Quadrafire Castile Convection Blower

[tjnamtiw]

I've been sitting back reading all the 'clues' and getting as confused as everyone else. I don't see how the igniter is coming on without the combustion blower coming on. I don't see how the auger is 'clicking' without the vacuum switch pulled in which would not be pulled in if the combustion blower is not running...... It's very simple to see if the combustion blower is running. Do you see the fins on its end turning as soon as you plug the stove in?

You saying that the squealing starts a couple of minutes after throwing pellets in the pot and they ignite. It SURE SOUNDS like the air whistling through the small holes in the burn pot on initial startup, especially if there's a healthy dose of pellets in the pot. The fact that it's not feeding initially could easily be a bridging at the top of the pellet chute, which can be seen with a small mirror and flashlight or a jam at the feed gate next to the bottom of the auger. Of course, the auger could also be turning backwards as someone suggested, necessitating emptying of the hopper. But that DOESN'T explain the fact that, from your comments, the stove runs OK after the initial startup.

You mention a buildup of ash in the burn pot. You should be pulling the dump valve daily when you clean out the pot. Also, when the stove is set on LOW, from my experience the vacuum switch being pulled in is touch and go if there are any vacuum leaks anywhere. I would first suggest that you try a startup on HIGH. Also, make sure that all 8 little holes in the bottom of the burnpot sides are open. Also the igniter slot. Have you found all of them? Then pull out the ash tray and look at the dump valve. Is there a gap on the side opposite the pivot? In other words, is the dump valve plate hanging down away from the bottom of the burn pot? Now, the door gasket. When the stove is cold, put a dollar bill in the door and close the door on the dollar. It should be difficult to pull the dollar out. If it comes right out easily, then the gasket needs to be replaced.

 

[jlupi]

I know scott from pelletstoveservice.com/ stated at one point the motor could replaced for $40 approx at grainger.

 

[theodddogout]

Where do you plan on getting your new combustion blower? I may be on the hunt for a replacement for the noisy combustion blower in my Castile.

I got it at Fallons Home & Hearth in Hampton... I like them.... But with that said, from reading other messages you can get non Quad ones cheaper but you probably already read that : )

 

[theodddogout]

I've been sitting back reading all the 'clues' and getting as confused as everyone else. I don't see how the igniter is coming on without the combustion blower coming on. I don't see how the auger is 'clicking' without the vacuum switch pulled in which would not be pulled in if the combustion blower is not running...... It's very simple to see if the combustion blower is running. Do you see the fins on its end turning as soon as you plug the stove in?

You saying that the squealing starts a couple of minutes after throwing pellets in the pot and they ignite. It SURE SOUNDS like the air whistling through the small holes in the burn pot on initial startup, especially if there's a healthy dose of pellets in the pot. The fact that it's not feeding initially could easily be a bridging at the top of the pellet chute, which can be seen with a small mirror and flashlight or a jam at the feed gate next to the bottom of the auger. Of course, the auger could also be turning backwards as someone suggested, necessitating emptying of the hopper. But that DOESN'T explain the fact that, from your comments, the stove runs OK after the initial startup.

You mention a buildup of ash in the burn pot. You should be pulling the dump valve daily when you clean out the pot. Also, when the stove is set on LOW, from my experience the vacuum switch being pulled in is touch and go if there are any vacuum leaks anywhere. I would first suggest that you try a startup on HIGH. Also, make sure that all 8 little holes in the bottom of the burnpot sides are open. Also the igniter slot. Have you found all of them? Then pull out the ash tray and look at the dump valve. Is there a gap on the side opposite the pivot? In other words, is the dump valve plate hanging down away from the bottom of the burn pot? Now, the door gasket. When the stove is cold, put a dollar bill in the door and close the door on the dollar. It should be difficult to pull the dollar out. If it comes right out easily, then the gasket needs to be replaced.

Well, it wasn't that simple to see if it was turning, it's a corner unit, but I did and It's not turning at start up, It's trying, i could see it trying but getting no where. It is where the squealing is coming from once it gets going. These things I now know. I also know it's not turning backwards and I had removed the auger to check for jams. I always pull the dump valve. There is no gap that I could see. All the holes are open, I just cleaned them and do so every now and then. I just replaced the gasket and it's tight with the exception of the top which only has tape. It is an older model with the open on top. I plan on replacing the blower this weekend and when that's working good I'll see what else is still going on. Thanks very much for your suggestions

 

[theodddogout]

Please make sure to replace the blower gasket at the same time. It should come with one depending on where you buy it. Let us know how you make out. Good luck!

Thank You I will !

 

[DexterDay]

Have you tried lubing the 2 bearings yet?

Cant hurt and you prob have some lube lying around the house?

