# QUADRAFIRE MT.VERNON VACUUM SWITCH PROBLEM-HELP! I'M COLD



## amislow (Oct 22, 2009)

I CURRENTLY HAVE A MT.VERNON PELLET STOVE BOUGHT IN 2006.THIS YEAR THE STOVE WILL NOT GO INTO HIGH BURN,INSTEAD IT SHUTS DOWN AND VACUUM SWITCH APPEARS ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.I FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE MANUAL.
#1JUMP OUT VACUUM SWITCH I DID AND THE STOVE WORKS FINE THEIR ANSWER YOU NEED A NEW VACUUM SWITCH I ORDERED ONE AND INSTALLED IT,GUESS WHAT IT STILL GIVES THE SAME MESSAGE.I HAD THE SERVICE TECH COME HE CONTACTED QUADRA FIRE THEIR SUGGESTION,MAKE SURE ALL CONNECTIONS ARE TIGHT.HE ALSO VACUUMED AND CLEANED EVERY INCH OF THE STOVE.
ANYBODY NEED A SPARE VACUUM SWITCH?ANYBODY HAD SIMILIAR PROBLEMS?BESIDE THIS THE STOVE HAS BEEN GREAT.


----------



## imacman (Oct 22, 2009)

amislow said:
			
		

> .....HE ALSO VACUUMED AND CLEANED EVERY INCH OF THE STOVE.
> ANYBODY NEED A SPARE VACUUM SWITCH?ANYBODY HAD SIMILIAR PROBLEMS?BESIDE THIS THE STOVE HAS BEEN GREAT.



First, please take off the caps lock so your not "shouting" at us....thanks.

As for the vacuum switch, when the tech "cleaned every inch", did he take the plastic vacuum line off the switch and where it attaches to the stove, and make sure it was 100% clean inside?


----------



## jtakeman (Oct 22, 2009)

Most likely clogged hose as macman says. Pull the hose off the switch and blow air back to the stove. Hook it back up and try again.


----------



## GVA (Oct 22, 2009)

Or a partially blocked exhaust pipe. without flow of air through the stove (and exhaust) negative pressure will not happen.
Did he clean the pipe too?


----------



## fluemasterjr (Oct 22, 2009)

my first guess would be to check the venting. and then the 10pin wire harness that goes from the vac switch to the control board.


----------



## jtp10181 (Oct 22, 2009)

Make sure you have the most recent control board revision. They made some adjustments that effected that error. I had a customer who was getting that VAC SW error all the time and we replaced the main control board under warranty and it fixed it.

Also before that, make sure the vac hose is clear and fully on both ends. Also make sure the door gasket is in good shape, and the exhaust path is fully cleaned. Do you know how to clean out the pit below the rear baffle fins? It was added in more recent manuals, get it from quadrafire.com


----------



## amislow (Oct 31, 2009)

Thank you for all of your advice.Last night i again removed the hose and used my air compressor to blow air through the hose.I then tried the stove again,it worked but instead of sending an error of vacuum switch it know states fire pot temperature.The manual states that i am low on fuel but the bin is full of pellets.I also have the technician returning on Monday and i will share with him your feedback.
Thanks again


----------



## buck 01 (Oct 31, 2009)

Im having the same problem the tech came out and said it was vented wrong so it spent 257$ for new pip and 125$ in service call and still doing same thing and it worked fine last year until about the end of season ,he also said it wa one of the cleanest stove he has seen dont no what it is only 1 1/2 years old.


----------



## CanadaClinker (Oct 31, 2009)

sounded like the vac hose too.... since that has been ruled out along with the switch changed, could it possibly be some pinched  or loose wires.... unplug stove and trace all wires by gently tugging and pushing on each one and making sure they aren't sandwiched between something that is screwed down (found this in my stove and fixed it before it became a problem) ..... check where wires go through and past metal edges (wrap with electrical tape).  Hope this helps....... cc


----------



## buck 01 (Oct 31, 2009)

not sure he changed the switch he just said everything check out ok.forgot to say it only does it at start up and when the autoclean is over.
some pics is it vented ok


----------



## hossthehermit (Oct 31, 2009)

Look at it this way, better to find the problem now, than at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday in January.


----------



## buck 01 (Nov 1, 2009)

look at pic edited my first post


----------



## jtp10181 (Nov 1, 2009)

Did anyone read this in my last post?

_*Make sure you have the most recent control board revision.* They made some adjustments that effected that error. I had a customer who was getting that VAC SW error all the time and we replaced the main control board under warranty and it fixed it._

There were no comments to the effect that anyone has verified this, or had their dealer verify it. Replacing the VAC switch did not fix the problem in this case I had, only when we replaced the control board with a newer version did the problem go away.


----------



## buck 01 (Nov 1, 2009)

I have a 7000-456 rev B borad whats the new one stove was bough in 07


----------



## jtp10181 (Nov 1, 2009)

The numbers on it are not that reliable because they were upgrading old ones by re-flashing the chips on them etc... best option is to give the dealer your stove serial number and the numbers off the board and they would have to call Quad and see if Quad wants to replace the control board. From 07 though I would guess you need an upgrade, I think the final upgrade was in 08 sometime.


