When an auger motor fails it usually just quits but sometimes they can also get weak or slow. If so, replace it.
Can you repair or rebuild and auger motor? I have had a lot of people try to repair an auger motor but I have not found anyone successful at it.
The other issue that can cause your auger to stop turning is an auger jam. It usually happens when the sharp object you use to open your pellet bag falls into the hopper accidentally. It eventually finds it’s way down to the auger and gets caught. If this happens you need to remove all the pellets from the hopper and you may need to removed the auger. As of yet I don’t know of anyone who has destroyed the auger and had to replace it so don’t worry about that.
One final cause of an auger not turning is the vacuum switch. The vacuum switch is located right next to the exhaust fan and has a small tube going between it and the exhaust fan. What’s it for? It shuts off your auger motor if your chimney gets full of ash. If you haven’t cleaned your chimney in a year, this may be the cause of your auger not turning. To clean the chimney simply remove the cap on the bottom of the chimney right at the back of your stove, turn on your shop-vac to collect the ash, and bang on the side of the chimney with a hammer or wrench until the ash pours out. Start your stove and see if it works.
If it still doesn’t work you may have a bad vacuum switch (like I have right now on my Austroflamm). To test it, unplug your stove, take the wires off the switch and connect them together, plug your stove back in and see if it works. The vacuum switch is a safety feature however, if you clean your stove and your chimney every year you’ll never run the risk of it being activated. Therefore, running your stove without it for a period is not dangerous as long as it’s clean. I’ve had my stove for four years without a vacuum switch with not problem.
If you still can’t get it to work…Call me 530-409-5051 and we’ll figure it out together.
To find an auger motor to fit your stove visit my store at http://stores.ebay.com/store=16777311
“Is This an Original Part or a Knock Off?”
