Bosca pellet stove affected by lightning

[Youknowmyname57]

At the end of the summer a huge lightning strike hit a tree behind my house. It's about 20 feet away from my pellet stove, which was turned off but plugged in on a surge protector. My computer and fridge were both fried. My pellet stove (Bosca Spirit) came on by itself at the moment of impact, making a weird buzzing sound. All the error lights were on and it wouldn't shut off. No pellets were dropping--nothing but the humming. I had to unplug it--tried starting it again but it did the same thing. The tech came up a couple months later and replaced the control board. It was August so we didn't run it but he started it-no error lights, it was dropping pellets and he said it was fine.
Fast forward to November when we had to actually use the stove. It seemed to run but them it wouldn't shut down (on thermostat). It also shut itself off prematurely and the blower/fan sounded rough. We called the tech who eventually got back up here and said it just needed a good cleaning. It ran well for a month. A week or so ago it started acting up again, dropping pellets long enough to get a fire going but then it would go into shut down mode and end up with the 3rd error light on. Whether on thermostat or manual it would just keep doing the same thing. We called the tech and since they aren't Bosca dealers (used to be) and they'd have to order the parts, and because they are a couple hours away, they asked us to call US Stove (the US dealer of Bosca) and ask them but so far I haven't been home from work in time to do that so I'm asking here.
Here's the kicker--if we push the manual start button enough times the stove will run perfectly. We just can't let it cool down. If it does, the button has to be pushed numerous times till it decided it's past whatever it is that keeps telling it to shut down. It will run fine then on manual, but if we put it on thermostat it shuts itself off and then cools down enough so when it kicks on it will start fine but shut itself off within 5 minutes and have the error light. We've had to clean the stove while it's still pretty warm in order for us to be able to start it up again on manual, and it'll run perfectly. It's like it has to get past a certain temperature before it'll act like a good little pellet stove.
Any idea what it could be? It's pretty cold here and worse weather is on its way. If we tell the tech what parts he needs he can order them if he doesn't have them--otherwards it will involve him spending hours breaking it down and searching for the problem, and even then he may not have the part.
THANKS!!

 

[bbfarm]

wow, that's terrible! I guess if it was me I would just run it on manual/hot and not shut it off until the weather got a little warmer to tear it down and order parts.

Some kind of high/low limit switch problem?

Can you file an insurance claim for a new stove?

 

[Snowmobileaddict]

Try bypassing a couple if the safety mechanisms one by one to see if you can determine what is causing it to shut down.

I would pull the leads from the vacuum sensor switch and connect them with a short length of wire.

If that doesn't do anything I would try pulling the leads at the proof of fire switch and connecting them to see if that fixes the issue.

Next do the same for the high temp safety switch.

The last switch that you can try bypassing is the hopper lid switch. Pull the 2 leads and connect them.

Try each of these one at a time to see if you can get the stove going.

I am assuming that your stove exhaust pathway through the stove is clean. Have you cleaned inside the 2 teardrop shaped ports in the firebox as well as the vent pipe?

Another sensitive area to keep clean is the vacuum fitting that us connected to the firebox and the rubber hose that leads to the vacuum switch. Pop the hose off that brass fitting an blow through it into the firebox to make sure there is no debris or ash blocking it.

Also make sure the auger is turning properly with the auger motor. There should be a collar with a set screw that connects the motor to the shaft.

After you do some testing let us know what you find.

 

[Snowmobileaddict]

Another thing to keep in mind is that at this time it appears as though BOSCA is without a USA distributor. That means that BOSCA company support is not available and it may be difficult for you or your stove repair company to obtain replacement parts. However, essentially all of the electronic parts can be cross referenced to generic industrial replacements including:

Convection blower
Combustion blower
Auger Motor
Igniter
Vacuum Switch
High limit switch
Proof of fire switch

In addition to the above parts, a stove repair tech has indicated on this message board that the St.Croix York Pellet Insert uses a control board that has identical input/outputs for all control functions. The St. Croix Board is appx. $180 give or take a few dollars. This board, like many pellet stove control board is manufactured by ACE, Inc.

If you need to know where to look on your stove for any of these parts just reply back. My Bosca Classic 500 is essentially identical in terms of internals.

