Auger squeak from Harman P43

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mikkeeh

Feeling the Heat
Dec 7, 2011
443
NE Ohio
Ive read that powdered graphite helps some. Where would i find some?? (Notice I spelled Harman correctly! ) :)
 
mikkeeh said:
Ive read that powdered graphite helps some. Where would i find some?? (Notice I spelled Harman correctly! ) :)

Haha. You cheated and used your signature for correct spelling. ;-)

Seriously, I would try to eliminate the problem, not cover it up. Maybe some od the p43 peeps can chime in for tips. Maybe something else is going on.
 
did you remove the mouse during install??
Harman puts one in the box to eat the bugs
while being shipped over from China.....................
 
ironpony said:
did you remove the mouse during install??
Harman puts one in the box to eat the bugs
while being shipped over from China.....................

he he he he he he :)
 
if it sounds like fingernails on a chalk board...its a carbon mass (99.99% of the time) in the burnpot, lower corners, where the auger mouth meets the burnpot. Of the thousands of units I've serviced, I have never used graphite to deal with that sound. Probably wont hurt though.
 
Dumb question where do you put the graphite to help the auger
 
If you have the canned spray graphite (Lowes and HD sell it), you can spray it right into the burnpot - where the auger pushes the pellets out. But the previous tip about cleaning out the carbon where the auger tube meets the burnpot is true. Take a long-handled wide blade screwdriver and scrape that area thoroughly.

The other place you can dump some graphite powder (or spray would work too) - is at the very bottom of the pellet hopper where the pellets feed into the auger tube. Of course it needs to be totally empty of pellets for you to do that.

And the final place to spray graphite is the fines collection box area, on the right side of the stove. Remove the fines box cover, vacuum it out thoroughly, and spray the inside liberally with graphite. (I use whatever lube I have available - graphite, WD-40, silicone spray lube, whatever).
 
If you have the canned spray graphite (Lowes and HD sell it), you can spray it right into the burnpot - where the auger pushes the pellets out.

Do this with no fire, the propellent is flammable.
 
Yes, very true. Stove needs to be shut down. And I always clean out, scrape and vacuum the burnpot before doing any sort of lubrication.
 
[quote author="ironpony" date="1328807265"]did you remove the mouse during install??
Harman puts one in the box to eat the bugs
while being shipped over from China.....................[/quote that mouse only comes in the harmon's that are made in China
 
Also possible auger motor, check for carbon mass first and the graphite.
 
referee38 said:
Dumb question where do you put the graphite to help the auger

I empty the hopper, vacuum the dust out, then dump 1 tablespoon of powered graphite on to auger. Then refill with hopper with pellets and let r' rip.
 
I could be wrong, but I believe the auger (based on what I've seen) is fully supported by a large bearing at the back of the feeder assembly. That means the auger should not be rubbing on the walls of the pellet feeder tube... If it is rubbing, it's because the carbon build up is causing interference with the auger. Graphite is a short term fix, maybe long enough to do a spring clean out, but you should really get to the root of the problem.

So, for the short term, another method I've see for introducing graphite is to put pellets in a Ziploc with graphite and coat them thoroughly. Let the stove run out of pellets, fill with the graphite pellets first, then top off with normal pellets. The graphite pellets will coat the auger system as they progress into the pot...

Do you run with your stove on auto or manual? If auto, does it cycle much? My stove is always run on manual and it idles for extended periods, I don't see any noteworthy build up so far. Also, since I'm running a thermostat, it's either on idle or high. I think the high cycles tend to clean things out. Just a casual observation. I do spend 30 minutes every saturday doing a brush down of the stove and a full cleaning of the burn pot.
 
bcb1 said:
And the final place to spray graphite is the fines collection box area, on the right side of the stove. Remove the fines box cover, vacuum it out thoroughly, and spray the inside liberally with graphite. (I use whatever lube I have available - graphite, WD-40, silicone spray lube, whatever).

Fines collection box??? That's the first time I've heard that term.
I don't remember seeing the subject in the manual.
Where is it located? Could you post a pic?
 
pjonthemount said:
bcb1 said:
And the final place to spray graphite is the fines collection box area, on the right side of the stove. Remove the fines box cover, vacuum it out thoroughly, and spray the inside liberally with graphite. (I use whatever lube I have available - graphite, WD-40, silicone spray lube, whatever).

Fines collection box??? That's the first time I've heard that term.
I don't remember seeing the subject in the manual.
Where is it located? Could you post a pic?

Did you locate your FINES COLLECTION BOX ?? Do you have your manual? If you do see page 26. If you do not have your manual here is a link. http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/P43.pdf
Once you locate the box there should be a wing nut you loosen to take off the cover for the fines.
 
[/quote]
Did you locate your FINES COLLECTION BOX ?? Do you have your manual? If you do see page 26. If you do not have your manual here is a link. http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/P43.pdf
Once you locate the box there should be a wing nut you loosen to take off the cover for the fines.[/quote]

My mistake. I must have been having one of those 'senior' moments.
Looked in the manual again and yes, I do remember it now.
Thanks
 
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