My MT Vernon AE woes

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here

Coolericsir

New Member
Oct 4, 2019
4
15658
Hey y’all,
I just discovered this place and wish I had a year ago. I was given my Mt Vernon AE last year so I figured a $4300 stove was a pretty good score for free. From the first time I’ve ever fired it up the dang thing shocks me. I’ve been all through it looking for shorts and I’ve found nothing. It’s definitely low voltage and not the igniter that I’ve changed 8 times now . I’ve also put a new thermocouple in for this season. Still shocks me. Checked the grounds, still shocks me. So I’m running it with the access panels off and I actually saw the mother board short out right below where the igniter plugs in. So it won’t light now and still shocks me. I’m not gonna cry about the $539 board, I got the thing free. Yeahhhh I had to buy the big cast iron baffle in the back, replaced the fire pot and springs, bought the upgraded exhaust gasket. I’m gonna have over a grand in it. Still don’t mind. I just want the thing to stop shocking me. Not entirely because of the displeasure it gives me physically but mentally because I know something isn’t working as it should. Can anyone please help me????
 

Attachments

  • [Hearth.com] My MT Vernon AE woes
    2CFEFCCC-ED47-4065-9033-C74CC55761C8.webp
    40.8 KB · Views: 198
Last edited:
All you can do is trial and error. Start unplugging wire harness's one at a time and see when it stops shocking you. You have a grounded wire somewhere. kap
 
Yeahhhh I was just now shocking myself while playing with wires. Seems like it’s under the mother board somewhere. I didn’t start unplugging yet though. I have to change the board so I’ll get to that soon. I did learn a lot just now though. I realize now that the upper board is the power supply and my board smoked between the high voltage power supply and the igniter. I also learned the numbering system and pattern of all the wires on the motherboard. Only 3 wires are numbered on mine, but a little common sense figured it right out. They all have different plugs anyway, I’ve had it out before looking for the fuses. One really strange thing though... as I was playing with the wires just now it changed from 15 volts to I’m guessing 120 at one point coz it juiced me real good. Possible my power supply itself is the culprit?
 
That's possible. If you don't have an owners manual, I would download one from Quads website. And/or take pictures of wires before unplugging as some of them are identical, and if you plug in backwards, will reverse polarity. There are two green ground wires that go either to bottom of back cover, right under control board, or to back of rear cover kap