----------



## buck 01 (Nov 1, 2009)

Bought my stove in jan of 08 tag on stove says manf oct of 07 dealer said all updates were done when i bought it are their any new update after that by the way im burning pellets.


----------



## buck 01 (Nov 6, 2009)

Deler came out with new borad and wall contral been working for two day fine.  THANKS


----------



## amislow (Nov 23, 2009)

I am still using oil,i ordered a new vacuum switch and it didnt help as previousley stated.My repair person is an independent but does repair work for the store i bought it from in 2006.He suggests the control board should be next.I asked if their was a recall as you mentioned he took down the serial number and the stove dealer claims it had been replaced when they brought me my new stove in nov.of 2006(they had to give me a new stove because it would not ignite)The warranty is 2 years.He said he would give me a deal and take my stove,and sell me a new quadra fire for $2700.00 plus installation and said their is also about a $1,000 tax credit.That does not seem like a good deal to me since i paid $2950 in 2006.I emailed quadra fire with details and asked them to intervene their reply have it serviced on a regular basis and go through the store owner.I have seen 2 prices for the part $350 and over $600.00.I dont know what to do next????????????


----------



## jtp10181 (Nov 23, 2009)

If the dealer called Quad and talked to them, they would probably agree to replace the board under warranty if you do not currently have the newest revision software on yours. The continual VAC SW error is a KNOWN problem with anything except the absolute newest board revision (or maybe two revisions back).

PM me your serial number and I might have a few minutes to call Quad and get the scoop on your stove, see what they have on record. And let me verify, you are getting the VAC SW error randomly while the stove is running, and then it shuts down, correct? Have you also verified all areas I suggested are cleaned out? Including the pit in the back below all the fins?


----------



## mainegeek (Nov 24, 2009)

jtp10181, I'm curious... is there no way to flash these boards in the field?  I remember mention of a USB port on the control board; never sought it out though.  Does Quadrafire not offer any tools to do this using a laptop?


----------



## jj1949 (Nov 24, 2009)

The latest wall control is --7000 451 REV D
  The latest mother board is 7000 456 REV C



The same thing was happening to my Mt Vernon. The dealership had to upgrade my control board and as of late these are the numbers on your control board that you should have..Hope this helps


----------



## buck 01 (Nov 24, 2009)

the dealer replaced my wall control and borad under warrenty has be fine ever sents. is it an AE if yes and it clean thats your problem.try cornburner.com their is a QF tech on there lots of help their to


----------



## jtp10181 (Nov 24, 2009)

mainegeek said:
			
		

> jtp10181, I'm curious... is there no way to flash these boards in the field?  I remember mention of a USB port on the control board; never sought it out though.  Does Quadrafire not offer any tools to do this using a laptop?



There is, but that equipment is not available to dealers, only to the traveling field techs from HHT (Quads parent company). I got to watch it once.

Can you imagine an average fireplace tech with a laptop, home made usb cable that hooks to the main board, and crude flashing software.... They would fry just as many boards as they upgrade.


----------



## mainegeek (Nov 24, 2009)

jtp10181 said:
			
		

> mainegeek said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree but not completely.  I work in IT and field flashing has become relatively harmless and a regular part of the job.  USB cables are fairly standard so finding a cable should not be a problem.  The only missing piece in my opinon would be Quadrafire providing the drivers, connectivity software, and the fllash binaries.  With a small webinar and test, Quadrafire could easily train dealers to do this.

It sounds like Quadrafire likes to keep this field repair close to their chest.  Too bad....


----------



## gotpooch (Nov 24, 2009)

I have a Mt. Vernon as well and was having the same issue about a month ago. The stove was purchased last year and worked like a charm until about a month ago. Called a service man and turned out there was ash buildup around the ashpan that did not allow the system to be airtight. The error is not very accurate in stating the cause of the issue. The issue is really caused when the air flow is not correct. Thorough cleaning of the stove including in and around the ash pan drawer, the replacement of the rope thing around the door  and the flue fixed the problem. The stove has run without a glitch since it was cleaned. I would try that before investing any additional money into it.
Hope this helps...


----------



## jtakeman (Nov 25, 2009)

mainegeek said:
			
		

> jtp10181 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I think its more to keeping the firmware proprietary. There is only one stove that I know of that has there firmware open and changable Bixby! Everyone else keeps it a secret.


----------



## mainegeek (Nov 25, 2009)

jtakeman said:
			
		

> I think its more to keeping the firmware proprietary. There is only one stove that I know of that has there firmware open and changable Bixby! Everyone else keeps it a secret.



Possibly, that's what I was kind of thinking when I said they are keeping it "close to their chest".  Maybe they're afraid that the more hands they allow the proprietary binaries into the more likely hood of reverse engineering.

lol, I suppose they wouldn't want a re-flash of linux controlling their stoves.  Maybe, Ubuntu Stove edition?   Even if that would be possible that would SO void the warranty.

I just feel technicians today should be equipped with everything they need to service a device and not need backend support to solve something as simple as a known bug fix.

jtp10181, please do not take any resentfulness in my post; you seem extremely knowledgable and have been very helpful in many posts I've seen.... I just wish Quadrafire was a little more open to field firmware flashing through dealers.  Especially when a technician with experience can trace a possible fix back to a firmware flash.


----------

