Quadrafire will not feed pellets after it warms up

[Ken2125]

Hi, I have a quadrafire 1100 and the auger stops feeding as soon as the stove gets up to temp. I have replaced the #3 snap disc, themocoupler, and the exhaust blower fan(the fan bearings were making alot of noise). If i apply suction to the vacuum hose the auger turns back on. I cleaner out the vacuum port with my air compressor. I am all out of ideas. When i nplace my finger over the vacuum hole I do not feel suction(compared to a carb in a car).
I got the stove recently so dont know much about it. I was looking in the burn pot compartment and noticed an opening on the left side that allows air into the burn pot from the area where the vacuum switch is located and was wondering if this should be sealed.

 

[imacman]

.....If i apply suction to the vacuum hose the auger turns back on......

You figured out the problem yourself. Your stove is either very dirty inside, or the vacuum tube that leads to the vacuum switch is plugged somewhere along it's length.

I bet if you jump the leads to the switch, the stove will feed pellets as per normal.

 

[Ken2125]

I removed barbed hose port and it was clean. I then blew it out with my aircompressor. Still no luck. Should I be able to feel the vacuum with my finger when the stove is running?

 

[Woody1911a1]

I removed barbed hose port and it was clean. I then blew it out with my aircompressor. Still no luck. Should I be able to feel the vacuum with my finger when the stove is running?

probably not . the vacuum on a car is 20 ins of mercury . the vacuum on a pellet stove is measured in 1/10ths ins of water .

 

[imacman]

Not necessarily...those switches are pretty sensitive. Try connecting the 2 vacuum switch leads together like I mentioned above. If auger feeds pellets as per normal, you've found your issue.

Either the switch is bad, or the stove exhaust path is VERY dirty. When was the last time the stove was taken apart and COMPLETELY cleaned? You didn't put the vacuum tube back onto the wrong port on the switch by accident?

 

[kinsmanstoves]

clean the venting

 

[Harvey Schneider]

You didn't put the vacuum tube back onto the wrong port on the switch by accident?

If you are unfamiliar with how the stove is plumbed and wired, take a picture of each area you are about to touch. Digital images only cost the time to take them and can save you a lot of trouble.

 

[Labrat]

I vote plugged vent

 

[DexterDay]

The vacuum switch in that unit has been replaced with a newer model. With that said, vac switches rarely go bad.

I would say plugged up stove/vent or bad door gasket/ash pan gasket (if this Quad model has one?)

Something is causing the stove to lose vacuum or allow it to not produce enough vacuum.

 

[humpin iron]

1100 is an older unit, I would look at the vac switch, if the brown bakelite piece moves at all, it is no good. This is assuming the venting is clear. Good luck.

 

[Bioburner]

I sold my Santa Fe and proved it was running.(-3 degrees in the shed) The guy got it home and fired it up and left the room and came back to the stove fire out. Long story short, the door gasket was bad by the hinge. When the stove was cold would fire up but after half an hour the stove would expand and the vac switch would stop the auger. Temp solution was to squeeze with a pliers the gasket puffing it up till got to town to get new gasket material.

 

[Ken2125]

I sold my Santa Fe and proved it was running.(-3 degrees in the shed) The guy got it home and fired it up and left the room and came back to the stove fire out. Long story short, the door gasket was bad by the hinge. When the stove was cold would fire up but after half an hour the stove would expand and the vac switch would stop the auger. Temp solution was to squeeze with a pliers the gasket puffing it up till got to town to get new gasket material.

How did you know the gasket was bad, I looked at mine and it looks ok. There is no sign of soot escaping around the gasket

 

[Labrat]

How did you know the gasket was bad, I looked at mine and it looks ok. There is no sign of soot escaping around the gasket

Take a dollar bill and close it in the areas that have gaskets and see how hard it is to pull through. Check your door, ash pan, and pellet hopper lid check them in several places. If it pulls out easy that is the gasket or gaskets you have to replace or tighten up if you can. If the gaskets are tight It can very well be a plugged up exhaust, or something inside the stoves exhaust path.

 

[heat seeker]

Plugged up venting or weak combustion blower!

 

[Ken2125]

My venting is all clear and I have cleaned out the stove. I by-passed the vacuum switch for testing purposes and the stove ran, but the fire was yellow and alot of soot. The vacuum line is free of obstruction. I adjusted the dampener and it had no effect on the stove. With all the soot I noticed smoke coming from the pipe connecting to the stove at the outlet. Also there was smoke coming out of the wall thimble through a pinhole in the sealant. Would this affect updraft/vacuum? and I am unsure if I need a 1/8 or 1/4 thickness of gasket material

 

[heat seeker]

A pinhole won't affect your draft, but you have an airflow blockage somewhere in your stove or venting, or your blower is dead/weak. Your weak, sooty flame is an indicator of lack of airflow. Is your combustion blower running at the proper speed?

You will need to fix the leak, of course, but that's not your problem, IMO.

 

[Bioburner]

Ken I am unfamiliar with that model of stove to know its gasket size. The fire chamber is under a vacuum and one should not see any soot-carbon coming out the door seals. Take a piece or the door with to stove dealer and they should be able to fix you up as most keep an assortment on hand. I take it you have no Quad dealer close. Could try a smoke test and fire up the stove and take a piece of incense or I rope a piece of paper towel and light it and then blow it out and gives alot of whispy smoke and go around the possible offending doors to see if the smoke sucks in. The holes in the venting are not your problem IMO. Does the stove have a fresh air intake?

 

[kinsmanstoves]

A pinhole won't affect your draft, but you have an airflow blockage somewhere in your stove or venting, or your blower is dead/weak. Your weak, sooty flame is an indicator of lack of airflow. Is your combustion blower running at the proper speed?

You will need to fix the leak, of course, but that's not your problem, IMO.

you are correct

 

[Ken2125]

Well the stove does not have an OAK. The instructions indicate it is only needed for mobile home installations. The combustion motor is brand new as the bearings in the old one were squeeling. I thought the old motor was the cause of this as well