St Croix Proof of Fire switch

[Fibersport]

I cleaned out my new to me SCF 050 and put it back together. I decided to fire it up just to see how it compared to when the previous owner started it. There was a fair amount of buildup in the exhaust ports behind the ash box and next to the burn pot probably because it was run before without the covers. .i put in some pellets with starter gel and turned the unit on, everything seemed to be running OK, I did manually auger some pellets as they were not falling when the auger was running. I noticed the flame seemed good and I was actually feeling some heat. After maybe 10 minutes or so, I noticed the auger would not feed. I checked the manual and it stated that the POF switch was most likely open. Again, keep in mind my pole barn is cold enough not to thaw snow, so it's at least under 32. Is a cold furnace sometimes finicky to start? Is there a way to test the POF sensor - maybe by checking continuity while heating it up? I didn't try to a second time as I ran out of time ....

 

[Ssyko]

Welcome to the forums Fibersport. you could remove the connections to the low limit switch and connect them together with a paperclip be carfull they don't touch anything that is line voltage, then turn on the stove and see if it runs normal then just change out the low limit. a pole barn? your asking a lot of the stove @45000 btu.

 

[Fibersport]

I forgot to mention, #3 was flashing which indicates a POF failure and the burn pot was basically empty when the code came on which is just before the combustion fan shuts off. I seem to recall the previous owner saying he had problems sometimes when the furnace was very cold. I thought I could jumper it out as you said but what I was hoping to find out is if there is a way to test that it closes. I may be just jumping to conclusions since this is all pretty new to me, the good thing is that I was able to verify the vacuum sensor and room air blower all work. I realize this furnace is a little undersized, my pole barn is 30x54 with 10 feet to the bottom of the trusses. Insulation and drywall is in process but this furnace presented itself at a good price, I figured I could always flip it if it is just too small. My goal was about 60-65 but honestly even if I could get into the high 40's to 50's I would be satisfied - for now at least.

 

[Ssyko]

heat it up with a lighter

 

[heat seeker]

heat it up with a lighter

Do this with an ohmeter across the terminals. When the switch heats, the circuit should open.

 

[Fibersport]

I figured that would work, just thought there might be a more high tech method. Won't be able to get to it until at least Tuesday -

 

[Fibersport]

Checked out the pof switch and all is good with it. Hoping that the previous owner was right that it took a couple of starts when it was real cold. This weekend will be warmer, will give it a try then.

 

[jzm2cc]

Try using more pellets too light it. I use 3 paint caps full of pellets to light up Lancaster, always takes off, even when really cold in garage.

 

[stovelark]

Yes sounds like it was so cold ambient wise that the POF might have not heated up the first time around. You should take it out and clean the surface of it too. You can bypass it by hooking the two wires together as someone mentioned. Heating it with a lighter can make it close, but bear In mind the lighter temp is about 1200 degrees of heat. The switch is prob supposed to close at 120 or 140 degrees so a lighter making it close isn't really indicative of it working properly. BTW- its normally open until heated by the exhaust gases, then it closes. Was this unit not feeding properly? If so, proof of vacuum and the auger motor and/or the overheating sensor should be the areas of investigation. POF normally allows convection blowers to come on....

 

[Fibersport]

Will try more pellets next time, I figured I would lean towards fewer than too many. Also, I was careful when using an open flame to heat it up, it's supposed to close when it reaches 110 which isn't that much warmer than body temp so I took that into consideration - didn't want to melt it. The vacuum switch works, verified that by having a door open and turning it on. I do wonder about the feed rate though. In reading the manual, it talks about the on time of 8.5, 10 and 11.5 seconds, I would swear that it is much less than that. I did use the manual feed to get things moving and then let it run by itself. One question I have is should it feed constantly or should it turn on and off? Mine turns on and off but I don't remember the timing, will check over the weekend. Also, how many pellets should come out of the chute? I hear maybe a handful hitting the burn pot, kind of hard to actually count them.

 

[heat seeker]

My Afton Bay has five feedrates. The slowest is 1 1/2 seconds out of 11 1/2 seconds. The fastest is 5 1/2 seconds.

