USSC 5660 goes out

Stove seems to start fine, after a while, the fire goes out and the 1-2 error code appears. Tried shorting out the vacuum switch and the low level switch but no change. When shutting down, the exhaust motor seems to run intermittently

Hi Roy
A dirty stove with too much ash in the ash traps or in the venting and exhaust blower can cause this.
If the auger motor is old and weak they can fail after about an hour or more when the stove heats up but if the pellet stove dies after about 15 - 30 mins it usually is a bad safety switch.
It sounds like a bad vacuum switch or bad seal on the fire door or ash pan. If the exhaust blower was cutting out, that would cause it too, If the auger did not turn at all, that could be a bad high limit switch but that does not sound like your problem,
So check all those items again.
Good luck
Don

Hi Don,
After cleaning thoroughly (taking a brush to the stovepipe and cleaning inside the stove) and sucking ash out of the side port adjacent to the exhaust blower, it failed again - after about 10 minutes. The auger motor seems fine. Which is the safety switch? I see pressure switch and low and high temp switches. The ash pan seal seems fine but how do I check the door seal?

• Roy

The 2 safety switches that stop the auger from turning are the vacuum switch with the silicone hose attached to it and the high limit switch with the 2 wires and the reset button in the middle.
The fire door gasket can be checked with the dollar bill test. Close the door on a dollar bill on all 4 sides and if you can easily pull the bill out then you need a new door gasket.

Again, thanks. The auger is working so I don't think it's a switch. I'll check the door. Replacing the gasket seems like a big job. Do you sell replacement gaskets? Is it as easy to replace as the burn box gasket?
Speaking of the burn pot, it is also warped and the base has begun to separate from the wall where the gasket is seated. I'm planning to replace it after this burn season but could this be a problem?

That was my comment above, I didn't know I had been logged out.

Hi Roy
Thanks for logging in. The firedoor rope gasket is easy to replace on your stove compared to others and we have it right here. Just remove the old gasket and scrape out the cement, I use a wire wheel on the drill to make it easy. Then just apply the silicone and then the new rope. We have them both right here
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/hudson-river-saranac-door-gasket-graphite-7-8-inch-rope-7-long-hrsp-121s?_pos=3&_sid=59f32962d&_ss=r
Also I found those burn pots wear out quickly so I now heavier have one for your stove with a stainless steel bottom we call the Super Pot!
Super Pot
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/saranac-5660-burn-pot-non-oem-with-stainless-steel-bottom-fire-pot-hudson-river-replaces-hrsp-116s-or-us-891994?_pos=1&_sid=e63bd1c5e&_ss=r
Also have the OEM pot here.
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/u-s-stove-5660-burn-pot-891994?_pos=2&_sid=be7d73add&_ss=r
-Don

Hi Don,
Replaced the door gasket (not as hard as I thought but not trivial) and the burn pot - thanks for the quick turn-around on my order.
The problem persists. The exhaust blower stops just before the failure code starts blinking. It seems I've tried everything. What could be causing the exhaust motor to cut out? Any other suggestions?
thanks,

• Roy

Hi Roy
I think we now have it narrowed down to either of 2 items the exhaust blower.
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/us-stove-5660-5770-6-high-quality-exhaust-combustion-blower-2-male-clips-ga-exblw-pp7906-unihub-white-high-temp-gasket?_pos=1&_sid=02c738315&_ss=r
First you can attach the exhaust blower to an ac cord and plug it into the wall to test it.
Or it can be the control panel.
There are 2 different control panels
The older 5660 with the panel on the Right side Door.
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/control-board-panel-us-stove-5660?_pos=1&_sid=ce67b619d&_ss=r
Or the new 5650 with the panel on the top of the stove.
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/ap5660l-5660-circuit-board-for-new-lcd-control-panel-us-stove-5660-part-80631-80676?_pos=2&_sid=ce67b619d&_ss=r
Any questions let me know
-Don

Hi Don,
I had trouble believing the exhaust blower was not working as I had bought one in December 2017 and didn't think it would fail after 3 seasons. Sure enough, connecting it directly to AC power gives a hum but it does not turn. If the stove (and blower) is cold, it starts. When the stove and motor are warm - the blower motor is very hot to the touch - it will not run. Do I need to replace the motor? Do these only last a few years?
as always, thanks,

• Roy

Hello Roy
I have done a lot of research and investigation on why exhaust blowers last longer in some stoves than others.
The 5660 puts out a lot of heat for it’s size and has a lot of heat buildup inside around the blower motors. I also met with a manufacturing engineer of pellet stoves exhaust blowers who explained how this heat buildup is the main cause of blower motor failure. So there are 2 ways to keep the blowers in your stove cooler and therefore last longer.

