Quad CB1200 auger turns twice and then nothing

[Newbiepellet burner]

Exactly, that’s why I finally joined instead of lurking. My fiancé’s dad jokes that I am the pellet stove technician now because I keep fiddling with it after I learn something.
I feel, and I could be totally wrong that my auger is ok and it’s something else. I think I jump tested the snap disks correctly, I used a paper clip. Both snap disks seem to be working as I got the same result when I jumped them.
The stove got super dirty and I found places I didn’t realize needed to be cleaned and once I cleaned it thoroughly is when it stopped feeding.
I’m just perplexed and willing to try and learn anything

 

[Overfireinthehole]

Hello
Probably not the Themocouple because it will not stop the auger from turning, I have seen bad thermocouples and the stove still goes through startup and fires up, then if the thermocouple does not sense the heat from the flame it will tell the control box to shut the stove down.

I actually see it quite a bit on quad units running the 704 board. A bad thermocouple can give a varying results: feeding startup but not feeding again, feeding but never leaving stage two and never turning green light or igniter off, never leaving stage three and feeding non stop but never turning igniter on and running a constant red light in board, and finally never or inconsistently feeding. If you unplug a thermocouple on a 704 board unit you should get a flashing amber light and no feed. If you get a hairline crack or partially burnt end on a thermocouple you can get the auger to run sometimes but then it will stop and usually throw the amber light code on the board.

 

[Overfireinthehole]

Hahaha you have too much faith in my abilities

Which direction is the motor turning? You say two half revolutions... is it turning half one way then half the other or is it turning one whole revolution?

 

[Overfireinthehole]

This does not make any sense as on the 1200, the auger is in the hopper, under a metal cover, you have to remove to see it. kap

Right side view with triangle panel still installed. Gotta get creative sometimes kap.

 

[Newbiepellet burner]

Which direction is the motor turning? You say two half revolutions... is it turning half one way then half the other or is it turning one whole revolution?

Clockwise and same direction every time.

 

[Newbiepellet burner]

I actually see it quite a bit on quad units running the 704 board. A bad thermocouple can give a varying results: feeding startup but not feeding again, feeding but never leaving stage two and never turning green light or igniter off, never leaving stage three and feeding non stop but never turning igniter on and running a constant red light in board, and finally never or inconsistently feeding. If you unplug a thermocouple on a 704 board unit you should get a flashing amber light and no feed. If you get a hairline crack or partially burnt end on a thermocouple you can get the auger to run sometimes but then it will stop and usually throw the amber light code on the board.

I haven’t seen an amber light on the control box, just blue flashes

 

[Overfireinthehole]

Clockwise and same direction every time.

Did you ever pull that thermocouple cover off? Should just be a Phillips set screw or sometimes two pinching it in place. If they are really rusty they might need some wd40 to break loose or you might have to use players or vice grips on their heads to get them loose. Then gently remove the ceramic tube and look at the two wires that are twisted together with a little bead of solder on the end. If the end looks burnt up or you see a hairline crack or if you touch it and it breaks, that’s your culprit. Also follow those wires to where they go through the bottom of your firebox into your igniter chamber. Are they missing any of the high temp insulation? It’s not uncommon for a thermocouple that’s in rough shape to quit working after a thorough cleaning if it gets bumped, especially if there’s a hole burn in your protective tube.
Here’s a picture of my thermocouple with the tube off. This is my personal stove and it’s a 2010 CB 1200. See how the end of the thermocouple has turned green from the heat? I replace my cover every 2-4 years as needed but I still will probably only get a couple more years out of this thermocouple because it’s so brittle. It also doesn’t help that I make my 6 year old clean my stove because after working on pellet stoves all day the last thing I want to do is work on my own and she can be pretty rough with that cover.

 

[Newbiepellet burner]

I’m for sure going to have to take a look at the T/C especially now that I know what looks correct.

 

[Newbiepellet burner]

I’m for sure going to have to take a look at the T/C especially now that I know what looks correct.

Well you awesome wonderful helpful souls, I think I found the problem. See pic below. I feel dumb I didn’t notice it before.

 

[johneh]

Live and learn now you know a whole lot more than most
about your stove

 

[Newbiepellet burner]

Live and learn now you know a whole lot more than most
about your stove

Exactly, I’m really glad i learned this stove! Now to find the best place to buy a new one. Fiancé is a welder but I don’t think he can fix that. I will keep you updated if this is the fix .

 

[Overfireinthehole]

https://pellethead.com/product/quadrafire-800-1000-1100i-1200-1200i-thermocouple-35/?gclid=Cj0KCQiApt_xBRDxARIsAAMUMu8P9ZnQCQLW9uGHSuNpHoqLBkbbvvfu-wJYp176goBqA3sjgCaS6toaAoUHEALw_wcB

 

[Newbiepellet burner]

https://pellethead.com/product/quadrafire-800-1000-1100i-1200-1200i-thermocouple-35/?gclid=Cj0KCQiApt_xBRDxARIsAAMUMu8P9ZnQCQLW9uGHSuNpHoqLBkbbvvfu-wJYp176goBqA3sjgCaS6toaAoUHEALw_wcB

I was just looking there! Thanks for the link

 

[Newbiepellet burner]

HUGE thank you to you all! Pellet stove is working like a champ!