Mt Vernon AE Missed Ignition Advice

[Potsy]

Hello - I have a 2008 Mt Vernon AE. I have read the other posts on folks with missed ignition on this model. I put the meter on the igniter and they both tested at around 46 ohms. I then took the control box off and checked the fuse - fuse is good. When disconnecting the control board, I noticed that the white connection on the bottom left of the control board (when hooked up) was a "burnt" looking white. I thought I read that maybe I need to replace the control board at this point but wanted to confirm before spending that money - my quad dealer is busy through May so its down to me and whatever help I can get from folks like you. The other obvious question is, if I need to replace the control board, is what ever made it go bad going to do it again or did it just go based on age? I tried to clean that burnt looking white connection but I am still not lighting. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[kappel15]

I post periodically to check the power supply harness to the control board. When you see the white connection starting to go brown, it is time to change the power supply harness, before it toasts the control board. Now is just the wire harness connection bad, or did it toast the board already ? And you can bench test the igniter, using a pc of ext. cord. Just be careful as they get hot quick. Otherwise just a continuity test will work. kap

 

[Potsy]

I post periodically to check the power supply harness to the control board. When you see the white connection starting to go brown, it is time to change the power supply harness, before it toasts the control board. Now is just the wire harness connection bad, or did it toast the board already ? And you can bench test the igniter, using a pc of ext. cord. Just be careful as they get hot quick. Otherwise just a continuity test will work. kap

Thanks! I was hoping you would chime in! So all other functions of the stove seem to be working - it send pellets, cleans, etc. I'll order the power supply harness now - I'll need one either way so thats a reasonable place to start. I can bench test the igniter - I have three here and all of them OHM tested good but I'll bench one anyway. Thanks so much for the reply - I live in Ocean City MD so our heating season is almost over but we miss not having it just to take the chill off and we need to be ready to turn on in the fall!

 

[Potsy]

It sounds like I will need to buy a power supply regardless right? I can easily start there then get a board if needed. Not sure how to test the board? I checked voltage at the burnt connection and it did have 120 where it would plug in to the control board - does that mean that the control board is shot? Thank you for your help!

 

[kappel15]

And are you sure you checked the right fuse for the igniter ? And did you check for power coming from the wire harness for the igniter? And they do make an igniter wire harness, with inline fuses, so you don't have to take the control board out to get at it. kap

 

[Potsy]

And are you sure you checked the right fuse for the igniter ? And did you check for power coming from the wire harness for the igniter? And they do make an igniter wire harness, with inline fuses, so you don't have to take the control board out to get at it. kap

Well.... great points! I checked the little glass fuse in the control board - is that the correct one? I will check for power coming to the igniter and post asap! Thank you!

 

[kappel15]

There are two fuses in the control board. One is for the igniter. kap

 

[Potsy]

There are two fuses in the control board. One is for the igniter. kap

Sorry for slow reply - vacation in the warm made me forget about my stove. Both fuses appear good on main board. As you will see in the pic, my power supply is burnt and I cannot tell if this fuse is burnt or not - all the other fuses do not have that bulge in the middle? Next step order new power supply cord (white) and replace fuse? Or we got bigger problems? Thank you!

 

[kappel15]

You can do a continuity test on the fuse to see if it is good. And you definately need a new power supply cord. It is a process of finding where the power stops. kap

 

[Potsy]

You can do a continuity test on the fuse to see if it is good. And you definately need a new power supply cord. It is a process of finding where the power stops. kap

I confirmed the fuse is good with multimeter. I will order the new power cord now - are there any other tests I can do while I am waiting for the new cord to arrive? Thanks again for the help!

 

[Potsy]

I confirmed the fuse is good with multimeter. I will order the new power cord now - are there any other tests I can do while I am waiting for the new cord to arrive? Thanks again for the help!

Kap - when i get the power cord, is my next step to hook it up and try to ignite it or are things downstream still at risk? Thank you!

 

[kappel15]

Was reading above posts and you commented that you had power up to the control board ? Now you need a new power supply harness regardless, but if you had power up to the control board and fuse was good, it could indicate bad control board. And no, hooking it up is ok. kap

 

[Potsy]

Was reading above posts and you commented that you had power up to the control board ? Now you need a new power supply harness regardless, but if you had power up to the control board and fuse was good, it could indicate bad control board. And no, hooking it up is ok. kap

Got my new power cord last eve - hooked it up, plugged stove in and it did start up for crazy long time but did not light. Time to order control board? If so, I saw something about a harness that goes to the control board for ease of future use - should I grab one of those as well? Thank you very much!