 

[rona]

My Afton Bay has five feedrates. The slowest is 1 1/2 seconds out of 11 1/2 seconds. The fastest is 5 1/2 seconds.

I was playing with a auburn last fall and it wouldn't run. couldn't make it do anything even though the lights came on. Next morning I unplugged it allowing it to reboot then plugged it in and it ran perfect. Seems that simple thing seemed to work.

 

[stovelark]

Most stoves use a 2-3 sec feed auger time on and various time offs in between. Most 5 level stoves vary from 2-3 secs off (level 5) up to 11-12 secs off (level 1). Some stoves will let you increase slightly the on time on heat level 1...

 

[Fibersport]

You know, I don't think the manual states the units, maybe the number they state is the off time. I also think the air settings seemed backwards too - close the damper to increase the air, maybe its to increase the mixture ratio or something like that. Guess l should do a little more research on this ......

 

[heat seeker]

My Afton Bay has 11.5 second cycles, except on startup. It just varies the "on" time for the auger motor. There is a jumper on the control board that will change the cycle time to 10 seconds, but the manufacturer says to call them before changing it.
I've timed mine with a stopwatch, and it agrees with the manual. I noted that on the highest setting, the auger is running about 50% of the time! And the fire is large and very hot! I run mine on level 3, and it heats most of my 2400 square feet with ease. That equates to 2 bags a day in 15-20º weather, running hi/lo on a t'stat.

 

[Fibersport]

I ran the furnace again today, the POF switch worked just fine, I even heard it click closed. The thermostat for the room air fan worked fine as well. The only thing I ran into was that I had to manually feed in pellets, it started to go into shut down mode so I turned it off then on and then fed in pellets. That seemed ok for awhile but again I noticed the flame getting smaller so again I fed in extra. Once the POF switch closed, I changed the heat setting first to 3 for awhile, then up to 5. Then things finally got going well and it ran fine without any extra pellets.

I also quickly checked the on time for the auger, at a setting of 5 it was on for about 5 seconds, when I turned it back to 1 it seemed to be on for about 2.5 seconds or so.

I still need to connect the 4" vent rather than the piece of 3" flexible vent the previous owner gave me. Once I do that, I can play around with settings and check times much easier.

 

[rona]

I ran the furnace again today, the POF switch worked just fine, I even heard it click closed. The thermostat for the room air fan worked fine as well. The only thing I ran into was that I had to manually feed in pellets, it started to go into shut down mode so I turned it off then on and then fed in pellets. That seemed ok for awhile but again I noticed the flame getting smaller so again I fed in extra. Once the POF switch closed, I changed the heat setting first to 3 for awhile, then up to 5. Then things finally got going well and it ran fine without any extra pellets.

I also quickly checked the on time for the auger, at a setting of 5 it was on for about 5 seconds, when I turned it back to 1 it seemed to be on for about 2.5 seconds or so.

I still need to connect the 4" vent rather than the piece of 3" flexible vent the previous owner gave me. Once I do that, I can play around with settings and check times much easier.

I would be very interested in your progress with that furnace as there is one close by I have been looking at. They should be about the same as a auburn to run and be very dependable. To bad they only put out 50,000 btu but in a smaller home it should work fine.. I worked for a dealer and we installed one in a basement with ductwork but it proved to be to small for the job. It was a big old farm house so that had a lot to do with it.

 

[Fibersport]

My vent pipe should be in thiag is week so I'm hoping to be up and running by the weekend. Not having insulation in my pole barn really doesn';t give this thing much of a chance, kind of like trying to warm your yard with a camp fire. My biggest concern was if everything is working, so far it seems that it is. If it turns out to be too small, I can always sell it off and get something with more output. I do see differing comments about the size of units. One person says their 40000 btu stove cooks them out of their 2000 sq ft home, others say just the opposite - I guess people are incorrect about their house size?

