Quadrafire CB1200 not starting - Control Box Amber light Blinks 3 times not feeding pellets

I forgot where I got it from so I attached it for you above.
Since the old Aladin Quadrafire did not have it in the Manual that is probably why they came out with this addendum.

 

My stove does not have that ground wire but my stove it also about 3-4 years newer than the date on that manual.

 

Interesting, the stove I worked on was a very old Aladin Quadrafire and the green ground wire was not in the manual. However the control box was upgraded from the old solid gray color box to the new clear box which comes with the green ground wire so the new circuitry may require it.
What color is your control box?

 

Like the clear/frosted....

 

Hello
All I can say is that:
This is what you get when you buy a new clear upgraded 3 speed control box. So your green ground wire maybe missing?

 

Who's spreading that nasty rumor??

 

Got stove from the original owner...said the only thing he replaced was the comb. blower...under warranty....so I'm not sure.

 

I'll have to look him up. The ground wire is not a must. It is being put out as a precautionary measure. kap

 

Since the Thermocouple works on a very small 5 millivolts then the ground wire prevents the ground from floating which would lessen the differential. correct?

 

Trusty FHC site comes through again.

Just had this issue on our Heatilator PS50.
Thought i might have to order a part and run the oil beast while we waited.
But vaccumming the ash out and brushing off the thermocouple did the trick.
Just odd this has never happened in over 11 years.
I know it's not always been pristine in there lol.

Might order a t-couple just to have on hand.

Thanks for the information.

 

So this happened again this morning.
Stove was running on low and i turned it up this morning to medium.
It ran and heated up until i heard that silence again.
Took the cover off and control box was flashing yellow.

Now it mkes a little more sense anyway that it wasn't the ash covering the tube, as it was all clear.
That seemed odd anyway to have been the cause before as the stove is in its 12th season and that has never happened.
I feel silly for even thinking that, but at least i found it odd that it would be.

I let the stove run and cool down a bit, unplugged and replugged it in, and set the switch to low and turned the t-stat on.
Feeding and burning again.


So without knowing much about the specifics of why a thermocouple would begin doing this, other than it "wearing out" (oxidized?) , i'm looking at the fact that the control box seems to be doing it's job just fine, and i simply need to replace the thermocouple.

I found an aftermarket thermocouple for a lot less than OEM
Heatilator Eco Choice 14" Thermocouple Fits Many Models, 812-4470-AMP

Any opinions on if there is any good reason not to go with this?
Also, should i replace the ceramic cover as well?

The picture of the aftermarket part shows the connectors (red and yellow) as separate from each other, while the pic of the OEM part i found looks to have them bundled together somehow.

OEM
https://i.imgur.com/PnrXaEi.jpg

Aftermarket
https://i.imgur.com/O6lZcsA.jpg

 

Heatilator Eco-Choice 14" Thermocouple + Cover, 812-4470

Found one for less, and includes the cover (Other site wanted $15 for that)
Free shipping as well.

 

Be careful which one you buy. I purchased two from Earth Sense a couple years ago and the polarity was reversed on the wires. The one from Stove Parts for Less are the ones I haven't had issues with. They had a bad run of thermocouples a couple years ago and they may still be out there. You don't need to replace the cover unless it is very worn.

 

Oof.
Already ordered from Earth Sense.

Have to hope they have taken care of that issue.

So, if the polarity is reversed, is that a danger to the control box?
And upon testing how will i see if the polarity is reversed?
Just flashing yellow again?

I'm guessing it isn't as easy as just switching the connections to the opposite positions to remedy it.

Thanks for the info.

 

Yes, no harm to the control box. If the new one keeps flashing after install you'll need to switch the wires...which is kind of a pain unless you have the correct connectors to make jumpers to reverse them.

 

What's irritating is you shouldn't have to do that on a new part. I called them to return the two that I bought and they said all you have to do is reverse the wires. Yeah, no chit but I shouldn't have to do that on a new item. I just wound up just keeping them.

 

100% agree.

Very much hoping they have gotten past having that as an issue.

 

Don't count on it. Old parts are common.

 

a different solution:

Harman Stoves | Built to a Standard, Not a Price