can't solve p68s creosol issue!

[aaronnoel]

so far I've replaced esp probe door gasket and cleaned out stove and pipes with no luck. Just fired back up to test out and with in 1/2 hour creosol back on fire wall behind burn pot, even starts to flame up on the fire wall just above flame guide.Can't be safe so I'm back to heating my house with my 1981 gas furnace , not cool or cheap. Worst part my dealer's tech is not even Harmen certified so this issue is above his pay grade fist time he saw a pellet stove was last fall and was never sent to harmen school and has no old timer to follow, so I'm alone on this, could anyone recommend a good Harmen tech in the new haven ct vicinity.I NEED HELP!

 

[krooser]

Did you clean it like THIS?.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBUfkD-GiaE

Hard to believe you'd get a creosote build-up in such a short time...

 

[aaronnoel]

thanks for the link, seems like I've done all that with the exception of the heat exchanger on the back wall I don't have that same set up with a p68 my only exchangers are on top, as well I never thought about using a paint brush that does seem like a better way. One last thought, on that fresh air pipe my flap is flaping however I do have a big mountain dog that has 3 layers of fur so I have to be diligent about vacuuming all my fans, but I was running without my oak untill recently maybe there's fur all up and in there even with my flap flaping. I begging to feel like maybe I have a hair-line fracture of some kind in or around my auger area. It really seems to me to be generating there I feel like I've done just about everything and haven't even come close to the cure.

 

[krooser]

How old is the stove? Harman had a few problems with the fire pots on these stoves... too many holes causing a problem... someone may chime in with details.

 

[smwilliamson]

I'm not Harman Certified either but that doesn't mean too much. Understand that most dealers have part-time seasonal technicians and only perform work on a narrow selection of equipment, most of which are not and that bad of shape...to Harman's design credit. Creosote within a pellet stove always has to do with an improper installation, lack of proper maintenance or a stove which is leaking air in from an area other than where it is designed to flow through. It is a by-product of incomplete combustion where the air to fuel ratio is askew. At times, a poorly performing combustion motor can be the culprit, but you would most likely have vacuum related issues too. Mixed in with all of this you may be burning a product improperly, the voltage switch may be set too high or low, your draft may not be set properly for your installation. There is a lot of ground to cover here but he first thing that needs to happen is ALL of the creosote needs to be removed. Outside of winter, I would strip the stove down and power wash it all out and then rebuild the stove. Now, if you have just a little bit around the burn pot and back wall...maybe you could run the stove in high for 3-4 hours and burn it off. If it isn't present in the venting...you won't have much of an issue.

 

[aaronnoel]

thanks for your input , I think I'm running this stove the same as I have since buying it in the fall of 07, I clean it often probably after 30-40 bags and I clean the burn pot more often about once a week. I have notice through out this that I am getting creosol in my outside pipe, in the bottom cap that I take off to clean I have found creosol.I do wonder about volts and air draft and things like that but I don't know how to begin testing those things. As far as running hot for a few hours to burn off creosol my hot flames do not go near it seeing that its on my lower fire wall it has even creeped down to the low wall behinde the ash bucket. When I scrape it all off I would say I get about 95% off by scraping, is there any product that I should be using that would take care of 100% of it?

 

[Fsappo]

flume fluke flute!

 

[aaronnoel]

ok whats that? just yahooed it but nothing came up. I imagine it's a anti creosol product , if so whats there web address or can I just get it at a stove store or even Home Depot

 

[AndrewChurchill]

I was having a major issue with creosote in my PB105. I read through my manual and did a lot of research online and determined I was having an issue with gaskets leaking.

I used a smoke pellet to see where I was leaking air and I found out my hopper gasket and ash pan gasket were leaking. Make sure the main power to the stove is OFF before lighting the smoke pellet otherwise the smoke will just go out the vent pipe.

I replaced the gasket around my hopper and added another gasket where the hopper mated to the boiler, and I replaced the ash pan gasket and also added another thin gasket where the ash pan door mates with the frame.

Next I removed all my vent pipe and thoroughly cleaned it with and I took a torch and burned the creosote out of the pipe.

I also removed the combustion motor and cleaned the fan blades and burned the creosote off the mounting bracket and fan blades and I really scrubbed the area inside the stove where the combustion motor fan blades spin. I had to take a hammer and use the claws to break the creosote up and then I found a small wire brush and cleaned that area as best as I could.