 

[rona]

My vent pipe should be in thiag is week so I'm hoping to be up and running by the weekend. Not having insulation in my pole barn really doesn';t give this thing much of a chance, kind of like trying to warm your yard with a camp fire. My biggest concern was if everything is working, so far it seems that it is. If it turns out to be too small, I can always sell it off and get something with more output. I do see differing comments about the size of units. One person says their 40000 btu stove cooks them out of their 2000 sq ft home, others say just the opposite - I guess people are incorrect about their house size?

Insulation plays a big part in efficiency as does house design. I own a Bixby which is also 50,000 btus and it keeps us warm until -15F. We live in a ranch style home aprox 2400 sq feet but is well insulated. If you are using ductwork to distribute heat you might have trouble as well. I would insulate before buying bigger. 50,000 btu should heat a lot. I used a Auburn this winter in another house and the St Croix line is a good proven stove. Simple not much to go wrong. Id be looking for one like yours.

 

[Fibersport]

Rona - Well not all my vent parts came in but I used some 3" flex the previous owner included and cut a hole in the wall of my pole barn where the 4" will go. Initially I had some problems with the control board, most likely because of the humidity in there. I kind of got flooded out as we had about 5 " of rain in a couple of days, no damage but it did seep in under the doors. I found that unplugging it and plugging it in repeatedly seemed to make it work. The furnace lit on the first try, I used more pellets than the last time which helped. After going through the start up cycle, I raised the heat level to 5. The circulation fan turned on and off a few times then after the furnace got all heated up, the fan stayed on probably about 5-6 hours straight until I shut it off. The temperature started out around 38-40 and by the end of the day it was right around 50. The air was about 3 degrees warmer about 10' off the floor so a ceiling will help for sure. The air temp in the outlet was running about 120. I'm sure if it was less humid in there it might have been warmer. I was surprised that the exhaust had no smoke and really didn't smell of wood at all, more like a gas dryer exhaust. Now if only my parts would come in I could finish the install. Overall I'm pretty happy with it so far although the control board worries me, I think it may be on it's last leg. The unit is fairly quiet compared to my torpedo heater which was so loud I couldn't hear the radio, this one isn't much noisier than a window fan. I'll keep making improvements to the installation as well as the pole barn as time and money permit, but overall I think it's a pretty solid unit.

 

[rona]

Rona - Well not all my vent parts came in but I used some 3" flex the previous owner included and cut a hole in the wall of my pole barn where the 4" will go. Initially I had some problems with the control board, most likely because of the humidity in there. I kind of got flooded out as we had about 5 " of rain in a couple of days, no damage but it did seep in under the doors. I found that unplugging it and plugging it in repeatedly seemed to make it work. The furnace lit on the first try, I used more pellets than the last time which helped. After going through the start up cycle, I raised the heat level to 5. The circulation fan turned on and off a few times then after the furnace got all heated up, the fan stayed on probably about 5-6 hours straight until I shut it off. The temperature started out around 38-40 and by the end of the day it was right around 50. The air was about 3 degrees warmer about 10' off the floor so a ceiling will help for sure. The air temp in the outlet was running about 120. I'm sure if it was less humid in there it might have been warmer. I was surprised that the exhaust had no smoke and really didn't smell of wood at all, more like a gas dryer exhaust. Now if only my parts would come in I could finish the install. Overall I'm pretty happy with it so far although the control board worries me, I think it may be on it's last leg. The unit is fairly quiet compared to my torpedo heater which was so loud I couldn't hear the radio, this one isn't much noisier than a window fan. I'll keep making improvements to the installation as well as the pole barn as time and money permit, but overall I think it's a pretty solid unit.[/QUO
That stove is made for a 4 inch pipe but you know that. The innards are about the same as a Auburn or Lancaster or Green field only bigger. Pretty simple and trouble free outfit. When they were first introduced they were advertised as a 45,000 btu stove but bumped them up later to a 50,000 btu output. as a comparison you could buy a Harman PC45 and burn pellets while adding a kit and get 50,000btus out of it. Or you can buy a Bixby which will produce 50,000 while burning corn or pellets also. But the Harman offers auto start and dump the pot automatically. Or it will drop to a idle the same as a Bixby and your St Croix if you use a thermostat.