The 2 bearings are on the ends of the motor. Remove the black cooling fan on the end and one is right behind it, the other is just before the front cage/fan.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Well, it wasn't that simple to see if it was turning. (the auger or the convection fan??) it's a corner unit, but I did and It's not turning at start up, It's trying, i could see it trying but getting no where. It is where the squealing is coming from once it gets going. These things I now know. I also know it's not turning backwards (the auger or the convection fan?) and I had removed the auger to check for jams. I always pull the dump valve. There is no gap that I could see. All the holes are open, I just cleaned them and do so every now and then. I just replaced the gasket and it's tight with the exception of the top which only has tape. It is an older model with the open on top. I plan on replacing the blower this weekend and when that's working good I'll see what else is still going on. Thanks very much for your suggestions

You mention "it' a few times and it gets confusing as to what you are talking about.

 

[theodddogout]

You mention "it' a few times and it gets confusing as to what you are talking about.

You mention "it' a few times and it gets confusing as to what you are talking about.

I'm sorry.... I meant it's hard to see the Fan turning and the Auger is not turning backwards. I confuse myself...

 

[theodddogout]

I didn't lube the fan, but I did replace it.... It probably would have helped (lubing it) but from the look and sound of the fan, I couldn't imagine it lasting much longer. The new one is so quiet. When it first started, I wasn't sure it was working. The blower now comes on like it's supposed to and no more squealing, yey! but the stoves still not running right. According to the operation chart, everything is working good until step 6. The pellets seem to be having trouble igniting and there's still a lot of ash in the pot, the flame is still high. The feed rate is still all the way down. I'm going to check the stove over again today, I just replace the blower late yesterday. It's probably something obvious that I'm just missing...

 

[DexterDay]

Is the entire ignitor glowing red?

Here is the other page of that Schematic. If you stop at 6, then the bottom 8 holes may be plugged, ignitor hole may be plugged, or the gate needs to be opened to allow more fuel in for ignition.

What setting are you running and how tall is the flame?

What setting is your control box set to?

 

[tjnamtiw]

You say it's having a hard time igniting and then you say the flame is HIGH. ??? Do you get the green and then red lights in the control box? It's not the red call light I'm talking about. If you have a lot of ash in the pot at start up, it sounds like you have some really lousy pellets or, as DexterDay is hinting at, you have low air flow through the pot. Normally there is so much air swirling in the pot that it blows the ash out. I can burn for a day or two and have NO ash in the pot except maybe an 1/8 of an inch at most. If you aren't blowing the ash out with a new combustion blower then you really have a restriction in either the exhaust system or you are bypassing the burnpot with the airflow.

 

[theodddogout]

Is the entire ignitor glowing red? No, it's not glowing red. It was just replaced by the stove shop servicer.

Here is the other page of that Schematic. Thanks very much... If you stop at 6, then the bottom 8 holes may be plugged, ignitor hole may be plugged, or the gate needs to be opened to allow more fuel in for ignition. I had checked all the holes earlier and cleaned them, but using a mirror I just discovered a 1 1/2" slot at the bottom of feet pot across from the igniter and I cleared that. It started up better with no problems. I just started it so I don't know the ash situation yet but I don't see any ash blowing around.

What setting are you running and how tall is the flame? If you mean the feed rate, it's at it's lowest setting, the plate is all the way down. The flame is hitting the baffle...

What setting is your control box set to? If you mean the blower setting, It is set to high.



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[theodddogout]

You say it's having a hard time igniting and then you say the flame is HIGH. ??? Yes, when the fire finally get's burning it is high. Do you get the green and then red lights in the control box? Yes, the red call light comes on, then the green light on the control box after it ignited and then red light on the control box after that. It's not the red call light I'm talking about. If you have a lot of ash in the pot at start up, it sounds like you have some really lousy pellets or, as DexterDay is hinting at, you have low air flow through the pot. Normally there is so much air swirling in the pot that it blows the ash out. I can burn for a day or two and have NO ash in the pot except maybe an 1/8 of an inch at most. If you aren't blowing the ash out with a new combustion blower then you really have a restriction in either the exhaust system or you are bypassing the burnpot with the airflow.

Yes, I never had this trouble with the burnpot filled with ash either. This is new. I recleaned all the holes in the burn pot plus one I missed. The exaust system has been cleaned by me and the stove servicer a week and a half ago inside to outside the house. Before I replaced the blower, I brushed and vacuumed once more. I am using Ambiance Pellets, I'm on my second ton. I thought they were supposed to be good, the first ton was. But, I did notice a weird blue tint in the ash a few times the past couple of weeks and no I did not leave anything including parts of the bag in the hopper or stove. I know that can happen.

