I had an issue with airflow which caused my stove to significantly build up pellets which caused a jam in the auger. I cleared the jam but now the auger will not turn. The auger is still getting power because I can hear it "click" every time the auger light on the control board flashes. I can also see the auger starts to move but then stops. I currently have no pellets in my stove and the auger will not move. I have a service appointment scheduled but they aren't able to come out for two weeks. Is there anything I can do to get this thing working? Does the auger not turn when there are no pellets in the stove?
Whitfield Advantage II-T - Auger failure
- Thread starter dbull18
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Have you checked the connection between auger and motor? Mine stove has a cotter pin in it that is designed to shear off under a load such as jammed auger. The auger shaft is usually keyed so its probably trying to turn and then slipping... When mine sheared off it sounded like a gun going off and took me about 4 hours to remove the broken pc out of the shaft...
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
The auger is timed, it doesn’t run continuously. So if the auger turns everytime the motor does put some pellets into it and fire it up
I just tried this. It ran for about 15 mins and shut off on its own. It did not feed pellets but I can hear the auger trying to move.
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
Better pull the auger motor and bench test to make sure the plastic input gear in the auger gear box hasn’t been stripped out and just letting the motor run. Pull it and make a cord to plug into the wall, then try to hold the big shaft fom turning. If you can hold it and not let it turn you need a new auger motor
Hmmmm... The quad reduction gearboxes on my unit have all metal gears, no plastic. Had them apart in the past tpoclean the hardened grease out and regrease them.
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
Well all The Chinese made that people are buying, the first gear the armature touches is nylon. I have 3 in the shop now. Sad thing is they’re new.
Guess I'll keep mine full of clean grease then. Little tip Sysko... If the gear isn't stripped and the gearbox is still viable, take the case apart, flush out the insides with mineral spirits (I use my ultrasonic cleaner with Berryman Chemtool in it) to remove all the cheap chink grease, take either of the case halves and drill a 1/16" hole in the top side that you can get a needle greaser in. Replace the gear train with light oil and reassemble the the halves. Take a needle greaser (you can use a chainsaw bar nose greaser) and fill the case with good quality synthetic grease until it oozes out from around the input bushing where the motor armature shaft enters the gearcase and re install it. Be good to go go a long time. I grease all my gearboxes a shot every spring until I get a little weeping out of the bushing where the armature shaft enters the gearbox.
The issue is, the Chinese don't put in good grease and not enough either so the heat of operation solidifies what little grease is inside and the lubrication goes south and the gearbox fails. 20+ years on mine with no failures ever and greasing them takes only a minute at most. The first reduction gear really carries little torque load. It's the final reduction gearsets that take the pounding. Remember, shaded pole motors have very little start torque so a nylon or plastic gear can be used. besides, it's quieter (and cheaper).
I believe the root cause of all the failures is lack of good grease inside and not enough either, The geartrain should be running in grease all the time. I know when I took mine apart years ago (first year I serviced it), the grease inside the gearboxes like mouse turds inside. Gears were dry, just little grease turds in the corners. That don't work. That atmosphere they run in is very detrimental to longevity, especially with very little lubricant inside.
I clued Firepot Pete into that way back on IBC and I bet he's still running his original gearboxes too.
Yup, great thread, what a loss of information.
I will admit that I have abused the agitator motor and gear box. I haven't had to use it in years being I run clinker style and need to at least let the motor spin now and then. It's not connected to anything that would inhibit how I am burning with the clinker pot.
I have the OEM pot, a couple of spare agitators so I have what I need if I would need to burn pellets.
I appreciate the responses everyone but this issues seems above my abilities. I will just wait another week for the technician to come out.
The tech came out today and diagnosed the problem. The auger motor failed and needed to be replaced. Stove is up and running again!
The failure was most likely due to the fiber washer wears then the auger motor gear drops down not making contact, called the 6 cent fix but Mr Butkus, read here scroll down to the 06 cent fix, happened to me year's ago
Whitfield pellet stove repair, pellet stove repair, auger repair, cleaning a pellet stove, pellet stove control board repair
Whitfield pellet stove repair, pellet stove repair.
www.butkus.org
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