 

[kappel15]

Yes, they make a wire harness with inline fuses, so you don't have to undo control board, to get at a fuse. Before you buy a control board, i would double check power as to where it ends. And you never showed a pic of the control board so we could see if it was burnt. And make sure when you put igniter back, you hung the wires up in the slot, to keep em out of the way of the auto clean. kap

 

[Potsy]

Yes, they make a wire harness with inline fuses, so you don't have to undo control board, to get at a fuse. Before you buy a control board, i would double check power as to where it ends. And you never showed a pic of the control board so we could see if it was burnt. And make sure when you put igniter back, you hung the wires up in the slot, to keep em out of the way of the auto clean. kap

 

[Potsy]

Thanks for all the help. It only appears burnt where the powers went in. It still auto cleans, blower comes on, etc. only missing the igniter as far as I can tell. Thanks

 

[kappel15]

You have to remember, that plug is for igniter only. It is 120v. The other power supply harness runs rest of stove, which is 12v. kap

 

[Potsy]

You have to remember, that plug is for igniter only. It is 120v. The other power supply harness runs rest of stove, which is 12v. kap

Thanks. Two interesting changes. One is my low hopper light is on on the wall thermostat but it’s full and for some reason the blower on the back right side of the unit (facing front of stove) does not shut off even after the missed ignition. I think it’s time to get a new board and harness and hope that gets it going for the next 14 years! It’s been almost trouble free all that time and if they still made this self cleaning unit, I would order another for our second home

 

[kappel15]

Low hopper light could mean the switch is mis-aligned, and needing adjustment, to start. Could be other issues as well. Exhaust fan is on right side of stove. This does take a while to shut off, even after a missed ignition. kap

 

[Potsy]

Low hopper light could mean the switch is mis-aligned, and needing adjustment, to start. Could be other issues as well. Exhaust fan is on right side of stove. This does take a while to shut off, even after a missed ignition. kap

Thanks - I have tried everything I know to do - my last question is -- based on replacing the burnt power cord, would you recommend i order a new control board and the new harness with the added fuses along with a new igniter? Obviously my fear is I will cook another $600 board quickly if I am missing something.... I can have the techs come out but I am always leary of spending that money for their time to come to the conclusion that they should simply throw parts at it (same conclusion I came to without the labor rate....) Appreciate all your help and thoughts - thank you!

 

[EbS-P]

So try this. Unplug.. set thermostat to call for heat plug in. Anything??? My dads get stuck in a startup loop and this is the only way to get it up and running after the board has lost power.

 

[Potsy]

So try this. Unplug.. set thermostat to call for heat plug in. Anything??? My dads get stuck in a startup loop and this is the only way to get it up and running after the board has lost power.

Thanks for the thought - however, I don't have the 12v back up so my thermostat is not powered if not plugged in. I did pull it off the wall to look for a place for batteries but no go. Thanks!

 

[kappel15]

Main thing is to follow power and see where it is, and where it ends. This tells you what the issue is you have. kap

 

[Potsy]

Main thing is to follow power and see where it is, and where it ends. This tells you what the issue is you have. kap

Well, it finally got cold enough here in MD to do something about this stove not working. Had to reread all of your replies because I stopped working on it in April when I relized the $600 part only has a 90 day warranty. I just ordered the new control board (on sale amazon + the asurion 3 year extended warranty for $60) and the new fused igniter wires. I had already ordered the new power supply cable as the old one was clearly burnt. Parts should be here the end of the week so hopefully next weekend I can put it all back together and fire it up. I will post results! Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Scoop11]

Well, it finally got cold enough here in MD to do something about this stove not working. Had to reread all of your replies because I stopped working on it in April when I relized the $600 part only has a 90 day warranty. I just ordered the new control board (on sale amazon + the asurion 3 year extended warranty for $60) and the new fused igniter wires. I had already ordered the new power supply cable as the old one was clearly burnt. Parts should be here the end of the week so hopefully next weekend I can put it all back together and fire it up. I will post results! Thanks for all the advice!

Did the new control board solve your issue?
I too have a 2008 Mount Vernon AE pellet stove freestanding. After reading through your post I’ve recently encountered similar igniter issues but not exactly the same. I had a missed ignition failure, so I changed the igniter which tested 46 ohms before install. Then about a day later the igniter stopped working again and the circuit breaker in my house electric service kept tripping when trying to restart the stove. Both igniters still tested fine at 46 ohms. After the second igniter was replaced I used a different 15amp outlet and that breaker hasn’t tripped. There is 120 V going into the control panel from the power supply. I then tested the power at the control panel for the igniter and it is not receiving any voltage on start up, yet the auto clean and combustion blower work fine. The power supply wires and ends all appear fine, no burning or anything out of the ordinary. My control board is not exactly the same as yours, there is no visible fuse on the board or behind the board or in line so I am at a loss what to check next. I assume the control board will need to be replaced since it is not sending power to the igniter? Do you or anybody else have any other experience with testing out the control board? Before spending $600 would like to be certain thr control board is the faulty part. Thanks in advance for the help!