower again...

Vacuum switches as a rule are usually the last thing to replace. You can try gently sucking on the tube and should hear it click. If not, then try jumpering it.

Good luck and keep us posted with what you find....

 

[Sunshinekim]

I had already blown out the vacuum hose and it still wasn't working. The snap disc #3 has the button popped out but I can't get it to push in, so that's why I was thinking it was the snap disc issue. I push it but it just barely pushes down and goes right back to its original position.
I cleaned the exhaust fan and I also checked my gaskets too. That's why I'm thinking it's the snap disc but I can't find any reference to what snap discs are supposed to look like and if they act like a GFCI outlet where you push it back in and it stays back in. If that's the case, then I'm thinking that's the culprit.
Thoughts?

 

[Lake Girl]

Some high temp limit snap discs only allow a couple of resets before they become non-functional.
(broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/serviceParts/Santa-Fe-MBK.pdf)
Appears to be part #21 - SRV230-1290

http://www.pellet-stove-parts-4less.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=sante fe manual reset snap disc&Search.x=0&Search.y=0
http://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com/Quadra-Fire-Manual-Reset-Snap-Disc-p/srv230-1290.htm

Not sure what local dealer may be charging but this gives you an idea of cost... shipping extra

 

[wwert]

Easy way to figure it out is to jumper the 2 wires going to the disc together. If stove works again you know that's the problem. Do not run it without being hooked up properly though.

 

[CaptSpiff]

.... The snap disc #3 has the button popped out but I can't get it to push in, so that's why I was thinking it was the snap disc issue. I push it but it just barely pushes down and goes right back to its original position.
<snip>
.... That's why I'm thinking it's the snap disc but I can't find any reference to what snap discs are supposed to look like and if they act like a GFCI outlet where you push it back in and it stays back in.
Thoughts?

The snap-disks with the manual resets are just like those GFCI's except without a test button. If you are not feeling the reset tab move, click into place and stay there, then it is likely already reset. The best way to check it is with a "multimeter continuity or resistance tester". These used to be called VOM's, short for volt ohm meters, and you can get one at Harbor Freight or Radio Shack for about $10-15 bucks. If you want to troubleshoot electrical stuff, you need one.

With this meter in hand, and the stove unplugged, remove one of the slip on electrical wire terminals from the snap-disk and measure the resistance/continuity by touching the two terminals of the snap disk. It will read either open or short (zero resistance).

But I do not think that this snap-disk#3 is your problem. The electrical diagram shows the disk#3 shutting off power to all fans and motors. In your opening post you mentioned the fan came ON but you got no pellet feed. So your problem is more likely in the group of safety devices which block power to the Feed Motor. See the top path showing snap-disk#2, hopper door switch, loss of Vac switch. Any one of those is a more likely cause, or the motor itself.

Of those 4 choices, my first suspect is always the vac switch. It is normally electrically open, but the combustion (exhaust) blower starting causes the whole Firepot area to go under slight vacuum, thereby turning the vac switch ON (zero resistance). Many things can reduce the vacuum to unacceptably low levels, including leaking door seal, loose burnpot trap door, cracks in the vac hose, or even a restricted vent or chimney. You mentioned that you had a vent blockage. How do you know it is fully resolved?