Harman Accentra Red Lights Off No Power

[missb]

Hello

I have a 2 year old Harman Accentra pellet stove insert and up until yesterday the stove was working fine, but suddenly the stove stopped working and the red lights were all out and there is no power to the stove. I live in Maine and it is pretty cold here and this is my only source of heat and i can't figure out how to get the stove started again. I tested another appliance in the outlet that the pellet stove was using and the appliance works well so it isn't the outlet with the problem. Does anyone have an idea what i can do to get it going again? I can't get hold of Harman and the company who installed the stove is closed this weekend and all next week for Thanksgiving

I'd like to add that i take good care of this stove and clean it thoroughly once a week by taking off the 3 cast iron plates and brushing out the channels and vacuuming it well.

Thank you for your help

 

[76brian]

Check the fuse in the stove?

Not sure what would have caused it to pop, but if it did, something went wrong.

Did you have a surge protector inline?

 

[missb]

I do have it connected to a surge protector. Where would the fuse be?

Thank you!

 

[76brian]

It should be on the control board beside the big white connector that has all the wires going to it. It's a glass tube fuse, 6 amps. You'll probably have to pull the insert out of the frame to get at it, I have no idea exactly how as I'm not overly familiar with the inserts. Whatever you do, unplug it from the wall first. If the fuse is blown, replace it, don't jumper it or anything like that. If it blows again, there's a problem.

 

[silverfox103]

I'm sure you probably did this, but here goes. To check the surge protector, plug the stove directly into the outlet.

Tom C.

 

[missb]

Yes, the surge protector is fine and has already been checked out.

I'm unable to pull the unit out because i am just a girl and not strong enough to do it by myself and i don't have anyone to help me right now. What sort of issues would cause a blown fuse in this stove? I'm trying to get an idea of what could have caused the fuse to blow in the first place.

Thanks!

 

[dingees]

u dont need to pull the insert,to check fuse, unplug power cord from wall outlet. there are scews holing the control board in place, if u take them out the nthe contol board will wiggle out of it's frame and u can check the fuse. yes if it blew a fuse there is something that will have caused it to blow.
has the ignitor been working? has anyone been in where the ignitor is located to clean and maybe pinched the wires to the ignitor. if u replace the fuse get more than one as u will no doubt blow another one. when u go to turn the stove on watch for each light on the control and if the fuse goes again observe which light came on and that will be the motor/area to look for problems.

 

[missb]

The ignitor *might* have been taking a bit longer to work than it usually does. I'm not positive but i think it did seem a bit slower than normal.

If i inadvertantly pinched the wires, is there a way to "unpinch" them? Or did i do permanent damage to the stove if i pinched them?

I guess i'll have to wait until tomorrow since i won't be able to get a fuse tonight anyway. Would a local hardware store carry such a fuse? Do you think it would be dangerous for me to operate the stove using a new fuse? Would a bad ignitor have blown the fuse?

Thanks!

 

[heat seeker]

Pinched wires can usually be repaired.
Hardware store probably has your fuse, would be a good idea to have a couple extras around anyway.
If a new fuse gets it running, I would run my stove, but keep a close eye on it for a while. If something is shorted, it will probably take the new fuse out right away. It's possible a surge got past the suppressor and ate the fuse. It also depends on the quality of the suppressor.
I think a bad ignitor could take out a fuse, others should chime in with more knowledge.

 

[missb]

I am definitely going to get more fuses. And keep an eye on this thing. I take it that the fuse isn't a hard thing to swap out? Is there a certain direction it has to go in... like a battery? Or can you put it in either way and have it work right?

Thanks!

 

[heat seeker]

A fuse goes in either way. It just pops out of the holder, usually. It's glass, so be gentle. Make darn sure the stove is unplugged, we don't want to read about you in the obits…!

You want the same ampere rating on the new fuse. Since you are using the fuse on 115 volts, any voltage rating over that is okay. Do not use fuses rated for 12, 24, 36 volts, etc. They would work, but would cause you grief if and when they blew. A lot of fuses are rate for 240 volts - that's fine, it's over the 115. The amperage must be the same as the original, to repeat.

