Troubleshooting Notes
Maintenance for the Versa-Grate Motor and Assembly
St. Croix implements a system they call the “Versa-Grate”. The bottom of the burn pot actually moves back and forth at its base, constantly pushing the clinker around to prevent sticking. In general, the overwhelming problems owners have seem to stem from one of two causes; either there is too much ash in the stove and its clogged up or the versa-grate motor burns out and causes the stove to become clogged up, sometimes both happen simultaneously. Besides that, these pellet stoves seem to exhibit about the same rate of repair as anything else. The components in these stoves are built remarkably well.
If the stove has power and the controller is “ON”, the versa-grate should be working. All St. Croix pellet stoves must have a functioning versa-grate system for the stove to burn properly. The versa-grate assembly is available as an entire kit through our website but has a few different configurations depending upon your year and model. I would suggest not to replace any singular part of this system; if any part of it is worn out, replace it all.
There are maintenance tasks owners can undertake which will extend the overall life of the versa-grate system found on St. Croix pellet stoves.
- The off-set cam on the end of the versa-grate motor shaft must be lubricated with a high-temp anti-seize lubricant after each ton of fuel that is burned. Simply brush on a generous amount on the top of the cam and it will lubricate itself as it turns.
- The stator cap on the top of the versa-grate motor should get 3 drops of non-detergent SAE30 oil every 6 months of continued use. We recommend Anderol 465 for all motor bearings.