Solenoid burnt out last night

[Cbird14]

Woke up this morning to the house being 63°...stat is set for 71°. Cold air coming from the vents. Ugh oh!! Ran outside, OWB water temp was 60° damper wasn't open. Damper was burnt out. I installed a new one. Three hours later that one also burnt out. I have one more I have it rigged so the damper is open now. I have one more solenoid. But I'm afraid to put it in. Took my fluke out and checked voltage. 125vac. So the aquastat is working right. Help!!!!

 

[Speed]

I had one burn out fairly quick on mine. Maybe the replacement was a bad one to begin with? That's the bad thing with electrical, I've seen stuff be bad right away or it lasts indefinitely. You've already confirmed you are at the correct voltage, that isn't the problem. I'd put the next one on. At worst, you are in the same boat, but you don't know til you try it.

 

[H-Ranch]

Woke up this morning to the house being 63°...stat is set for 71°. Cold air coming from the vents. Ugh oh!! Ran outside, OWB water temp was 60° damper wasn't open. Damper was burnt out. I installed a new one. Three hours later that one also burnt out. I have one more I have it rigged so the damper is open now. I have one more solenoid. But I'm afraid to put it in. Took my fluke out and checked voltage. 125vac. So the aquastat is working right. Help!!!!

Some solenoids are not rated for continuous duty - are the replacements the same part number as the original? I assume the original had been working up until last night. No other recent changes? Damper difficult to move, excessive heat in area of solenoid, rain/snow access to solenoid, etc.?

 

[ant]

What unit do u have? To get the fire burning place a thick paper clip between the damper plate and where it was closed so there is a small opening to get air. Unit should not boil over..

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[Cbird14]

Hey fellers. I think I figured out the issue and fixed it. Excessive heat is the only viable reason they burnt out. The solenoid is the same as almost all stove brands such as central boiler, woodmaster ect. It's a 120v continuous duty solenoid. I have a m&j 5000 stove. A guy locally makes em. Same size stove as a 6048 CB.

 

[Speed]

Yeah, that would do it.

 

[Cbird14]

The door isn't insulated and the solenoid is mounted to a bracket on the door. There is a 1"x3"x1/8" piece of steel welded perpendicular to the door and a 3"x4"x1/8" welded to that where the solenoid mounts. My solution was I put four 1/4" washers on each mounting screw. It holds the solenoid around 1/2" away from the mounting plate. I also put a small piece of fiberglass insulation between the door and mounting plate. And drilled a few holes through the 1"x3" piece of steel so some heat can escape. So far so good.

 

[Iska3]

I sure hope that works for you. Talking some bitter cold temps for the next few weeks for us, not a good time to have things go wrong. I best order a few solenoids and keep them handy...

 

[ant]

I got mine from graniger

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[Cbird14]

Back to drawing board... Woke up this morning to a 62° house. Checked stove, damper closed, I'm guessing it burnt out around midnight last night. Still a bunch of wood in the fire box.

 

[Speed]

Is this a new stove, or have you had it a while, and this just started? I see you said the door isnt insulated. I'm wondering how much room is between door and solenoid. Some how if you could get out farther away and a plate in between the two with an air gap? This is kind of hard to guess at without seeing it, so I'm just spitballin here. Man, I just can't believe they would make that door with no insulation, you're losing a lot of heat = efficiency there.

 

[H-Ranch]

Back to drawing board... Woke up this morning to a 62° house. Checked stove, damper closed, I'm guessing it burnt out around midnight last night. Still a bunch of wood in the fire box.

Oh man! And now you have to wait to get a new one to test any more theories.

Are there any part numbers on the solenoids? Just wondering if the original failed because of age and the replacements are not continuous duty? They would look the same, so is it possible they got into the wrong box? Otherwise I'm having trouble explaining why you've had 2 infant failures. I installed a water pump on my Jeep one time and it overheated right away - diagnosed it to be a serpentine belt version of the v-belt version. Pulled it back off and sure enough the impeller was the reverse of the original. Counter man didn't believe it at the parts store until I brought both parts and the box back to him.

