When your pellet stove stops feeding fuel, a worn or failed auger motor is usually the culprit. The St. Croix 80P20278-R is a direct OEM-spec replacement motor that restores consistent pellet delivery from hopper to burn pot -- keeping your heat output steady and your stove running cleanly all season. It ships fully assembled and ready to drop in.
The auger motor is one of the hardest-working components in any pellet stove. It runs continuously whenever the stove is firing, turning a spiral shaft to move pellets at a controlled rate from the hopper into the burn pot. A slow, erratic, or seized auger motor causes feed interruptions, flame-outs, and error codes. This St. Croix-specific motor is engineered to the correct RPM and torque spec so fuel delivery is smooth and consistent.
Part number 80P20278-R is also catalogued under NBK Parts number 20128N -- both identifiers refer to the identical unit. If you pulled a failed motor and see either number on the label or in your stove's parts breakdown, this is the correct replacement.
Matched to the auger pitch and hopper geometry of compatible St. Croix stoves for consistent, metered pellet feed without bridging or overflow.
Factory-spec clockwise drive direction. Installs directly onto the auger shaft without modification or adapter hardware.
One male spade and one female spade connector match the OEM wiring harness. No splicing or crimp work needed in most installations.
Ready to mount out of the box. Attach to the auger shaft, connect the spade terminals, and restore heat -- no bench assembly required.
The auger is a helical screw that runs inside a sealed feed tube connecting the fuel hopper to the burn pot. The motor turns the auger at a precise low speed -- in this case 2 RPM -- so that pellets are advanced steadily rather than dumped in a surge. The stove's control board regulates heat output by cycling the motor on and off; a motor that runs too fast, too slow, or intermittently throws off the air-to-fuel ratio and triggers safety shutdowns.
Replacing a failed motor with one that matches the OEM speed and torque rating is critical. An undersized motor will stall under the weight of a full hopper; an incorrectly rated motor will over-feed or under-feed and cause the stove to fault.
The 80P20278-R comes fully assembled with the correct output shaft diameter, rotation direction, and wiring connectors for a straightforward swap. No modifications to the stove wiring or auger shaft are required on supported models.
This motor is confirmed to fit the following St. Croix pellet stove models. Cross-reference your model tag (located on the back or side panel of the stove) before ordering:
This part is also listed and sold as NBK Parts number 20128N. If your parts supplier or stove manual references 20128N, it is the same motor as St. Croix 80P20278-R.
Auger motor replacement on St. Croix pellet stoves is a straightforward service task for a competent DIYer. General steps for most compatible models:
While the hopper and auger are accessible, clear any pellet dust, fines, or bridged material from the feed tube. Compressed fines are a leading cause of repeat auger motor failures because they increase the torque load beyond the motor's rated capacity.
Not all St. Croix pellet stoves use the same auger motor. Some older or newer model years use a different RPM, shaft size, or rotation direction. Check the model tag on your stove and compare to the confirmed fitment list above before installation.