 

[tjnamtiw]

When DexterDay says what feed rate your box is set on, he means when you first plug the stove in, count how many times the blue light flashes in a row. Then report back. It will repeat itself.

 

[DexterDay]

When DexterDay says what feed rate your box is set on, he means when you first plug the stove in, count how many times the blue light flashes in a row. Then report back. It will repeat itself.

Yes. The heat setting I was asking for was the low, med, or High. And as tjnamtiw says above, the control box setting I ask of, is determined by the number of times the box flashes (the actual control box, not the red call light on the side) or you can unplug the stove and look at the control box itself. It will have a Dial with a number on it.

The feed gate shouldn't need to be 100% closed. If mine is over 50% of the way closed, my stove shuts down, due to, to little fuel. Here is a shot of my feed gate. Showing open, 50% line (below this it wont run or start correctly), and full closed

Can you empty the hopper and take a pic of the feed gate and how much of the auger is covered when fully closed? If its fully closed, I still suspet an airflow problem or the control box may be set for 10% more feed?

 

[theodddogout]

Yes. The heat setting I was asking for was the low, med, or High. And as tjnamtiw says above, the control box setting I ask of, is determined by the number of times the box flashes (the actual control box, not the red call light on the side) or you can unplug the stove and look at the control box itself. It will have a Dial with a number on it.

The feed gate shouldn't need to be 100% closed. If mine is over 50% of the way closed, my stove shuts down, due to, to little fuel. Here is a shot of my feed gate. Showing open, 50% line (below this it wont run or start correctly), and full closed

Can you empty the hopper and take a pic of the feed gate and how much of the auger is covered when fully closed? If its fully closed, I still suspet an airflow problem or the control box may be set for 10% more feed?

View attachment 89326 View attachment 89327 View attachment 89328

I've never seen a blue light but to make sure I unplugged the stove, started it up and no blue light. Unplugged, I took out the control box and no blue light, only the red and green on top, no other bulb. There is no dial or anything on the control box, would it be inside? There is no mention of a flame control setting other then the feed rate adjuster in the hopper. My hopper looks much different. When I get home tonight I will empty it and take a picture. From memory which is horrible, It seems like a couple inches but I'll double check. I should add that I only put the feed rate at the lowest setting after I started having problems with the high flame and high ash in the fire pot. Doing so hasn't helped much with either. It seems like more pellets are falling than they should. I thought maybe that's why the high ash, is it possible for an overabundance of pellets to prevent the ash from blowing around? Cleaning all the holes in the firepot yesterday did not help the ash situation in the pot, but it did help with the igniter. and it seems to be igniting correctly. Yey!

 

[DexterDay]

My mistake. I thought you had the new control box ? Your bod isn't clear then. Its grey? No?

The venting is 100% clean and clear? And Termination cap isn't all cruded up?

How is your Door gasket? Open the door (no Fire in stove!) And place a dollar bill in several spots along all 4 sides of door, close door and try to remove the bill with door latched. Does it pull out easily in any places??

 

[theodddogout]

My mistake. I thought you had the new control box ? Your bod isn't clear then. Its grey? No?

The venting is 100% clean and clear? And Termination cap isn't all cruded up?

How is your Door gasket? Open the door (no Fire in stove!) And place a dollar bill in several spots along all 4 sides of door, close door and try to remove the bill with door latched. Does it pull out easily in any places??

No, I still have the old original grey box...

As far as I know the venting is all clear. When I had the stove pulled out of the pipe leading outside, I have a vent cleaner and pulled it through from inside to outside several times till it came clean. The short vent coming from stove I cleaned what I could see and vacuumed. When I had the blower out I cleaned the whole housing area and up. I don't know what the service guys cleaned, one was inside one was out but I didn't watch them. I did hear the vacuum. I don't know what the termination cap is, I'm guessing the hood at the end of the vent outside? How far off am I ? : )

The door is wicked tight on the three sides, no gasket on the top just tape as instructed ( It's a 2004 so it's open on top not bottom) I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself. I just replaced the gasket a couple weeks ago. The last time I replaced it was 2-3 years ago but I did it wrong and had the gasket go all around. It didn't dawn on me that it was why the glass got dirty so fast. I would assume I'd follow the gasket pattern that was on there, but I guess I didn't and can't remember for sure. But the bottom started fraying and ash was coming out through the bottom of the door. I thought the gap was why the blower wasn't starting and replaced the gasket. I looked up directions this time and that's how I figured out I screwed up last time. Here's a picture of my hopper...

 

[Peter Martin]

I too am having the squealing sound on my Castile insert. I can't tell if it is coming from the convection blower or the combustion blower, but I'm pretty sure it's one of those two. The squealing started right after I gave the stove its most thorough cleaning in its 3 year lifespan. I blew a lot of compressed air around the combustion and convection blowers. I wonder if that could have upset something that is now causing the squealing. I'd like to take the blowers out, but I haven't seen any instructions on how to do so. Is it intuitive, or are there some written instructions available somewhere?

