# Quadra-Fire Mt Vernon Pellet Stove won't light



## Mir77 (Dec 28, 2012)

I have a Quadra-Fire Mount Vernon AE Pellet Stove that won't light. Yesterday, I saw a blue burst of sparks when stove was in startup and it hasn't worked since then. Upon removal of the igniter, there was, sure enough, a big hole burned in it. My fiance and I picked up a new igniter and installed it but the igniter is not getting red, and the stove just keeps dropping pellets. Could it be a fuse? Or could the arc have created additional problems?  Thanks


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 28, 2012)

There is a good chance that the arc damaged the electronic igniter switch on the control board. If it is still under warranty you should contact the dealer.


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## Mir77 (Dec 28, 2012)

The stove was manufactured in 2008. We moved into our house in Nov 2011, and the stove was here. I don't know of any warranty for the stove. Any other suggestions for troubleshooting?


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## tsmith (Dec 28, 2012)

Check the ignitor fuse, it may have blown it.


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## smoke show (Dec 28, 2012)

There is an ignitor fuse in the control box.


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## chimneylinerjames (Dec 28, 2012)

tsmith said:


> Check the ignitor fuse, it may have blown it.


 
This may help you:


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 28, 2012)

tsmith said:


> Check the ignitor fuse, it may have blown it.


Fuses are almost never as fast to burn out as the semiconductors they are intended to protect. I usually think of them as smoke limiting devices.
Why on earth would they use a 15A fuse on a 380W heater circuit? A 5A fuse would have been more appropriate.


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## Mir77 (Dec 28, 2012)

Any tips on removing the cover of the control board?


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## Mir77 (Dec 28, 2012)

If this helps, there are no error codes on the thermostat screen and it remains in startup mode when plugged in.


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 28, 2012)

Check the AC harness from the power supply to the control board for damage. Also check that the circuit track on the power supply next to the AC connector isn't burned out.


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## tsmith (Dec 28, 2012)

Try to remove the face plate of the thermostat controller and reinstall it. This resets everything.


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## Mir77 (Dec 28, 2012)

I removed the face plate of the thermostat controller and put it back, but the screen that came up worried me so I unplugged and plugged in the stove. Should I try that again and wait for screen to change?


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## tsmith (Dec 28, 2012)

Yes, it is ok it will reset everything. You may need to go through the menu and check your set points


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## Mir77 (Dec 28, 2012)

Ok I removed it and put it back but it didn't change anything. Igniter still won't fire.


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## tsmith (Dec 28, 2012)

Did you check the fuse?


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## Mir77 (Dec 28, 2012)

I couldn't find it. Do I have to remove the cover on the control box?


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## smoke show (Dec 29, 2012)

yes all fuses are internal.


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## kinsmanstoves (Dec 29, 2012)

Mir77 said:


> I have a Quadra-Fire Mount Vernon AE Pellet Stove that won't light. Yesterday, I saw a blue burst of sparks when stove was in startup and it hasn't worked since then. Upon removal of the igniter, there was, sure enough, a big hole burned in it. My fiance and I picked up a new igniter and installed it but the igniter is not getting red, and the stove just keeps dropping pellets. Could it be a fuse? Or could the arc have created additional problems? Thanks


 

If the igniter is damaged, replace it.

Eric


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## Mir77 (Dec 29, 2012)

We replaced the igniter. That was the first thing we did.


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## kinsmanstoves (Dec 29, 2012)

call your dealer, I bet your computer is fried.

Eric


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## hooter04 (Dec 29, 2012)

When you say computer,do you mean the control board itself?


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## kinsmanstoves (Dec 29, 2012)

part number  SRV7000-456 retail $678.00


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 29, 2012)

kinsmanstoves said:


> , I bet your computer is fried.


Fried is a rather strong term. An electronics tech should be able fix that control board for a lot less than $678. The line Voltage section of that board is probably well isolated from the rest of the controls. 
It could just as well be that the link between connectors on the power supply board is burned and can be restored, but I would bet on the triac on the control board being shorted.


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## kinsmanstoves (Dec 29, 2012)

I wish I could help more but I my nickname is not "Sparky" so soldering is not my number one skill.  Call your dealer and see if the stove is under warranty.  Remember that computer is DC and AC.  Other than that good luck.

Eric


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## heat seeker (Dec 29, 2012)

If the fuse is good, I would look for a burned trace on the control board. If a trace is burned, it can be bypassed with wiring by someone who can solder on circuit boards. 

I agree, 15 amps is a rather large fuse for the application. 

A shorted triac would keep the ignitor on constantly, IMO. My money is on a burnt trace, or blown fuse.


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## Mir77 (Dec 29, 2012)

I am reluctant to remove all the wires and then remove the cover from the control board. It makes me nervous. Are there any recommended tools? I am not an electrician by any means but a problem solver, nonetheless. I definitely cannot afford the $678 at this time if it is the control board.

When the stove is plugged in, the lights on the control board are on, i.e. the red call to the thermostat light flashes, so there must be some part of it working. Pellets keep dropping, and subsequently dumping into the ash drawer — just no red glow, no flame, no fire.

I seem to recall reading that there is a manual setting on the thermostat control, at which point I could light the pellets by hand. Does anyone have any advice on this point before I can get a technician/fix the problem?


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## heat seeker (Dec 29, 2012)

For the cost of a tech and/or a new board, I'd manually light the stove.