 

[Cbird14]

Stove is brand new this October. All the solenoids are the exact same. Continuous duty 120v 60hz solenoid. Part numbers are exact.

 

[Cbird14]

When I first went out this morning I put a 1/2" piece of conduit between the damper and the door to get it heating again. Around 11am the stove was back up to temp, I took my infrared thermometer and took some shots on the door, right behind the door was just over 400°f ,the solenoid mounting plate was in the 320°f range and the solenoid itself was 232° iirc. The stove was very full of ashes...I took out 2- 30 gallon cans around 1:30 this afternoon and threw in more wood. I just got in from taking some more shots. The door was in the upper 260°F's the mounting plate was 132° and the solenoid itself was 97°f. I'm going to wait another hour or so as the stove was not up to temp and check it again. Hoping it stays cooler and I will be putting another (hopefully last) solenoid in. Only good part is the solenoids have a one year warranty. So I'm not out $90.

 

[Stihl310]

When I first went out this morning I put a 1/2" piece of conduit between the damper and the door to get it heating again. Around 11am the stove was back up to temp, I took my infrared thermometer and took some shots on the door, right behind the door was just over 400°f ,the solenoid mounting plate was in the 320°f range and the solenoid itself was 232° iirc. The stove was very full of ashes...I took out 2- 30 gallon cans around 1:30 this afternoon and threw in more wood. I just got in from taking some more shots. The door was in the upper 260°F's the mounting plate was 132° and the solenoid itself was 97°f. I'm going to wait another hour or so as the stove was not up to temp and check it again. Hoping it stays cooler and I will be putting another (hopefully last) solenoid in. Only good part is the solenoids have a one year warranty. So I'm not out $90.

Have you checked the operating temp specs on the solenoid? That could be it right there. Might need to do some more work to isolate the solenoid further from the heat.

 

[Cbird14]

Have you checked the operating temp specs on the solenoid? That could be it right there. Might need to do some more work to isolate the solenoid further from the heat.

Operates up to400°f

 

[Cbird14]

If someone tells me how to post picks I will post some.

 

[phantomblack]

Does your unit have a fuse on the solenoid? Has that fuse ever snapped? I am wondering if your problem is with amp draw of the solenoid. On my central boiler there are adjustements for different "pull" lengths, that directly affect amp draw. Perhaps yours is not properly adjusted or something is holding up the draft door causing the solenoid to work to hard? On the central boiler there is a specific measurement from the bottom of the solenoid to a reference point on the dampener linkage. I have this measurement on an installation sheet that came with the spare solenoid that I bought "just in case. Once you get another part I would verify amp draw and make sure it is within the limits for the solenoid you are working with.

 

[Patrick62]

interesting. I went and looked up pic's of a typical solenoid used on a wood furnace to get a idea what you are dealing with. Looks like something used on a washing machine, or in a large electrical contactor. Heat is the biggest problem with solenoids, and the heat builds up in the middle of the windings where it is difficult to cool the things. Operating on a smoking hot stove only increases the problem. My thinking would be to remote mount the solenoid and use linkage to operate the air damper.

Now, for what it is worth... if ya get any static about the warranty on those solenoids... here is a option to consider:
Rewind them. Take one apart and measure the size of wire, and count the number of turns. Go to your local electric motor rebuilder and buy a bunch of magnet wire and go rewind that thing. Put on a few more turns for good measure.

 

[deutzman]

Operates up to400°f

I have a CB. ,Solenoid on it is a Dormeyor, P. no. 2005-m-1, 120 v,60HZ Duty Cont.
I've worked with this type of solenoid for many years on my job. I looked up the specs on the model I have and found nothing for temperature rating. So I figure you have another brand or type. Out of all I've worked with I've never seen one that I would install in 400 f and expect it to operate very long. My CB has an insulated door ans so far I've never had an issue with heat in that area. If you will post the name and part number on the type you use. I may need one for a hot area some time and then know what to buy.