Quadra Fire Classic Bay 1200 not feeding pellets after initial dump

[a1bandit]

I have a quadrafire classic bay 1200 pellet stove that will only drop enough pellets to light one fire then it doesn't feed again. The auger just doesn't feed after the initial dump to start the flame. the flame starts no problem but then dies a horrible death due to no more of it's little pellet friends joining the party.
The call light is on but no more auger movement. If I keep hitting the reset button it feeds and the auger moves just fine. when it gets hot enough the blower will come on. just not the auger.

I've read a few posts and tried about everything in them. This isn't an issue with the auger moving in reverse. I've jumpered every connection and they all seem to work. I've checked that the vacuum hose is clear. It's been cleaned out of any ash (on another note, don't suck still hot pellets into your wife's new vacuum cleaner as hot pellets, paper bag and plastic canister make for a horrible smell and vacuums can melt).

Any other ideas? We hate relying on our furnace and we're burning through all our expensive propane.
.

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

I would inspect the thermocouple and see if there are any breaks in the the tip under the ceramic cover. After that I'd check with a multimeter to see if you have continuity through the thermocouple. If the thermocouple is trashed it won't sense that there is a fire and it will shut down the stove rather than tell it to continue with it's normal cycle, basically it thinks you are out of fuel.

If you have a CLEAR control box and you get a flashing amber light, you know the thermocouple has an issue.

 

[a1bandit]

I would inspect the thermocouple and see if there are any breaks in the the tip under the ceramic cover. After that I'd check with a multimeter to see if you have continuity through the thermocouple. If the thermocouple is trashed it won't sense that there is a fire and it will shut down the stove rather than tell it to continue with it's normal cycle, basically it thinks you are out of fuel.

If you have a CLEAR control box and you get a flashing amber light, you know the thermocouple has an issue.

thanks for your reply.
I have the older model with a grey control unit.
The end of the wire under the ceramic cover is exposed but I've actually been running it for a couple years without the ceramic cover.

I thought if the thermocouple was bad it wouldn't turn the fan on. is it responsible for the fan going on when it senses the heat or turning on the auger. If I recall, the auger would do it's initial feed and then every few seconds after that it would turn the auger just a bit.

Where would I put my multimeter to verify continuity?

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

If the combustion blower kicks on and you have good vacuum (aka clean stove and flue) it will feed and fire up. If the thermocouple cant sense fire it won't keep running and will shut itself down.

 

[reallyte]

Your thermocouple probably burned out without the cover...

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

Your thermocouple probably burned out without the cover...

Agreed. You don't have to see a physical breach for the thermocouple to be bad. Continuity test is in order.

 

[a1bandit]

Your thermocouple probably burned out without the cover...

does the T

Agreed. You don't have to see a physical breach for the thermocouple to be bad. Continuity test is in order.

will do. where do I hook up my multimeter and is there a way to bypass the thermocoupler to see if it works with it bypassed.

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

I don't believe there is a way to bypass the Tcouple, at least if there is they didn't show me how to at the Quadrafire service training.... Just unhook the two wire ends where they secure at the terminal block and hook your multimeter up to them. Somewhere I have a chart that shows exactly what resistance you should have if it's in perfect shape but if it's 0 you know your tcouple is toast.

And make sure you get a ceramic cover for it, they increase the longevity significantly.

Also, any time you do ANYTHING to this stove, make sure you unplug it while you re-arrange wires or jump them or you may fry your control box which is $$$

 

[a1bandit]

You guys nailed it. one of the wires on the Thermocouple was brittle about 2 inches down and snapped. I was able to cut off the bad part, strip back the insulation on the wires and then twist the ends together. I then put it into the ceramic cover (which I had kept) this time and started her up. It's a pellet party now with more showing up by the minute. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll probably order a new TCouple since it's pretty stretched now after cutting a few inches off.

Enjoying the warmth of a real fire again.

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

Glad to help and glad you got it working again. I'd suggest getting a new one in there asap so you don't have a failure on a cold day (that's when they usually break lol). If you keep the ceramic cover on there you will get a good long service life out of it.

If you want to stretch it out you may be able to actually solder the wire ends together but I've never tried it so I don't know how that particular type of wire would react.

 

[tjnamtiw]

And get that ceramic cover! It's only a small fraction of what they rip you off for the thermocouple! I can't understand why the price is so high on them. Compare their price to that of other appliances like water heaters or ovens.

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

The thermocouples are much different than any I've ever seen on any gas appliance but I hear you on that one. I've seen them last a VERY long time though when the stoves are operated properly and the ceramic cover is replaced as needed.

 

[tjnamtiw]

The thermocouples are much different than any I've ever seen on any gas appliance but I hear you on that one. I've seen them last a VERY long time though when the stoves are operated properly and the ceramic cover is replaced as needed.

Unless they are somehow abused, they should last a very long time IMHO.