How do you test the vacuum swith on an enviro empress

[st_pinetree]

So I'm struggling with an empress that sets a number two trouble light (vacuum). I wrestled the stove out of the house today, cleaned the chimney pipe, cleaned the stove to the point it should be as clean as when it was built. Still tripping the vacuum switch. The barb that goes into the stove that the hose hooks onto is a bit loose, but I cant figure out if it can be tightened. It appears to be a pressed in fitting. Stove runs fine with switch bypassed. How can I test the switch? The failures are intermittent. The switch click when you puff in and out of the hose.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

If it is the barb that is loose remove the hose and see if you can turn it tight. Looseness can cause intermittent failures.

 

[st_pinetree]

If it is the barb that is loose remove the hose and see if you can turn it tight. Looseness can cause intermittent failures.

I think I got it tighter, Although it doesn't have hex head, I was able to grab it with some pliars and turn it to the right, seems to be snug now. Hopefully that will help. This has been driving me nuts. thanks.

 

[Don2222]

I think I got it tighter, Although it doesn't have hex head, I was able to grab it with some pliars and turn it to the right, seems to be snug now. Hopefully that will help. This has been driving me nuts. thanks.

Good job, if the hose is old and the switch is old, then you can replace them easily. I have done that on the Enviro Empress.

 

[heat seeker]

Make sure the hose isn't stiff or cracked at the ends. That'll cause a vacuum leak, too.

 

[Defiant]

Make sure the hose isn't stiff or cracked at the ends. That'll cause a vacuum leak, too.

Also check door gaskets, it would be great if you could include your stove and year of it in your signature.

 

[skinanbones]

Two things you might want to try. One would be to smear a little red silicone around the hose barb to hold it from spinning and elimate any minor leaks. Second would be to run a drill bit through that hose barb, we've found when servicing that minor amounts of soot would build up on metal burrs from the machining process. Then it would cause intermittent shut downs, that could drive us crazy.

 

[smwilliamson]

Here's how you test a switch. I use a differential magnehelic gauge (has both high and low ports for measurement) And allows for manual adjustment to zero.
(broken image removed)
Attach hoses to the low switch and low gauge and then also high switch and high gauge. Place DMM on the open and common contacts of switch and set DMM to continuity test. Adjust the gauge up to the set point of the switch, say .01 WC, by using the set screw on the front of the gauge, the DMM should sound off as you cross that set point

 

[smwilliamson]

Good job, if the hose is old and the switch is old, then you can replace them easily. I have done that on the Enviro Empress.
I have a heavy duty metal vacuum switch and high temp clear hose on the www.eastcoasthearth.com site.

Don, please do not openly offer to sell things from your website. You always do this. People here can figure out who you are and what you do. Spamming the site or trolling for customers is not why we are here.

 

[st_pinetree]

OK, so I've tightened the barb. and replaced the vacuum hose, and ran a paper clip into the hose barb. Still faulted once after. The dollar bill test would indicate I probably need a new door seal, but it's not horribly loose.

I don't have the magnehelic guage, so I can't test the switch using that. Can the vacuum switches work intermitently? I would think that it would either work or not, but I suppose maybe a contact inside is problematic.

I will keep working on isolating the issue. Thanks for all the help.

 

[smwilliamson]

try reversing the vac wires and high limit, (gray to high limit and orange to vac) what year is your empress, early versions swapped the wires as I am mentioning to conquer problems associated with the door and air leaks...

ah, I see yours is 2006, there is a distinct possibility you may have one of the older doors

 

[st_pinetree]

try reversing the vac wires and high limit, (gray to high limit and orange to vac) what year is your empress, early versions swapped the wires as I am mentioning to conquer problems associated with the door and air leaks

The manufacture date on the stove is 2006 I believe. It has the new style door, but I am not the origianl owner, so I don't know if it came with the new style door or if it was replaced on recall. The control board is post serial number 208162, upon which time the control board was changed. I'm not sure if this is the same time that the new style door was introduced??? I'm a little leery of switching the wires from the high limit to the vacuum. the wiring diagram sticker on the stove shows grey to the vacuum. Why would they be switched? I'm not sure I"m following you...

