Harman P68 start up fire too big

[newf lover]

If I burn Okies or LaCrete pellets and don't turn my feed rate down to 2 or even a little below, the inside of my stove gets black upon fire-up. Even if that makes no sense, I would try to lower the feed rate before I started messing with any dip switches.

 

[jettech]

Just checked the dipswitch settings. Had to remove the circuit board from the panel and flip it over to see the switches. First I verified what RPM auger motor and type of ESP probe. According to the units s/n I have a 6 RPM auger and a digital ESP (red wires). Stove was new this last fall. The dip switches are set exactly how Mr. Spock posted. on off on off on on on on.

Maybe I have a different problem. I installed the stove myself and don't have the equipment to test the draft. I assumed the draft was satisfactory since the stove will light and according to the manual if the unit doesn't have enough draft the low draft pressure switch will not allow the feed motor or the igniter to operate. I've tried adjusting the low draft voltage control on the control panel but it doesn't seem to have any effect on the fire. Even with the low draft voltage adjusted fully counter clockwise the stove will still light which led me to believe the draft was ok.

I installed the stove using the direct vent wall passthrough kit p/n 1-00-677077. The flu pipe goes straight through the wall and then up the outside of the house for 4 feet and teminates 2 feet below the eve. I used a 45 elbow at the top instead of a cap.

 

[Lousyweather]

OP- dont take this the worng way, but Im guessing youre unit is dirty still

 

[jettech]

OP- dont take this the worng way, but Im guessing youre unit is dirty still

I'm open to any ideas when troubleshooting so no offense taken. Since it has been a problem since I installed it I was thinking it was an installation or stove problem. Any specific tips on cleaning besides what the owners manual says?

 

[Mr. Spock]

Hockeyfan mentioned his ignitor was misaligned in the cradle from factory. Might be worth taking a look.

Have you tried another brand of pellets?

 

[jettech]

I did remove the igniter and look at it. It was properly installed in the cradle and looked to be in good condition. I have not tried a different brand of pellets. I adjusted the door a little tighter today but that didn't seem to make any difference.

How many pellets should be in the burn pot for light off. The auger pushes in a big pile to within 3/8 to 1/4 inch of spilling over. Then as soon as it lights the auger starts pushing in more pellets. It winds up with quite a bit more pellets in the burn pot when lighting then when it has big hot fire going. There just isn't enough room in the fire box for the size flame the large number of pellets create.

Back to the dipswitches. You said 1-3 were for the pellet feed during the ignition cycle. If I wanted to turn down the pellet feed what switch or switches would I adjust. I can always come back to the original settings if it creates problems.

 

[boo boo]

I will jump in with my two cents
My farther in law had this issue a few weeks back on his P43 It sounds like a different cause but has the same effect.
At start up
High out of control flame
Black soot at the top on the window
pellets to the edge of the burn pot an overflow
He scrapes the burn pot daily However when I looked at it and cleaned it I felt with my hand in the bottom of the burn pot down by the auger about a half inch of solid creosote . I had to use a flat head screw driver to remove it and it. No issues after this
I know the OP said this has been happening from the initial start of his stove but has the same signs.

 

[Mr. Spock]

Here are settings of the dips 1-3

Off off off - program default
Off off on - program -21 sec.
Off on off - program -43 sec.
Off on on - program -64 sec.
On off off - program +21 sec.
On off on - program +43 sec.
On on off - program +64 sec.
On on on - program +85 sec.

ETA: make note of your final changes if you keep them. I would place a strip of masking tape on the top of the control box noting the change. This way it can easily be seen if the stove is serviced by a tech.

 

[jettech]

I will jump in with my two cents
My farther in law had this issue a few weeks back on his P43 It sounds like a different cause but has the same effect.
At start up
High out of control flame
Black soot at the top on the window
pellets to the edge of the burn pot an overflow
He scrapes the burn pot daily However when I looked at it and cleaned it I felt with my hand in the bottom of the burn pot down by the auger about a half inch of solid creosote . I had to use a flat head screw driver to remove it and it. No issues after this
I know the OP said this has been happening from the initial start of his stove but has the same signs.

Thanks for the input. Every few days I scrape the burn pot with the tool provided and have even used an 1/8 inch drill bit by hand to make sure the air holes in the floor of the pot are open.

 

[jettech]

Here are settings of the dips 1-3

Off off off - program default
Off off on - program -21 sec.
Off on off - program -43 sec.
Off on on - program -64 sec.
On off off - program +21 sec.
On off on - program +43 sec.
On on off - program +64 sec.
On on on - program +85 sec.

ETA: make note of your final changes if you keep them. I would place a strip of masking tape on the top of the control box noting the change. This way it can easily be seen if the stove is serviced by a tech.

Thanks, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[subsailor]

Thanks for the input. Every few days I scrape the burn pot with the tool provided and have even used an 1/8 inch drill bit by hand to make sure the air holes in the floor of the pot are open.

The Harman tool doesn't work all that well in removing the carbon buildup. I use a large flat blade screwdriver and a hammer. Some of that stuff in pretty hard to remove.

 

[jettech]

First I tried setting the third dip switch to off to stop the ignition pellet feed sooner. The startup flame was a little smaller but still to large. Next I set the first dip switch to off and now the start up flame looks good. It still gets big but not rolling around inside the fire box. No more black soot on the top half of the glass either. My final dip switch settings for dips 1-3 are off off off which is about 3 minutes of pellet feed during the ignition cycle.

It's been a great stove so far and I'm even more satisfied with it now. I burned a little over 2 tons of pellets to heat our whole house this last winter and the propane furnace never ran. Thanks for all the helpful posts.

 

[Lousyweather]

First I tried setting the third dip switch to off to stop the ignition pellet feed sooner. The startup flame was a little smaller but still to large. Next I set the first dip switch to off and now the start up flame looks good. It still gets big but not rolling around inside the fire box. No more black soot on the top half of the glass either. My final dip switch settings for dips 1-3 are off off off which is about 3 minutes of pellet feed during the ignition cycle.

It's been a great stove so far and I'm even more satisfied with it now. I burned a little over 2 tons of pellets to heat our whole house this last winter and the propane furnace never ran. Thanks for all the helpful posts.

jeff, you tweeker!

 

[Mr. Spock]

First I tried setting the third dip switch to off to stop the ignition pellet feed sooner. The startup flame was a little smaller but still to large. Next I set the first dip switch to off and now the start up flame looks good. It still gets big but not rolling around inside the fire box. No more black soot on the top half of the glass either. My final dip switch settings for dips 1-3 are off off off which is about 3 minutes of pellet feed during the ignition cycle.

It's been a great stove so far and I'm even more satisfied with it now. I burned a little over 2 tons of pellets to heat our whole house this last winter and the propane furnace never ran. Thanks for all the helpful posts.

Cool. Glad you found a solution.