Quadra Fire Castile Insert Does Not Drop Enough Pellets

[tjnamtiw]

Those tubes are coated with creosote! I only see that if I run the stoves for a long time on low. You definitely are not getting enough combustion air to get a proper hot burn. Are you sure that all 8 of the SMALL holes at the bottom of the burn pot are open? 4 at the base of the slanted part and 4 around the front of the burnpot at the bottom. I use a bent .38 caliber pistol wire brush to keep them open. Of course, the pot has to be cool to do this. I do it at the end of my weekly cleaning.

Yes, one thing that Quad has never seen fit to do is have a properly designed shoulder bolt to hold the burnpot gate at the proper tightness. They just put a nut and bolt on there and tighten it up. You can, as someone said, just loosen it a little until it moves easily. Just don't get it so loose that it sags down. The accepted maximum is to have the side of the gate opposite the pivot to have no more gap than the thickness of a dime. We try to keep it less than that. Once set, I haven't had to adjust mine in 4 years. Loosen it up a little.

 

[tjnamtiw]

On the baffle question, there is a tab on the extreme right side of the baffle that fits into a hole in the stove on the right. There is only one position where it is secure and that is all the way to the right. If you've had it in other positions (sounds like you did based on your question) then no wonder you've had problems.

 

[taytowers]

You should be able to loosen the nut and bolt on the fire pot floor plate a little.

Will try... just concerned that I will lose a tight seal around the base..

 

[Papelletman]

Just loosen enough so that you can open gate.

 

[taytowers]

Those tubes are coated with creosote! I only see that if I run the stoves for a long time on low. You definitely are not getting enough combustion air to get a proper hot burn. Are you sure that all 8 of the SMALL holes at the bottom of the burn pot are open? 4 at the base of the slanted part and 4 around the front of the burnpot at the bottom. I use a bent .38 caliber pistol wire brush to keep them open. Of course, the pot has to be cool to do this. I do it at the end of my weekly cleaning..

I will cool the unit down and check the holes... thanks

 

[kappel15]

As far as the firepot floor opening hard, sometimes burning pellets will leave a coating on it that will build up, making it hard to open the pot floor. Be careful forcing it as this can cause damage to the pot bolts rivnuts. You can try scraping the floor from above to try and keep it clean. I usually loosen the arm bolt enough that the floor swings out in front of the pot (the catch on the back has to clear pot) making it easier to clean. If it is tough to open, open door and hold front of pot and work door back and forth a little. kap

 

[tjnamtiw]

Kap's method definitely works! What I use is a chisel that I push down into the build up and then twist, which breaks up MOST of it. Then some additional scraping finishes the job.
Those small holes are key to a good burn. They MUST be kept clear. The big ones have never clogged for me.
If you've had the top baffle in positions other than all the way to the right, then you have been completely bypassing the tubes and that would explain your lack of heat.

 

[kappel15]

Good catch on the baffle if it was installed wrong. I had a customer do that once.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Best pics I could get.
On low, flame very low in pot.View attachment 142169

On medium about 1-1/2" above pot
View attachment 142171

On high about 4" above pot
View attachment 142172

I just looked at your pictures, tech tchr, and I hate to say it, but it sure looks like YOUR top baffle plate is not in the right position either! With it in that position, I think you're bypassing straight to the exhaust blower too. That is, unless Quad made a change. Here are pictures of my stoves' top plates' placement. Both are the same.

 

[SwineFlue]

I just looked at your pictures, tech tchr, and I hate to say it, but it sure looks like YOUR top baffle plate is not in the right position either! With it in that position, I think you're bypassing straight to the exhaust blower too. That is, unless Quad made a change. Here are pictures of my stoves' top plates' placement. Both are the same.

View attachment 142394 View attachment 142395

I've kept out of this one because my Castile has many differences from what's been described in this thread, and I didn't want to confuse the OP while he still has issues.

My top baffle will only stay in place if it is centered exactly. It has four hooks (two on each end) that go into small slots. I don't know if this is a freestanding vs insert difference, or was it one of the many running changes that Quad has made over the years.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I've kept out of this one because my Castile has many differences from what's been described in this thread, and I didn't want to confuse the OP while he still has issues.

My top baffle will only stay in place if it is centered exactly. It has four hooks (two on each end) that go into small slots. I don't know if this is a freestanding vs insert difference, or was it one of the many running changes that Quad has made over the years.

Well, that's interesting SF! Mine has ONE hook on the right side. It could very well be then that tech tchr is OK. Especially if his is a freestander.

ED: Nope, his is a 2002 insert. Same year as yours so it's probably in the 'right' position. Mine are 2007 inserts. Damn Chinese!

 

[SwineFlue]

Well, that's interesting SF! Mine has ONE hook on the right side. It could very well be then that tech tchr is OK. Especially if his is a freestander.

ED: Nope, his is a 2002 insert. Mine are 2007 inserts. Damn Chinese!

I didn't even know they made an insert back then.

From a 2005 manual: "To re-install the top baffle, align the hooks on the baffle with the slots in the baffle hangers, push up and slide back."

Edit:
From a 2011 manual: "The top baffle has a hook on the bottom left side that rests on the top lip of the cast brick. There is a tab on the bottom right side that hooks into the side bracket. Remove the top baffle by first pulling the baffle forward until back edge drops down. Then slide baffle back until the front edge clears the shelf that it had been resting on."

