Troubleshooting Quad Castile Insert - Auger Not Operating

[scagger]

This morning, my Quadrafire Castile was operating normally and then I noticed it just stopped feeding pellets. I opened the lid thinking it had run dry, but it was half full. I pressed reset a few times and still nothing. When I got home from work, I did some more troubleshooting. I first pulled the tube that connects the vacuum switch to the auger tube and made sure it was clear. I then reconnected it to the vacuum switch and sucked air from the tube, then clamped it to simulate negative pressure. Still no luck. I reseated the control box, vacuumed out the stove, and threw some pellets into the pot and started it. The pellets ignited, but the auger still refuses to operate. I do not hear any sounds from the auger whatsoever, which leads me to believe that it is not jammed. Tomorrow, I will pull the stove out and go through it more. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should check next? I'd like to get it fixed this weekend if possible, otherwise I'm going to have to wait for a tech to come out. Oye.

 

[Bioburner]

Proof of fire over the pot seated properly? Check your manual for problem solving tips. By pass the vacuum switch by jumping with wire. Vacuum is one of the hardest things to maintain statically.

 

[Former Farmer]

Did you check your snap discs?

 

[tjnamtiw]

Is the exhaust fan running? Are you sure?
Does the auger drop the initial dose of pellets?
Is the dump valve on the bottom of the burn pot closed all the way? Are you sure?
Does the control box flash six times when you first plug the stove in?
How old is the stove?
Have you vacuumed out where the exhaust fan sits with a small tube? That can get full of ash and block the flow since your exhaust goes straight up.
Answer the questions from Former Farmer and bioburner too. Resetting the snap disks should be done with the stove unplugged! Not all have the reset button between the two terminals.

 

[scagger]

Well I did some more troubleshooting this morning. I jumped the connection to vacuum switch - nothing. Cleaned out the hopper and checked for obstructions - clear. Jumped snap disk #2 - auger started. So it appears to be a faulty snap disk. I am going to pick one up now and hopefully that will take care of it. Thanks everyone for your input!!

 

[tjnamtiw]

That's good news! Well, kind of. That snap disk protects you from overfiring the stove, as you probably know. When you put the new one on, make sure you have the flame adjusted correctly > about 6" when on HIGH. In this cold weather I can imagine people are trying to wring every last btu out of their stoves and pushing its limits. Be careful.

 

[tjnamtiw]

One other thing. That snap disk is supposed to reset itself automatically; however, some owners report that theirs is a manual reset with a button between the two connectors. Maybe yours is a manual reset and you don't need to buy a new one.

 

[scagger]

Funny you say that... I had just come back from getting the new snap disk. I found that the new snap disk didn't really fit the hole that it inserts into. It looks slightly different that the old one, so it's probably for newer stoves. Anyhow, while I was looking at the diameter differences between the new and old disks, I noticed the reset button on the disks. At first glance, I didn't think it was a button, but then I pressed it and it is a reset button...son of a groan! So I tested the old one after resetting it and bingo, auger works fine! The new disk was $15 and there are no returns or refunds so I guess I'm stuck with it. I could call them and complain that it doesn't fit quite right, but I think with just a little filing or even grease, it will go in. Having a spare on hand isn't always a bad thing. Anyhow, now I know! Funny that the manual doesn't mention anything about resetting snap disk #2 when the auger fails to operate. Well, you live, you learn I guess. Thanks everyone...I hope this will help others with this problem.

 

[Former Farmer]

Happy you've got it back up and going. Sometimes the manual snap discs can be hard to reset.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Good!! Hey, now you have a spare so you will NEVER have a snap disk fail again! Somewhere along the way, they changed from manual to automatic reset or vice versa. I don't even know which mine are since, knock on wood, I've never had a problem.
Looks like you DID trip yours so, like I said, cut that flame back a bit!

 

[scagger]

I had the stove running on high when it tripped so I guess that would explain it. I usually only run it on medium, but it was a chilly morning so I let it roar. I don't know why the flame would have gotten so high though.

 

[tjnamtiw]

On High you get more pellets, obviously, but you also get a lot more airflow through the pot. You should really check the flame height every time you change pellet brands or see a change in obvious pellet length. Tripping that snap disk means that you had the feed tube metal over 250 degrees. Normally air is being drown down that tube by the vacuum in the burn chamber.