Mount Vernon AE Bad TC Firepot

[irocrob]

Came home to two errors today:

Min Firepot Temp
Bad TC Firepot

Stove will not even enter startup. Stove is completely clean. Thermocoupler is touching inside of the ceramic cover. Both the TC's for the firepot & drop tube are connected to the control board in the right positions. My question is before going too crazy is how to check to the thermocoupler to see if it is still good. I assume there is a certain ohm reading that I should be looking at.

 

[kappel15]

If the thermocouple is heated and produces millivolts, it is good. If it has continuity it is good. Sometimes the connections in the wire end of the female part needs to be pushed to the inside to make better connection on the pins. kap

 

[irocrob]

Continuity is good. I'll play with connection pins and post back. What's the probability that it may be the control board? Stove was manufactured 1/2009 and installed 2/2010.

 

[kappel15]

I wouldn't think it would be the control board. MIne is an 06 and still going strong. The connector on the board is a friction fit with two locator pins. It has to be seated properly. You can test the board. Unplug stove. Then pull the firepot T-couple connector off the board, making sure which direction it sat. Then install a jumper wire on the exposed pins. Make sure it is clips with plastic covers that won't ground out. After installing the jumper wire, plug the stove in and check the wall control. If the error code for the firepot t-couple goes away, the control board is good. If the code pops up again, the board is bad. kap

 

[irocrob]

Thanx Kap. I'll work on that in the morning. -7 this morning when the stove still worked. 5 & dropping already right now. Baseboard heat on but really missing the stove

 

[kappel15]

I hear that. Always seems they want to act up when it is the coldest out.

 

[irocrob]

So the stove seems to be back normal. I jumped the thermocouple connector pins on the control board, plugged the stove back in, no error codes. I was able to heat up the thermocouple with a torch and measure the mV to see if it was still good. 22mV, way more than the 15mV needed. Thermocouple checks out good. Put everything back together, tweaked the pins on the control board for a better connection. Been running fine all morning. I'm stumped. Poor connection, I have no idea. Thanx for everyone's input.

 

[kappel15]

Poor connections I'm sure. Glad it was an easy fix. kap