I put in a Harmon insert in 2019 and the unit has been flawless of course I religiously clean it three times a season completely. However we just got a new cat and somehow he found the backup room sensor and pulled it out from under the front apron. Of course I stopped it back under there and of course he pulled it back out again and it looks like maybe he chewed on the end and now I'm getting a backup room sensor failure on my screen. Does someone know if that twisted wire have some kind of resistor on the end? Or is it a just a loop with heat shrink. Or is it just two ends with heat shrink on it. On the diagnostics it says it is open which makes me think that it is a loop can anyone answer this question thank you.
The cat got me
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Don't know for sure, but the fact that it is a sensor seems to imply there would be 'something' special at the end of the line doing the sensing. Could be an NTC resistor (likely) or less likely some other type of temp measurement device like an RTD or others.
Either way - if you can insulate the wires from each other and reconnect each wire to the respective end, it might bring the sensor back online. Unless maybe the cat ate the sensor portion? Most of these sensors could be small / bite sized / pill size/shape electronic bits. I guess if you think the cat did eat it, you could keep an eye out for a few days and if willing to do a little archaeological 'digging', you might get it back. Metal and plastic aren't terribly digestible... if you get my drift.
I seriously doubt just shorting the two bare wires together and heat shrinking them up will restore the sensor. Unless it happened to be a thermocouple. In that specific case, shorting the wires together would actually make a new thermocouple and might restore the function - assuming the wire remains are actually the thermocouple wire. If so, they would likely be solid, silvery-looking wires. If you see multi-strand copper, then that is definitely just a conductor wire.
Good luck!!
Either way - if you can insulate the wires from each other and reconnect each wire to the respective end, it might bring the sensor back online. Unless maybe the cat ate the sensor portion? Most of these sensors could be small / bite sized / pill size/shape electronic bits. I guess if you think the cat did eat it, you could keep an eye out for a few days and if willing to do a little archaeological 'digging', you might get it back. Metal and plastic aren't terribly digestible... if you get my drift.
I seriously doubt just shorting the two bare wires together and heat shrinking them up will restore the sensor. Unless it happened to be a thermocouple. In that specific case, shorting the wires together would actually make a new thermocouple and might restore the function - assuming the wire remains are actually the thermocouple wire. If so, they would likely be solid, silvery-looking wires. If you see multi-strand copper, then that is definitely just a conductor wire.
Good luck!!
bogieb
Minister of Fire
If I knew what was at the end of the twisted wires where it is a resistor or whatever I could replace it
Thanks blades but I tried joining the two ends together and it came back that there was a short so I undid them and it comes up open like it did before after the cat got a hold of it there has to be some Harmon tech out there who knows what's at the end
johneh
Minister of Fire
According to the wiring diag the twisted wires go from the esp to the control board
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Wiring Diagram; Specifications - Harman PELLET P61A Installation & Operating Manual [Page 31]
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bogieb
Minister of Fire
For what it is comprised of, maybe not. But at the same time, it doesn't sound like you have been able to make any progress on it in a couple of months. Only have a couple more months to figure it out before heating season (for me anyway), and prices will do nothing but go up from here for - at least a while more.
Im unsure if you need a special sensor (it might be different for the inserts than for the P-series, but I found one for $10 cheaper on Amazon.
Thanks for the price update but it's not the same as the one that's in there now the one I need is a number 3-20-08 780 maybe someone on The forum how's one laying around and could measure the resistance of the wire for me my insert number is a 52 i
I used to love cats. Had two. Now I have a big dumb dog that barks at it's shadow and only needs out when Im having an important business conversation. Ill take the latter over the worst smell that exists to mankind, cat piss.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
now I gotta see who has the bigger (not calling them dumber, for fear of offending someone...) dog here. @GrumpyDad or @Caw 
How quickly we stray from topics in here. My dog is a larger rhodesian ridgeback, with terrible anxiety and lots of zoomies. Her favorite thing is breaking into our bedroom and sleeping on our bed. She likes to chase anything that moves. Other dogs, she barks at. Rabbits, cats, she loses her mind and tries to break through the window. Then she runs around the house crying.now I gotta see who has the bigger (not calling them dumber, for fear of offending someone...) dog here. @GrumpyDad or @Caw
Caw
Minister of Fire
Gordon has been summoned!now I gotta see who has the bigger (not calling them dumber, for fear of offending someone...) dog here. @GrumpyDad or @Caw
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