Could a slightly loose door seal lead to this problem??

 

[smwilliamson]

Do the wire switcharoo to test the unit and see of all you are dealing with is a bad vac switch

 

[smwilliamson]

The manufacture date on the stove is 2006 I believe. It has the new style door, but I am not the origianl owner, so I don't know if it came with the new style door or if it was replaced on recall. The control board is post serial number 208162, upon which time the control board was changed. I'm not sure if this is the same time that the new style door was introduced??? I'm a little leery of switching the wires from the high limit to the vacuum. the wiring diagram sticker on the stove shows grey to the vacuum. Why would they be switched? I'm not sure I"m following you...

Could a slightly loose door seal lead to this problem??

Describe slight? Door open during start up yes, a minor leak should not cause any start up issues

 

[Don2222]

Place DMM on low and common contacts of switch

Hi Scott
There is no low contact on a vacuum switch only a low vacuum port.

The contacts are either Normally Open or Normally closed or both plus the common.

DMM should sound off

A digital multi-meter set for continuity is set to the resistance or Ohms scale. When testing a switch it should read open circuit (infinity in resistance) OR close circuit (Zero resistance)

Proper instructions for testing the switch should include the terms above, not "low" and "sound off"

Also there are cases where the vacuum switch will fail when the stove heats up due to a very small tear in the bladder membrane. In this case the switch will test good but still be bad. I suggest removing the wires from the vacuum switch and connecting them together with a jumper and see if the stove runs or not. After checking the vacuum hose and door gaskets, Then try a new vacuum switch to see if the stove works. That is a much easier and much better test.

 

[st_pinetree]

Hi Scott
There is no low contact on a vacuum switch only a low vacuum port.

The contacts are either Normally Open or Normally closed or both plus the common.



A digital multi-meter set for continuity is set to the resistance or Ohms scale. When testing a switch it should read open circuit (infinity in resistance) OR close circuit (Zero resistance)

Proper instructions for testing the switch should include the terms above, not "low" and "sound off"

Also there are cases where the vacuum switch will fail when the stove heats up due to a very small tear in the bladder membrane. In this case the switch will test good but still be bad. I suggest removing the wires from the vacuum switch and connecting them together with a jumper and see if the stove runs or not. After checking the vacuum hose and door gaskets, Then try a new vacuum switch to see if the stove works. That is a much easier and much better test.

If I jump the switch, stove seems to run fine. So while it might be the vacuum switch, I don't think so. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. It trips sometimes when hot, sometimes when cold. Talked to the dealer last evening, I mentioned another stove quirk I have which is an occasional and intermittent surging fan, sounds like someone is slowly rolling on the 'throttle' up and down. Dealer is pretty certain I have a quirky control board, and replacing it should cure all my ailments, so I suppose I will try that. Ouch though, $340.

 

[Don2222]

If I jump the switch, stove seems to run fine. So while it might be the vacuum switch, I don't think so. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. It trips sometimes when hot, sometimes when cold. Talked to the dealer last evening, I mentioned another stove quirk I have which is an occasional and intermittent surging fan, sounds like someone is slowly rolling on the 'throttle' up and down. Dealer is pretty certain I have a quirky control board, and replacing it should cure all my ailments, so I suppose I will try that. Ouch though, $340.

Hello

That is possible a new control board will solve the problems. I have seen bad control boards show a vacuum error. However the vacuum error was constant in the 2 cases that I have seen with a bad control board.

Either way it is a very tough call what parts to replace. I would start replacing the cheaper parts first but that is up to you.

Good luck.

 

[smwilliamson]

Yes there are people here more technical than myself. While my methods may not include the proper nomenclature, I image reasonable people can figure out what I'm saying or trying to do. I still have t found a stove I could t fix, whether I know what I'm doing or not and have a somewhat good track record.