Thanks.

 

[tjnamtiw]

You say it's having a hard time igniting and then you say the flame is HIGH. ??? Do you get the green and then red lights in the control box? It's not the red call light I'm talking about. If you have a lot of ash in the pot at start up, it sounds like you have some really lousy pellets or, as DexterDay is hinting at, you have low air flow through the pot. Normally there is so much air swirling in the pot that it blows the ash out. I can burn for a day or two and have NO ash in the pot except maybe an 1/8 of an inch at most. If you aren't blowing the ash out with a new combustion blower then you really have a restriction in either the exhaust system or you are bypassing the burnpot with the airflow.

Does your flame look like this > (broken link removed) ?

 

[tjnamtiw]

I too am having the squealing sound on my Castile insert. I can't tell if it is coming from the convection blower or the combustion blower, but I'm pretty sure it's one of those two. The squealing started right after I gave the stove its most thorough cleaning in its 3 year lifespan. I blew a lot of compressed air around the combustion and convection blowers. I wonder if that could have upset something that is now causing the squealing. I'd like to take the blowers out, but I haven't seen any instructions on how to do so. Is it intuitive, or are there some written instructions available somewhere?

Thanks.

Pull the insert out as far as you can after unsnapping the top of the housing connected to the flex liner. For the combustion blower, unplug and you will see 6 bolts around a circular plate. You may see some of the gasket protruding around it. Get a new gasket before starting! That guarantees that the old gasket will not be damaged. Once you have those 6 bolts out the entire blower assembly will slide right out and you can clean the impeller and the space behind it, which tends to collect crap and contribute to your squealing. While it's out, clean out the area inside where the impeller was.

For the convection blower, it's held in place (at least mine is. Some reported that theirs was held with bolts) with one thumb screw and magnets. The instructions say that the thumb screw is only for shipment and should be removed at installation. I like the security. Once you unplug the blower and remove the thumb screw, if it's there, the blower can be removed out the right side. Be careful in both cases not to knock any connectors loose on the snap disks or anything else.

Assembly is the reverse. It's easy except for pulling the darn think out and dealing with the ash that WILL fall out of the chimney liner all over the place. Of course, now is the time to clean that liner!

Enjoy.

 

[Peter Martin]

Thanks, that's very helpful. Do you think there is any hope in trying to lube the convection blower? I'm pretty sure now it's the convection blower that is the problem, but I would like to try and salvage it if possible.

Thanks again,

 

[tjnamtiw]

Some people have said that they found temporary relief in lubing the bearings but I haven't pulled the bearing to see if they are sealed or just shielded. If they are shielded, then it might help. Of course, if they are making noise, they have already torn up the races so lubing might give you time to get a spare in house. When mine finally go, I'll get a spare and then rebuild the old one with new bearings as a spare for either stove. Of course, if I were smart, I'd have one on the shelf already but the BOSS doesn't like to see money sitting on a shelf and, besides, they aren't my primary heat source. Short answer would be 'why not give it a try to lube them?). I'd try a lube with teflon or graphite if you can find it or maybe a few drops of synthetic oil if you use it in your car. The graphic oil can be found as a house lock lube.

 

[DMKNLD]

Following the ebb and flow of this thread, I had a similar problem at the beginning of last year with my Quad Castile, that is the same age as yours, and ended up throwing a bunch of new parts at the problem - igniter, thermo-couple, snap disk, etc. It ended up being my older style grey control box going bad, which my local Quad dealer let me swap out a new style clear control box from his floor model Castile. That solved the pellet feed problem, so he sold me the box for half price. That's excellent dealer service, IMO, which keeps me going back to him, even though I could generally get replacement parts cheaper on-line.

After a replacement control box fixed my pellet feed problems, then my combustion blower started to squeal on start - up, reducing the air flow and thus the burn efficiency,so I replaced the blower and gasket in the middle of last winter, and it has run great ever since.

Not unlike cars, where parts seem to have a functional life span where several things start to wear out around the same time, you may have that going on with your stove, like I did. If you've got 10 years use now on your OE control box, that may be your problem.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your outcome.

 

[smalltown]

Peter Martin. The instruction manual for my freestanding Castile shows step by step how to remove the convection blower en route to removing the combustion blower. I would think the manual for the Castile insert would show the same. If it doesn't I would gladly E-mail a copy of my free standing manual.

As for determining if the noise is from the convection blower or the combustion blower the combustion blower starts up immediately when heat is called for. The convection blower would not be running until the stove heats up enough.