Harman Accentra FS Combustion Blower Problems. Please help!!

patrick88 · Dec 17, 2011

I have a Harman Accentra free standing stove that was purchased new in June 2009. The harman dealer installed the stove but never fired it up to test or check the draft, etc. It was installed without oak. It ran great until the ignitor shorted out in Dec. 2010 (crimped wires when originally installed at factory), we unfortunately had to cut ties with the dealer as they continued to try to charge us for the warranty ignitor replacement. Since then, all service/cleaning has become my responsiblity as the other harman dealers are not interested in servicing a stove they did'nt sell. Fortunately, i've found this forum as the posts have been a great help for us. Recently, we have had a problem that i have been unable to fix. The combustion blower continues to run non stop after the unit is turned off and allowed to fully cool. Unplugging the ac cord is the only way to stop the blower even though the unit is cold to the touch and has been off for over 8 hrs+. This happens whether the stove runs out of pellets or is turned off and allowed to fully cool. The combustion blower will stay off when the unit is replugged in however. Occasionally (which seems weird), the blower will shut off when the door is opened after a little while. The stove, pipe, esp sensor, etc has been thoroughly cleaned per the manual. I even replaced the esp last week (uy splicing kit replacement) in hopes that would do it. Still no help. My questions are:

1)Is it possible that when the ignitor shorted out and blew fuse on board that the control board was damaged?
2)Any other checks/test i can do to isolate the board as the problem?
3)Any suggestions for where i can order the board either online or a reputable dealer that will ship parts?
4)Anyway a DDM tool can be obtained as no dealer support is available?
5)Should i buy a draft meter since i see no record of it being set by installer and the stove seems to burn fine?

Thank you in advance for any and all the advice that you can give.

Sincerely,

Patrick

UncleAnthony · Dec 17, 2011

patrick88 said:
I have a Harman Accentra free standing stove that was purchased new in June 2009. The harman dealer installed the stove but never fired it up to test or check the draft, etc. It was installed without oak. It ran great until the ignitor shorted out in Dec. 2010 (crimped wires when originally installed at factory), we unfortunately had to cut ties with the dealer as they continued to try to charge us for the warranty ignitor replacement. Since then, all service/cleaning has become my responsiblity as the other harman dealers are not interested in servicing a stove they did'nt sell. Fortunately, i've found this forum as the posts have been a great help for us. Recently, we have had a problem that i have been unable to fix. The combustion blower continues to run non stop after the unit is turned off and allowed to fully cool. Unplugging the ac cord is the only way to stop the blower even though the unit is cold to the touch and has been off for over 8 hrs+. This happens whether the stove runs out of pellets or is turned off and allowed to fully cool. The combustion blower will stay off when the unit is replugged in however. Occasionally (which seems weird), the blower will shut off when the door is opened after a little while. The stove, pipe, esp sensor, etc has been thoroughly cleaned per the manual. I even replaced the esp last week (uy splicing kit replacement) in hopes that would do it. Still no help. My questions are:

1)Is it possible that when the ignitor shorted out and blew fuse on board that the control board was damaged?
2)Any other checks/test i can do to isolate the board as the problem?
3)Any suggestions for where i can order the board either online or a reputable dealer that will ship parts?
4)Anyway a DDM tool can be obtained as no dealer support is available?
5)Should i buy a draft meter since i see no record of it being set by installer and the stove seems to burn fine?

Thank you in advance for any and all the advice that you can give.

Sincerely,

Patrick

Patrick,

the control board is $220 at http://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com, free shipping.
p/n is 1-00-05886. May be able to get a better price , look on this site for eric at kinsman stoves .
Looking at manual, the 2yr warranty is just expired.
Am surprised no dealer would service your stove, have you tried a non-harman dealer who
might service the stove ?
Anyway,looking at wiring diagram in manual, seems like control board is suspect, like a relay or something sticking
until you pull the plug. Is the combustion blower lite still on the control board after power off ? This
may clue to control board. Did not see any schematic for the control board, but if everything else is working,
may be only one/two inexpensive components on control board to replace if you are inclined and have the schematic.
Hope this helps.

patrick88 · Dec 18, 2011

Thanks for your advice.
Yeah, i did finally talk to another dealer that would come out to service. However, they charge $229 an hour plus parts for pellet stove service. Simple repair could end up as major expense right before the holidays. Hopefully, someone on the forum will have a schematic for that board or another work around as i do have a older brother who is an electronical engineer. I will check about the light for blower being on when stove out. I think it is on only while the fan is running. Stove is running great (most of our house is heated by it), but hate that the combustion blower is working 24/7 when we are gone at work. I'm afraid by pulling the plug continually that it might fry something else in the stove and have it not work at all. Any other Harman guys out there have any suggestions?