A fuse is just a weak link in the wiring, so that it gives out before damage is done to the wiring. Most times, but not always, you can see the little wire inside the glass fuse, and where it's burned out. If the wire is just separated, it may have given out from age, or slight overload. If the glass is black inside, and the wire is vaporized, there was a dead short.

I take a small screwdriver, or even a pen, and gently pry one end of the fuse from the clip, prying on the metal, not the glass. Then it's easy to remove the fuse from the other clip. You may have a different kind of fuse holder, but the pair of clips is the most common on these boards.

 

[missb]

I think i read somewhere that this stove uses a 6 amp glass fuse. So i'm guessing that's what i would ask for at the hardware store.

Do fuses ever blow for no reason? Or are you saying that i probably have a wiring problem with the stove and that is why the fuse blew?

Thanks!

 

[heat seeker]

Occasionally a fuse will blow for no apparent reason, but that's rare. It does happen, not saying that's what happened to you.
You're best off taking the old fuse with you to the store. There are different size and types of fuses, even for the same ratings. You probably have a small size fuse, but having the original is the best way to make sure you get the correct fuse. Your owner's manual might have the size, something like 5mmx20mm, which means 5 mm diameter, 20 mm long. That is what my St Croix uses.

It's about impossible to guess what the problem is from here. If you have no way of testing your fuse, and it looks okay, the next step is to put a new one in and see what happens. From what I've read, you haven't done anything to the stove to cause a problem. Is the stove still under warranty? If it blows the new fuse (and we're still guessing that's the problem), it may be a warranty issue. I know the dealer is closed for the week, but you may kill the warranty by messing with the stove.

Let's take it a step at a time, and maybe someone really familiar with your stove will drop in. I'm speculating that maybe your igniter is shorted internally, and if so, your stove may have a manual setting that won't try to use it and blow the fuse. That way, you could still get heat. But that's jumping ahead. I suggest you pull the fuse out, test it (if you can) or replace it with a known good one. We'll go from there.

 

[missb]

OKAY, and in the meantime i'll let you know what happens tomorrow.. which i hope is the day i will be able to attend to this!

Thanks!

 

[missb]

I ended up calling my local stove shop and had someone come over to have a look at the stove. The fuse was fine. The technician pulled out the control panel to check the fuse and he gave the wires a wiggle and the stove started up. So i am baffled as to how the wires could have gotten "crossed" or loose in the first place without anyone going back there and touching anything.

 

[heat seeker]

One of those mysteries…

Might have been some corrosion on a terminal that wiggling took care of. We could guess forever, and not hit the right answer…

If it happens again, you know what to do!

Glad you got it going, anyway, and thanks for the update!

 

[RKS130]

I would still keep a few extra fuses on hand and while you are at it, pick up a fuse puller as well.

P.S.: You don't sound like "just a girl" to me.

 

[lecomte38]

Bad repair tech if he left without finding out WHY shaking the wires "fixed" it

 

[bonesy]

Bad repair tech if he left without finding out WHY shaking the wires "fixed" it

I wouldn't go that far. I'm in the IT industry, shaking wires and reseating linecards, memory, plugs, video cards, network cards etc fixes a lot of issues, and normally there is nothing else that caused the problem. Same for electronics, gold plating and all types of other conductive plugs etc sometimes just need to be "shook" or plugged/unplugged/reseated to get working again.

 

[New Hampshire Jim]

Question
I have a draw full of old automotive fuses. If I find one that is 6 amp (this Is what my Harman stove calls for) Can I use It? It would have come out of a 12 volt automotive wiring harness and the stove is 120 volt. I can make a trip to the stove shop that sold me the stove but a 20 mile trip would be a PITA .
Jim

 

[76brian]

Look at the metal on the end for a voltage rating. If it's 120v or 250v it's fine. Doesn't matter what it came out of, only what it's rated for.

 

[heat seeker]

Right, but don't use a 12v fuse on a 120v circuit. It will work, but if there's a short, it won't give you the proper protection. The fuse in my St Croix is a miniature glass, much smaller that the car fuses I remember (like SFE14, etc.). Hardware stores usually carry the proper fuses, at least around here. They must be used in a lot of equipment, then.