Both are freestanding manuals, so it must be an age thing. (I couldn't find the 2008 manual I had downloaded at some point.)

 

[DMKNLD]

I keep a can of non-stick cooking spray with my stove cleaning supplies and spray the bottom of the fire pot during the weekly cleaning, after cleaning the small fire pot holes with the gun bore brush that tj mentioned. This seems to make the burnt pellet residue easier to scrape and helps keep the hinge / bolt mechanism lubricated as well. If I'm in the house when the stove kicks off I will pull the fire pot clean out lever while the stove is still warm - this seems to break the burnt residue free easier and often means I don't even have to scrape the pot with the cold chisel. The fire pot clean out pull knob gets pretty warm, so I don some insulated work gloves I keep in my stove cleaning kit as well. I pull the heat exchanger tube scrape rods at the same time with glove protected hands, or using the large flat flanged pliers I keep in my kit. They seem to scrape better when the heat exchanger tubes are hot also.

RE your stove dealer / installer taytowers - I would have less than 3 positive thoughts for how they set your stove up (or not), for what clearly seems to be more non-success than success - apparently improper seal and baffle installs, no burn test, and what sounds like a 'we're busy so we'll get back to you when we can' response to your reasonable request for dealer support. I'm not an advocate of using a message board forum to publicly flame a business - perhaps until they've at least had the chance to 'make it right'.

But I certainly would be on their case for what seems like sub-standard install service, especially when considering what you paid for that stove and install. I wouldn't hesitate to 'saber rattle' a bit in mentioning to them you're on this international pellet forum trying to learn more about trouble shooting the stove they sold you, but that a message board shouldn't have to replace the dealer support you are paying them good money for. Any business worth their salt knows the impact, both positively and negatively, that social media feedback can have now in today's retail market place. Even the best businesses can have customer service issues - it's how they respond to them that separates the high performers from 'the hacks'.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I looked at the Castile Insert manual dated Jan 2011 and it shows the baffle plate all the way to the right like mine and it says "
Insert baffl e into top front inside the fi rebox and pull forward.
Then raise up the bottom end and insert baffl e tab
into slot on the top of the right bracket to lock into place.
Figure 39.3. Place the left side hook at the bottom of the
baffl e over the top edge of brick for stability. Figure 37.4."

Pretty much what you said, SF.

 

[peirhead]

As your stove starts a shutdown cycle (after it stops dropping pellets) turn the stove to "High" for a minute or so, then open the door and (with a pair of gloves) grab your scraper and give the firepot floor a quick scrape..close the door, then give the pot dump a short quick pull, about 1/4 out. You will get a good blast of embers up into the chamber and keep the pot clear and loose.....I will repeat the process till all the embers and out of the burn pot and in the ash hopper......I know many of you will say this is nuts and dangerous, but I disagree. For the first couple of years I suffered with it sticking....I researched this and the problem is when the carbon/ash/creosote cools and turns into carbon buildup.....if you can scrape it before it cools you will save yourself A LOT OF PROBLEMS. ! This is my regular procedure whenever I am near the stove and it cycles off.

 

[taytowers]

Loosened the fastening bolt on the Pot Gate with a little help from WD40 and the pot now swings.. I will ensure that the bottom stays clear of crud regularly.

problems solved... thanks to the "Hearth.com/talk" team...

The installer was apologetic... (I guess we all have off days)

 

[kappel15]

Just make sure there is no more then a dimes width gap on the backside of the pot, between the pot floor and the pot. kap

 

[taytowers]

Just make sure there is no more then a dimes width gap on the backside of the pot, between the pot floor and the pot. kap

will do.. thanks

 

[tech tchr]

Well, that's interesting SF! Mine has ONE hook on the right side. It could very well be then that tech tchr is OK. Especially if his is a freestander.

ED: Nope, his is a 2002 insert. Same year as yours so it's probably in the 'right' position. Mine are 2007 inserts. Damn Chinese!

All this talk had me worried that I put it all back together wrong so I checked it out this afternoon.

Mine has to go in the center. There is a plate on the upper right side with a tab that fits into a notch in the heat shield.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Totally different than mine but it looks like you have it right. Typical Chinese quality control and design control.

 

[DMKNLD]

Looking at pics of the various Castiles folks have posted, it is interesting how Quad has altered the heat exchanger tube scraper design over the various model years. I have the oldest version 8 tube exchanger that has scrapers on all 8 of the tubes - but it looks like some of the newer 10 exchanger tube models have scrapers on the inner 6 tubes but not the outer 4, and it looks like tech tchr's has scrapers on 4 of the middle tubes but not the inner most or outer most ones. I wonder why Quad made those design changes? I would think scraping all the tubes would be the best way to minimize the exchanger tube fly ash build up and thus optimize efficiency of heat transfer.

 

[tjnamtiw]

There you go again trying to make sense out of what big corporations decide to do

 

[DMKNLD]

There you go again trying to make sense out of what big corporations decide to do

You're implying tj that corporate culture, more often than not, seems to follow the "ready -------> fire-------->aim......" business mentality? Say it isn't so ! LOL.