St. Croix Hastings VersaGrate Motor Noise - Revisited with videos!

[krooser]

Has anyone had issues with popping or banging sounds from the versa grate?

I have a York insert that I just installed. Intermittently, it makes a LOUD popping noise...when I look at the burn pot, you can see the pellets jumping along with the bangs - looks like popcorn!

Last night the banging got so loud, it woke up everyone in the house both upstairs and down. It sounded like a hammer hitting sheet metal at full velocity.

The dealer is going to send someone by this weekend but as it is an intermittent problem, I'm afraid they won't be able to do much.

I'd pull the burn pot and the grate and make sure it's clean everywhere... don't forget to vacuum in front of the grate area... ash packs into the front and COULD cause it to bind.

 

[Estarrio]

Thanks for the advice - this was actually within the first four hours of operation on a fresh install. I cleaned everything...took it all apart and restarted and it still popped. Eventually, it stopped and has been running for the past couple of hours with no issue. Maybe, I'll get lucky and it won't continue. I'm still working on my first bag of pellets in the hopper.

 

[krooser]

My St. Croix will pop and crack when it's been restarted after being stone cold... happened tonite since I had my stove off all day (I rarely do that). I even got up from my cozy recliner to see what the hell made "that" noise... I always restart my stove on setting #3 or 4 to get it hot right away then set it to the temp I want.

When doing your regular cleaning make sure you clean those ash traps above the ashpan really good... and keep the area around the versa-grate clean...

 

[Xena]

Estarrio that is messed up. Never any noises
of the kind from my St Croix. Hope you get it
resolved.

 

[tchdngrnby]

I experianced that same "pop" with my EXL once or twice, I noted the grate weldment that sits over the shaker plate move upwards at the same time I heard the pop (yes I was sitting in front of the stove staring aimlessly at the flames while enjoying a cold brew). The cause was a clinker stuck on the shaker plate. Upon start up, the clinker is obviously solid and interferes with the shaker plate as it slides beneith the grate weldment. I remedied this by removing the shaker plate and giving it a good scraping and cleaning. Also scrape the inside edges and the bottom of the grate weldment, it is a clinker attractor. I use the end of a flat file to scrape and chip away at any build up. I've since purchased a spare shaker plate so, when I do my cleanings, I just drop the clean plate in the stove and then I can clean the dirty plate at my convienience with proper alcoholic intake. If the tax man giveth, I plan to obtain a spare grate weldment to reduce my shutdown time when cleaning.

Removal of the shaker plate is a task all in itself. In preparation to remove the shaker plate, drop your stove down to the #1 setting. Open your left side door (facing the glass) and watch the versa grate cam lobe position. Once the low side of the cam is at 3 o'clock, kill the power and let the stove cool. The shaker plate will now be able to clear the shrowd that covers the ignitor and will lift off of the shaft without any problems. This is also a good time to slobber on some anti-seize compound to lubricate the versa grate shaft as it is fully retracted. The lube will be pulled into the bushing once you restart the stove. A little dab will do ya they say!

Hope this helps,

Paul V

 

[tchdngrnby]

Forgot to add that Krooser's comment that 80% of all stove problems are the result of a dirty stove hits the mark again.

 

[two-if-by-sea]

I uploaded a video of the noise that my St Croix Prescott pellet stove is making:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgI0phh1cQU

I think it's pretty easy to hear the noise, and I'm curious if this is the infamous "VersaGrate" noise:
0:01 --> you can immediately hear the noise
0:15 --> pellets feed - a much quieter noise
0:37 --> small noise
0:37 --> small noise
2:01 --> HUGE noise

The stove was installed 9/2008. During the 2008-2009 heating season, I had no issues, and never heard the noise. When I started the stove for the 2009-2010 heating season, almost immediately, the noise started driving me NUTS! I can hear it from every single room in the house. The smaller noises documented above are not so bad. But the long clicking noise at the end is awful. Let me know if you guys think it's the Versagrate noise.

Thanks!

