Questioning daily pellet usage

Change to room temp mode so your stove turns off rather than sitting there sucking down pellets like a slowly dripping faucet.

I'm burning the same way, I don't much care for room temp, and I'm not going through bags quick at all. Just running at night I might burn through one bag in 3-5 days.

ehkewley said:

After getting the new P43 installed early this month, I've spent a few nights running the stove in stove temp mode over night to take the chill off in the house. I find it works pretty well. The warmer fall temps can usually maintain a decent temperature inside until 6 or 7 pm, when I turn the stove on again. Unfortunately my pellet usage is much higher than I expected. I'll include the details in a moment.

I was expecting to burn around .75 ~ 1.15 pounds per hour on the lowest "stove temp" setting. Unfortunately I'm burning through roughly 1.33 bags of pellets per day, or 2.22 pounds per hour. I'm averaging about 17 ~ 18 hour burn times (including 2 quick startups) with the Green Supreme pellets. I feel the stove is running too warm for the desired settings.

The Feed rate is usually at 3 or 4. The Distribution Blower is set to the lowest possible setting, and Temp Dial is set to one. I've messed with the dials and such to try to improve the burn rate, but so far nothing has provided a positive outcome. I did notice that the combustion motor speed (draft) control was set to high. I tried setting that half-way to see if it would help.I believe I have a good flame, judging by the comments I've read in other forums. The flame varies between a healthy taller burn, and then tapers off to a burn within the pot. The auger kicks in, and the cycle repeats.

I don't have extra pellets in the ash pan, and the ash looks a good mix of grey, black, and white. I'm pretty confused at this point. I'm wondering if the logic board, or the temp dial is off. I feel that I should be getting less heat and pellet usage out of the stove. I've also read other posts, where users with similar stoves had much lower burn rates.

Lastly (I'm not sure if this affects it), but the exhaust vent is only a horizontal pipe that's about 4' long or so (extending from the stove outside).

Click to expand...

It would be news to me that you could adjust the combustion blower speed on a Harman and AFAIK, draft is only adjustable by a Tech with an HHT computer that plugs into the control board. Try room temp mode and set your feed rate on 3 and forget it. The stove will cycle on and off and save you quite a bit of pellets.

ehkewley said:

Thanks for the responses. There's a trim pot in the middle of the panel manual (as seen on page 21), that's used to adjust for variances in voltage levels according to the manual.

Unfortunately I am not interested in the room temp mode. I'm more concerned with the fact that my pellet stove is eating 2.22 pounds/hr on its lowest setting. I've seen other posts where other P-series owners average a little over a pound on the lowest setting.

Click to expand...

The fuel feed is controlled by the what the controller makes of the exhaust gas information it gets from the esp, your feed rate setting (which isn't actually a feed rate but a maximum), and the dip switch settings on the controllers motherboard.

If the ESP is covered with crud it may be indicating that the stove hasn't reached the set point you provided.

If the feed rate setting is too restrictive you may never reach set point.

That low draft adjustment you changed should be set using the proper equipment.

If the dip switches are set for the wrong stove or esp (there are two) the stove will behave differently than a properly set up one.

ehkewley said:

After getting the new P43 installed early this month, I've spent a few nights running the stove in stove temp mode over night to take the chill off in the house. I find it works pretty well. The warmer fall temps can usually maintain a decent temperature inside until 6 or 7 pm, when I turn the stove on again. Unfortunately my pellet usage is much higher than I expected. I'll include the details in a moment.

I was expecting to burn around .75 ~ 1.15 pounds per hour on the lowest "stove temp" setting. Unfortunately I'm burning through roughly 1.33 bags of pellets per day, or 2.22 pounds per hour. I'm averaging about 17 ~ 18 hour burn times (including 2 quick startups) with the Green Supreme pellets. I feel the stove is running too warm for the desired settings.

The Feed rate is usually at 3 or 4. The Distribution Blower is set to the lowest possible setting, and Temp Dial is set to one. I've messed with the dials and such to try to improve the burn rate, but so far nothing has provided a positive outcome. I did notice that the combustion motor speed (draft) control was set to high. I tried setting that half-way to see if it would help.

I believe I have a good flame, judging by the comments I've read in other forums. The flame varies between a healthy taller burn, and then tapers off to a burn within the pot. The auger kicks in, and the cycle repeats.

I don't have extra pellets in the ash pan, and the ash looks a good mix of grey, black, and white. I'm pretty confused at this point. I'm wondering if the logic board, or the temp dial is off. I feel that I should be getting less heat and pellet usage out of the stove. I've also read other posts, where users with similar stoves had much lower burn rates.

Lastly (I'm not sure if this affects it), but the exhaust vent is only a horizontal pipe that's about 4' long or so (extending from the stove outside).

Click to expand...

The dial that says feed rate that you have set to 3 or 4 is what controls your feed rate. You can get that down to .75 ~1.15 if your turn that down to 1. That is the "final" word to the stove as to how fast to turn the screw. The temperature knob you have at 1 is really used for room temp mode. I have never had any real luck trying to adjust in stove temp with that knob.

I have found that running in room temp is the way to really control for stable heat and I have hooked a programable Tstat in line with the sensor to have the stove drop to low or turn off depending on the season, late at night and while no-one is home.

ehkewley said:

Thanks for the responses. There's a trim pot in the middle of the panel manual (as seen on page 21), that's used to adjust for variances in voltage levels according to the manual.

Unfortunately I am not interested in the room temp mode. I'm more concerned with the fact that my pellet stove is eating 2.22 pounds/hr on its lowest setting. I've seen other posts where other P-series owners average a little over a pound on the lowest setting.

