Breckwell P2000i won't power on - no lights to control panel

[djcg]

I have a Breckwell P2000i that's been working fine for 2 seasons. Today I unplugged it to do a thurough cleaning. After the cleaning, I plugged it back in and now it won't turn on at all. No lights, push or hold power button, nothing happens. No fans will even try to spin.

Tested power outlet, working fine with other electronics. I changed power cord to another, that didn't help. I made sure all wiring was tight to all connections and reseated main cable to the control board. Fuse looks ok visually, it's not broken. I don't have another fuse to try currently, but other than that I was wondering if anyone had any further ideas before forking tons of cash for a new board.

Board is a c-e-401.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MountainSean]

sometimes the fuse can be bad even though it looks ok. Are you able to test the fuse for continuity? Also check the posts where the plug wires go into the terminal block and make certain they are good and tight.

 

[Don2222]

I worked on a stove with no power today and the fuse on the back of the control panel looked good. Only had my digital multi-meter with me and it stinks for continuity checking. So I finally took an insulated pair of long nose pliers and jumped the fuse clips temporarily. Then I pressed the power button and the stove worked fine! Then I replaced the fuse with a good one and installed a surge protector. All done!

 

[djcg]

Well last night I gave up and decided to wait until tomorow to buy a new fuse. I woke up this morning and just decided to push the On button one last time. Crazy, but the stove fired right up like it was supposed to. Nothing had changed from last night, where I had been repeatedly pushing the button and changing power cords and sockets. I can't really explain it.

Unfortunately, though it fires up, the auger is no longer spinning. The control board is working properly and the feed light is turning on and off. I don't hear the auger motor at all, and no pellets are dropping. Next step is going to be to empty the hopper, pull the stove out again and check for an auger jam.

Thanks again for the help. Wierd problems can be frustrating when they don't make sense or fix themselves.

 

[wil lanfear]

I worked on a stove with no power today and the fuse on the back of the control panel looked good. Only had my digital multi-meter with me and it stinks for continuity checking. So I finally took an insulated pair of long nose pliers and jumped the fuse clips temporarily. Then I pressed the power button and the stove worked fine! Then I replaced the fuse with a good one and installed a surge protector. All done!

A fuse can be tested for continuity quite easily with a multi-meter, switch the meter to ohms scale to read continuity of the fuse or using the voltage setting of the meter, stove power on, from each end of the fuse to the stove chassis test for a voltage reading, a line voltage reading at each end of the fuse tells you that the fuse is okay. Either method is a lot safer than using insulated pliers that may leak, causing an electrical shock or death.

 

[Don2222]

Well last night I gave up and decided to wait until tomorow to buy a new fuse. I woke up this morning and just decided to push the On button one last time. Crazy, but the stove fired right up like it was supposed to. Nothing had changed from last night, where I had been repeatedly pushing the button and changing power cords and sockets. I can't really explain it.

Unfortunately, though it fires up, the auger is no longer spinning. The control board is working properly and the feed light is turning on and off. I don't hear the auger motor at all, and no pellets are dropping. Next step is going to be to empty the hopper, pull the stove out again and check for an auger jam.

Thanks again for the help. Wierd problems can be frustrating when they don't make sense or fix themselves.

Take the auger out and clean out the auger chute, use a wire wheel on your drill/driver to get any black carbon off. Then use emory Cloth from Home Depot to smooth out all the inside of the auger chute and auger itself. The give the chute and the auger a good "Dry Moly Spray" Then throw in a new 1 or 4 RPM auger motor (Depends on how old the stove is) for good measure and you will be set for the winter!

Also the vacuum switches go bad easily on the Breckwells so a new upgraded Metal vac switch would be a nice improvment if needed!

 

[MountainSean]

Take the auger out and clean out the auger chute, use a wire wheel on your drill/driver to get any black carbon off. Then use emory Cloth from Home Depot to smooth out all the inside of the auger chute and auger itself. The give the chute and the auger a good "Dry Moly Spray" Then throw in a new 1 or 4 RPM auger motor (Depends on how old the stove is) for good measure and you will be set for the winter!

Also the vacuum switches go bad easily on the Breckwells so a new upgraded Metal vac switch would be a nice improvment if needed!

Hrm? Breckwell vacuum switches in my experience have always been reliable, and the technical service manual for Breckwell says that the pressure switch is the most reliable part in the stove. I would agree with that since we sell more vacuum switches for Quad, Harman, Whitfield, and Osburn than we do Breckwell. Maybe you have had some strings of bad luck with them? Now Breckwell convection blowers on the other hand. They think those are candy or something.

 

[Don2222]

Hrm? Breckwell vacuum switches in my experience have always been reliable, and the technical service manual for Breckwell says that the pressure switch is the most reliable part in the stove. I would agree with that since we sell more vacuum switches for Quad, Harman, Whitfield, and Osburn than we do Breckwell. Maybe you have had some strings of bad luck with them? Now Breckwell convection blowers on the other hand. They think those are candy or something.

Interesting, I just found a bad vacuum switch last week on a Breckwell P2000. I know in general vacuum switches do not fail that much. I thought the metal vacuum switches might last longer. However the older stoves that have vacuum switches inline with the auger have more current going thru the contacts than the newer stoves where the vacuum switches run back to the digital control panel and have a small current from a relay circuit. So that is why I put the new metal vacuum switches in the newer stoves. Best combo for longer lasting.