Quadrafire freestanding Castille

[Jsey]

Hi
I have a Quad freestanding Castille that is about 6 years old. I burn 3 ton per year. After the second year I had to replace the auger motor but other than that it’s been a work horse till now. I have it hooked up to a programmable T stat. The problem I am having developed a few days ago. It lights every time put it started to over fill on start up and once things settled down it would burn for about an hour and then go out even though the T stat was calling for heat. I then turn the T stat off and turn it back on and the stove starts and lights but then just goes out. The auger will feed if I hit the reset. I changed the thermocouple at the correct distance over the pot but no go. Any thoughts on this. Thanks

 

[Ssyko]

Its not drawing enough air through the burn pot. It needs a real good cleaning all the way to the rain cap. Clean all the holes in the pot. Check all gaskets, pull the blowers and clean, chambers also. Never had a quad overflow, they usually go out before they get that full. Let us know how you make out 😎

 

[Jsey]

Its not drawing enough air through the burn pot. It needs a real good cleaning all the way to the rain cap. Clean all the holes in the pot. Check all gaskets, pull the blowers and clean, chambers also. Never had a quad overflow, they usually go out before they get that full. Let us know how you make out 😎

Interesting. I had just cleaned the whole thing including the stove pipe. I religiously clean it. The part that I’ve never really understood is how to clean the chamber between the exhaust port in the stove behind the removable cast iron baffle and the exhaust exit at the rear of the stove. I hook a small hose to my ash vac and do the best I can given you can’t see anything. Dumb engineering in my opinion. I thought it might be a pressure switch issue

 

[johneh]

Try the leaf blower trick if you can
You will be surprised at how much ash it will pull from the stove
just remember to crack open the door

 

[Jsey]

Try the leaf blower trick if you can
You will be surprised at how much ash it will pull from the stove
just remember to crack open the door

I’m not familiar with that trick. Can you explain? Thanks

 

[johneh]

Do a search on the site, there are many threads on how to here

Thread 'Leaf Blower Trick'

Feb 20, 2025

It is possibly the best way to clean a stove! The one thing you want to make sure you do is either unhook the vacuum hose from the vac switch so damage is not caused by the vacuum or leave the stove door open a few inches. Clean and vacuum the fire pot and ash pan prior to doing this process.

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• Ssyko
• Replies: 19
• Forum: The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves

• 

 

[Jsey]

Do a search on the site, there are many threads on how to here

Thread 'Leaf Blower Trick'

Feb 20, 2025

It is possibly the best way to clean a stove! The one thing you want to make sure you do is either unhook the vacuum hose from the vac switch so damage is not caused by the vacuum or leave the stove door open a few inches. Clean and vacuum the fire pot and ash pan prior to doing this process.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

• Ssyko
• Replies: 19
• Forum: The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves

• 

Well I did the leaf blower trick and thoroughly cleaned the burn pot holes and everything else. Its pretty clean. quite a bit was sucked out by the blower but no go. The stove will light every time no problem, just won't stay lit. something is telling the auger not to turn. The only thing I can think of is the pressure switch. I took the hose off and it was clear. Somewhere I read that if you suck on the hose while attached to the switch that you should hear a click. That doesn't happen. I can't draw the tiniest amount of anything from the hose while attached. I was surprised to see that the hose on the opposite side of the switch slides over a plastic barbed fitting mounted on what appears to be the side of the auger tunnel

 

[Whitenuckler]

Well I did the leaf blower trick and thoroughly cleaned the burn pot holes and everything else. Its pretty clean. quite a bit was sucked out by the blower but no go. The stove will light every time no problem, just won't stay lit. something is telling the auger not to turn. The only thing I can think of is the pressure switch. I took the hose off and it was clear. Somewhere I read that if you suck on the hose while attached to the switch that you should hear a click. That doesn't happen. I can't draw the tiniest amount of anything from the hose while attached. I was surprised to see that the hose on the opposite side of the switch slides over a plastic barbed fitting mounted on what appears to be the side of the auger tunnel

