St croix pellet stove proof of fire help

[Megang11]

Im new I have a st croix pellet stove. My normal company that has been doing the maintenance screwed me over. I pay them in cash every time been working with them for over 2 years and no my bad I didn't get receipts cuz after that long I felt we trusted eachother. Well pretty sure they pocketed the last two payments cuz they say I owe then $175 and I know I don't so ive been trying to maintenance my stove myself. Ive read a lot and watched as many YouTube videos but still can't figure out what's wrong. I get code #3 proof of fire..... I've clean the f*** out of the stove everything from normal cleaning to cleaning all the fans and what not. Ive checked the auger screw/pin and its tight. The auger has no jams ive taken it out and cleaned it. Ive done everything ive read. Lastly I figured the POF stitch needed to be replaced so I did that too but the stove still keeps shutting off on me. Yes it starts the fire builds it up then after 30 mins goes out. Like as if it's not reading the right temp for the POF. After getting the new switch it seemed to stay on for 10 or more mins longer then before but the fire still keeps going out. Yes all the pellets are burned up so nothing is left in the pot. Ive read and learned that that means the switch tripped and tells the auger to stop feeding. Im at the point where idk what to do. I will add that after cleaning one of the fans I lost one of the 4 part gasket but it still ran and burned threw another 1 to 2 tons of pellets before giving me the #3 code. My bf suggested just take out the rest of the "soft felt like feeling gasket" so there wasn't an air whole so it lays flush. I really don't think that's the problem but I guess I don't know. So after changing the POF switch I still can't figure out what else could be making the fire go out and not remain on. Please help I don't want to have to pay these people to be able to come out and fix my stove if it's something I can do.

 

[heat seeker]

Just for testing purposes, you could jumper the two wires to the POF switch (make sure stove is unplugged!)and try the stove. NOTE: You may have to wait to connect the jumper until the stove has run a while and is up to temperature. Mine has only 5 volts on the wires, so won't hurt me, but you want to be very sure neither wire touches the stove.

If the stove then runs okay, you either have a defective switch ( a new one can be bad), bad connections/wiring, or the inside of the housing has accumulated enough ash to insulate the switch from the heat. (I am assuming that the switch is in good solid contact with the fan housing.) Remove the motor/fan assembly and clean the housing and the fan itself. On my stove, there was a funky way to hold the switch in position. I replaced the switch years ago, and just used longer screws to hold it on, instead of the Rube Goldberg setup that was there. YMMV.

Is your fire at its normal size? You need heat to trip that switch.

 

[Megang11]

Just for testing purposes, you could jumper the two wires to the POF switch (make sure stove is unplugged!)and try the stove. NOTE: You may have to wait to connect the jumper until the stove has run a while and is up to temperature. Mine has only 5 volts on the wires, so won't hurt me, but you want to be very sure neither wire touches the stove.

If the stove then runs okay, you either have a defective switch ( a new one can be bad), bad connections/wiring, or the inside of the housing has accumulated enough ash to insulate the switch from the heat. (I am assuming that the switch is in good solid contact with the fan housing.) Remove the motor/fan assembly and clean the housing and the fan itself. On my stove, there was a funky way to hold the switch in position. I replaced the switch years ago, and just used longer screws to hold it on, instead of the Rube Goldberg setup that was there. YMMV.

Is your fire at its normal size? You need heat to trip that switch.

Not sure what you mean by jumping it. I bought a new POF switch and yes over cleaned everything from inside the stove to all the fans to the pipe that goes outside. The picture I attached is one of the fans and the POF switch that is attached to it... we just bought a brand new one and the stove sometimes works but mostly doesn't and keeps throwing the same code after a fire builds then it shuts off and no it does burn threw all the pellets in the pot so I feel like it's telling the stove the fire isn't hot enough and shuts the auger off but idk what else could be wrong after buying a brand new switch and the auger pin isn't loose it's so tight it doesn't move. Im so sick of this stove it's cost me so much money in the past few years it continually doesn't work off and on.

 

[Lordtimothy200]

Vacuum switch can cause the auger to stop working. It triggers for me anytime we have a stiff North wind.

 

[heat seeker]

Jumping the switch = taking the wires off the switch and connecting them together. You may have to do that after the stove has gotten up to temperature. Be very careful not to let any wires short to the cabinet.

A vacuum failure would give a #2 code.

Did you clean the inside of the fan housing in the area that the POF switch sits? Is the switch making very good physical contact with the housing?

 

[johneh]

proof of fire switch
Pull the 2 wires off the switch. jump them together start the stove.
Does it keep burning ( 30 to 40 minutes) If it does keep burning
replace the proof of fire switch . Can also try cleaning it. remove switch to clean all surfaces.

 

[heat seeker]

Not sure, but the stove may not start if the POF is jumpered too soon.

 

[Don2222]

Not sure, but the stove may not start if the POF is jumpered too soon.

Correct, you have to wait 60 seconds for the diagnostics to run on the initial startup after you press the on button.
I just did a little vid on how to test your St Croix low limit POF switch. In the description of the vid I said how to jump it out.

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