Stove Won't Stay Lit

This is my 4th year with my Leisure Line Econo. I have never had this issue before until today. In prior years my stove has just lit with the starter bag and ran all winter. This year it also started with the starter bag and ran for several days, but now it mysteriously went out last night (outside temp was ~30). I have tried 2 starts today, it burns out in about an hour. I have maintained it well, kept it clean, and I double checked everything today - no blockages anywhere, etc. Help!

Quite a lot of possibilities here as to what may have caused your out-fires.

Too much air...do you have an adjustable air gate that swings to add or take away the amount of air feed? Your out-fire may have come when stove went into idle mode. If so reduce the amount of air and give that a try. A full grate of burning coal can tolerate excess air, where as an idle fire will not.

I've been observing it this evening and it seems like the problem might be that the automatic feeder is not actually moving coal. It does seem to feed if I put the Coaltrol on feed, and it sounds like it is feeding automatically but it clearly isn't. Suggestions?

mhoose wrote:This is my 4th year with my Leisure Line Econo. I have never had this issue before until today. In prior years my stove has just lit with the starter bag and ran all winter. This year it also started with the starter bag and ran for several days, but now it mysteriously went out last night (outside temp was ~30). I have tried 2 starts today, it burns out in about an hour. I have maintained it well, kept it clean, and I double checked everything today - no blockages anywhere, etc. Help!

Could you please tell me what this starter bag is?

Almost sounds like you are not really getting her started in the first place. I'm thinking this is where Grumpy is headed.

The cam may be loose on the feed motor shaft.
The cam moves the carpet and feeds the coal.

tsb wrote:The cam may be loose on the feed motor shaft.
The cam moves the carpet and feeds the coal.

OK, so where is this cam? How do I tighten it? Or do I? The motor that runs the feeder does run - I hear it and I see it

freetown fred wrote:Almost sounds like you are not really getting her started in the first place. I'm thinking this is where Grumpy is headed.

You may have a point there, but no, I have never heard of a starter bag, just wondering what it is. Unless it's the product Duraflame makes. But I would think there is no way to get coal going with that.

freetown fred wrote:Almost sounds like you are not really getting her started in the first place. I'm thinking this is where Grumpy is headed.

Whatever, it's not my first trip around the block. The starter bags (apologies to those who don't know what they are, I can't explain them) DO work and the coal is indeed burning strong when it's done.

The problem clearly is at this point that the feeder is not properly feeding. The ashes/cinders that normally move to the front of the plate and drop off as the stove feeds don't move, which of course also means new coal is not moving up on it's own. I know this because I knocked the front stuff off and there remains a gap there, no pile as there would usually be before it drops of in little chunks when the feeder runs.

grumpy wrote:

freetown fred wrote:Almost sounds like you are not really getting her started in the first place. I'm thinking this is where Grumpy is headed.

You may have a point there, but no, I have never heard of a starter bag, just wondering what it is. Unless it's the product Duraflame makes. But I would think there is no way to get coal going with that.

They actually talk about them in the Leisure Line manual. I buy them where I buy my coal, and always assumed they were made by Leisure Line. They're plain without markings, so that may not be the case, but I know my dealer doesn't make them. I'll ask them next time I'm there.

Best I can explain them is they're a small brown paper bag filled with mysterious substances (I've seen pieces of flare mentioned as a possible ingredient in other places) that burn very hot for about 10-15 minutes. My dealer charges 80 cents for them.

A quote directly from the manual: "Place a fire starter bag on the grate and move the coal aside so it contacts the air holes, cover it partially with coal." And a few lines later: "Light the starter bag and close the door, after four minutes throw a handful of coal onto the flames using a small shovel if there is exposed starter bag visible."

See that, you diagnosed your own problem. What is the solution??? Now me being an old hand fired guy I am curious my friend.What all is involved--feeder motor, auger????

freetown fred wrote:See that, you diagnosed your own problem. What is the solution??? Now me being an old hand fired guy I am curious my friend.What all is involved--feeder motor, auger????

That's what I don't know. I diagnosed, but I don't know how to fix, although I do know the motor works, I hear it right now.

That post TSB made would be where I would tend to look--can't help you with the where's or how to check that one.

mhoose wrote:

grumpy wrote: You may have a point there, but no, I have never heard of a starter bag, just wondering what it is. Unless it's the product Duraflame makes. But I would think there is no way to get coal going with that.

They actually talk about them in the Leisure Line manual. I buy them where I buy my coal, and always assumed they were made by Leisure Line. They're plain without markings, so that may not be the case, but I know my dealer doesn't make them. I'll ask them next time I'm there.

Best I can explain them is they're a small brown paper bag filled with mysterious substances (I've seen pieces of flare mentioned as a possible ingredient in other places) that burn very hot for about 10-15 minutes. My dealer charges 80 cents for them.

A quote directly from the manual: "Place a fire starter bag on the grate and move the coal aside so it contacts the air holes, cover it partially with coal." And a few lines later: "Light the starter bag and close the door, after four minutes throw a handful of coal onto the flames using a small shovel if there is exposed starter bag visible."

Could you be using this? Picture of a Coal Mouse

tsb wrote:The cam may be loose on the feed motor shaft.
The cam moves the carpet and feeds the coal.

I'm still not positive what you're referring to, but more observation: When I hear the motor run (or make it run by setting the Coaltrol to feed) I can see above the motor a part that moves apparently on a circular track and moves a piece that connects inside the stove back and forth. That part is moving, I can't see what is happening inside the stove.