Turbo-Quad · Dec 18, 2011

wow 229 an hour I think id just let it run...lol

bookpile · Dec 18, 2011

My stove had the exact same symptoms. However it was not a problem with the combustion blower, the ignitor was stuck on continuously. The heat that the ignitor was producing was just enough to trick the esp into thinking the stove was still lit. Crack the door, enough cool air goes in and it shuts off. Unplug it and it shuts off. The only thing I could do was replace the circuit board. I found the problem when I realized that the stove was drawing about 450w continuously instead of 150-200. Next time the stove is cool but still running, pop off the ignitor cover and see if it is glowing red.

RKS130 · Dec 18, 2011

Didn't Harman have a problem with their ignitor at some point in the past? I am not sure of the time frame but I seem to recall when we were researching what to purchase (we ended up with an Accentra FS as well) we were told the problem was resolved in 2008, and I am pretty sure there are threads on here discussing the issue.

The real point is that although your stove was installed in 2009 it could have been manufactured one or two years earlier. Ours was installed in October of this year but manufactured 2 years earlier. You can find the date of manufacture at the bottom of the label on the back of the stove. IF yours was built before they changed the ignitor I would be surprised in Harman will not make good on it. My dealings with the company have shown them to be pretty responsive. Anyway if, as suggested above, the ignitor may be the source of your problem, this may be something to look at. Just a thought.

UncleAnthony · Dec 18, 2011

bookpile said:
My stove had the exact same symptoms. However it was not a problem with the combustion blower, the ignitor was stuck on continuously. The heat that the ignitor was producing was just enough to trick the esp into thinking the stove was still lit. Crack the door, enough cool air goes in and it shuts off. Unplug it and it shuts off. The only thing I could do was replace the circuit board. I found the problem when I realized that the stove was drawing about 450w continuously instead of 150-200. Next time the stove is cool but still running, pop off the ignitor cover and see if it is glowing red.

Wow,great advice !

superchips · Dec 18, 2011

At the price of the board, I think I would consider a cut off switch to the igniter. You probably only use the thing once a day....

Lousyweather · Dec 18, 2011

first off, I believe the warrantee on electrical components is 3 years, rather than 2 years. Replaced parts, I think is 90 days.

The control board is easy enough to replace, and should cost around $200, as said above.....10 minues to replace, two screws to remove, just remember to cut the power first! Also, since the boards now shipping are E revision boards, there have been 6 different boards available. make sure you use the instructions provided with the board to set the dipswitch settings, as your original board might have different settings than the new board. Also, pay particular attention to dipswitch 5, which tells the board which esp probe you have. If these settings arent correct, you likely wont damage the board or the stove, but the stove will likely run "funky". The swtitch 5 setting is also in the instructions.

Since you no longer have a relationship with the selling dealer, you may find other dealers who are willing to do warrantee work, for an extra fee. The dealers arent required to service units they didnt sell. Unfortunately, warrantee work for the dealer isnt a money-making proposition, rather, they lose money, given the sum they get to service waranteed stoves. Harman's argument is that they should make enough on the original sale to cover these losses, if warrantee work should be required. This time of year, most dealers are pretty straight out working with their own customers, rather than trying to service another dealers' customers....lead times can certainly vary. Most dealers will put precedence on those loyal customers who bought the stove from them, rather than the folks who bought from a dealer with poor to no service. Also, there are a fair number of very competent service men who work on stoves independantly, and while they will likely charge for their work, as they should, they might possibly be cheaper, and faster, than a dealer.

Sounds like the board to me.

patrick88 · Dec 18, 2011

Thanks everyone for the input and help. It could very well be the control board and i guess i'll need to hang in there until after the holidays when money is less tight. i just hated to throw parts at the stove and hope they will fix it. Thanks again.

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