 

[Youknowmyname57]

My insurance is covering everything since my computer met my deductible and will honor any lightning claims for 3 years. If the tech would say my stove is totalled I'm sure it would be replaced but he seems to have a problem figuring things out. Says it could be a $45 part but the problem is with Bosca not having a dealer--though he issists that it's still US Stoves. Thanks!!

Also--I considered just running it on manual but got worried that whatever was wrong could start affecting the stove there too.

wow, that's terrible! I guess if it was me I would just run it on manual/hot and not shut it off until the weather got a little warmer to tear it down and order parts.

Some kind of high/low limit switch problem?

Can you file an insurance claim for a new stove?

 

[Youknowmyname57]

Thanks for the great answer! The problem is we can't do any tinkering with the stove itself because we could void the insurance on it.

Are the steps you take a lot of work? The tech seems to think it would take hours and hours to test everything and figure out what it is. He'd have to order the Bosca parts and he's worried about driving 2 hours to get here and not having what he needs, so I'm trying to narrow it down for him.

Also--we had the hopper lid disconnected last year because the 60-second time frame was a pain.

Everything was thoroughly cleaned by the tech a month ago--he pulled everything apart and did a great job. He also did the teardrop vents but we can check them again. We did check the fan last week and that was still clean.

Thanks

Try bypassing a couple if the safety mechanisms one by one to see if you can determine what is causing it to shut down.

I would pull the leads from the vacuum sensor switch and connect them with a short length of wire.

If that doesn't do anything I would try pulling the leads at the proof of fire switch and connecting them to see if that fixes the issue.

Next do the same for the high temp safety switch.

The last switch that you can try bypassing is the hopper lid switch. Pull the 2 leads and connect them.

Try each of these one at a time to see if you can get the stove going.

I am assuming that your stove exhaust pathway through the stove is clean. Have you cleaned inside the 2 teardrop shaped ports in the firebox as well as the vent pipe?

Another sensitive area to keep clean is the vacuum fitting that us connected to the firebox and the rubber hose that leads to the vacuum switch. Pop the hose off that brass fitting an blow through it into the firebox to make sure there is no debris or ash blocking it.

Also make sure the auger is turning properly with the auger motor. There should be a collar with a set screw that connects the motor to the shaft.

After you do some testing let us know what you find.

 

[Youknowmyname57]

The company the tech works for (Tall Pines out of Pa.) seems to think US Stoves still represent Bosca although I had read somewhere here that they didn't. He wants us to call US Stoves and talk to a tech there for advice on the parts, which Tall Pines would then order and bring up. I checked US Stove's website and I didn't see them selling anything related to Bosca and haven't had a chance to call yet.

Thanks for the info on the generic parts! We do have a guy a LOT closer (he actually installed the stove); when the lightning first hit I called him first. He wanted me to order the parts and he didn't even come check it out so he had no idea. Plus, I can't order the parts directly because of insurance. Maybe I can talk to him about generic parts and he can come up.

The control board was the only thing replaced on the tech's first visit so that should be good. On his second visit he cleaned the hell out of it and that was just last month. I do have a lot of pets and the insides were full of fur. The cleaning quieted the unit down immensely and all was good for a week or so.

Thanks again

Another thing to keep in mind is that at this time it appears as though BOSCA is without a USA distributor. That means that BOSCA company support is not available and it may be difficult for you or your stove repair company to obtain replacement parts. However, essentially all of the electronic parts can be cross referenced to generic industrial replacements including:

Convection blower
Combustion blower
Auger Motor
Igniter
Vacuum Switch
High limit switch
Proof of fire switch

In addition to the above parts, a stove repair tech has indicated on this message board that the St.Croix York Pellet Insert uses a control board that has identical input/outputs for all control functions. The St. Croix Board is appx. $180 give or take a few dollars. This board, like many pellet stove control board is manufactured by ACE, Inc.

If you need to know where to look on your stove for any of these parts just reply back. My Bosca Classic 500 is essentially identical in terms of internals.

 

[Youknowmyname57]

Question--is there any way this stove repair tech can be alerted to this message? Maybe he has some advice on what parts I need.

