Fire behind the burn pot of a Harman Accentra FS...

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If you are getting creosote. or smoke in the hopper, try this mod. Worked for me.
 

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thats the mod I suggest the op search for n the beginning. I just let it burn. I can't see any harm as long as its not getting to the exhaust blower which it isn't. It contains itself around the burn pot. I do knock it down occasionally but I gave up on cleaning it
 
If you are getting creosote. or smoke in the hopper, try this mod. Worked for me.
Hi tonyd,
Do you suggest this for creosote anywhere ?
I just had a long conversation with a harman tech and they said I should not have that done it will not help this problem .... they said it is only a modification for smoke in the hopper ...
not saying they are right just asking if it has worked in this situation ( flames outside the burn pot )
 
I would like to see pictures after the stove is turned off and cool. Don't do anything other than open the door and take 5 or 6 angles, then we can dissect and discuss before cleaning and taking more pictures.

In some of your burn pictures the flame guide appears lifted on the right front. Could be just the pictures. You said you also have 3 flame guides. can you post pics?

O.k. here are some pics...
this 1 is cleaning warm pellets out after stove was turned down
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back plates and compass before cleaning
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where flames come out the bottom ( what I call creosote the black shiny stuff )
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up close auger & burn pot with flame guide removed
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will post more pics & continue the progression of what I tried and the results in next post ...
 
continued from previous post
another pic of where flames come out the bottom
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chipping off carbon build up
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the following pics are of cleaned stove parts
SAM_2038.JPG SAM_2039.JPG
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Put the rope gasket in behind the burn pot several pieces so that the flame guide could not move at all
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then turned the stove on ... EPIC FAILURE <>
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AFTER FLAMES OUTSIDE THE BURN POT THEN STARTED SMOKING LIKE CRAZY...:eek:

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This obviously did not work ... ;em
after watching for about 25 minutes I was so disgusted I shut the stove down totally and went to the driving range to hit some golf balls while the stove cooled down again ;lol

Anybody see anything that could be causing the flames outside the burn pot in this series of pics
 
In an unrelated item your feed rate is too high.
Thanks it is only set on 2 ...
good thing is when it stops initial feeding and ignition the pellets burn back and make an ash line that stays behind the 1' from the edge . So I do not turn it any lower or it burns back in the throat of the pot I tried 1 and 1 1/2 ...did not like the fire so far back... These pics were taken within minutes of igniting
 
I'm just finishing my 6th season with my Harman XXV. I follow my dealers recommendation and clean it every 7-10 days. Over the years I've improved my process and now have a good vac, headlamp, assortment of dollar store brushes, etc which I use. I always make it a point to clean the burnpot cover fastidiously and take extra care with the seating surfaces on the pot and case. However I always end up with a little creosote on the casing behind the cover and after 3 days or so the flame, especially on low speed, dropped down to the point that it was impinging on the top of the glass. When I replaced the cover I just laid it in place and let gravity seat it. Now the last time I cleaned it I changed my technique and applied some pressure while sliding the cover in place a few times and tapped it place. It's been 6 days since the last cleaning and the flame isn't hitting the glass yet. I'm betting that the area in back is going to be a lot cleaner. As dense as those covers are it looks like the flame pressure is enough to move them a little. I notice that the seating grooves on the cover are a little rough, maybe from the casting process?. I wonder if smoothing them would make them seat better and help keep the flame pattern cleaner.
 
That shiny stuff under the pot is very strange and doesn't look right. What the heck would cause that?
 
Gummy stove syndrome. It was a big issue years ago. There may still be some info in the archives, I don't know how long they keep them before they are purged.
 
Is the access cover on the burn pot leaking ?? If not it would seem to me the pot gasket is leaking ? Also is that pellet fines, dust under the pot ?? Just some thoughts.....
 
