It started with a bad auger motor...replaced that. The stove worked for a minute then stopped feeding. I read in a forum I can bypass the Pressure switch to see if its the problem. I did that and we had pellets once again. Now the Damper wont open. Does the pressure switch effect the Damper as well. It is really cold tonight and I thought Id try and run it for the night with that switch bypassed,(A video on youtube said it was ok to do so).. Now I have a house full of smoke and we are still freezing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Whitfield MULTIPLE ISSUES
- Thread starter Heeler5150
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alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
When is the last time the venting was cleaned ( or the whole stove for that matter) ? That's something that is generic to any brand stove, it/they needs to be clean/not restricted for the stove to breath properly. These are the number one cause of newbie problems incidentally, they often have no clue the stove and venting needs regular cleaning .
Check your door gaskets, you can use a dollar bill and place it between the stove body and the door , close the door, the bill should be tight to pull out or at least reasonable resistance.
What brand and model stove is this ?
Lake Girl
Moderator
Dampers can either be a slide plate or, on some of the whitfields, a cable controlled flap. Just had someone recently that had issues with a cabled damper ... those are the more difficult fix.
X2 on the cleaning. Make sure you get appropriate gaskets so you can pull the combustion blower to clean blades and housing. Specifics on the model will help on how you go about that. Also get a brush for the venting as it likely needs a clean too. Ash or shop vac? If you use a shop vac, get drywall bags and make sure you are not vacuuming up hot ash or smoldering pellets.
Are you sure the auger was bad? Vacuum switch will prevent auger from running. Not a good idea to run with safety switches bypassed... they keep you and your family safe.
X2 on the cleaning. Make sure you get appropriate gaskets so you can pull the combustion blower to clean blades and housing. Specifics on the model will help on how you go about that. Also get a brush for the venting as it likely needs a clean too. Ash or shop vac? If you use a shop vac, get drywall bags and make sure you are not vacuuming up hot ash or smoldering pellets.
Are you sure the auger was bad? Vacuum switch will prevent auger from running. Not a good idea to run with safety switches bypassed... they keep you and your family safe.
heat seeker
Minister of Fire
It is NOT okay to run the stove with the vacuum switch bypassed! That is for short term testing only. It is a safety for your protection, like Lake Girl said. From your description, it sounds to me like your venting is plugged, or the stove passages are clogged, which would prevent the vacuum switch from working. A lazy combustion blower could do that, also. A huge percentage of stove problems are due to insufficient cleaning.
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