Castile Pellet Insert - blower trouble??

[jdrury245]

Hello,
I bought my Castile pellet insert last April. I have used this stove all winter. I clean it regularly (twice a day if needed). Recently my blower will not switch to "HIGH" but, it will switch to medium and low. So it works fine in medium and low. Has anyone had this problem? What would cause this?

Jason

 

[lmjr]

I'll take a shot at this...

You say you've cleaned it, but how about the TEE fitting clean out?

The Vacuum Switch (N/O) will cut-out the fan and auger if negative pressure is not sensed.

The vacuum switch is located at the back of the appliance.
This switch turns the feed system on when vacuum is present
in the firebox. The vacuum switch is a safety device to shut
off the feed motor if the exhaust or the heat exchanger
system is dirty or plugged or if the firebox door is open.


It's designed to as a Safety Feature!

The Restriction is only Partial now allowing the 1 & 2 setting to function,
but eventually 2 will cause same effect and then even 1 setting.

This is a clue as to whats happening in your flue/vent system.

Time to break out the "Leaf Blower"

Do a "Search" for "Leaf Blower" here at site if you don't know what it is.

 

[tjnamtiw]

My Castile doesn't have such a switch. Maybe the newer ones do but it doesn't show on the owner's or shop manual.

 

[lmjr]

He's right, it's a Vacuum Switch (N/O)...EDITED original post above.

It may be too much ash/carbon blocking the impellers inside of the combustion fan housing.

Bad door gasket will contribute to Vacuum Switch activation.

Clean the impellers in both the combustion and convection fans.

Inspect and clean the auger & motor.

All of this is covered in the owners manual.

 

[smwilliamson]

He's right, it's a Vacuum Switch (N/O)...EDITED original post above.

It may be too much ash/carbon blocking the impellers inside of the combustion fan housing.

Bad door gasket will contribute to Vacuum Switch activation.

Clean the impellers in both the combustion and convection fans.

Inspect and clean the auger & motor.

All of this is covered in the owners manual.

I'll take it a step further. Pull off the vacuum hose from the switch and blow through it. Possibly take the hose off thousing too and poke a long allen key through it, put it back together and go. Inspect the T also while you are back there.

 

[stoveguy13]

is it the exhaust or the conv. blower that wont turn to high? they should both go at the same time the switch controls both. i would say you have a bad switch if both dont go on high.

 

[Nicholas440]

I would check the switch, it sounds like you have a bad one. If it works on Low, and Med, but nothing on High, it sounds like the switch needs replaced, its just a 3 position rocker switch, easy to change it. I seriously doubt that there is any malfunction of your vacuum switch or vacuum tube if there were, your stove wouldnt run at all.

 

[MSmith66]

I agree, It could be the control panel.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I agree, It could be the control panel.

The switch is external to the control panel. It is, like someone said, just a 3 way toggle switch. If the stove works on low, then it's not the vacuum switch because the LOW setting is very touchy with just enough vacuum to pull the vacuum switch in. At least, changing out the 3 way toggle switch is a cheap, quick way to eliminate that possibility before things get expensive.

 

[lmjr]

The switch is external to the control panel. It is, like someone said, just a 3 way toggle switch. If the stove works on low, then it’s not the vacuum switch because the LOW setting is very touchy with just enough vacuum to pull the vacuum switch in. At least, changing out the 3 way toggle switch is a cheap, quick way to eliminate that possibility before things get expensive.

I totally agree, when I first posted to this tread I was mistaken in that this Switch was a Pressure Sw.
...when actually it is Vacuum Sw...
The 2 are opposites in their physical locations...but perform the same Safety Feature...Shutting down both the auger motor
to STOP Fuel Feed and the Combustion Fan to STOP Forced Oxygen Supply.
Vacuum's (N/O) are on fire box side of comb. fan and
Pressures (N/C) are one vent/flue side of comb. fan.