I put everything back together and put metal tape around all my vent joints and fired the unit back up and all was well.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Get the exploded parts diagram out for the stove and locate all of the gaskets, check and replace.

There is also the gummy stove issue with Harman stoves, turn the stove off, remove all of the pellets from the hopper and look for evidence of smoke having entered the hopper. Check the plate that allows pellets to drop into the auger for creosote buildup.

Harman will fix that problem for you.

 

[aaronnoel]

wow sounds like you had as much a problem as me I will have to look into all my gaskets. thanks sounds like a big project I might have too wait a bit seeing that my wife is pregnet and due on jan 4 alot going on.

 

[hossthehermit]

flume fluke flute!

Chimley, Chimbley, Chimly

 

[slls]

Creosote can be caused by high moisture pellets, had some absorb moisture over the summer and really messed up the exchanger tubes.

 

[Lousyweather]

Harman will fix that problem for you.

well, harman wont, its the stove dealer who has to.....feel good about the tech who cant solve your creosote issue completely disassembling your drive mechanism? I wouldnt.

 

[Lousyweather]

wow sounds like you had as much a problem as me I will have to look into all my gaskets. thanks sounds like a big project I might have too wait a bit seeing that my wife is pregnet and due on jan 4 alot going on.

not really that big a job....most likely, if you look close, you will see the carbon trails and soot marks in the vicinity of the leaks....most Harman dealers will have new gaskets in stock, and they really arent all that expensive.

 

[AndrewChurchill]

He's right. There were large amounts of creosote near the hopper and ash pans. The smoke confirmed that and helps to find any other leaks that aren't easily visible.

wow sounds like you had as much a problem as me I will have to look into all my gaskets. thanks sounds like a big project I might have too wait a bit seeing that my wife is pregnet and due on jan 4 alot going on.

not really that big a job....most likely, if you look close, you will see the carbon trails and soot marks in the vicinity of the leaks....most Harman dealers will have new gaskets in stock, and they really arent all that expensive.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Harman will fix that problem for you.

well, harman wont, its the stove dealer who has to.....feel good about the tech who cant solve your creosote issue completely disassembling your drive mechanism? I wouldnt.

Harman pays the bill.

 

[aaronnoel]

update, called a different dealer yesterday found them on the Harman web site there gold certified with head tech at 20 years in at job, after going to the site I realized my dealer is listed however they have no Harman certificate of any kind. Tech I spoke with asked if my stove had ever had any kind of testing equipment on it , well as far as I know I never saw my unit tested with anything not even at day of install, I can only hope that thats part of my issue. Maybe my volts are off or air draft or any thing else they test for.I must admit maybe hopeful thinking but my window glass has always gotten dirty fairly quickly with in 24 hours I would always start getting some soot and with in a week it would be quite dirty and need to be cleaned I always thought that was normal but maybe not. Anyway tech wont be out until the 10th I'll make sure to update what they found.Happy new year and thanks to those who have offered, in many cases, there professional advice this site for sure rocks and Im completely hooked, now I must focus on my wife and are first child who can come any day, I just hope he will allow dad to be home on the 10th for my service call. Running my gas furnace from 1981 is going to cost me some scrap and I'm not used to being cold in my house I like my p68 and 80 degrees!

 

[hossthehermit]

update, called a different dealer yesterday found them on the Harman web site there gold certified with head tech at 20 years in at job, after going to the site I realized my dealer is listed however they have no Harman certificate of any kind. Tech I spoke with asked if my stove had ever had any kind of testing equipment on it , well as far as I know I never saw my unit tested with anything not even at day of install, I can only hope that thats part of my issue. Maybe my volts are off or air draft or any thing else they test for.I must admit maybe hopeful thinking but my window glass has always gotten dirty fairly quickly with in 24 hours I would always start getting some soot and with in a week it would be quite dirty and need to be cleaned I always thought that was normal but maybe not. Anyway tech wont be out until the 10th I'll make sure to update what they found.Happy new year and thanks to those who have offered, in many cases, there professional advice this site for sure rocks and Im completely hooked, now I must focus on my wife and are first child who can come any day, I just hope he will allow dad to be home on the 10th for my service call. Running my gas furnace from 1981 is going to cost me some scrap and I'm not used to being cold in my house I like my p68 and 80 degrees!

Well, all I can say is, I wish you all the best with your creosol, volts, gold certificates, testing equipment, wife, and child, all the best, stay warm, and Happy Calendar Page Turnin' Day