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## LMPS (Dec 29, 2012)

You can do a manual light.  Let it drop some pellets in the fire pot, open the door use the fire gel and light them ( I would also ad a handful of pellets at this point).  Watch the fire you may have to put some more gel on and/or add some pellets manually.  It does take a little long for it to build the fire this way but it does work.


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 29, 2012)

heat seeker said:


> A shorted triac would keep the ignitor on constantly, IMO. My money is on a burnt trace, or blown fuse.


There's a good chance it is both, but the open trace wins. Of course the trace has to be checked and restored first if necessary, but I would put money on the triac being toast.


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 29, 2012)

> For the cost of a tech and/or a new board, I'd manually light the stove.


But then you lose the convenience of automated operation


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## Mir77 (Jan 3, 2013)

I replaced the fuse and it was clearly toast. So far so good. It has been running smoothly for a couple hours now. Thanks, everyone, for your help!


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## tz0zk6 (Apr 21, 2013)

Hello,

I did the same thing.   The new ignitors that I bought had short wires with no plugs on the end.  I soldered the old wires with plugs and covered the joint with the ceramic cloth wire covering that is on the ignitor units.  Being lazy I did not glue or tape the cloth and my ash drawer nicked the wire and created a spark.   Since then my ignitor will not blow.  I suspect that I too popped the fuse.

Did you find the ignitor fuse inside the black control box?  were you able to get it open without unplugging the mass of wires connecting to it?  Seeking some advice on how to tackle this problem as you did.  Is it a normal automotive type fuse or clear glass tube type?

lighting manually for now

Thanks!


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## onmyown (Nov 5, 2013)

Mir77 said:


> I have a Quadra-Fire Mount Vernon AE Pellet Stove that won't light. Yesterday, I saw a blue burst of sparks when stove was in startup and it hasn't worked since then. Upon removal of the igniter, there was, sure enough, a big hole burned in it. My fiance and I picked up a new igniter and installed it but the igniter is not getting red, and the stove just keeps dropping pellets. Could it be a fuse? Or could the arc have created additional problems?  Thanks


Hi! I hope you're still out there somewhere Mir77. I have same problem and have replaced igniter thus far.  How did you replace the fuse? We have an insert and it is DARNED hard to even get to the control board let alone free it from blower and still keep all the connections in place.  Tell me your magic trick! Please!


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## Mir77 (Nov 5, 2013)

onmyown said:


> Hi! I hope you're still out there somewhere Mir77. I have same problem and have replaced igniter thus far.  How did you replace the fuse? We have an insert and it is DARNED hard to even get to the control board let alone free it from blower and still keep all the connections in place.  Tell me your magic trick! Please!



Yes, it is a pain, but very worth it. It is most likely a burned out fuse. You can order them on ebay for a couple bucks. The tricky part is that you have to remove each wire from the control board and remove the box completely to locate the fuse and replace it. I took the time to number each wire and each insertion so that I could make sure I could get them back the right way. That was me probably being overcautious as each one is a different shape and color, but it worked for me. 

I would unplug the stove and then remove the back right panel. Then remove each of the wires to free the box. Once you locate the fuse you will be able to tell if it is fried because it will look burnt inside.

I hope this helps. You may want to find the QuadraFire Troubleshooting Manual online or there may be other documentation but you might have to dig. I think they like for customers to use technicians. But I felt so victorious to be able to fix it myself.

Good Luck!

Miriam


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## tsmith (Nov 5, 2013)

Here is the manual.


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## buddy01 (Mar 23, 2015)

tsmith said:


> Here is the manual.


Good job ALL of you. Took my control board out number each wire and guess what!  bad fuse A bad firepot started this mess. the whole bottom was burnt off. That shorted the igniter out, then took the fuse You saved me hundreds thanks again.


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## BrotherBart (Mar 23, 2015)

Hearth.com strikes again.


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## kappel15 (Mar 23, 2015)

There is a new wire harness for the igniter that has inline fuses to make for easier replacement. # SRV7034-273. kap


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## heat seeker (Mar 23, 2015)

You can also install your own inline fuse for under $5. Piece of cake!


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## Harvey Schneider (Mar 24, 2015)

tz0zk6 said:


> I soldered the old wires with plugs and covered the joint with the ceramic cloth wire covering that is on the ignitor units.


Solder is not recommended for connecting the wires on heaters. Conducted heat from the igniter and high currents can melt the solder. An insulated crimp butt connector is a much more reliable way to splice those wires.


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## jordan69s (Jan 14, 2017)

Thank you for such an amazing post... Thanks to the diagrams and comments I was able to replace my ignition, did not work, so I inspected my control board which looks like new, not burning smells either... so I check the fuse and I had to replace it because it was damaged.  an I still do not have power on the ignition wire #13 has power, but wire #12 never gets any current... someone very early on mentioned about  perhaps bypassing the wire, but there was not explanation on how...  

The pellet stove is dated 2008, so there is no warranty.  Can anyone help me figure out what can be wrong???  No errors reported on the thermostat either! 

Many thanks, 

Jordan


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## kappel15 (Jan 15, 2017)

Did you check continuity at fuse connections, or power on both sides?  Check for power at the control board on #12. Unplug the stove and restart. Make sure the wall control says "startup". If power not present, replace the control board. What revision control board do you have? Depending on what you have, you may need a new wall control too, if you need to replace the control board. kap


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