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Reminder - check your electrical outlet and watch out for Phase Reversal!

Discussion in 'Pellet Stoves, Pellet Fireplaces, Pellet Furnaces' started by don2222, Sep 20, 2016.

  1. don2222

    don2222

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    Hello
    An out of phase outlet can slowly cause damage to some control boards on pellet stoves! So if not sure you can check with a simple electrical outlet tester. I always use a Tripp Lite Ultra Block Surge Protector that checks for a good ground and phase reversal. One of the LEDs will lite up red if there is a problem!
    See pic of phase reversal below.
    Pic 1 - Surge protector shows Green & Red - problem
    Pic 2 - Electrical Tester from Home Depot shows Yellow & Red!
    Pic 3 - Legend shows Hot / Neutral Reversed
    Pic 4 - After power was turned off the White and Black wire on the outlet was reversed, it was tricky because the wires went into the quit snap in holes so to release the wires, a small pick probe had to go into the slot above the wire hole to release the tension with a pick probe!
    Now electrical test shows green for good!
    Pic 5 - Tripp Lite Ultra Blok surge protector shows 2 green lights for good ground and correct electrical outlet wiring and surge protection circuit is working properly!
     

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    Last edited: Sep 20, 2016
  2. bogieb

    bogieb

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    Good reminder and, that visual lesson is really helpful.
     
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  3. imacman

    imacman

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    I bought one at Harbor Freight years ago for $3.99......they're on eBay for less than $5 including shipping. Came in real handy when I moved into the new place a couple years ago.
    Electric Receptacle Tester
     
  4. don2222

    don2222

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    It is the only Surge Protector that tells you something is wrong with the house wiring! That is crucial for any stove!

    So once you have been alerted that something is wrong then the electrical tester tells you exactly what is wrong. :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2016
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  5. don2222

    don2222

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    Thanks
    A few pics makes a good memory impression. :)

    I have a customer in Lowell MA with an Englander 25-PDVC and the exhaust blower Triac on the control board slowly passes away from Phase Reversal! It must have been a painful agonizing death over the 3 years the warm and cozy pellet stove was plugged into that nasty miss wired AC wall outlet with the dirty power with hurtful surges for the poor little 3 legged semiconductor!
    Putting the test cord on the exhaust blower showed the blower worked fine but, No amount of gate voltage would make those electrons flow between the emitter and collector anymore!
    Poor thing!
    After correcting the phase, A new control board and Isoblok surge protector is what the doctor ordered that was the permanent cure! :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2016
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  6. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    Good thread. Gonna check mine now. (Meant to do when we moved in) :whistle:
     
  7. Charles Ingalls

    Charles Ingalls

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    I have two tripp lites. Exact same model as you. For 2 years It worked great and never indicated any kind of fault. When i ran the pellet stove its own dedicated circuit I was surprised when I took apart the existing outlet and there was no ground wire period. Plastic box no ground wire. So i figured it was a bad part no big deal. Grabbed the second tripp lite from my tankless water heater and same thing no faults. Be careful with those tripp lites. Might not be as good as there made out to be
     
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  8. don2222

    don2222

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    Did you get a red fault light?
    Did you check it with an electrical tester?
    What did the electrical tester show?
    Also there are 3 different models that look like this one.
    One model has 2 -- RJ-11 jacks for a fax at the bottom. I am not sure how the lesser 2-0 protecter works but I have had very good luck with this 428 model in the pic below.
     

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  9. Charles Ingalls

    Charles Ingalls

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    Nope strangest thing no red light faults. Has a green light under the ground portion. I never bothered to check It with a meter as since ripped that circuit out and ran my own dedicated circuit which I absolutely know is grounded now
     
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  10. don2222

    don2222

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    Glad you got it grounded, there is NO protection or safety without a ground!
     
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