 

[ylomnstr]

I uploaded a video of the noise that my St Croix Prescott pellet stove is making:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgI0phh1cQU

I think it's pretty easy to hear the noise, and I'm curious if this is the infamous "VersaGrate" noise:
0:01 --> you can immediately hear the noise
0:15 --> pellets feed - a much quieter noise
0:37 --> small noise
0:37 --> small noise
2:01 --> HUGE noise

The stove was installed 9/2008. During the 2008-2009 heating season, I had no issues, and never heard the noise. When I started the stove for the 2009-2010 heating season, almost immediately, the noise started driving me NUTS! I can hear it from every single room in the house. The smaller noises documented above are not so bad. But the long clicking noise at the end is awful. Let me know if you guys think it's the Versagrate noise.

Thanks!

Your sounds are definately different than the original sounds I posted. Sounds like something is banging. But if I hear correctly I still hear the versagrate motor running in the background also. I'm going to try and get a new video with my actual video camera of mine, instead of the cell phone I used.

 

[Estarrio]

two-if-by-sea: My problem is similar - I am getting a banging but not with the rattle that I seem to hear in your video. The dealer came by and adjusted, lubed the versa grate components but the problem has resurfaced...will be calling him back to check it out.

 

[ylomnstr]

two-if-by-sea: My problem is similar - I am getting a banging but not with the rattle that I seem to hear in your video. The dealer came by and adjusted, lubed the versa grate components but the problem has resurfaced...will be calling him back to check it out.

The rattle is definately the versagrate motor. You can lube it all you want, but it comes back. The banging I was getting early in the season, but haven't heard it lately. Seems to bang when it's first firing up and it's been cold.

 

[Xena]

Knock on wood, I've never heard the loud banging from
mine but did have the annoying rattle. I disconnected
the versa grate and haven't looked back but - as I recall
someone on here, maybe a few someones, came up
with a remedy involving packing it with grease.
Not worth the bother for me since all is fine without
but for those with a noisy one who think they need a versa grate it might
be a worthwhile mod to try.

 

[ylomnstr]

Knock on wood, I've never heard the loud banging from
mine but did have the annoying rattle. I disconnected
the versa grate and haven't looked back but - as I recall
someone on here, maybe a few someones, came up
with a remedy involving packing it with grease.
Not worth the bother for me since all is fine without
but for those with a noisy one who think they need a versa grate it might
be a worthwhile mod to try.

I remember you saying that you disabled it and haven't turned it back on. I wired a switch into mine so I can shut it off at will, say for example, if I'm watching a really quite movie. Otherwise I've learned to live with it being loud. I've been through 2 motors. I've got a 3rd one sitting which I haven't installed yet, but at least this way, I've got replacements incase the motor ever actually fails. With the motor running, I see that ash builds up more quickly in the pot, but no other real side effects.

 

[Xena]

ylomnstr I posted the above more for the two new
folks who showed up here in this thread yesterday
and today. ;-)

 

[Latent]

You definately have to turn the volume up to hear it on the video, but you guys MUST hear the grinding/rattling sound in the first video. There is no sound in the 2nd video other than the "thump" sound which is just the stove settling as it heats up since it's the first burn this year.

Here's some info on the motors. The first motor has no sticker on it like the 2nd and 3rd one do giving model info, but it does have the same MK VF stamp on it, so I assume the same company made the first one.

The 2nd currently installed motor is made by Merkle-Korff Ind. Model # is 4515UI-040. P/N 80P20296. 115V 60 HZ. Rated .39 Amps
The 3rd motor which I haven't installed yet is the same make. Model # is 4509UI-040. P/N 80P20296. 115V 60 HZ. Rated .39 Amps.

Only difference I see is the model # is different.

After reading everyone's messages I did something different last year. I pulled the motor and pumped grease through the hole the motor shaft was in. I purchased a timer that turns on the vg motor every 60 minutes for 5 minutes each hour ( Farmtek timer
# 102719). The noise is still there but a little less and not on all the time just the 5 minutes each hour. I am running more air then normal (combustion air) and found that it helped removing ash from the combustion area. I will be replacing the motor and gear assembly with a heavier model. I believe that the vg motor assembly helps but what a bad design.