Question  My pellet stove is not feeding pellets.

I have a question about my Erin Waterford Renaissance pellet stove. It was working great until this spring when the auger motor stopped dropping pellets. The auger motor still has a sound, but not the turning sound. Would this only be a auger problem or is there something else I need to look at before I order a new auger. Thanks for your help Debra, La Center WA

Answer Response from Wood Heat – “Diagnose with deductive reasoning step by step”

Hi Debra,

I wish I could analyze all the possible reasons that your stove is not feeding pellets down the chute from your description but I am afraid that there are lots of possible reason and solutions and further examination would be necessary to avoid “throwing parts at the problem” which might not resolve it and create further frustration.

We cannot offer an analysis program thru email or over the phone but I will give you a few ideas to pursue and you or someone with some mechanical skills needs to dig in and evaluate what is occurring. I hope this helps. I have attached the guide to finding parts which can help you find the resources you will need and the parts list for the Renaissance pellet stove from Whitfield which is the same inner workings as the Waterford Erin. Some but not all of these parts are still available on this older model. Some of the parts can be rebuilt to repair those that are not available any longer.

Do you have a manual for the stove? Often troubleshooting symptoms is covered in these. There may be a technical manual that goes beyond the owner’s manual. All of our manuals are listed in the category under documents.

Have you emptied the hopper to see if there is a pile of sawdust on the bottom? The auger cannot feed sawdust only clean pellets. This is the simplest solution and most common problem. Were pellets left in the stove over the summer? That is not advised since they can swell with moisture and make the auger seize up. Have you taken the back off of the stove to watch the auger movement? The auger on that model only runs for a few seconds then stops. Watching the auger to see if the motor is moving it during operation is the place to start. Removing the motor to run it under full power to see if you can hold it from moving with a vice grip pliers will tell you if the gear box in the motor case is stripped out. Removing the auger and clearing out jammed pellets turned to sawdust might be the solution.

See if these ideas lead to a conclusion or further questions. The factory technical department at Whitfield is available if they can talk to someone who is willing to go thru procedures like this and if necessary we can put you in touch with them once the more simple solutions are exhausted.

I hope this helps you get a clearer picture of what you are dealing with and the possible solutions.

Let us know if we can help you further in any way.

Thanks, Bruce

Bruce Beeley – owner
Nevada City, CA 95959
530-265-8618
Fax 530-265-8656
bruce@woodheatstoves.com
http://www.woodheatstoves.com/
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