Whitfield advantage IIT auger question

[Fishingmedic]

Recently replaced the auger motor, end plate, bushing, etc and when the auger was out i looked up the auger tube and noticed something up there. Curiosity git the best of me so i poked at it and it appears to be some sort of insulation like material that now has a hole in it. No flame impinges on it but since putting the stove back together the flame appears off, regardless of adjustments to the damper, etc. No one seems to know what it is that I may have damaged or how to repair/replace it. Anyone know what that is and if it can be repaired or replaced?

Thanks

 

[Lake Girl]

Not real familiar with the auger set up on that stove ... wondering if it is a coincidence though. Have you checked door/ash pan/hopper gaskets (as apply) lately using the dollar bill test? When was your last internal exhaust and venting cleaning?

How is the flame different? Other possibility is an adjustment to auger feed rates as there may be slight variations from the old to the new...

 

[Fishingmedic]

The flame seems to be "drafting" towards the chute where the pellets come down from the auger and seem to be contacting the firebrick and discoloring it, which it hadn't previously. I replaced the convection blower and auger motor, and I know the control board is on it's way out (auger on/off switch doesn't stay one and a new control board should be here tomorrow). My thoughts, as I'm a firefighter and deal with flow path often, are that there is now a "new" flow path through the hole at the top of the auger which would allow the air to flow up through the auger chute as well as through the baffles, etc, as it typically would. Or this could all be my imagination, which is quite possible. I'm just trying to make sure that the insulation didn't create any issues when I accidentally poked it.

As far as cleaning I did it when I replaced everything and typically do a complete cleaning about every month.

And no, I have not checked the gaskets with the dollar bill test. Most of the gaskets appear good, although testing them would never hurt. I'll take a look at those as well.

Thanks!