Had a stove scare this AM...

[Tonyray]

ok..doing a quick cleaning of the stove Harman P61A which I do every 2 weeks while doing the full montey once a month.
brushing all the ash from the top, heat exchange, walls and all down to the ash pan including burn pot scraping etc..
was in the igniter compartment fingering the ash out when I guess I bumped the wire or igniter end and got a spark!!?
yeah I know.. didn't un-plug the stove...
then noticed that the stove lights we're out. Uh oh..... no power... checked the outlet with another appliance, also checked the breaker in the panel... now I'm think i may have fried the circuit board.../???.
almost ready to freak out then I realized the stove HAS to have a fuse somewhere.....
Got the Harman manaul out and saw the fuse [6amp], was on the circuit board..''
ok.. took out the 2 screws holding the circuit board and pulled out the fuse... easy nuff.
went to hardware store, Auto zone and Home depot.... No one carries a 6 amp fuse...
every place I went, on the spinning rack or display was 1 amp/2/amp etc up to 5amp then it skips 6 and onto 7 amp and up...
ended up getting a 5 amp figuring it was safer than getting a 7....
anyways, came home put the fuse in, plugged in the stove and as fast as u can say, Softwoods rule, the stove was back on..
just went online and ordered package of 6 amp specifically for Harman and other stoves..
I will replace the 5amp with a 6 this week for peace of mind..
will un-plug next time I go digging in the Igniter compartment but not like it was the 1st time in there..
been cleaning that compartment for few yrs now..

 

[jackman]

Thanks for the report. You're certainly safe with the 5A fuse. I'd be inclined to leave it in there to see if it blows during normal operation.

 

[bogieb]

Glad everything worked out for you! I never unplug it while cleaning out the igniter area - in fact I have it in test to pull all the dust out the exhaust. Don't unplug until I'm ready to clean the exhaust fan and fines box. Hmm, maybe I should rethink that - at the very least I should probably get a couple of fuses just in case. Thanks for the warning and letting us know about that fuse (I wouldn't have been smart enough to think about that).

 

[Zeus]

ok..doing a quick cleaning of the stove Harman P61A which I do every 2 weeks while doing the full montey once a month.
brushing all the ash from the top, heat exchange, walls and all down to the ash pan including burn pot scraping etc..
was in the igniter compartment fingering the ash out when I guess I bumped the wire or igniter end and got a spark!!?
yeah I know.. didn't un-plug the stove...
then noticed that the stove lights we're out. Uh oh..... no power... checked the outlet with another appliance, also checked the breaker in the panel... now I'm think i may have fried the circuit board.../???.
almost ready to freak out then I realized the stove HAS to have a fuse somewhere.....
Got the Harman manaul out and saw the fuse [6amp], was on the circuit board..''
ok.. took out the 2 screws holding the circuit board and pulled out the fuse... easy nuff.
went to hardware store, Auto zone and Home depot.... No one carries a 6 amp fuse...
every place I went, on the spinning rack or display was 1 amp/2/amp etc up to 5amp then it skips 6 and onto 7 amp and up...
ended up getting a 5 amp figuring it was safer than getting a 7....
anyways, came home put the fuse in, plugged in the stove and as fast as u can say, Softwoods rule, the stove was back on..
just went online and ordered package of 6 amp specifically for Harman and other stoves..
I will replace the 5amp with a 6 this week for peace of mind..
will un-plug next time I go digging in the Igniter compartment but not like it was the 1st time in there..
been cleaning that compartment for few yrs now..

Tony I'd check and see what caused the short when you shut down next time make sure you don't have a bare wire in there so it doesn't happen again.

 

[Tonyray]

Thanks for the report. You're certainly safe with the 5A fuse. I'd be inclined to leave it in there to see if it blows during normal operation.

yes.. it will stay in there at least till I get the 6amp replacement...

 

[Tonyray]

Tony I'd check and see what caused the short when you shut down next time make sure you don't have a bare wire in there so it doesn't happen again.

yes. i will give it a good looksee.... didn't feel like any of the wireing was out of place..
I did feel around where the wire goes out the back of the igniter compartment and it was semi tight going out thru the hole..
didn't feel any slack there...felt undisturbed...

 

[Tonyray]

Glad everything worked out for you! I never unplug it while cleaning out the igniter area - in fact I have it in test to pull all the dust out the exhaust. Don't unplug until I'm ready to clean the exhaust fan and fines box. Hmm, maybe I should rethink that - at the very least I should probably get a couple of fuses just in case. Thanks for the warning and letting us know about that fuse (I wouldn't have been smart enough to think about that).