Problem when you have vacuum sw... runs on High better than Low...you have leak at door or ash pan door.
runs on Low better than High...you have restriction going out of fire box to vent/flue

Problem when you have pressure sw...runs on Low better than High... you have restriction going out of fire box to vent/flue.
runs on High better than Low...you have leak at door or ash pan door.

But as said before...take good care of those blower/fans...clean and oil As per mfg. recommendations.

Hope this HELPS

 

[Czech]

I've seen ash pan door seals come up many times, but I guess I don't understand how a leaking one would affect the stove? Being that the burn pot is drawing air through the holes, does it matter where said air comes from (i.e. oak, room air through the pan enclosure vents, leaks around ash pan door seal, this is not a sealed system)? I always thought the seal was more for safety reasons and not operational? Just curious, someone educate me please!

 

[lmjr]

I've seen ash pan door seals come up many times, but I guess I don't understand how a leaking one would affect the stove? Being that the burn pot is drawing air through the holes, does it matter where said air comes from (i.e. oak, room air through the pan enclosure vents, leaks around ash pan door seal, this is not a sealed system)? I always thought the seal was more for safety reasons and not operational? Just curious, someone educate me please!

Actually, I agree with you about ash door gasket's role.

I could just as easily omitted it from above...but thought someone might chime in and say it should matter too.

I'm on you side...for the same reasons!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The reason that the ash pan gaskets and seals counts is that the combustion blower is going to suck a predetermined volume of air through the system that air must pass through the burn pot, when gaskets go south, bad, crappy, etc... there is another path for the combustion air to enter the stove from. This path bypasses the burn pot which means there is now too little air going through the pellets to properly burn them.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

For the OP your three position switch is likely bad or the connection for the high speed is loose or broken.

If you don't know what you are doing around electrical circuits contact your dealer.

I have no idea about the voltages involved on your stove so I'm going to assume they are lethal and that before anyone pokes around that the stove should be off and unplugged.

 

[lmjr]

The reason that the ash pan gaskets and seals counts is that the combustion blower is going to suck a predetermined volume of air through the system that air must pass through the burn pot, when gaskets go south, bad, crappy, etc... there is another path for the combustion air to enter the stove from. This path bypasses the burn pot which means there is now too little air going through the pellets to properly burn them.

Okay Smokey, The part you enlightened me on is about the "Predetermined Amount".

I understand that the faulty ash door gasket would allow "Extra Air" not accounted for into the stove.

I admit I don't know much about other mfg's stoves...but if mine were to leak some, it stills has to go through the pellets, just the same.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Your stove has a burn pot right and it gets its air from the back of the firebox via the intake, correct. That air enters from below the burn pot and travels through the pellet pile.

Your combustion fan sucks the air by being out side of the firebox and using a set of tubing that ends above the burn pot at the heat exchanger.

Your combustion fan pulls a certain volume of air that varies along with the feed rate, lets for this example say it is 10 cubic feet per minute.

So you have 10 cubic feet of air being pulled out the top of the fire box, if all of your gaskets are tight the only place that air can come from is through the pellet pile in the burn pot.

If your door gasket is bad, say along the left hand side then air will now enter via the left hand side of the door as well as through the air intake.

That combustion fan is still going to suck 10 cubic feet per minute, now please explain to me how the air being pulled through the left hand side of the door is going to get through the pellet pile in the burn pot?

It isn't so the burn will be adversely affected, the same is true if the ash pan door isn't sealed as the air will enter the fire box but not go through the pellet pile from the burn pot and air intake.

The same situation can also occur if the burn pot sits in its receptacle and has a gasket and that gasket is bad, in this case the air enters the area below the burn pot but exits partially through the pellet pile and partially up past the burn pot and the receptacle.

Also if a burn pot becomes warped a bypass can be setup, frequently this can happen around the igniter hole in the burn pot if the pot is not properly constructed, like wise cracks in the burn pot receptacle or high in the burn pot can set up air bypasses. Frequently there is a gasket between the burn pot receptacle and the back of the fire wall where the air flow enters the receptacle if this is bad a bypass can occur.

 

[lmjr]

If your door gasket is bad, say along the left hand side then air will now enter via the left hand side of the door as well as through the air intake.

