PE Super insert wired incorrectly at factory!

This is my first post but I have been reading the Hearth forum for quite some time and it has been an invaluable resource. Thanks to the many relevant posts, I was able to self install a full-length insulated SS liner in my chimney, connected to a PE Super insert. Just finished it up this weekend. Connecting the so-called "flex" liner to the top of the stove was an exercise in frustration, but it eventually came together.

So last night I started my first burn. I turned the blowers on with the bypass switch since it wasn't up to temperature yet. The fans sounded a little anemic and didn't seem to be moving much air, but I didn't know if that was normal. After about 10-15 minutes, I heard a very loud pop from the fan control box and both fans shut off. Checked the breaker downstairs and it hadn't tripped, but I couldn't get the blowers to come back on. So today after the stove had cooled down, I took the faceplates off to access the fan control box. Traced through all the wiring, and lo and behold, the wiring does not match the diagram in the manual! This seemed so unbelievable that I double-checked it twice. Compared to the electrical diagram, the thermo switch and right blower motor are swapped. This would explain the slow fan speed, since they are wired in series instead of parallel. Once the stove warmed up, the thermo switch closed, which created a short circuit and blew out the weakest component--the speed rheostat.

I haven't called my dealer yet, but I can fix the wiring easily and should be able to get a new speed control under warranty. But has anyone else encountered this situation with any brand of stove? Seems like very poor quality control to me, not to mention the safety hazard.

I just found the QC checklist and it turns out there is no wiring/electrical check listed. I guess they're hoping it gets done right the first time...

How is the fan supposed to work anyway?

Click to expand...

When the speed control is clicked "on", the blowers should run only if the rocker switch is on OR the thermo switch is closed. This is supported by the diagram that I posted earlier. The good news is that it is fairly easy to access the fan control box--remove the fan covers and ashlip and you can get to everything. All the connections in the control box are done with wire nuts, so it's fairly easy to trace the wiring and change the connections if necessary. Waiting on a call back from my dealer....

Well I finally got a replacement fan control under warranty. I corrected the wiring and now everything is working as it should. Had no problems getting the part from the PE dealer, although I'm not sure if he believed my story about incorrect wiring. They did ask me to return the old [fried] fan control, so they'll probably just call it a defective part and blame it on that.

After experiencing this problem, I can't believe there isn't any fuse or breaker protection on the blower circuit. This unit is designed to be plugged into a standard 15A or 20A household outlet. The fans pull a nominal 1.6A, but this current could increase if there is a problem with the motors or a short circuit. This is a safety hazard because the components are not rated for higher currents, plus the wiring is only 18AWG in some places which would easily melt if subjected to 20A. In fact, I did replace some of this wiring in my unit which looked questionable after the big "pop."

When I installed my insert, I also installed a dedicated receptacle in the back of the fireplace to serve the blowers. I am now planning to fuse this receptacle at 3A to prevent any catastrophic failures in the future.

Now that I'm done griping, I should point out that I'm very happy with the stove. I've been running it almost every day for 3 weeks and it works great! The draft on this thing is amazing--I'm very glad that I decided to do a full SS reline.

Yes there are two blowers. The air is drawn into the top of the blower housing and exits through the bottom, where it is circulated behind the firebox I think. I'm not sure of the rotation direction of the fans--I wasn't worried about it because with most single-phase AC motors, the direction of the rotor cannot be reversed by swapping the wires.