I tried room temp mode the other day for fun, and was getting a 4 blink status message. I just tried again this morning and it wasn't occurring, but would prefer not to run in that mode if I can avoid it.

Click to expand...

Adam the only reason for the 4 blink status is an open circuit for the thermister. If you have a programable Tstat then the Tstat isn't callign for heat or you have a loose wire.

ehkewley said:

The fuel feed is controlled by the what the controller makes of the exhaust gas information it gets from the esp, your feed rate setting (which isn't actually a feed rate but a maximum), and the dip switch settings on the controllers motherboard.

If the ESP is covered with crud it may be indicating that the stove hasn't reached the set point you provided.

If the feed rate setting is too restrictive you may never reach set point.

That low draft adjustment you changed should be set using the proper equipment.

If the dip switches are set for the wrong stove or esp (there are two) the stove will behave differently than a properly set up one.

I hope the ESP probe isn't covered! I've only burned about 10 bags on the new stove

I noticed with a much lower feed rate the ash would pile up in the burn pot so I tried to keep it at 3 ~ 4 where they recommend it

I understand that someone with proper equipment should really set it. I figured that it wasn't set properly since the pot was maxed out despite the manual stating that (it's set automatically at the factory). I assumed it would be somewhere other than max.

I'm not sure about dip switch settings, that's definitely a job for a technician as there are none on my outer panel.

Click to expand...

Harman's feed system will push that ash out of the way.

Your esp can get covered by burning one bag of crap pellets if the stove is improperly setup.

The dip switches are on the controller not on the control panel and yes it is a job for the tech if you haven't got the information to set them.

The long and short of it is until things are looked at as in you put the eye ball's to it you will never know.

Also you need to be certain that you understand exactly what stove mode is. I don't have a Harman and have never played with one.

Stove mode must be maintaining a certain internal temperature or a certain firing rate.

If it is a firing rate then restricting the maximum firing rate will reduce pellet consumption, whether that results in a set point being reached then becomes immaterial your consumption will go down.

If it is a temperature then the controller and probe must be matched and properly setup (dip switches), and low draft voltage set.

From that description of stove temperature mode it is a firing rate adjustment and thus a portion of the maximum feed rate.

Constant fuel consumption and constant stove temperature.

ehkewley said:

Trickyrick said:

The dial that says feed rate that you have set to 3 or 4 is what controls your feed rate. You can get that down to .75 ~1.15 if your turn that down to 1. That is the "final" word to the stove as to how fast to turn the screw. The temperature knob you have at 1 is really used for room temp mode. I have never had any real luck trying to adjust in stove temp with that knob.

I have found that running in room temp is the way to really control for stable heat and I have hooked a programable Tstat in line with the sensor to have the stove drop to low or turn off depending on the season, late at night and while no-one is home.

Click to expand...

I don't want the stove cycling on and off a lot, but have you tracked your burn rate is when the room-temp mode "drops to low"? I'd be interested to find out. Here's a quote from the manual on stove temp mode.

Stove temperature Mode
In the Stove Temperature Mode and with the igniter
toggle switch in the Auto position, the stove will light
automatically and can be adjusted to the desired setting
using the same temperature control dial as is used in
the Room Temperature Mode. The heat output and fuel
consumption will remain constant regardless of room
temperature. The settings from 1 to 7 on the inner ring
of the temperature dial provide for relative heat output
settings with 1 being low and 7 being the maximum

Click to expand...

with a setting of 1, I'm burning 2.22lbs/hr, which by my estimates, is a little under half of the total input capacity of the 43k btu stove ( 5.375lbs/hr). I feel that I should be getting that heat output when the "stove temp" dial is set to 3 or 4. Perhaps I'm wrong. I'm simply going off what the manual says and what I've read from other posters with harman stoves.

Once again I appreciate the comments, I'm trying to avoid room temp if possible. Also I may need to get the stove/thermistor looked at before using room temp. I don't think I'd have any issue with the stove running as-is in the dead of winter, but during these shoulder seasons it gets a bit toasty. I feel that if the stove was burning less it would be more comfortable in the house, and I'd save a few pounds of pellets.

Click to expand...

I run my stove based on the idea that I want my house to be heated by the stove. My pellet stove can not put enough heat out to heat the whole house from 60 to 70 in less than an hour in the deep winter. In order to keep that from being an issue I get the stove going and switch it from auto light to manual. This will keep the stove running no matter the temp at the lowest possible feed rate (0.75 pounds per hour) even when there is no call for heat. I'm always using the room temp mode and the Tstat.

In the shoulder seasons, now till mid/late Dec and late March through April I run with the stove in AUTO ignition mode and room temp so the stove does turn off at night and when not at home but runs as long as the temp in the house cold enough for the thermister to call for heat. When it stops calling for heat the stove doesnt just shut off it goes into a low mode and reduces heat output considerably. If it is still to warm the circulation fan will drop out and the fire will still burn for a couple hours again at about .75/hour. The system will eventually shut itself down but it usually takes about 3 hours to hit that point. By this time the house is nice and toasty for the night and the stove doesn't come on till the Tstat calls for hear at 4:30 AM.

Just how I set mine up.

I dropped a bag in Friday night and burned for 5 hours Friday night 6 hours Sat and about 4 on Sunday and I didn't burn half a bag total so 20 pounds / 15 hours = 1.33 pounds per hour average....

If I were your I would drop your feed rate to 1 and see if that takes care of it. You will feed in about 1 pound per hour but it will take a little longer to get the room to temp but you will not over heat because you are artificially limiting you BTU input. Remember you are loosing BTUs out of your house. All you want to do is balance that loss by adding BTUs. Think of your house like a lake. You want to keep it level. You can either reduce the water going out (Insulate) or adjust the water going in. You just need to figure out how to adjust the water into your lake.