Help! Harman problems!

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AXNJXN

New Member
Nov 26, 2013
11
ohio
Bear with me here, I have a harman p45 and mix corn and pellets 50/50. Have burnt 3 ton this season and clean every 2 days thoroughly. Everything has worked beautifully.
I shut it down for 2 days and tried to restart. Nothing but combustion fan. I cleaned everything more thoroughly and even cleaned the chimney. Still nothing.
I checked the pressure switch by pulling the tube off and sucking on it, everything started to work, I then hooked the tube back up and nothing worked but the combustion fan.
 
Sounds like the port to the chamber of the stove for the vacuum line is plugged. Take the line off of the stove and find something to clear it out. Good luck.
 
How old of stove. Have you tested the door gaskets? Could be a air leak too.
 
The vacuum switch needs to close the circuit before it starts the rest of the startup cycle. Starting a fire won't complete that circuit.
 
AXNJXN said:
Brand new at beginning of season all seals/ gaskets seem good
Click to expand...
Another Harman owner posted this week bad ash bin gaskets on a new stove.
 
AXNJXN said:
Bear with me here, I have a harman p45 and mix corn and pellets 50/50. Have burnt 3 ton this season and clean every 2 days thoroughly. Everything has worked beautifully.
I shut it down for 2 days and tried to restart. Nothing but combustion fan. I cleaned everything more thoroughly and even cleaned the chimney. Still nothing.
I checked the pressure switch by pulling the tube off and sucking on it, everything started to work, I then hooked the tube back up and nothing worked but the combustion fan.
Click to expand...
Air leak...no doubt start looking with a stick of incense or grill lighter start around doors. please keep us apprised
 
Update, I am at a loss... I recleaned the chimney and double checked all of the seals. I am installing a new pressure switch and having the installer come and check for leaks with a meter. I am pretty frustrated because this Harman is about 6 months old and doesn't work, meanwhile, my 10 year old Amaizablaze in my office is still rocking
 
Did you check and make sure the fines box cover is on proper and tight? How about the flap for the air intake, is it opening?
 
Is the cover behind the ash bin in place properly and latched. The piece over the fan.
 
AXNJXN said:
Update, I am at a loss... I recleaned the chimney and double checked all of the seals. I am installing a new pressure switch and having the installer come and check for leaks with a meter. I am pretty frustrated because this Harman is about 6 months old and doesn't work, meanwhile, my 10 year old Amaizablaze in my office is still rocking
Click to expand...
The vacuum switch is obviously not sensing vacuum for what ever reason. Either there is no vacuum in the line due to a clog or there is insufficient vacuum because of an air leak someplace in the stove. You proved out the switch itself by physically drawing on the line with your mouth and you said it fired or started proper cycle. There is a simple explanation to this that at the moment seems like a mystery but really is not. Something simple, fines box door not sitting properly ( I almost didn't catch the tab at the top of that cover on ny p61 the other day), combustion blower hatch not locked down, totally ripped gasket. Think of simple causes of a big leak or that switch port clogged.
 
Checked fine box cover, intake flap is functioning, cleaned out all the air tubes, cleaned out the port on the stove that pressure tube connects to, cleaned entire back of stove carefully, double checked all gaskets/rope gaskets, still nothing... Sorry to bother all of you about this but I appreciate the help. I am going to hopefully soon have the stove checked with a pressure meter. It could be a gasket but it sure doesn't look like it. Weird that it worked great then shut it off for two days and doesn't work..
 
Did you perform the bill test on the door seals or just a visual?
 
Just because you can suck on switch and make it work does not mean it is fine,could still have a internal problem.You can suck much harder than what the stove does.If it were mine I would jumper switch and run stove and see if it functions normal.Also,some switches can be damaged by applying too much vacuum(sucking too hard)
 
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Check YouTube for home made vacuum gauge. Simple water in a tube. Only dealing with under 1/4 inch of water.
 
