I have tried cleaning the unit with disassembly and powered brush 20 feet up stack and 3 ft down fr

[Hampton Guy]

New member today so sorry if this does not start well. I have a Hampton GC160 pellet stove (Enviro M55).

The stove will not light and is flashing the #2 error light is on (vacuum switch). I have tried the following:
Cleaned and vacuumed the stove completely (all parts out: firebox liner, firebox lower, burn box).
Vacuumed area behind damper and above combustion blower.
Cleaned stainless flex pipe to roof with powered brush, also went to top to power brush down from top to verify.
Checked fuses with meter, no problem. This is when I gave up and called for service.
The repair person was here for about an hour and a half. They rechecked the fuses and powered the motors for the fans and the auger to verify that they were operational. The stove still would not run the auger or light a hand full of pellets in the burn pot. It still does not run, any suggestions?

 

[railfanron]

I would look for the vacuum switch inside the cabinet somewhere near the combustion fan. There will be a flexible hose about 1/4" in diameter coming off of it and going to the combustion fan outlet. Check to make sure the hose is connected securely on both ends and not cracked or broken. Also check the fitting on the end by the combustion fan to make sure it isn't plugged. Chances are it's one of these two things. If not then you can jumper the 2 wires coming off the vacuum switch and if the stove lights it's the switch. If it still doesn't light it's more than likely the control board.
Ron

 

[Bkins]

Make sure you unplug the stove prior to jumpering the vac switch. Is the stove protected by a good surge protector?

 

[Hampton Guy]

I would look for the vacuum switch inside the cabinet somewhere near the combustion fan. There will be a flexible hose about 1/4" in diameter coming off of it and going to the combustion fan outlet. Check to make sure the hose is connected securely on both ends and not cracked or broken. Also check the fitting on the end by the combustion fan to make sure it isn't plugged. Chances are it's one of these two things. If not then you can jumper the 2 wires coming off the vacuum switch and if the stove lights it's the switch. If it still doesn't light it's more than likely the control board.
Ron

I took off the hose, verified that it was clean inside and not damaged, verified the tube from the end of the hose to the burn area was clear, reattached with new tywraps. I jumped the wires attached to the vacuum switch (two grey wires on this unit). I lost ground on this try as the lights no longer come on for the control panel. The on button still turns on a fan but will not turn it off. When I get time to look at it again I will check fuses again and see if I can find a connection I may have nocked loose. It may be a while between responses as the wife has medical issues and we do a lot of appointments.

 

[Hampton Guy]

Make sure you unplug the stove prior to jumpering the vac switch. Is the stove protected by a good surge protector?

Thanks, it is on a protector and was unplugged.

 

[Bioburner]

How old of stove? Trying to eliminate possible door gasket leaks if it is more than 4 years old

 

[Hampton Guy]

How old of stove? Trying to eliminate possible door gasket leaks if it is more than 4 years old

Installed late 2011. I looked over the gasket's, none are hanging loose and the door seems fine but I did notice that the vertical section of the gasket on the right side of the ash drawer seems about half the thickness of the rest.

 

[Hampton Guy]

I took off the hose, verified that it was clean inside and not damaged, verified the tube from the end of the hose to the burn area was clear, reattached with new tywraps. I jumped the wires attached to the vacuum switch (two grey wires on this unit). I lost ground on this try as the lights no longer come on for the control panel. The on button still turns on a fan but will not turn it off. When I get time to look at it again I will check fuses again and see if I can find a connection I may have nocked loose. It may be a while between responses as the wife has medical issues and we do a lot of appointments.

Also as a follow up: Once I identified what the vacuum switch was (from my manual) I recalled that the service person tried a new one when he was here.

 

[Bioburner]

Try what we call the dollar bill test on the door gaskets. Put a bill on the gasket and close & latch the door and try remove the bill. If it pulls out with a fair amount of resistance it's good in that section. Repeat all around the door. Sometimes one can take a pliers and gently squeeze and puff up the gasket enough to get and keep the stove going but is a short term fix.