Repeated fires St Croix Auburn

[pitt800]

I just bought a St Croix Auburn from a customer who just had her third Fire into the hopper catching her Pellets on fire. I just cleaned the stove 3weekz ago and she woke up with smoke in the house and when she opened the lid to the hopper up the Pellets were on fire. I went and removed the burning Pellets and eventually bought the stove from her. My question is it why is the fire running up into the hopper, and shouldn't the high temperature disc shut it down. Is it possible that that is gone and if so how.can I test it. The stove ran awesome after I cleaned it and worked for about 3wks before she had this issue. I don't think the proof of fire disc would be responsible but any help would be appreciated. I called the mfg and they told me it burned 6 different items and that the customer had to keep the pot clean otherwise fire.would go back up the chute and do what it's doing but I'm not buying it. Thanks in advance

 

[bogieb]

I had a Hastings and can tell you that there were a couple of time pellets piled high enough that if I hadn't caught it, I'm sure there would have been a hopper fire. Every. Single, Time. it was because I didn't clean out the clinker in a timely manner, or didn't pull the ash cleanout in a timely manner, so the shaker couldn't dump ashes. Except for that one time I put the cage in backwards after I cleaned it . The Hastings was a great stove, but DEMANDED cleaning of some sort at fairly short intervals - at least short in comparison to what I am used to with Harman's. I would still have that stove if I hadn't fallen into such a great deal with the P43, and don't hesitate to recommend it, so don't think that I'm trying to bash it.

Not saying that something else couldn't be going on, but that was my experience.

 

[pitt800]

Ty Bogie that basically was the same response Tech support gave me.

 

[jzm2cc]

Auburns usially have corn firepots or multi-fuel firepots which are clinker style. Ash clinker builds up and over flows if not tended to once ir twice a day (slice clinker with fork rod, drop ashes with botton rod then close, pull fork back and toss a few pellets or corn on top).

If your firepot doesn't have removable side shields then recommend getting one. If clinker builds up pellets fall over the sides instead of backing up into feed chute. Or try the pellet only pot which looks similar to Prescott pot (shallow and angled so flame is wider). My Prescott will run for two weeks without cleaning firepot, but it has the versagrate system.

I have a Lancaster that i run in the shop and have never experienced firepot overflowing, but ut never runs for more than 10 hours per day.

Stove may also need leaf blower cleaning which is discussed within forums.

 

[rickwai]

Like everybody else said, Sounds like she is not dropping ash clinker. W/ pellets clinker needs dropped about once per day. W/ corn I drop clinker every 2 days on the fly using slide in fork. I can go 2 weeks or moore with never shutting my Lancaster off. I just give the glass a brush down once a day w/ a natural bristle paint brush when it is running and tidy up the inside with it and close the door.