Pellet Stove Won't Ignite or Feed Pellets? Troubleshooting Guide

Pellet stove won't light, or the flame dies because nothing's feeding? Ninety percent of the time it's one of a half-dozen causes — and most are fixable in ten minutes without parts. Work through these in order.

Safety first: unplug the stove before opening panels or reaching near the auger, and let everything cool. Your owner's manual's troubleshooting section overrides anything in a general guide, including this one.

Stove Won't Ignite

1. Empty or bridged hopper. Obvious, but it's the #1 cause. Pellets can "bridge" — arch over the auger opening leaving a void underneath while the hopper looks full. Stir the pellets and check the auger opening is covered.

2. Auger needs re-priming. After running empty (or on first use), the auger tube is empty and pellets take several minutes to travel to the burn pot — longer than the ignition window. Most stoves have a prime function, or you can drop a small handful of pellets directly into the burn pot and restart.

3. Dirty burn pot. The igniter works by blowing superheated air through the pellets. Ash or clinker buildup in the burn pot holes blocks that airflow and ignition fails even with a working igniter. Empty and scrape the pot — every hole clear.

4. Failed igniter. If the burn pot is clean, pellets are present, and you never see them start to glow or smoke during the ignition cycle, the igniter element has likely failed. It's a wear part — typically a straightforward replacement with the stove unplugged.

5. Airflow and vacuum problems. Many stoves won't attempt ignition if the door or hopper lid isn't sealed, the vent is obstructed, or the vacuum switch doesn't see negative pressure. Check the door gasket, hopper lid, and vent termination (birds' nests and ash blockages are classics), and clean the exhaust path.

Stove Won't Feed Pellets

1. Bridging again. Same fix — stir the hopper. Long or damp pellets bridge more; switching pellet brands sometimes ends the problem entirely.

2. Jammed auger. Fines (sawdust) and the occasional oversized pellet can bind the auger. With the stove unplugged, empty the hopper, vacuum out the fines, and clear the auger opening. Never put fingers or tools near the auger with power connected.

3. Safety switch doing its job. Feed stops are often intentional: a high-temperature snap disc or vacuum switch has tripped because of an overheated stove, an open door, or a dirty exhaust. If the stove feeds briefly then stops, clean the whole exhaust path first — heat exchanger, ash traps, vent — before suspecting parts.

4. Auger motor failure. If the auger shaft never turns during a feed cycle (you'll hear the motor hum or see nothing at all), the motor or its control has failed. Both are replaceable parts on current stoves.

The Pattern Behind Almost All of It

Most "broken" pellet stoves are dirty pellet stoves. The burn pot, heat exchanger, ash pan, and vent form one airflow circuit, and ash anywhere in that circuit eventually shows up as ignition failures, lazy flames, or feed shutdowns. A weekly clean during heating season prevents nearly everything above — it's why current stoves are built for tool-free access. On the ComfortBilt HP22, for example, the side panels are magnetic, a built-in scraper rod cleans the heat exchanger in seconds, and the ash pan slides out weekly.

Venting problems masquerading as stove problems are also common — too many elbows, no cleanout tee, blocked termination. Our pellet venting guide covers the setup mistakes that cause them.

When It's Time for a New Stove

If you're replacing igniters and auger motors annually on a stove from a discontinued brand, the parts hunt gets worse every year — that math is covered in our guide to retired pellet brands. Current stoves with published EPA data and full factory support start with the HP22; our buying guide covers sizing.

Stove questions before or after purchase: 1-888-914-0022.