Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers WITH EPA-Certified Models => Central Boiler => Topic started by: PapaTango on September 09, 2017, 03:53:39 PM
-
Getting our E-1450 ready to go for our 4th season today....I powered up the unit today and noticed that I am not getting any power to the Firestar Controller on the side of the boiler (no display). I do have some power running to other things such as the bypass handle alarm and LED lights. I started checking out the electrical connections at the rear of the boiler. I am not very knowledgeable about electrical components. I thought that the 24 VAC transformer may have gone bad, so I unscrewed it from the top of the electrical box. I started cleaning up some of the connections, etc. and was about to give up, when all of a sudden the Firestar controller fired up and was displaying power. Everything on the boiler started working including the fans. I then shut it off again and remounted the transformed on the box. Went to power the unit back on and again it would not work.
This is our 4th year with the boiler. Is it common for these transformers to go bad? I have ordered a new one to replace it, but want to make sure I'm on the right track in trouble shooting the problem. Am I missing anything else that I should also be looking at?
Thanks in advance for any assistance/insight...
Papa Tango
-
Well I am not familiar with the wiring of the cb units but I have heard that the fire star controllers are an item that fails. I would start out your diagnosis with a simple volt meter. Follow the power from where it enters the boiler and trace it to where it stops. Where it stops is where your problem is.
-
As a retired electronics tech, I can tell you the first thing I would check is any mechanical form of electrical connection. Wire nuts are usually good, but screw terminals, spring contacts, and the like don't generally like thermal cycles. Guess what, you can't avoid thermal cycles on an electrical cabinet exposed to the elements like our furnaces. So before I bought a new transformer, I'd check and tighten everything in sight. With the power off to the unit, of course.
-
Sounds like it's the firestar controller,mine went after first year of use,they replaced it free then but not sure after 4 yrs.
-
I put it to sleep working in April then failed next year figure that out.
-
neighbor of mine just replaced his. Didn't check it when a lightning strike took out the rest of his electronics in July, but found out when his furnace wouldn't wake up in October. I bet on the lightning!
-
Possible grounding issue on the 120 side of the transformer? However I question if transformer is bad, it sends low voltage to bypass alarm and the LED's which you said are working. Firestar runs on 120. I'd give your dealer or CB a call for their thoughts or see if under warranty after 4 years.