Quadra-Fire Mt Vernon Pellet Stove won't light

I have a Quadra-Fire Mount Vernon AE Pellet Stove that won't light. Yesterday, I saw a blue burst of sparks when stove was in startup and it hasn't worked since then. Upon removal of the igniter, there was, sure enough, a big hole burned in it. My fiance and I picked up a new igniter and installed it but the igniter is not getting red, and the stove just keeps dropping pellets. Could it be a fuse? Or could the arc have created additional problems? Thanks

There is a good chance that the arc damaged the electronic igniter switch on the control board. If it is still under warranty you should contact the dealer.

The stove was manufactured in 2008. We moved into our house in Nov 2011, and the stove was here. I don't know of any warranty for the stove. Any other suggestions for troubleshooting?

Check the ignitor fuse, it may have blown it.

There is an ignitor fuse in the control box.

This may help you:

Fuses are almost never as fast to burn out as the semiconductors they are intended to protect. I usually think of them as smoke limiting devices.
Why on earth would they use a 15A fuse on a 380W heater circuit? A 5A fuse would have been more appropriate.

Any tips on removing the cover of the control board?

If this helps, there are no error codes on the thermostat screen and it remains in startup mode when plugged in.

Check the AC harness from the power supply to the control board for damage. Also check that the circuit track on the power supply next to the AC connector isn't burned out.

Try to remove the face plate of the thermostat controller and reinstall it. This resets everything.

I removed the face plate of the thermostat controller and put it back, but the screen that came up worried me so I unplugged and plugged in the stove. Should I try that again and wait for screen to change?

Yes, it is ok it will reset everything. You may need to go through the menu and check your set points

Ok I removed it and put it back but it didn't change anything. Igniter still won't fire.

Did you check the fuse?

I couldn't find it. Do I have to remove the cover on the control box?

yes all fuses are internal.

If the igniter is damaged, replace it.

Eric

We replaced the igniter. That was the first thing we did.

call your dealer, I bet your computer is fried.

Eric

When you say computer,do you mean the control board itself?

part number SRV7000-456 retail $678.00

Fried is a rather strong term. An electronics tech should be able fix that control board for a lot less than $678. The line Voltage section of that board is probably well isolated from the rest of the controls.
It could just as well be that the link between connectors on the power supply board is burned and can be restored, but I would bet on the triac on the control board being shorted.

I wish I could help more but I my nickname is not "Sparky" so soldering is not my number one skill. Call your dealer and see if the stove is under warranty. Remember that computer is DC and AC. Other than that good luck.

Eric

If the fuse is good, I would look for a burned trace on the control board. If a trace is burned, it can be bypassed with wiring by someone who can solder on circuit boards.

I agree, 15 amps is a rather large fuse for the application.

A shorted triac would keep the ignitor on constantly, IMO. My money is on a burnt trace, or blown fuse.