Gummy stove syndrome. It was a big issue years ago. There may still be some info in the archives, I don't know how long they keep them before they are purged.
Yes they still have info on gummy stove syndrome. read many posts on gummy stove syndrome
which the cure for was the air kit with the clear tubing... ( the Harman tech does not think I have gummy stove syndrome though ... again not saying he is correct just relaying the diagnosis of it not being that )
Only question I have is this literally happens within 20 minutes of turning the stove on after cleaning it off... and it is only in the places where the fire outside the burn pot flames are...
 
Is the access cover on the burn pot leaking ?? If not it would seem to me the pot gasket is leaking ? Also is that pellet fines, dust under the pot ?? Just some thoughts.....
Just had a new burn pot with access cover and gasket put in by Harman tech... that is ash that flies around from the fire and accumulates there... before we changed the burn pot actual pellets used to drop there and burn but since the new burn pot only flying ash accumulates there ... I've watched it very closely since replacing the burn pot to see what is happening... Thanks
 
In reference to gummy stove, I'd be curious to see what your slide plate looks like.
 
In reference to gummy stove, I'd be curious to see what your slide plate looks like.
Sorry I did not get a pic of the slide plate as that was taken apart by Harman Tech who said it was clean... and operating perfectly...I did see it and there was no build up of any kind on it. Just could not snap pics while he was working in there.
he also said auger looked fine...
These pics I took when we were shutting the stove down to try a new fix ( no Harman tech here )... we also were not doing a good thorough cleaning as it had not been done that long before the experimenting ...
 
Tech said that the new burn pot made a tight fit/seal... watching him I did not notice any warping on the back wall ... but I was not doing the job myself...

At this point, I'm wondering if the wall, where the burn pot is fastened, has any cracks or other defects of any kind. If it was me, I would cool down the stove, take off the burn pot, take a flash light and look at it the best I can in search of cracks, particularly where it is fastened against the burn pot. Any signs of cracking would not be a good sign.
 
At this point, I'm wondering if the wall, where the burn pot is fastened, has any cracks or other defects of any kind. If it was me, I would cool down the stove, take off the burn pot, take a flash light and look at it the best I can in search of cracks, particularly where it is fastened against the burn pot. Any signs of cracking would not be a good sign.

Somehow air has to be forcing the flames out of the pot. Warped or cracked wall ??.. This would be my thought also. How else can the flame do that ?? I know that previously the tech checked it and it was not warped...
 
Is that rust or pellet fines on the picture in the right? I bumped into one of your earlier post where you mentioned you found foam in the pellet. Was this observed prior to noticing the flames underneath the burn pot? I admit that I fishing for a cause, but really you should check the wall as suggested earlier.
 
Is that rust or pellet fines on the picture in the right? I bumped into one of your earlier post where you mentioned you found foam in the pellet. Was this observed prior to noticing the flames underneath the burn pot? I admit that I fishing for a cause, but really you should check the wall as suggested earlier.
Pellet fines...

Sorry forgot to post that I had checked it and there are no cracks and no warping .
Can't answer that as I do not know if they were in the prior bags or not... when I actually found the pellets with them in the stove was already doing the flames outside the burn pot...
Good catch/question ;) I had considered that myself when I cleaned the stove again after ( because of ) finding the foam pellets to make sure there was no residue on auger etc.
( after it was already cleaned for the season) but could not be sure 1 way or the other ... who knows for how long or how many bags had them in them ...

Actually have Harman tech coming again on Monday to install that air thing with the clear hose that the newer Accentra's come with now... I have been playing with some other fixes and will update after I see the results after a little longer time... and after the tech comes and installs the air modification. The one that 3650 and others have posted about.
Even though there is no gummy signs/ smoke in the hopper . I am not happy with the smoke that comes out after ignition since the new burn pot was installed. tech thinks that it should clear it up because I noticed that when I opened the hopper lid the smoke disappeared but when I closed it the smoke came streaming out again ... this only happens for about 10-15 minutes? upon ignition... then it is as clear as can be... Since wife does not like it ,the fact it never smoked before and it should not cost an arm and a leg we shall fix it ( hopefully ).
I appreciate your help , thoughts and suggestions I must say it is because of everyone's help that I have continued searching for the cause and solution to this problem...
 
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