I also have it on test for same reason to exhaust....
now in that compartment, the wires go out the back on the left side[looking at the compartment] I'm pretty sure.. I was fingering the ash out on the right side whan the spark occured.. I'll get a mirror to go along with a flashlight so I can see in there better.
at the least, get some 6 amp fuses because you may need to get 1 on a Sunday afternoon or at night like I did when Electrical supply stores are not open and all you have are mom pop hardware, [Chain] auto parts and Box stores which prob don't carry 6amp fuses either in your neck of the woods...No spot on the displays for a 6amp fuse.

 

[Zeus]

yes. i will give it a good looksee.... didn't feel like any of the wireing was out of place..
I did feel around where the wire goes out the back of the igniter compartment and it was semi tight going out thru the hole..
didn't feel any slack there...felt undisturbed...

You can take the screws out of the igniter pull it out of the burn pot to inspect and then put it back.

 

[alternativeheat]

Something is shorting out in there someplace if you saw a spark from in there. I've pulled and brushed over the wires, moved them side to side, no sign of a spark ever. If it arced out once, it may very well again is my thought. The only thing in there is the igniter and it's wires. To my knowledge the igniter wires have never been live when cleaning my stove but I don't use test mode, I do it on shut down.

 

[Tonyray]

Something is shorting out in there someplace if you saw a spark from in there. I've pulled and brushed over the wires, moved them side to side, no sign of a spark ever. If it arced out once, it may very well again is my thought. The only thing in there is the igniter and it's wires. To my knowledge the igniter wires have never been live when cleaning my stove but I don't use test mode, I do it on shut down.

yeah... strange that it happened.. I wasn't on test mode when I cleaned it out this time.. stove was OFF. Just not un-plugged.. just like you, I have moved the wires a bit just by fingering the dried ash out of there for past 4 yrs..
I have been up and running since I replaced the fuse and since that compartment was just cleaned prior,
the ingnition was pretty quick. so well see...at least I have a pack of fuses for now..might just pull the igniter this week but other than exsposed or bare wire, don't really know what to look for as I'm sure the igniter would look normal..

 

[Tonyray]

yeah... strange that it happened.. I wasn't on test mode when I cleaned it out this time.. stove was OFF. Just not un-plugged.. just like you, I have moved the wires a bit just by fingering the dried ash out of there for past 4 yrs..
I have been up and running since I replaced the fuse and since that compartment was just cleaned prior,
the ingnition was pretty quick. so well see...at least I have a pack of fuses for now..might just pull the igniter this week but other than exsposed or bare wire, don't really know what to look for as I'm sure the igniter would look normal..

btw: as I posted earlier, might want to get a 6amp fuse or 2 from dealer or online just in case because no one seems to carry 6ampers at the normal place you would buy them..
forgot to mention also that that fuse was visabley blown..Blackened inside...

 

[alternativeheat]

Hmmm. Regular glass tube style, Tony ?

 

[sportbikerider78]

Could be something that was normally on and unprotected (safely) was shorted when you got in there.

 

[Tonyray]

Hmmm. Regular glass tube style, Tony ?

yes.. normal everyday ole glass tube fuse..

 

[Zeus]

Yeah I'm not sure what would have caused a spark in there without power going to igniter,but I would thoroughly inspect how or why it happened it would be driving me crazy at this point lol. Just a question could the short be originated from some where else but the spark from it just happened to be seen in the igniter area?

 

[GeHmTS]

The spark maybe due to ESD. It's always a good idea to ground yourself to the stove before dealing with the internal wiring and such.

 

[Lake Girl]

I also have it on test for same reason to exhaust....
now in that compartment, the wires go out the back on the left side[looking at the compartment] I'm pretty sure.. I was fingering the ash out on the right side whan the spark occured.. I'll get a mirror to go along with a flashlight so I can see in there better.
at the least, get some 6 amp fuses because you may need to get 1 on a Sunday afternoon or at night like I did when Electrical supply stores are not open and all you have are mom pop hardware, [Chain] auto parts and Box stores which prob don't carry 6amp fuses either in your neck of the woods...No spot on the displays for a 6amp fuse.

Should be able to get a dental style mirror ... auto parts store. Glad to hear the 6 amps are on order!

 

[alternativeheat]

Should be able to get a dental style mirror ... auto parts store. Glad to hear the 6 amps are on order!

It's worth noting that if you place the mirror so as to see the offending area and shine a light onto the mirror that the light will bounce back and light up the subjects, in this case maybe bad or chafed wiring.

