USSC 5660 output

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Angler2184

Member
Dec 17, 2011
40
OCMD
I have an older US 5660 that is not putting out as much heat as it used to. I first noticed the issue when I went to fill the hopper in the morning, after running it overnight, that it still had half a hopper left. It is usually down to 1/4 or so. It seems to not be dropping the pellets at the rate it used to. I have an auger light that shows when the auger is on. According to the manual, on heat level 1, the auger is on for 2 seconds, off for 5. My auger is on for 2 but off for 6.5 seconds. On heat level 2 the auger off should be 3 seconds, but mine stays off for 4 seconds. Could this difference be the issue? I have never actually watched the auger time before until now, so I have no idea if it always done this or not. Anyone with a 5660 that could confirm their auger timing? If the timing is off, would this be a control board issue? Thanks for the help.
 
I’d be more inclined it has to do with the pellets. They can vary per bag. Are the pellets in the hopper longer than normal? Dig around a bit (safely of course) and do you find a lot of long ones? That can slow down the feed a little and even put out the fire if it bridges for enough time.

Also if the stove and pipe and ALL passages haven’t been cleaned lately, I would do that. That can reduce the heat too.

Also the output can vary per bag too. Sometimes I’ve had really hot bags and sometimes cooler bags.
 
Ive cleaned everything with the leaf blower. Also have changed pellets and stove seems to run the same temp regardless. Pellets actually seem to be smaller. Ive been using lignetics and the green supremes from home depot.
 
Not sure what board you have, but USSC stoves allow you to adjust feed rates, draft fans etc etc.

Have you looked in the USSC troubleshooting sticky thread. They have links to service manuals for a bunch of different models. The manual gives detailed information about how to program it.
 
I have the older board, which doesnt allow you to make those adjustments. I did replace the board to see if this would solve the issue but it did not. Ive been using a infrared gun to check the top of the stove. I know its not a super accurate but it does give an idea how its running. Temps are way off than what they used to be. On heat setting 2 my survey point used to be 200degrees, now its about 120. Also the room where the stove is always is 70-75 degrees, now its 66-70. Looking for some more suggestions. Could burn pot gasket affect this? Combustion blower has been replaced recently also.
 
The newer board doesn’t either. The newer board is the same as what’s on my stove. Some other USSC models have the board with more adjustments.

Could the auger or motor be dragging? Maybe try removing the auger motor and see if the auger seems to be binding. Sometimes the gears in the motor wear down and drag too. You might be able to tell with an amp reading but I’m not sure how close it correlates to the amp listing on the motor.

This past weekend I had a few bags of extremely hot pellets. I should have been running 1-2 heat ranges higher for the heat I was getting, but I wasn’t going through pellets any faster. It was nice being-13f outside for awhile. Monday it was back to normal which was still ok. I told my gf it was because her hot self was here, she laughed.
 
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"Could burn pot gasket affect this?"
Very much so. Here is some info for you.
 
"Could burn pot gasket affect this?"
Very much so. Here is some info for you.
Ok, Ill replace the gasket as it seems to be pretty loose fitting. Also gonna check out the auger.