QUADRAFIRE SANTE FE NON INSERT NOT FEEDING PELLETS

[smiles233]

ok my sante fe freestanding non insert will not feed pellets. i have just cleaned the exhaust pipes and put silicone back on. i checked snap disk#2 and when i unplug it it shuts off combustion fan. i also checked the vacuum switch and blew through the hose . i also unplugged the vacuum switch and touched the wires together and also checked voltage to the auger motor and i get 45 volts when the switch is on calling for heat and when it is off its about 4 volts. i went to the dealer and got a new auger motor to try and same result no dropping pellets. i also took out the auger motor and got all the pellets out. my burn pot is clean and the holes are clean as well. i cleaned behind the fake bricks (took the right one out and cleaned up into the combustion fan). i do see 6 flashing blue lights when its trying to start. there is heat at the thermocouple. checked all the connections and they are good.

what do you think? ill prob have to have the dealer come out soon if i cant figure it out, he said he would take the auger motor back if it didnt solve the problem.

 

[smiles233]

I cleaning the combution motor and getting a new gasket for it. i will also check snap disk 2

 

[Don2222]

I cleaning the combution motor and getting a new gasket for it. i will also check snap disk 2

You should be able to just pull the wires off and jump them together.

 

[reallyte]

So augur doesn't run at all when it calls for heat or it stops after startup? Check exhaust cap for blockage. Vacuum issues usually cause no response at all.

 

[smiles233]

ok i checked continuity on all 3 snap disks and the pressure switch all have continuity and buzz with my multi-meter. When i turn on stove convection blower starts and i see flashing blue light blinks 6 times. when i call for heat on thermostat i hear a click and red light comes on but auger does not turn. when i click the reset button i hear a click but auger wont turn. i have cleaned out the auger chamber, blown through vacuum hose and i just cleaned the exhaust motor. ive tried to reset all the connections . i dont see any burn marks through the plastic pcb cover. i did change out the auger motor and same result so i told the quadrafire dealer i would try the motor and have him do a service call if that doesnt work. so i will have them come take a look and see what they can find. thx for the tips

 

[Bioburner]

ok i checked continuity on all 3 snap disks and the pressure switch all have continuity and buzz with my multi-meter. When i turn on stove convection blower starts and i see flashing blue light blinks 6 times. when i call for heat on thermostat i hear a click and red light comes on but auger does not turn. when i click the reset button i hear a click but auger wont turn. i have cleaned out the auger chamber, blown through vacuum hose and i just cleaned the exhaust motor. ive tried to reset all the connections . i dont see any burn marks through the plastic pcb cover. i did change out the auger motor and same result so i told the quadrafire dealer i would try the motor and have him do a service call if that doesnt work. so i will have them come take a look and see what they can find. thx for the tips

Your not having the exhaust-combustion fan come on? If No vacuum in stove, the vacuum switch won't complete the feed circuit to power the auger motor to screw pellets into stove. The stove is very simple. Had one and sold it. Should have many here to help.

 

[Don2222]

Your not having the exhaust-combustion fan come on? If No vacuum in stove, the vacuum switch won't complete the feed circuit to power the auger motor to screw pellets into stove. The stove is very simple. Had one and sold it. Should have many here to help.

I had that problem after completely cleaning a Magnum Baby Contryside where I replaced a bad Control Panel with a new one and replaced a torn delron lower auger bearing with a new bearing. I pressed the on button and the stove was still dead! No exhaust blower noise and the no vacuum 2 light blink on the control panel. So I reached in and Kick Started the exhaust blower by hand with a screw driver pushing the impeller blades until they turned by themselves! Then the stove ran fine! LOL Looks like a new exhaust blower is next on the list!

 

[smiles233]

my exhaust blower seems fine, it starts right up when plugged in, auger wont come on, i did do a voltage check and there is 45 volts going to the auger motor when call for heat is on.

 

[Don2222]

I would shut the stove down and unplug it, then remove the control box and clean the contacts with contact cleaner like the old TV Tuner cleaner Radio Shack sells. Then plug it back in. It is a long shot but cannot think of anything else.

 

[CaptSpiff]

my exhaust blower seems fine, it starts right up when plugged in, auger wont come on, i did do a voltage check and there is 45 volts going to the auger motor when call for heat is on.