• Exhaust Blower cooling fan https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/us-stove-5660-back-panel-component-cooling-fan-120-vac-axial-or-muffin-style-for-longer-lasting-motors?_pos=2&_sid=21047282e&_ss=r
• Convection blower extender to keep motor away from the hot fire wall. https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/convection-blower-extender-us-stove-5660?_pos=2&_sid=63ac96d38&_ss=r

Thanks for asking
Don
Heavy duty ball bearing Exhaust blower
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/us-stove-5660-5770-6-high-quality-exhaust-combustion-blower-2-male-clips-ga-exblw-pp7906-unihub-white-high-temp-gasket?_pos=3&_sid=dfd7267e2&_ss=r

Hi Don,
The parts received have all been installed and the stove is back to normal - actually, better than normal - operating condition. Please excuse the delay in giving you this feedback. The stove is much quieter which I attribute to the silicone gaskets on either side of the blower extender.
Thanks, as always, for the excellent service and support.

• Roy

Glad to hear your stove is up and running again and glad to help. Thanks for your feedback.
-Don

Don- Pellet Stove Master (@donpelletstovemaster):
Hello Roy
I have done a lot of research and investigation on why exhaust blowers last longer in some stoves than others.
The 5660 puts out a lot of heat for it’s size and has a lot of heat buildup inside around the blower motors. I also met with a manufacturing engineer of pellet stoves exhaust blowers who explained how this heat buildup is the main cause of blower motor failure. So there are 2 ways to keep the blowers in your stove cooler and therefore last longer.
Thanks for asking
Don
Heavy duty ball bearing Exhaust blower
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/us-stove-5660-5770-6-high-quality-exhaust-combustion-blower-2-male-clips-ga-exblw-pp7906-unihub-white-high-temp-gasket?_pos=3&_sid=dfd7267e2&_ss=r

I had problems on start up would run then trip code 1and 2 so I took exhaust apart to clean it out and had dead bird lodged in exhaust fan cleaned all up and put back together runs fine and new screen outside

My ussc pellet stove feeds pellet to the burn pot fine but the auger that stirs the pellets in the burn pot won't turn. The pellets catch fire and everything else runs fine but that

Hello
The fuel stirrer has a separate motor with no safety switches connected to it. So if it does not turn it is either a bad motor or the control board is bad. The motor works on 120 VAC so you can plug it directly into the wall outlet to test it.
Link to view test cord:
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/products/copy-of-pellet-stove-ac-line-test-cord-check-blowers-auger-motor-igniter?_pos=2&_sid=a8492ba91&_ss=r

Hi, when I start my stove it starts to run for around 30 seconds - then I get codes 3 &4. Any ideas?
Thanks

Hello,
Those error codes point to the high limit switch. Try pressing the red button on the high limit switch.

We have a US Stove 5660. We were having a problem with it running for 5 minutes and shutting down. The back panel had a lot of wear so we replaced it. It ran for several hours then shut down and showed codes 4 & 5. We restarted it and it ran for a few minutes then shut down, showing codes 1 & 5.

Page 9 in the 5660 owners manual explains the 1 & 4 error and the 1 & 5 errors
See here also
Safety Features and warning code:

• Your heater is equipped with a temperature “high-limit” switch, designed to shutdown the auger in case of an over temperature situation. The high-limit switch is a thermo snap disc type and must be manually reset in the event of an overheat shutdown. Once the heater has cooled down, you can reactivate the high-limit switch by depressing the manual reset button located on the high-limit switch.
• When the High-Limit switch opens, which indicates an overheat failure, the HEAT LEVEL LED’s 3 & 4 will flash red.
• Your heater is equipped with a vacuum switch that automatically shuts down the auger in the event of a exhaust fan malfunction.
• When a Vacuum Error is sensed, the HEAT LEVEL LED’s 1 & 2 will flash red. Check to ensure the glass door is latched properly.
• When the Low-Limit switch opens, (fire went out) the HEAT LEVEL LED’s 4 & 5 will flash red. First check fuel supply, then check to ensure Auger is not jammed and finally that pellet hopper door is properly closed.
• When the Pellets in the Burn Pot fail to ignite HEAT LEVEL LED’s 1 & 5 will flash red.