Year 4 With a DVC-500 Not Off to a Good Start... Help!
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
Just got mine. Yep, ACP Tech. from Spain....ablumny wrote:Wierd pot from ACP Technologies in Spain. Series VD11
http://www.acptechnologies.com/img/pdf/ACP_CA14-CE14.pdf
None of the catalog houses sell ACP. My engineer educates me a bit on pots statign the way the wiper and end leads are used to hold the pot in place and off the board, plus the plastic body and the shaft connection to the body is all crap. Interchangable shafts make for trouble at the base or somethign like that. (no doubt I didnt repeat that exactly how he stated it btw). Anyway, perhaps thats the reason the eBay guy claims they fail "all the time". I ordered a set from him.
Attachments
- ablumny
- Member
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu. Jun. 19, 2008 9:02 pm
- Location: Holtsville, NY....Long Island
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman dvc500
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
Update
As noted, ive been away this week but have been communicating with a few very helpful DVC owners here and from other forums. My service call remains scheduled but at the suggestion of that dealer I've decided to buy a few parts to have on hand when they arrive to expedite this repair. Ill keep whatever wasn't required afterwards and based on what I'm going thru, no prob.
I find my way to a PA dealer at the suggestion of a contact and these folks were very helpful. The owner and the senior tech both have the same stove and detailed knowledge of it; so good confidence....... And they stock a lot of our parts. Anyway, they believe my prob is the TCP which sits behind the feeder, not the ECP which is in the exhaust chamber. I ran my problem by them a # of times since that made little sense to me but they made a compelling case so I ordered the probe, its en route. In case that's not it, they've got the motors and control.board in stock.
I'll swap the TCP.....if it works great. If not, ill get the spare parts in hand and wait for the service tech.
Andrew
As noted, ive been away this week but have been communicating with a few very helpful DVC owners here and from other forums. My service call remains scheduled but at the suggestion of that dealer I've decided to buy a few parts to have on hand when they arrive to expedite this repair. Ill keep whatever wasn't required afterwards and based on what I'm going thru, no prob.
I find my way to a PA dealer at the suggestion of a contact and these folks were very helpful. The owner and the senior tech both have the same stove and detailed knowledge of it; so good confidence....... And they stock a lot of our parts. Anyway, they believe my prob is the TCP which sits behind the feeder, not the ECP which is in the exhaust chamber. I ran my problem by them a # of times since that made little sense to me but they made a compelling case so I ordered the probe, its en route. In case that's not it, they've got the motors and control.board in stock.
I'll swap the TCP.....if it works great. If not, ill get the spare parts in hand and wait for the service tech.
Andrew
You might be able to test that by simply removing the connectors to it, or, jumping the connectors. Depends on what signal the computer is expecting from the probe. High resistance or low resistance.ablumny wrote:, they believe my prob is the TCP which sits behind the feeder, not the ECP
Now that I think about it, the computer is looking for two values from the TCP....ablumny wrote:Yep, if I knew expected resistance I could jump in a resistor. No matter, the probe will be at my door by the time I return.....
1) A HIGH temp indicated, would cause the computer to turn on the motor for the Pusher bar, to push LOTS of coal to get the fire away from the hopper.
2) A LOW temp indicated, would cause the computer to shut OFF the Combustion fan and Pusher Bar motor, due to a percieved "Fire out" condition.
- ablumny
- Member
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu. Jun. 19, 2008 9:02 pm
- Location: Holtsville, NY....Long Island
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman dvc500
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
Nope......
Changed TCP, pushing coal faster than burning.... Lit coal dumping into pan. Wow....
Turned stove off, now it's burning thru the pile of coal that accumulated on the grate. The coal bed is huge......
Changed TCP, pushing coal faster than burning.... Lit coal dumping into pan. Wow....
Turned stove off, now it's burning thru the pile of coal that accumulated on the grate. The coal bed is huge......
- ablumny
- Member
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu. Jun. 19, 2008 9:02 pm
- Location: Holtsville, NY....Long Island
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman dvc500
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
Next update....
Jeff Dewald from Dewald and Lengle in PA gets an A++ for service and patients. He's been great in helping me diagnose my situation, offering as good advice as possible over the phone and I've bought the replacement parts I've gotten so far from him. Hes got a good stock of partsmfor Harman units. After the TCP didnt work, We spoke tonight again and determine its time to replace the main control board. Ive got my local service call still scheduled and Jeff's shipping the board Monday. I'll swap it in and hope for the best. If no success, I'll have it as a spare .....
