Hopping up a Hudson River!

[Don2222]

Hello

After beefing up a Breckwell it is time to Supe up a Saranac with Nylatron! I found a fix for the "Fire YoYo" effect. The fire was going up and down on heat level 3 like a YoYo!
Has anyone else tried this?

The West Point and the Saranac have the same auger and the same old tired and gunked up brass bearing!

Sure you can clean the brass bearing and soak it in light machine oil once a year to keep it up to snuff, but if you don't and the pellets may jam and the auger motor can crap out! If the same auger motor on a Whitfield lasts 15 years then why not this?

Many of the older Whitfields have an upgraded Nylatron auger bearing. I have seen these bearings on 15 - 19 year old Whits with the original auger motor!

Ok, so why not a HRWP or Saranac? If you drill two holes in the aftermarket EndPlate with the Nylatron Bearing it fits! Now the auger turns as smooth as silk!

One of the original bolts that hold the endplate broke coming out. It was not Stainless Steel!
Therefore replacing the 1/4-20 bolts with Stainless Steel bolts is the way to go!
Using a spring loaded center punch to get the new endplate holes in the right place is also the way to do it right!

Here are the pics of a Saranac with the snorkel on the room blower that makes it a tight fit but it does fit!

Pic 1 - Brass bearing is nasty and gummy after 3 or 4 years! Who needs it?
Pic 2 - Original bearing plate, brass bearing, auger, auger motor.
Pic 3 - Auger, Orig EndPlate and Nylatron Bearing. Nylatron Bearing is too big for Orig End Plate.
Orig EndPlate could be reamed out, but would need a machine shop.
Pic 4 - Tracing holes from orig endplate to Nylatron Bearing with it's own EndPlate.
Pic 5 - Drill a small hole 1st
Pic 6 - Then drill the 1/4" hole to ream it out.
Pic 7 - Clean out the auger chute
Pic 8 - Dry Moly!
Pic 9 - Clean the top Auger bearing and punch the new bolt holes in the rubber gasket that comes with the new endplate. Don't forget to oil the top bearing so the auger is swimming in it! Alot less friction!
Pic 10 - New Hi Performance Gleason Avery motor and new Nylatron bearing and enplate installed!

 

[Don2222]

1 more pic

Pic 11 - Orig Auger polished with wire brush on drill driver to remove carbon. Pimples of slag(Auger Pox) ground down and auger coated with high temp "Dry Moly" spray!

Pic 12 - With orig auger motor and beating, After installing the new ignitor, the stove works. Pellet feeding is choppy and the old tired paint is faded and gold door looks worn!

NO MORE Fire YoYo ! ! ! LOL

 

[Don2222]

The results are in and the pellet feeding is much more consistant. Not choppy like with the old gummed up brass bearing.

Also to get the value in, I had to sand the gold on the fire door out! LOL

 

[Don2222]

Hello

I also performed this Nylatron upgrade for the Hudson River West Point
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...ring-gouged-time-for-nylatron-upgrade.141935/

 

[SidecarFlip]

I think I'd step up another level and install a shielded ball or roller bearing and never have any more concerns.

 

[Don2222]

I think I'd step up another level and install a shielded ball or roller bearing and never have any more concerns.

What do you mean? Do you have pics of that?