whitfield auger jam

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is the auger jamming, or just stopping because of something like the pressure switch telling it to stop? if its jamming, it could be the plate that sits between the auger motor and the bushing(it has a round hole in it that sometimes gets sort of oblong after lots of use and allows the whole auger assembly to wobble around in the tube and press really hard against the tube). The plate is about 4"x4". Ive seen that happen a few times on the older whitfields, not many though.
 
All

When the hopper is empty, I can turn the auger by hand no problem. When just one pellet is added it jams. it appears that there is just enough room between the lower auger blade and the top of the lower bushing that a pellet can lodge between the lowest blade and the bottom of the hopper.

Maybe I could find a nylon waher to slide onto the auger shaft between the lower auger blade and the busing to eliminate this gap. Any thoughts? Would a new auger solve it? How did this happen in the first place?
 
Sounds like a bad auger motor,
If it isn’t strong enough to spin the auger, time to replace. Bench test the motor, off of the stove, wrap the shaft with duct tape, and see if you can slow or stop rotation with a pair of vise grip pliers. If you can slow down the auger motor with a pair of pliers, its shot for sure//
 
Wood Heat Stoves said:
Sounds like a bad auger motor......

I agree.

Just to make sure, if you have a volt meter, double check the voltage to the motor to make sure there isn't a wiring resistance problem.
 
rhatch7205 said:
shouldn't I be able to turn th auger by hand with a handful of pellets? I can't, it jamms

Are you trying that with the motor still attached to the auger shaft? The gear motors don't turn by hand due to the resistance of the gearing. Don't force the main motor shaft as you could damage the gears. Best to take the motor off before you try turning it. Still might need to use vice grips on the auger shaft to turn it with pellets in the hopper. Should spin easy with no pellets.
 
No Iam turning with the motor off. No pellets it turns easy, just a few pellets it jams. I am able to push the auger up about 1/4 inch is that normal?
 
You need some end play. 1/4 inch sounds like a lot, But I don't know these stoves well. How much does it move from side to side. This indicates bad bushings.

Another thing is grease. These are not supposed to be greased in any way. It causes issues. I found just to whip them dry and use a little bit of oil on a rag to wipe the bushing and the auger shaft where the bushing rides. But most work fine when absolutly dry. If you pull the auger check the bushings for gauling or wear. Also make sure the lower bushing doesn't spin in the plate.
 
Lower bushing does not turn, I have no movement side to side. All the reading that I have done says that the top bushing is not replacable. Is there any way to check it?
 
Did you ever find or fix the problem ? I have the same exact problem with mine now. Nothing wrong with the bushings. The motor removed. no play side to side.The auger turns freely by hand.... Add a few pellets and it jams instantly. Yoi !
 
Wood Heat Stoves said:
Ibjeepn said:
Did you ever find or fix the problem ? I have the same exact problem with mine now. Nothing wrong with the bushings. The motor removed. no play side to side.The auger turns freely by hand.... Add a few pellets and it jams instantly. Yoi !

sounds like a bad motor

http://woodheatstoves.com/whitfield-pellet-stove-auger-motor-troubleshoot-replacement-p-12787.html
scroll down page for video
Its a new motor. it turns fine. The motor is disconnected. Completely of the auger alltogether. When i put in a couple pellets and turn the auger by hand. It Jams up. The same way as when the motor mounted on.
 
never discovered the problem and fried another motor. I gave up, bit the bullet and bought a new stove. The Whirfiled is sitting on my deck. Let me know if you ever figure it out.

I will tell you that one motor that I purchased, an avery, turned the wrong way so make sure that it rotates correctly. Study Daves video to see the correct rotation. if it turns the wrong way unscrew the armature and flip it around.
 
Whitfield sitting on a deck in the cold/snow/rain?, makes me feel bad!! wanna sell it??
 
Ibjeepn said:
I'm going look at it today. Now, that the Christmas holiday has passed. I'll let you know what I find.
May have it !!!! Gotta get it back together and give it a whirl !
 
Hello, I bought rhatch7205 Whitfield Advantage and now have it running. I notice that the bearing nut was loose and that the auger had a couple of burs on it. I fix those problems and purchased another auger motor. I ran it with a make shift power cord for abt 15 minutes with no problem. Put it back together and so far so good, its been running since Monday morning.
 
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