Snow Flame Model 2100

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Weasel36

New Member
Dec 21, 2020
8
Minnesota
Hi guys, saw this was an active forum. Have a old Snowflame 2100 that has a problem. I'll light it, the auger will start, then the room air blower will start, but after 5 - 6 minutes the room air will cut out. It will start again after a while if the stars align.The snap discs are right on top of each other, so the one on top is the auger. that kicks in and stays on. The next one down is the blower. That will click but then shut off. The heating chamber is staying a constant temp, so i dont know why the on and off. I put in a new rheostat, new combustion blower and new snap discs. What else am i missing. I know these are older but i have a similar one in the house and it works great. This one is in the garage, where its alot colder and i cant keep the fan running. Anyone have any ideas????
 
I can’t find a manual on that stove. What rheostat did you change? How many snap discs did you change? Low limit should be controlling the convection blower. Try plugging blower into the wall outlet and see if it runs.
 
If memory serves me correctly, a Snowflame is a corn stove with positive draft, very similar to an Amaizeablaze. I bet the manuals will overlap.
 
You're right they're pretty much the same. There are three discs in a row from top to bottom. The top one starts the auger. That disc comes on and stays on. The next disc down is the room air. That disc will close so the fan comes on, but then turn off after 5 or 6 minutes. I can't figure out why they are not staying hit enough.
 
Snap discs do wear out (loose their spring tension over time. Think I'd replace them all. They should be generic except for the actuation temperature (which should be indicated on each one). I would imagine that Digikey or Dell Electronics will stock them.
 
Snap discs have specific temperature operating parameters. Did you replace them with like parameters of just wing it?
 
The ones in the unit were 95f. I actually bought 90f. So again, they're working. Judy can't get it hot enough. I guess i can crank up the corn feed.
 
I don't get it. Ive swapped disks. It's like the chamber that holds the discs doesn't get hot enough to keep temp. Anyone with this stove in this forum???
Last night had the feed maxed, and it would turn the fan on and off like every 5-6 minutes. Is there something tied into the fan that im missing??
 
What is the moisture content of the corn? Did you measure it? Wet corn (above 15%RM won't burn hot at all. Has to be dry.

I doubt anyone has one on here, they are relics of years past.
 
Ok convection blower snap disc’s have a heat range that they activate by. I don’t know what yours are specifically but lets say it is a close on rise open on fall. (This is why it’s important to get the right switch) if the original was a close at 95 ::F And open at 80::F the stove will run, then the blower will come on move some cold air and cool off the chamber till the switch opens and shuts off the blower. This will continue till the air being moved is near the same temp range the switch was designed for. So it will short cycle till you get the shop warmed up.
 
Its weird. The three discs are in the side of the unit, in a little space with no air flow. They are arranged like below. I cant figure out why the top disc will (snap) close and start the auger and will never stop. But the fan disc will turn he fan on, and then off after 5-6 minutes. I cranked the corn feed to 10, The fan will still go off after 5 minutes, but get hot enough again to come on again after 5-6 minutes. They are right on top of each other, how can one get to temp and the other will not be able to hold.??


[Hearth.com] Snow Flame Model 2100
 
Air flow is inconsequential. Only the contact face of the snap disc is germane and what it contacts will determine what they sense or don't sense...
 
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All 3 are different heat ranges so they will act differently
 
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I see some Flea-Bay sell is offering NIB Amazeablaze Corn stoves on Flea-Bay, new in the box (well, 6 years old but in the box).... The big Iroquois and the smaller freestanding one pretty cheap
 
It looks like your room blower snap disc only has a 10 degree differential (that's the spec for the original 95f snap disc). So as Ssyko noted earlier, trying to run the stove in a cold garage may cause it to cycle like you're seeing until the garage warms up.

You could try setting the room blower rheostat to the lowest air flow setting and see if the blower will stay on for a longer time that way. Or maybe temporarily cover one of the room blower intake openings to reduce the air flow rate manually.

Also, are all the exhaust passages of your stove clean? If the wall where those snap discs are mounted has ashes on the backside, that could be causing issues for you. Maybe worth trying the leaf blower cleanout method, especially if you're already in the garage and may have a leaf blower nearby.
 
All passages are very clean. I was going to check the chamber that holds the discs to see if there were any cracks that would allow the room air to flow past.
But yes, I think it may just be to cold in the garage. I am going to bypass the room air disc and put a switch on it. That way i can turn on the fan and leave it on. 80 degree air in a 30 degree garage will do something......I hope.

Ssyco you said, "All 3 are different heat ranges so they will act differently" You must mean where they are mounted , correct?
 
Well yes they use certain temp ranges to operate different components at different times in the run cycle. Each one may be a different temp range also
 
Welp, it is basically to cold in the garage for the stove maintain heat when the room air blower is on. After I heated the garage up to 60 with the propane heater, the corn stove eventually stayed running as it was able to generate enough heat to keep the fan blowing.

If its 30-40 degrees inside insulated garage, it will never stay on and never heat the place up. I guess it will be good in the spring and fall to heat the garage up, but as for the middle of winter in Minnesota, she's a no go. I have a copycat version of this stove in the house and that works great, because it never gets that cold in the house.

Hey, if anyone needs a cheap corn stove, hit me up. Its got all new parts and a new pipe and vent......sheesh
 
Weasel36
The top disc will (snap) close and start the auger and will never stop. But the fan disc will turn he fan on, and then off after 5-6 minutes. I cranked the corn feed to 10, The fan will still go off after 5 minutes, but get hot enough again to come on again after 5-6 minutes.
The ones in the unit were 95f. I actually bought 90f.

Where did you get the snap switches ?
not all snap switches are alike.
Some limit switches close at a certain temp and
on a temp rise they open again. to hold a certain temp range.
Why do you think a lower temperature is better than the engineers who built the stove put in ?

Very strange all three snap switches are the same??? 95F???
There is a 4th for secondary room blower at 115F on the Ameriblaze diagram.

Assuming all are normally open at 95(90)F
Close at 95 on rise, perhaps open at 90(85)F on lowering temp?;
I would think
two should be low temp switches about 95F
Normally open closed above 95F
turn on room fan at 95F (closed with warn stove)
Stove shutdown (cold stove) at 95F

A normally open auger switch would not feed fuel until 95(or 90)F

Should it be 200F (90C ?) or better ?
250 or 300 F in most stoves.

Normally closed ,
open at 200F(90C)
high limit
Turn off auger on over temp (open switch) 200F

Amaizablaze , SnowFlame, Corn Glow, and Corn Flame are all NESCO designed corn stoves.
Same design different manufactures
.
Below is from Corn Flame 3000 owners manual;
shows 200 F and 95F snap switches in series
Auger on between 95 and 200F.
[Hearth.com] Snow Flame Model 2100