St. Croix Hastings won't stay on.

[Wiley10]

Hey there, I have a St. Croix Hastings pellet stove and it refuses to stay running. We have had people come to "fix" it 3 times and it still is not functioning properly.
It will turn on and begin to burn but, then shut itself off after about 10 minutes. Then the on/off light and the "3" light on the temperature panel are blinking. We read the owners manual and it says that the auger screw may be loose. Only trouble is we can't find the auger screw on the parts page. And we can't seem to get to the auger system very easily.
Can someone give us some clues? It's getting cold in here!

 

[mralias]

We have had people come to "fix" it 3 times and it still is not functioning properly.

What people and what did they do to fix it? Did you watch this video? (broken link removed to http://stcroixstoves.com/pellet-stoves/hastings-diagnostics.html). Sounds like proof of fire switch. The set screw is shown in the diagram below. Looks like you have to get at it from the back of the stove.

 

[bbfarm]

Is your vent clean? Exhaust fan running well? Pellets in the stove? (Yes I have done that)

 

[relxn88]

Hey there, I have a St. Croix Hastings pellet stove and it refuses to stay running. We have had people come to "fix" it 3 times and it still is not functioning properly.
It will turn on and begin to burn but, then shut itself off after about 10 minutes. Then the on/off light and the "3" light on the temperature panel are blinking. We read the owners manual and it says that the auger screw may be loose. Only trouble is we can't find the auger screw on the parts page. And we can't seem to get to the auger system very easily.
Can someone give us some clues? It's getting cold in here!

If the burn pot still has pellets in it when it quits, then it's not the auger. More than likely you have a problem with the proof of fire switch or hose. I suppose you could put a jumper between the proof of fire leads to see if the problem goes away. If it clears, then remove the jumper and replace either the sensor or hose.

 

[bbfarm]

Here's a photo of the jumper I made to test our high limit switch.

 

[Wiley10]

What people and what did they do to fix it? Did you watch this video? (broken link removed to http://stcroixstoves.com/pellet-stoves/hastings-diagnostics.html). Sounds like proof of fire switch. The set screw is shown in the diagram below. Looks like you have to get at it from the back of the stove.

Thanks for the video, the photo is actually very helpful, I might actually be able to find the screw now!

I don't really want to call the people out that have come to fix it. Even though it's been broken since February and I called them in August to try to set something up so that we wouldn't be cold and annoyed because it was still broken... very frustrating. They are in Thompson Ridge, NY, they're nice once they get here but getting them here is a real struggle.

So far they replaced the exhaust fan, and when it was still broken they came back to replace the fan that blows the air into the room. They figured it was shutting off because it was overheating. This blinking light thing has been happening the whole time though. I think I am now going to try to fix it myself which is definitely not ideal as I have no idea what I'm doing but, I'm cold. Thanks again!

 

[Wiley10]

Here's a photo of the jumper I made to test our high limit switch. View attachment 118460

That looks intense, I think I'm too much of an amateur to make a jumper! According to the manual our options are the auger screw or that there is a clog somewhere. I'm going to try to get to the screw. Here goes nothing!

 

[heat seeker]

It sounds like the proof of fire switch, mounted on the exhaust blower housing, is not being satisfied within the programmed time limit. That's what causes the #3 light to blink. You can jumper it out to test the theory. It's visible in the above photo right at the center of the picture, on the blower housing behind the hanging connector.

If the stove then runs properly, you have a bad switch, assuming the blower housing has reached about 100 degrees F.

The overtemp switch will give you both #2 and #3 lights blinking, and must be reset manually. Plus, if it is tripped, the auger won't run.

 

[bbfarm]

Very easy to make the jumper. Just pull the 2 wires off the high limit switch. Take a heavier piece of wire, strip the ends off it and stick them in the female ends of the wires you pulled off the switch

You can see the switch ends on the far right of the photo

I'm a girl. If I can do it so can you

I will point out that the jumper is not meant to run your stove full time. Just to test. You don't want to bypass the safety of the high limit switch

You could also try to push in the button in the middle of the high limit switch. That it a reset. It didn't work or us. But you could try that

 

[Wiley10]

Well my Mom got frustrated with it and went and bought a new one. Anyone want to take this off our hands? I think a knowledgeable individual should be able to fix it. We live in Vernon, NJ. We'll take $1,000 for it. Let me know.

 

[heat seeker]

You might have fixed it with a $10 snap switch...

 

[bbfarm]

Where can you find a $10 snap disk? Do you have a link?

Ours cost $46

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So the stove doesn't work, you've had repair guys out 3 times and it can't be fixed but you want $1000 for it?

 

[heat seeker]

I got mine a Grainger's. I'm not sure if this is the exact one, I can't find the receipt: (broken link removed).
Of course, shipping was a few dollars additional.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

There are a number of things that can cause that #3 light to blink including some things that should cause the #2 light to blink.

The POF snap disc is one, if the controller doesn't see that switch closed at about the 10 minute mark when in start up it will shut the fuel flow off causing the stove to go out with a flashing #3

If the high limit switch opens due to the stove loosing its convection fan the fuel flow is shut off by the high limit switch causing the #3 light to flash.

If the combustion blower sees more than 140 in the air flow its cooling fan gets the combustion blower will shut down causing the fuel flow to be interrupted since that limit unit is auto reset it is possible that it will cycle enough that the #2 error condition isn't detected but the the fuel flow is so low the fire goes out causing the stove to loose POF thus #3 flashes. This situation can be caused by not keeping the area around the stove clear or the slots or holes in the stove's shell free of dust and crud. This also goes for the blowers cooling fans.

If the convection blower likewise sees the air temperature too high it will cycle off (and maybe back on again) sometimes tripping the high limit switch leading to a #3 shutdown.

It is also possible that ash build up on the snap disc causes it to operate at a higher temperature then the stove can produce in its startup window.

It is also possible that a fines buildup in the feed system can reduce the fuel feed to the point that the stove can not get to temperature during the startup window.

Loose connections in any of the wiring of the POF system and/or the blowers can also lead to a #3 error.

Loose set screw on augers cause poor fuel feeding and can result in #3 errors.

So can a stalling auger motor or a bad POF snap disc.

And of course pellet jams or actually being out of pellets.

#3 is a general catch all error that says, hey owner, I don't think I have a fire burning so I am shutting down.

 

[bbfarm]

Thanks heat seeker