Isn't the auger motor supposed to get 120V? Continuous during start-up sequence, then intermittent on/off during the normal feed cycle?

edit: I second the suggestion to remove the Control Board and ask your dealer to plug it into a working stove. Your dealer sounds reasonable, what does he think about the 45V?

 

[SwineFlue]

i checked snap disk#2 and when i unplug it it shuts off combustion fan.

Snap disc2 should only affect the auger, not the fans.

When i turn on stove convection blower starts

I assume you meant 'combustion'? The convection blower should run only when the stove is hot.

i did do a voltage check and there is 45 volts going to the auger motor

I would expect it should be closer to 120V, like CaptSpiff said.
Don2222's suggestion to clean the contacts might help, otherwise see if the shop will check your control box, like chickenman said.

 

[smiles233]

ok snap disc 3 is the one not 2. when 3 is disconnected the exhaust fan shuts off. the snap discs all have continuity as well as the vacuum switch so they all seem good.

i checked again twice and i am now getting 23 volts to the auger motor, prob a control box issue. i would think 115-120 volts should be here do you concur?

 

[mralias]

Just throwing this out there. Did you pull the entire auger assembly when you replaced the auger motor? If you did not I'm thinking maybe the auger is jammed with old pellets or something worse.

 

[smiles233]

Just throwing this out there. Did you pull the entire auger assembly when you replaced the auger motor? If you did not I'm thinking maybe the auger is jammed with old pellets or something worse.

yes i pulled it out and cleared all the pellets out of the top area and the bottom area, i had this jam in the past but when it did i could hear the auger motor trying to turn.

 

[Arti]

2 things come to mind. Lid Switch is in the Auger Motor circuit, Also this motor uses a Run Capacitor if either is bad then you will have this problem.

 

[Arti]

Yeah Arti but the voltage doesnt sound right to me. There would be 0v if the lid micro was crook. Cant speak for capacitor though.

I pretty much agree although I've had switches show low voltage if the points are almost closed but not quite making a good contact.
Easy to check just open and shut the lid and listen for a good solid Click .

As a rule of thumb if you put an amprobe on the line that goes to the run capacitor it will read about 1/2 of what the other line that goes to the motor, I have no idea what the voltage should be on this furnace however if the run cap is bad on a motor it usually won't start.
Visually inspect the capacitor if it is leaking or bulged up it needs replacing.

We have to realize that some readers on this forum don't have the luxury of a Capacitor tester or an amprobe so we have to come up with creative ideas on how to troubleshoot things with out the expense of buying them. I notice that you think outside the box a bit also, so that is a good thing for this board.

As a disclaimer I'm not an expert on pellet burners I do have a fairly strong background on fossil fuel furnaces and refrigeration.

 

[Arti]

You are way ahead of me on the electricals Arty.
I just use a simple process of elimination which doesn't allow for slightly dodgy things (like the leaky micro you describe which is entirely feasible). In my experience the pcbs are pretty fragile but it could just be the gearmotor cap as you say.

I have got a stone dead stove I am checking on Tuesday. It died after a power blackout I am thinking the main pcb is toast as there is power into it but nothing (or very little, bit hard to tell from the owners elcheapo multimeter) going out up to the upper low voltage control/display panel. The wiring looms sometimes give out but not after blackouts so I am still tipping a surge killed it. If you have any suggestions to save me the 3 hour drive I would love to hear them.

Dead stove is easier for a tech to troubleshoot. Intermittent problems make an experienced tech have nightmares.

I suspect that you are on track with the pcb being toasted, Oddly enough I use the process of elimination to find the likely problem and end up using a volt meter to double check myself. I use the amp probe mainly for maintenance as it gives me an idea if a motor has failing bearings or if an ac coil or air filter is plugged up.

 

[Bkins]

Have you checked the door and lid gaskets? How old is the stove?

 

[MountainSean]

You are only getting 45 volts to the auger motor. That means bad control box. All of the safety switches are simple mechanical single throw style switches, whether thermostatically controlled (snap switches) or physically controlled (hopper lid switch if equipped) which means them eating up 80 volts of power just doesn't happen. It is possible that the capacitor on the motor has gone bad, but if that were the case the problem would have been solved when you changed the motors since the capacitor is on the auger side of the wiring and capacitors have a lot longer life cycle that the PCB does inside your control box.

 

[smiles233]

the local dealer came over and it was the control board like we thought, also we changed the pressure swtich since it was always on. thanks for all the help
steve
holland patent ny