Jeff Dewald from Dewald and Lengle in PA gets an A++ for service and patients. He's been great in helping me diagnose my situation, offering as good advice as possible over the phone and I've bought the replacement parts I've gotten so far from him. Hes got a good stock of partsmfor Harman units. After the TCP didnt work, We spoke tonight again and determine its time to replace the main control board. Ive got my local service call still scheduled and Jeff's shipping the board Monday. I'll swap it in and hope for the best. If no success, I'll have it as a spare .....
- ablumny
- Member
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu. Jun. 19, 2008 9:02 pm
- Location: Holtsville, NY....Long Island
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman dvc500
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
The pusher is not running constantly. However after replacing the TCP, more coal is pushed up on the grate then before. The board was is stock at $219
I have a DVC-500, and so does my brother in Maryland.
Both control boards failed, due to bad potentiometers.
Mine just out of warranty, (1 or 2 months) , Harman supplied the part at no charge, I installed.
His failed in warranty, and was covered, he installed it.
I bought from Rella in L.I., NO ONE else had a stove to sell 5yrs ago in my area (BIG DEMAND)!!!
I kept the old board, even though it was requested back.
I found , and bought 2 sets of pots off ebay,(he threw in a 7th for free).
I gave a couple to my brother Today as spares.
It was the STOVE TEMP pot that failed.
Running as I type this.
Good Luck.
Both control boards failed, due to bad potentiometers.
Mine just out of warranty, (1 or 2 months) , Harman supplied the part at no charge, I installed.
His failed in warranty, and was covered, he installed it.
I bought from Rella in L.I., NO ONE else had a stove to sell 5yrs ago in my area (BIG DEMAND)!!!
I kept the old board, even though it was requested back.
I found , and bought 2 sets of pots off ebay,(he threw in a 7th for free).
I gave a couple to my brother Today as spares.
It was the STOVE TEMP pot that failed.
Running as I type this.
Good Luck.
I beleive so.
By the way, the parts on EBAY are an EXACT REPLACEMENT. Manufacturer and spec(100k)
My thought on WHY they fail, is due to continued use/adjustment.
I think these components are usualy seen, and designed for use, INSIDE apliances as
adjustment/tuning points, and once set,not used again except for servicing.
They are certainly not built as sturdy as the old pots used as say, volume contols on OLD TV's.
Just my thought.
Also, I ashamed to say I do not maintain my stove as I should, and have had no other problems.
I WILL be cleaning it in the very near future.
By the way, the parts on EBAY are an EXACT REPLACEMENT. Manufacturer and spec(100k)
My thought on WHY they fail, is due to continued use/adjustment.
I think these components are usualy seen, and designed for use, INSIDE apliances as
adjustment/tuning points, and once set,not used again except for servicing.
They are certainly not built as sturdy as the old pots used as say, volume contols on OLD TV's.
Just my thought.
Also, I ashamed to say I do not maintain my stove as I should, and have had no other problems.
I WILL be cleaning it in the very near future.
- ablumny
- Member
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu. Jun. 19, 2008 9:02 pm
- Location: Holtsville, NY....Long Island
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman dvc500
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
Thanks Nevercold.....
I also bought the pots on eBay. Look back a few posts and you'll see I found the original Manufacturer, part# and spec. Yep, they are crap! I recently decided to just replace the board and a new one is coming this week. Ill replace the pots in my old one, reinstall and if it works, keep as a spare.
Never done a through cleaning? Think about this: neither did I until last year and now look what happened to me!
Seriously, one thing to watch for is the Exhaust Probe (ECP) in the exhaust chamber leading outside. I ran a cleaning brush through there and bent the probe, $90!
Thx again
Andrew
I also bought the pots on eBay. Look back a few posts and you'll see I found the original Manufacturer, part# and spec. Yep, they are crap! I recently decided to just replace the board and a new one is coming this week. Ill replace the pots in my old one, reinstall and if it works, keep as a spare.
Never done a through cleaning? Think about this: neither did I until last year and now look what happened to me!
Seriously, one thing to watch for is the Exhaust Probe (ECP) in the exhaust chamber leading outside. I ran a cleaning brush through there and bent the probe, $90!
Thx again
Andrew