Whitfield advantage pellet stove blower motor off and on

[J7373773]

I have a Whitfield advantage 2 pellet stove that has worked great until this winter. It’s a 1990’s model. Every time the auger motor turns on the blower ( the fan that blows air into the room) stops. The blower also only works in the low setting otherwise it cuts out. I’ve read other posts but haven’t found an answer. I’ve cleaned and lubricated the fan. I’ve plugged the fan directly to an outlet and it works fine. I’ve bypassed the the low heat sensor and it still cuts out. A fix to this problem would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Stovensen]

This is indeed a rare issue, you're having. Ok, you have already done some relevant testing with no prevail. Next thing to suspect is the five position rotary switch on the circuit board. With a little luck it only needs some cleaning with contact spray.
If some of the tiny metal parts inside it are broken, we have a problem, though.
It's a little difficult to see how sealed the rotary switch is from this picture, but hopefully it should be possible to clean it from the outside, if you give it a good spray, while working it.

 

[Ssyko]

if you can pull the knob you can get cleaner down the shaft also.

 

[J7373773]

Thanks for the quick response and advice. I will get some contact spray, give it a try and post my results. Thanks again. Also is this the type of spray I should use?

 

[Ssyko]

good choice that's what i use for cleaning them

 

[Stovensen]

And J7373773, have you inspected the circuit board for any bad solderings in need for a reflow of fresh tin?

 

[J7373773]

I used the contact spray and gave everything a deep cleaning including all the contacts and both knobs. I also inspected the circuit board which looks to be in great shape but still having the same problem. Any more suggestions would be really appreciated.

 

[Stovensen]

Your control board is similar to the one in the picture, I posted , right? Manufactured by SSAC. Just want to be sure.
If so, I'm still thinking that something is faulty inside the rotary switch. Could you post a close-up picture of the switch, preferably with component details. It could be a standard component easy to get. Something must be broken inside it, I'm afraid.

 

[J7373773]

Here are some pics, let me know if more/different ones would help. I don’t understand why it would be the fan speed control switch though?
1. The fan runs fine in the low setting with the auger off.
2. With the auger off if I increase the fan speed the fan cuts out.
3. With the auger on the fan cuts in and out in sync with the auger turning on and off but only after the stove has ran for about 10 minutes. However bypassing the low temp sensor does not seem to make a difference.
4. The fan runs fine if plug it directly into an outlet.

 

[Stovensen]

I don’t understand why it would be the fan speed control switch though?

By using a rotary switch instead of a simple potmeter for the heat control, the control panel can be wired to protect the stove from overheating.
If the convection blower control is at the lowest setting and the heat control is turned up to the highest levels, the rotary switch simply overrides a too low setting on the convection blower control. Otherwise the stove would quickly overheat.
Electrically the rotary switch can easily do this by adding resistors in parallel over the convection blower potmeter.
The newer touch pad control in my 1998 Whitfield Quest Plus is programmed to automatically override a too low convection blower setting, if the heat is turned up. And btw, it is also manufactured by SSAC.
This is a moment where the original circuit diagram of the control board would have helped us sooo much.
Ok, thanks for the pictures. We see that the housing of the switch is not screwed to the panel plate by a nut. The solderings must take all the physical impact from the operation of the knob. But it also seems possible to inspect the switch from the outside
Is it possible for you to see any broken metal parts inside the switch? That could explain the weird behaviour of your stove.

The small metal parts inside a rotary switch are rather fragile. Example:

 

[Stovensen]

Here are some pics, let me know if more/different ones would help

We cannot see the rotary switch in your picture. It is placed above the potmeter for the convection blower. I only have this rather blurred picture, but we can see that it's a lot bigger than the potmeter, and it appers to be a more sealed housing. Was it possible to clean this from the outside?

 

[J7373773]

I did clean everything as best I could. Maybe later today I will try cleaning it more and take a closer look at the switch to see if I can see anything broken. Thanks for all the information.

 

[Ssyko]

The carbon tract inside the switch is on the waffer and the wiper rides on it. Over the years they just wear out like the lead in a pencil. It’s common for switches to be rated for 10k-12k turns.

 

[Stovensen]

J7373773, thanks for digging up another thread with exactly the same issue as your stove has.

Whitfield Advantage iii fans bog down

I have 1991 Advantage iii that always ran well. Replaced the combustion fan a few years back and new room blower replacement. Both have been cleaned and oiled. When turning on the stove without the auger on and increasing the room blower it bogs down and almost stops. Cycles like this until...

www.hearth.com

And there are probably more threads with similar issues with this particular control board.
I can't wait to hear what you find out around that rotary switch... will extra cleaning cure it, or is there something broken inside it?
Also, if you can read what's written on the switch, we could search for a possible replacement. And find the datasheet describing its electrical function. It is a five position switch, yes, but how many poles does it have?
It controls both the auger, the combustion blower, and overrides the convection blower potmeter, if this is set too low.

 

[J7373773]

Cleaned the whole board and still having the same issue. Did not see any identifying marks on the switch. Removing and replacing the switch is beyond my ability. Any other suggestions? Here are some pics of the board

 

[Stovensen]

Thanks for the more detailed pictures. Now we can see that the rotary switch has 12 pins soldered to the circuit board. Yes, this certainly is a challenge to desolder on a double sided circuit board without damaging both the switch and the copper traces.
The component ID ( manufacturer and part no. ) is most likely written on the hidden side towards the circuit board, so it has to be desoldered in order to identify it.
Pro repair shops have special desolder stations to do this. Actually I have considered buying one of these to have in my hobby work shop. I repair a lot of electronics, and could really have benefit from this tool. I have to decide, whether it should be a desoldering gun or the more advanced and expensive desoldering station. I'm working on it, and I just found this interesting review:


Anyways, J7373773, the workaround to the issue, suggested by Burner632 in his thread, is a cheap and fully safe way to make the stove work again.
I would recommend the speed control based on a rheostat ( variable power resistor ) for several reasons: It is cheaper, simpler, and more silent. Triac based controls produce some harmonics that can be rather annoying at some settings.
The only disadvantage with the rheostat control is that a small amount of heat is dissipated in it, when turned down.
But remember, the first generations of Whitfield pellet stoves used rheostat controls.
Link to rheostat control, $8.67 on Amazon:
Amazon product ASIN B07W4T5LBH
Link to Varispeed triac based control by Fantech, $25.67 on Amazon:
Amazon product ASIN B000X4PMRY
If you have any questions on the installation, please let us know.
Good luck and take care. Keep us posted on how it works out.

 

[J7373773]

Thank you for all of your help. Ordered the switch and it will be here tomorrow. I’ll post my results after install.

 

[J7373773]

Just tried installing the fan switch. Fan works properly with the fan control switch when plugged into an outlet but still having the same problem when I hook it up to the stove. Any ideas?

 

[J7373773]

I hooked it up just like burner632 suggested.