Take the wires off the pressure switch (with the stove unplugged) and make a jumper to reconnect the wires. Run the stove and see. Make sure you are watching the flame and tell us if it looks strong like a weak blow torch (not a candle flame)

 

[johneh]

ake the wires off the pressure switch (with the stove unplugged) and make a jumper to reconnect the wires. Run the stove and see. Make sure you are watching the flame and tell us if it looks strong like a weak blow torch (not a candle flame)

Or if the stove keeps running. More than it did before you jumped the VACUUM switch and the auger keep feeding pellets

 

[Jsey]

Take the wires off the pressure switch (with the stove unplugged) and make a jumper to reconnect the wires. Run the stove and see. Make sure you are watching the flame and tell us if it looks strong like a weak blow torch (not a candle flame)

Interesting that you have suggested this because that is exactly what I just did. No change. The stove fires up on the computer and then when the thermocouple should take over and start running the auger nothing happens and the flame goes out. While it is burning on start up, the flame is very strong. The Thermocouple is new and reaches out exactly 1-3/4 and touches the end of the ceramic cover. I did throw a continuity test on the pressure switch and I was wrong before I can turn it on and off by blowing and sucking on the rubber tube

 

[Jsey]

Interesting that you have suggested this because that is exactly what I just did. No change. The stove fires up on the computer and then when the thermocouple should take over and start running the auger nothing happens and the flame goes out. While it is burning on start up, the flame is very strong. The Thermocouple is new and reaches out exactly 1-3/4 and touches the end of the ceramic cover. I did throw a continuity test on the pressure switch and I was wrong before I can turn it on and off by blowing and sucking on the rubber tube

At least its 62 degrees here today😀

 

[johneh]

Try reversing the thermocouple wiring, some have been sent out with the wrong colours

 

[Jsey]

Try reversing the thermocouple wiring, some have been sent out with the wrong colours

I've read that but the red wire has a male end and the yellow wire has a female end so you can't simply do that without cutting the ends off and adding the proper ends. Here's a question. Is it possible for the auger motor to be bad enough to allow the mother board to turn it it but not the thermocouple?

 

[Jsey]

What actually defines if the Thermocouple is bad? Is it if the soldered end has come apart? The one I replaced had not come apart and was original to the stove. I simply changed it hoping that was the problem

 

[Whitenuckler]

A thermocouple is hard to test. It produces a millivolt output and usually must be hooked up to a temperature controller to work properly.
To test your auger motor, unplug the stove, then make a fused jumper (10A, 120V) and disconnect the motor and reconnect. Do that with pellets, and that should prove the motor and auger. If that is good, I would suspect the board?
If you want to try reversing the polarity of the thermocouple, use some of the same stabs? 1/4"? ect and make interface jumpers. I don't think you can damage the probe, but don't quote me on that (or damage the board?)
It is still possible you had a bad thermocouple and a bad (wrong polarity) spare. You need to verify as best you can before a new $$ card.

 

[Ssyko]

Ok the way a quadra fire works is
1- call for heat, thermostat or turned on
2- combustion blower starts and pellets drop, fire starts.
3- fire burns higher and heats thermocouple up to 200 deg. Auger then gets signal that it has reached that temp and turns on auger to feed more pellets.
4- fire builds to a norm, then thermocouple senses 600-800 deg and stove goes out of start up into Run mode. The control board has 100% control over the stove 100% of the time it is on.

Sounds like a combustion blower that is weak or there is a blockage. It will be fine if you snip the ends off the thermocouple and revers them, just bear the ends and put under the screws. (Ends can be reapplied when troubleshooting is done).