There must be live juice running through the igniter 24/7 and the board completes the circuit when ignition is called for. Otherwise those wires would be dead. In any case, this is the first I've ever heard of a spark in that compartment.

 

[Tonyray]

Yeah I'm not sure what would have caused a spark in there without power going to igniter,but I would thoroughly inspect how or why it happened it would be driving me crazy at this point lol. Just a question could the short be originated from some where else but the spark from it just happened to be seen in the igniter area?

no... I'm starting to think the stove was still on but blower was off and I may have thought I shut it off.

 

[ashes]

ok..doing a quick cleaning of the stove Harman P61A which I do every 2 weeks while doing the full montey once a month.
brushing all the ash from the top, heat exchange, walls and all down to the ash pan including burn pot scraping etc..
was in the igniter compartment fingering the ash out when I guess I bumped the wire or igniter end and got a spark!!?
yeah I know.. didn't un-plug the stove...
then noticed that the stove lights we're out. Uh oh..... no power... checked the outlet with another appliance, also checked the breaker in the panel... now I'm think i may have fried the circuit board.../???.
almost ready to freak out then I realized the stove HAS to have a fuse somewhere.....
Got the Harman manaul out and saw the fuse [6amp], was on the circuit board..''
ok.. took out the 2 screws holding the circuit board and pulled out the fuse... easy nuff.
went to hardware store, Auto zone and Home depot.... No one carries a 6 amp fuse...
every place I went, on the spinning rack or display was 1 amp/2/amp etc up to 5amp then it skips 6 and onto 7 amp and up...
ended up getting a 5 amp figuring it was safer than getting a 7....
anyways, came home put the fuse in, plugged in the stove and as fast as u can say, Softwoods rule, the stove was back on..
just went online and ordered package of 6 amp specifically for Harman and other stoves..
I will replace the 5amp with a 6 this week for peace of mind..
will un-plug next time I go digging in the Igniter compartment but not like it was the 1st time in there..
been cleaning that compartment for few yrs now..

 

[ashes]

been there done that, exactly as you described. your not done yet as your igniter// glow plug is ready to go. eventually they short themselves as they wear out. the 250v 6amp fuse can only be found in stock at a radio shack. you can order them at walmart,home depot etc. about 3 bucks for package of 5. suggest all you readers to stock up, only a matter of time. might get yourself a spare glow plug while your at it. i have the accentra, looked up the specs ie. length, amp, volt etc and found them at granger for about 35,00 bucks or you can buy one at a stove shop for 100+. when you pull out the old one, the case falls out also. you have to get pliers and twist the end knobs to remove the igniter. the old igniter will have fins, the fins look like thin washers and are only pressed on. you can remove them with a screwdriver, as you would do to pry open a paint can. the old fins can be reused if you want. (new gplug has no fins) ask granger about the fins.
for those who are not lucky enough you get your stove going, you should read up on doing a manual start. usually once a ignition goes it will blow all other fuses until you cut the wires at the end gplug. i used electric cord shrink wrap and covered the ends with a torch so the wires don't touch each other. a match will do if you dont have a torch. when doing a manual start put some starter gel in the burn pot with the pellets. lite them, close the door and turn your control knob to "test". it will run the blower for 30 seconds and ignite the pellets in a timely manner.

fyi. i used the old wires over again. did everything from the front of the stove. if you do it from the rear (insert stove) you have to pull out the entire stove and deal with the auger and fan motors. good luck, stay warm

also forgot to mention the 6 amp fuses come rated as "fast" others are slow rated. both will work, but the fast are safer to use. remember, if you keep blowing fuses you have to cut the igniter wires to bypass the igniter and also flip the switch to manual start.

 

[Mikey pellet guy]

I would just drop the burn pot and check to see if you have bad insulated wire in there maybe it got hot some how easy enough.just unplug power first.

 

[Tonyray]

Yeah I'm not sure what would have caused a spark in there without power going to igniter,but I would thoroughly inspect how or why it happened it would be driving me crazy at this point lol. Just a question could the short be originated from some where else but the spark from it just happened to be seen in the igniter area?

no// am sure the spark was in the igniter area

 

[Mikey pellet guy]

Okay gotcha . Thats what i meant my igniter is attatch to my burn pot . Hope you get the problem solved. That is a good stove you have there.​

 

[railfanron]

Those 250 volt fuses are available at most electrical supply houses or electronic parts supply houses as well as internet supply houses like Digikey. Most Radio Shacks will not have them. They are a standard item used in a lot of different 120/240 volt appliances.
Ron