Reason for previous post(bad tc firepot Mt Vernon AE)

[hooter04]

I apparently had a bad Ignitor, which burned the AC in plug on my control board.When I tried to unplug the power lead going into the board,the plug pulled out of the board itself.I went to the dealer showed them what happened,they said they never saw this before.I had to get a new control board,which cost between $594.00 online to $678.00 +tax from dealer.Installed new board,thats when I got the error message about the bad themocouple.So new board,new ignitor,new thermocouple,cost almost $900.00 and I did all the work mysel,.All because of a bad ignitor.Maybe a word to the wise,When you do your once a year cleaning on a Mt Vernon replace your ignitor also.A $50.00 part cost me $800.00 to fix.

 

[mralias]

How does a bad igniter burn the AC plug on the board? A short?

 

[Lake Girl]

Don't have the age of your Mt. Vernon - how old? Surge protected? Could it be an age of the stove issue, change on board design, other?

 

[DexterDay]

Igniters on line are cheaper. Can get 3 for just over $100. I bought a 2 pack, for about $60-$70 IIRC.

Here is a 3 pack, for pretty cheap? Dealer has to make money too. But if you wanted several for the "Shelf" then this is a viable option.

(broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/Quadrafire-Pellet-Stove-Ignitor-SRV7000-462-812-3811-3-Pack-Quadra-Fire-/281031206439?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416ec3e627)

 

[Harvey Schneider]

How does a bad igniter burn the AC plug on the board? A short?

Usually this type of failure happens because of a bad connector pin or socket. With inadequate contact pressure the connection has a higher than normal resistance. That resistance on a high current circuit generates heat that eventually causes the connector and anything attached to overheat. I have seen nylon connector housings melt down and start on fire from this.
OP, be sure that your connecting cable matching the connector that burned on the control board is making secure contact.. If it were my stove, I would replace the cable before it burns another control board.

 

[hooter04]

Stove is a 07 model. It is my understanding that Quadrafire(HHT) has a new, or should I say upgraded whip with an inline fuse which goes from power module to control board. I have that on order,but that still would not have prevented this from happening.I think what happened was feedback from bad ignitor back to control board.Is this a possibility Harvey?Ignitors I get are from certified quad dealer,which they do sell parts online, but I buy instore.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

.I think what happened was feedback from bad ignitor back to control board.Is this a possibility Harvey?Ignitors I

Ignitors are just resistors, they don't store any energy that can feed back to the control board. In the field of electronics they are referred to as passive components.
The problem is just heat generated by a bad connection.

 

[hooter04]

Harvey one thing I neglected to say is,after I put new control board in before changing ignitor ,the new board burned the ribbon between the AC in and the plug to the ignitor.Thankfully I have a friend who tinkers with computers,and he was able to put a new ribbon on the brand new board.I know for a fact that the AC line in was secure,as was the line out to ignitor.I think what needs to be done, is to put an inline fuse on the new ignitors to keep this from happening again.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

There may be a design problem with the control board. The circuit trace should have been robust enough to survive a shorted ignitor. The fuse should have blown before the circuit trace.
The igniter is 300W which will draw about 2.5A. I would add a 3A fast fuse. You can't go any lower on the fuse rating because the ignitor can pull current for an extended period. Use a fast blow fuse, anything else won't help. The fuse can be added as an in line fuse with Faston connectors right at the igniter terminals. That way, you don't need to cut into anything.
Look over the connector pins carefully. If they appear discolored or scaly, replace the connector.

 

[hooter04]

Yes connectors(plasticcovering) on board end are dicolored or brownish.Hopefully by this week dealer will have new whip for me.Seeing I have 2 of these stoves(other is 09 model) I'm wondering if I should get 2 of these?

 

[Harvey Schneider]

I'm wondering if I should get 2 of these?

Inspect the other to see if you need it.

 

[hooter04]

The good thing about my stove dealer is, they sell parts on ebay and amazon,and will honor the online price.I think I paid $69.00 for a 2 pack of ignitors.Themocouples for these stoves are not cheap either @ a tune of $102.00.I just hope I never have this problem happen again,or to anyone else.