Whitfield Advantage Multiple Issues

[KLM]

Hello,

My Mom's pellet stove is her primary heatsource and had ben working problem free all season.

A couple of days the stove shut off and filled the room with smoke. The problem was that her exhaust pipe was clogged and needed a good cleaning. All aspects of the pellet stove were thoroughly cleaned.

We had an issue with the control board getting bumped during cleaning and that was fixed.

We installed the repaired control board and the pellet stove ran great for 6+ hours last night.

It looks like the auger stopped working.

If we hit the start button and left the stove on for 10 minutes without starting the fire the auger would start turning again.

We decided to replace the auger motor in case that was the issue. The auger motor worked great while it was not yet hooked up to the exhaust.

We got it hooked back up and started the pellet stove as usual. As it appeared to be working we increased the levels to 5 and 5.

After about 10 or 15 minutes the new auger stopped spinning, no pellets fell and the fire went out.

We let the blowers shut off after about 15 minutes more and once it was shut down we unplugged and plugged it back in.

When you hit the auger button you can hear the auger motor working intermittently, but the auger is not spinning.

From what I have been reading it may have something to do with the high or low switches. I took the white circular switch off of the exhaust motor and reattached it. I don't know how to tell if there is a problem.

If anyone can offer beginner advice it would be most appreciated

 

[Stovensen]

When you hit the auger button you can hear the auger motor working intermittently, but the auger is not spinning.

Important information, as it clearly indicates a mechanical problem and not an electrical, since you can hear the auger motor spinning intermittently as it should.
The output shaft on the auger motor has lost its grip inside the auger and the set screw is grinding on the shaft. Don't let it run in this way for too long, as the set screw will grind some deep groves on the shaft. See picture of my old ( replaced ) auger motor.
I know it's a difficult maneuvre to align the set screw correctly on the flat part of the auger output shaft, when working on the back of the stove with little work space.
If you look at the picture of my old auger motor, you can see that the previous owner of my stove ( bought it used in 2008 ) made exactly the same mistake with the set screw. Unfortunately the grooves inside the auger were so deep that I could not separate the motor from the auger. The previous owner had tried with a crowbar without success ( see the marks on the housing ). The solution , I used, was thinned valve grinding paste poured inside the area, and then rotating the auger, until the grooves were ground away. It took some time, though.
Let's hope that it hasn't come this far with your auger parts, and that you can separate the parts again and then carefully align the set screw with the flat part on the shaft. The set screw should be tightened quite a lot. Don't know the exact torque, but I hope you have a hex key Allen wrench with a good grip.
Good luck and take care. Keep us posted on how it works out.

 

[KLM]

Thank you for your detailed reply.
Going to try this tonight after work.

Should the screw go all the way in and be flush? Wondering if we also may not have had the screw tight enough.

The pin on the new motor was slightly longer than the last one.

 

[KLM]

Thank youuuuuu so much.
The auger seems to be working properly now that we have it installed correctly.

Since you have been so helpful, I have one last question....her firebrick has a gap around the pellet chute. How important/urgent does this need to be replaced. And, do you have a recommendation for a reputable replacement? Some of the reviews I have read online suggest that the replacements do not fit properly and modifications had to be made to get them to fit.

Sorry for so many questions we are newbies to this!

 

[Ssyko]

most just use refractory cement and make their own, make a mold of the size you need and pour it then add some metal screen (screen window type)
(broken link removed)

 

[Stovensen]

Should the screw go all the way in and be flush?

It isn't on my Whitfield. When the screw hits the flat part of the shaft, you should be able to notice that the screw can be screwed in a little bit further and then tighten it well at this point.

her firebrick has a gap around the pellet chute. How important/urgent does this need to be replaced.

As you can see on this picture of my 1998 Whitfield Quest Plus, a piece of the firebrick is also missing around the pellet chute. It was like this, when I bought it used in 2008. Can't believe that it's already 13 years ago, but I have never had any issues with the missing piece around the chute.
Can you perhaps post a picture of the gap?