Another thing to keep in mind is that at this time it appears as though BOSCA is without a USA distributor. That means that BOSCA company support is not available and it may be difficult for you or your stove repair company to obtain replacement parts. However, essentially all of the electronic parts can be cross referenced to generic industrial replacements including:

Convection blower
Combustion blower
Auger Motor
Igniter
Vacuum Switch
High limit switch
Proof of fire switch

In addition to the above parts, a stove repair tech has indicated on this message board that the St.Croix York Pellet Insert uses a control board that has identical input/outputs for all control functions. The St. Croix Board is appx. $180 give or take a few dollars. This board, like many pellet stove control board is manufactured by ACE, Inc.

If you need to know where to look on your stove for any of these parts just reply back. My Bosca Classic 500 is essentially identical in terms of internals.

 

[Snowmobileaddict]

US Stove is not the USA distributor anymore. They won't be of any help, most likely.

The stove is very easy to work on and the test items I call out above would take maybe an hour to an hour and a half to try.

Also, your tech should not be worried about the 2 hour drive time and troubleshooting time, that is what he gets PAID to do.

Here is a link to the thread including the remark about the st croix and bosca boards being the same: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/bosca-and-st-croix-the-same-control-board.52231/

 

[stephenhansen]

Hi all.
I have a Spirit 500 stove also and suffered a power surge caused by the power company. I recieved a settlement but wanted to get the stove working again rather than replacing it at a greater cost. I wanted to post links for others. (and me in the future?)
So first was the original board- I took it to a electronic store and he discovered a piece blown (looks like a capacitor but isn't). He couldent read the number but guessed and installed a like replacement part and my stove is working again.
Now most people looking for a Bosco control board may not be as lucky as I was so I thought I would follow up with some links. I do believe the St Croux stove control board is identical; the programming is the same. My next step was to order one and see.
This "Kit" has a switch option like mine and the video. As i dont use a t-stat I probally could replace it with the next unit and be OK
(broken link removed to http://www.pellet-stove-parts-4less.com/Series_II_Retro_fit_Control_Board_pre_2003_p/80p54019-R.htm?gclid=CNaJpfPQp8ECFZKBfgodpggAvg)
A similar board
(broken link removed to http://www.pellet-stove-parts-4less.com/Control_Board_for_SCF_050_by_St_Croix_80P30205_R_p/80P30205-R.htm?gclid=CPPuyN_Kp8ECFZSIfgod00QAng)
A you tube video on the operation of the St Croix stove control board - identical to the Bosca

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[Snowmobileaddict]

I have heard the the st croix boards are the same as well.

On another note, it appears as though UNited States Stove Co. does still have parts on hand for the bosca stoves.

The website ibuyfireplaceparts.com markets the replacement parts for bosca stoves. In order to find them you have to include BC and then the part number you are looking for. For example, I just bought a bronze auger bushing for my Bosca stove. it's part number is 12720049. To search for it on the website, just type BC12720049.

The part was drop shipped to me from USSC in Tennessee. They have a lot of parts available. Also, noteworthy, the bosca auger bushings are a match for the easy to find Whitfield bushing

https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/69/69652-cdda0ec49f7b5762277cedf6100c05e6.jpg

 

[stephenhansen]

Thanks for that info. My parts search for the board came up with 2, one discontinued and the other one (broken link removed to http://www.ibuyfireplaceparts.com/bc12720002-us-stove-control-boards-spirit-500-classic-500.html) the cost is over 500. For that price I would gamble on the st crouix.. Either way. this thread now provides good info for those needing parts for the Bosco

 

[gfreek]

The surge protector didn't work this time. Anyone have ideas why...What else could have prevented this ?

 

[TimfromMA]

The surge protector didn't work this time. Anyone have ideas why...What else could have prevented this ?

Sounds like a poor quality surge protector to me.

 

[SwineFlue]

The surge protector didn't work this time. Anyone have ideas why...What else could have prevented this ?

Look at the Clamping Voltage of the surge suppressor: it will block any voltage spike above that rating (a lower number is better). I've seen some rated at 800 Volts and higher. That means these units will allow 750 Volts to hit your stove.

The OP lost multiple appliances... should've had a whole-house surge suppressor (in the main ckt breaker panel). Some people recommend a belt & suspenders approach: install a whole-house unit and also use individual suppressors on critical/expensive equipment.

Of course, a "huge hit" "20 feet" from the house may just overwhelm any affordable protection.

 

[gfreek]

SwineFlue thanks for the info on clamping voltage. I usually just looked at the joules rating..