Hello.

New to the forum. Our 1.5 year old Mt.Vernon AE Insert is giving the infamous Auger Jam error code. We have emptied the hopper, vacuumed the shute, removed and cleaned the baffle area. We read we need to pull the auger, clean the sensor, check the connections and try again. We are trying to avoide a service call. We unscrewed the 4 screws around the auger and were not able to pull the auger which told us we were missing something. Oh, and we see connected wires. Do we disconnect at the auger or elsewhere?

Can someone please tell us how on earth to pull the auger? Are we unscrewing the wrong screws? Do we have to pull the insert out of the fireplace (surely not?). Being an insert, it is a challenge to work back there to begin with.

Thanks,
LB

Yes, you are unscrewing the wrong screws. There is only one screw on the bottom side that holds the entire auger assy. in place. But i am wondering why you don't do a service call. You should be under a two year warranty. And you will want to unhook the wire harness's that come from the auger assy. One set is for the motor, and the other is for the optical sensor. Make sure to unplug stove first, so as not to chance shorting anything out. The sensor is the part that sits over the disc with the holes in it. It "senses" the holes going around to tell it the auger is turning. It is held on with the top two screws you probably undid. It has a shiny metal bracket. You can look at your owners manual. The sensor wires can be disconnected close to the auger. The auger motor wires need to be disconnected at the control board. Be careful as these connections are very delicate.I would think you could pull the auger assy. just far enough out, without having to unplug the wires, so as to clean the optical sensor. I would still recommend calling for service under warranty. I would verify with your dealer that this should be under warranty. Any electrical components. The auger motor is electrical, as is the optical sensor. Stay in touch. Kap

Calling it a nite. Kap

We cleaned the sensor and took your advice and called the tech. Good thing. The sensor had failed and was under warranty. He replaced our gasket on the exhaust clean out as it had torn when we tried to vacuum out the clean out. We ended up with the good rubberish gasket versus the felt one that came with the stove. We also learned a bit during the appointment today too. This was a good experience for us overall.

Thanks for your help, 2 cents, and guidance.

Glad things turned out in your favor. That new style gasket is reuseable too. Stay warm. Kap