Feed Motor Longevity

Having just replaced my 2nd feed motor in 2 years here's some tips to keep them going a long time.Improper maintenance is my determination of cause for failure.Symptoms are turning coaltrol feed rate up,then up again,and again, and having the fire size slowly shrinking over days until you're at minimum burn on max feed rate=no real heat.The motor eventually seizes. Cure=empty hopper,remove feed motor,remove the feed plate that the motor moves back and forth,turn plate over and find rust and carbon buildup on bottom resulting in excessive friction overloading feed motor and destroying it.Steel wool and a file smooth everything out,take the sharp edges off the stamped metal too,check burn plate(one with the holes)for corrosion and pitting creating friction/binding,steel wool the chute at bottom of hopper to remove light rust,coat lightly with mobil1 fully synthetic and put it all back together,coaltrol mx feed rate setting is now 26 and giving a plate full of fire,works better than new.Hope my problem helps you avoid the same thing.

Cleaning the stove every season is part of the recommended maintenance. Things that are necessary are come spring soon after the fire is out the hopper needs to be emptied. If you burned really wet coal especially. Cleaning the grate and the carpet aka. (pusher plate ) , clean the glass (with water only). Disconnect the flue pipe and clean, recommend blocking the stove off from the outside world. If it is in a damp basement putting a light bulb inside helps.

Another thing that causes the feed area to rust real badly is poor or low draft. If you have sweat on your hopper lid often that is a first indication. That needs to be corrected. It could be as simple as the Barometric Damper being out of adjustment. Holes in the pipe, blocked piping, Or the chimney having a problem.

If the feed motors have a abnormal load on them they will fail. Maintenance is key. if you are unsure about this, having a qualified dealer do the service is good insurance.