That combustion fan is still going to suck 10 cubic feet per minute, now please explain to me how the air being pulled through the left hand side of the door is going to get through the pellet pile in the burn pot?

I thought we talking about Ash Pan Door.........

The reason that the ash pan gaskets and seals counts is that the combustion blower is going to suck a predetermined volume of air through the system that air must pass through the burn pot, when gaskets go south, bad, crappy, etc... there is another path for the combustion air to enter the stove from. This path bypasses the burn pot which means there is now too little air going through the pellets to properly burn them.

Okay Smokey, The part you enlightened me on is about the "Predetermined Amount".

I understand that the faulty ash door gasket would allow "Extra Air" not accounted for into the stove.

I admit I don't know much about other mfg's stoves...but if mine were to leak some, it stills has to go through the pellets, just the same.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

From above:

It isn’t so the burn will be adversely affected, the same is true if the ash pan door isn’t sealed as the air will enter the fire box but not go through the pellet pile from the burn pot and air intake.

 

[lmjr]

When the ashes fall through fire pot where do they go?

How do you remove them ashes?

Now, reverse that flow path with some air around that ash pan door...me thinks it goes through fire pot up through the pellets...YMMV

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The ashes exit the burn pot up and over the sides and fall into the ash pan on most puffers.

ETA:

Note: Make sure to fully close the plates when finished. Failure
to close the ash release slide plates completely
may cause the fuel to burn poorly (due to
reduced air flow through the grate), which may
then cause pellets to “pile up”in the grate.


From one Whitfield Advantage manual.

 

[Czech]

The air entering the the ash pan area is NOT entering the firebox (should not anyway..), except thru the pot holes. The ash pan area is not sealed, it can suck air from where ever it wants including thru a bad ash door seal. The only limiting factor of how much air is drawn into the stove and where it comes from are the fire box seals (i.e. door seal, pot seal) and how much the comb fan is pulling into the fire box. The air supply into the stove via the ash pan area is NOT restricted in anyway (i.e. excess air). So again, I see no reason other than safety for the ash pan door gasket? Not trying to argue here, it's just something that has come up before that I don't understand the reasoning on. Apologies for getting OT to the OP!

"This path bypasses the burn pot which means there is now too little air going through the pellets to properly burn them. " Does not! The air is still going thru the pot holes!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The air entering the the ash pan area is NOT entering the firebox (should not anyway..), except thru the pot holes. The ash pan area is not sealed, it can suck air from where ever it wants including thru a bad ash door seal. The only limiting factor of how much air is drawn into the stove and where it comes from are the fire box seals (i.e. door seal, pot seal) and how much the comb fan is pulling into the fire box. The air supply into the stove via the ash pan area is NOT restricted in anyway (i.e. excess air). So again, I see no reason other than safety for the ash pan door gasket? Not trying to argue here, it's just something that has come up before that I don't understand the reasoning on. Apologies for getting OT to the OP!

"This path bypasses the burn pot which means there is now too little air going through the pellets to properly burn them. " Does not! The air is still going thru the pot holes!

You are saying it depends upon the stove.

You open the ash pan door on a large number of stoves you will loose vacuum on some and cause pile ups in others, in these stoves opening that door creates an air bypass.

 

[Czech]

Yep Smokey, good point. I'm only experineced in Quads, esp the Castiles so I know how those work. That said, I'm pretty ignorant on other stove makes!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

To the OP, sorry for getting off topic.

Have you checked out that switch and wiring yet?

If the switch and wiring is good then the problem is likely back at the control board or the connector where all of the wires go.

 

[Former Farmer]

The toggle switch has three 1/4" tabs on the back of it. With the switch in the medium position, jump from the center tab to the top tab. The unit should switch to low mode. Then try jumping from the center tab to the bottom tab. The unit should switch to the high mode. If the stove switches to high mode, the switch is bad. If not, may be control box. When you jump from the center tab to the other tabs, you have to leave the existing wires connected to the switch. Good luck with your trouble shooting.