AXNJXN said:
Update, I am at a loss. I am pretty frustrated because this Harman is about 6 months old and doesn't work, meanwhile, my 10 year old Amaizablaze in my office is still rocking
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear ya and know how you feel. I offer no tech. help at all but can sympethise(bad spell'n). My brand new Harman XXV gobbles much much more pellets than the old 24 yr. old Avalon it just replaced. Hopefully it can be remedied but I'm losing hope fast and am ready to start using my old stove as my primary heat and the new pretty Harman as an expensive decoration :(
 
bob bare said:
Just because you can suck on switch and make it work does not mean it is fine,could still have a internal problem.You can suck much harder than what the stove does.If it were mine I would jumper switch and run stove and see if it functions normal.Also,some switches can be damaged by applying too much vacuum(sucking too hard)
Click to expand...
Good point and jumping it could get the stove running till a new switch arrives if in a day or two ( not long term of course).. It may run perfectly normal, one way to find out !
 
Ok problem solved! The problem was one of bad business.... Not with Harman! Ready for the explanation? Here we go: I am a farmer and because I have been busy getting ready for calving season, I did not have time to clean my chimney myself. I hired my installer who is a well known chimney sweep in the area to clean my chimney. He cleaned it when I was not home. I came home hooked up the stove and it did not work, I tried everything that you all mentioned and it all led back to the chimney. So he came back and cleaned it again while I was working. After replacing the pressure switch and checking every single thing on the stove I discovered that I didn't hear any wind when I put my ear up to the exhaust pipe. So, I cobbled together a chimney brush and did it myself and boom it works like a charm.
Sorry for the long story and frustrations. I appreciate all the help very much and even though this was a simple and obvious fix, I learned a valuable lesson... JUST DO IT YOURSELF!
 
AXNJXN said:
Ok problem solved! The problem was one of bad business.... Not with Harman! Ready for the explanation? Here we go: I am a farmer and because I have been busy getting ready for calving season, I did not have time to clean my chimney myself. I hired my installer who is a well known chimney sweep in the area to clean my chimney. He cleaned it when I was not home. I came home hooked up the stove and it did not work, I tried everything that you all mentioned and it all led back to the chimney. So he came back and cleaned it again while I was working. After replacing the pressure switch and checking every single thing on the stove I discovered that I didn't hear any wind when I put my ear up to the exhaust pipe. So, I cobbled together a chimney brush and did it myself and boom it works like a charm.
Sorry for the long story and frustrations. I appreciate all the help very much and even though this was a simple and obvious fix, I learned a valuable lesson... JUST DO IT YOURSELF!
Click to expand...
Now that's a great big WOW and one crappy installer/business man. You never really know who you're getting in these days !
 
Another operator error sort of. Glad its up and running. Now who gets the bill?
 
I have Harman P68. I cleaned the fines box this afternoon, and was unsure that I replaced the cover correctly. If the cover fits nice and flat against the seal, the center of the wing nut is about even with the bottom of the cover. Seems not quite right. If I position the cover all the down the wing nut looks normal over the slot in the cover, but the cover doesn't seem to seat nice and flush, as if the top of the cover touches the frame before the sides seat. I elected to place the cover this way, as at least the wingnut is at the top of the cover plate slot. Is this supposed to be an airtight fit?
 
AXNJXN said:
Update, I am at a loss... I recleaned the chimney and double checked all of the seals. I am installing a new pressure switch and having the installer come and check for leaks with a meter. I am pretty frustrated because this Harman is about 6 months old and doesn't work, meanwhile, my 10 year old Amaizablaze in my office is still rocking
Click to expand...
That's what a warranty is for :)
 
Luv2burnPellets said:
I have Harman P68. I cleaned the fines box this afternoon, and was unsure that I replaced the cover correctly. If the cover fits nice and flat against the seal, the center of the wing nut is about even with the bottom of the cover. Seems not quite right. If I position the cover all the down the wing nut looks normal over the slot in the cover, but the cover doesn't seem to seat nice and flush, as if the top of the cover touches the frame before the sides seat. I elected to place the cover this way, as at least the wingnut is at the top of the cover plate slot. Is this supposed to be an airtight fit?[/quote
This is as it looks in a pc45
Click to expand...
 

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