 

[Whitenuckler]

As my P43 has a probe also, I looked at my spare. It has red wires with no other terminals other than a small black plug that I assume goes to the control board.
I did more research and found that if it happens to be reversed, no damage will occur, however the sensing of temperature will be wrong (indicated temp going down when heating tip)

Troubleshooting Quadra-Fire Thermocouples - Mountain View Hearth Products

You can test the output with a good meter (Fluke) on millivolts and a heat source (heat gun on low or BIC)
You should now be able to test the one you took out and the new one.

I grabbed the latest schematic - not sure what your manual has, but there is a hopper switch in series with the feed motor also:

 

[Jsey]

As my P43 has a probe also, I looked at my spare. It has red wires with no other terminals other than a small black plug that I assume goes to the control board.
I did more research and found that if it happens to be reversed, no damage will occur, however the sensing of temperature will be wrong (indicated temp going down when heating tip)

Troubleshooting Quadra-Fire Thermocouples - Mountain View Hearth Products

You can test the output with a good meter (Fluke) on millivolts and a heat source (heat gun on low or BIC)
You should now be able to test the one you took out and the new one.

I grabbed the latest schematic - not sure what your manual has, but there is a hopper switch in series with the feed motor also:

I reversed Thermocouple connections. No change. For some reason several days ago the stove overfilled in the middle of the night on start up so it occurred to me this morning that it could have tripped snap disc #2. As it is the only disc that can be manually reset, I located it but am unsure as to what the procedure is to reset it. I push the small plastic reset stem on the back of it but it seems to be spring loaded and just returns to its original position. What's the procedure? Could this disc be the problem and need replacement? I pulled the board as well and looked it over, nothing obvious like melted solder , burned up transformer, or blown up capacitor

 

[johneh]

You have to hold the button down until it clicks if it won't reset replace it but
to check just install a jumper on the 2 wires (DO NOT LET IT GROUND) and
see if the stove will run

 

[Whitenuckler]

I reversed Thermocouple connections. No change. For some reason several days ago the stove overfilled in the middle of the night on start up so it occurred to me this morning that it could have tripped snap disc #2. As it is the only disc that can be manually reset, I located it but am unsure as to what the procedure is to reset it. I push the small plastic reset stem on the back of it but it seems to be spring loaded and just returns to its original position. What's the procedure? Could this disc be the problem and need replacement? I pulled the board as well and looked it over, nothing obvious like melted solder , burned up transformer, or blown up capacitor

It could be you are looking at Snap Disc 3 as it has a reset. If it trips you will have no power. I grabbed a typical schematic/manual so check your manual as there are different revision stoves. I think yours was already reset, thus you can't reset it. If you overfill that is not a snap disk issue as snap disk 2 would stop the feed motor. If the probe thinks your stove is hot and running it would keep feeding. If you can try and test the probes and perhaps start thinking of getting a board.

 

[Whitenuckler]

BTW, has the stove been connected to a UPS or high quality surge protector since new?

 

[Jsey]

It could be you are looking at Snap Disc 3 as it has a reset. If it trips you will have no power. I grabbed a typical schematic/manual so check your manual as there are different revision stoves. I think yours was already reset, thus you can't reset it. If you overfill that is not a snap disk issue as snap disk 2 would stop the feed motor. If the probe thinks your stove is hot and running it would keep feeding. If you can try and test the probes and perhaps start thinking of getting a board.

yes you are correct I got my snap disks confused. Thanks

 

[Jsey]

BTW, has the stove been connected to a UPS or high quality surge protector since new?

It has not. probably should be though right?

 

[Whitenuckler]

It has not. probably should be though right?

Yes, I'm afraid that was something that was missed during the stove install. I installed a surge device into my main panel to protect my whole house, but I would still use surge protected plugs (and do) on all electronics. If you are interested in getting a UPS, that would provide the protection you need, otherwise a surge plug or bar. If you search this site you will find lots of recommendations.

 

[stovelark]

Does your Castille have the hopper switch? Sometimes magnet for it will get our of place. Auger won't work if this switch isn't closed...