Harman accentra insert - Fresh air intake

[BrianN]

Hi there, I have a Harman accentra insert. I am wondering if there needs to be a fresh air intake in the back to produce more heat or better air flow?
There would be too much work involved (right now) to install an OAK.
Our stove is not producing nearly enough heat and using way too much fuel for what heat it is producing.
I am just wondering if I was to put a hole in the wall that the stove is incased in to create a bit of fresh air flow, it would burn better and warmer?

Thanks for any input.

Brian

 

[Tim Linden]

There are a ton of posts on this. From all that I've read here and researched
it sounds like an OAK would solve your problem. And you can install them going
up the chimney. Do a search in the forum for OAK ;-)

 

[movemaine]

I don't have an oak, and my Harman Accentra cranks out the heat. Have you looked at areas where heat loss might be occurring? For me, I had to put one of those draft socks in front of my front door, because the negative pressure the stove was creating, was drawing in cold air under a gap in the door. Adding some weatherstripping and the draft sock prevented that issue and improved the heat distribution.

Also, what are you burning for pellets?

 

[CtPaul]

Brian, look into how your stove is burning. You stated in another thread that you had creosote build up. Like Smokey said that is from an improper burn. You should be able to get your stove to burn correctly without an OAK unless you have a super tight house. The OAK will just increase efficiency , in my opinion. I have the same stove in an old lake house in CT.
It is 20F and the wind is blowing , my first floor (stove insert) is 76F and upstairs is 67F. I'm using more pellets than I want. I need to tighten up the house and add insulation in the attic. I'm also about to add an OAK to decrease the drafts (waiting on one part)
I am pretty good about cleaning my stove but I had a blockage in the left exhaust port. Mainly because I didn't realize the layout in the stove and over looked it during cleaning. A friend had a partial blockage in the chimney cap. Stove was still burning but was underperforming!
State all the things you observe with the stove even if they seem unrelated. You will be amazed at how well people here can point you in the right direction!

 

[imacman]

I don't have an oak, and my Harman Accentra cranks out the heat......For me, I had to put one of those draft socks in front of my front door, because the negative pressure the stove was creating, was drawing in cold air under a gap in the door. Adding some weatherstripping and the draft sock prevented that issue and improved the heat distribution......

That is EXACTLY why you should have an OAK. That problem will stop. And you know that the crack under the door isn't the only place that cold air is being sucked in. PLUS, you're using air that you already paid to heat as combustion air, and sending that right up the exhaust.....what a waste.

There is NO downside to having an OAK on a stove.

 

[BrianN]

Well, my flames are very large, not sure if that is good or not. My ash is clumpy and moist. My distribution fan is very loud, all the time, unless I crank it down as low as it can go without shutting it off.
I know an OAK would, or I should say, MAY work. But, I am not putting one in as I may not have this stove next season. So, I don't want to put in the time and effort to put it in if it is just going to be in for a few more months.
There was an energy audit done on our house before we bought it. It is rated at 78% efficient. So, I don't think there are many drafts. I have also went around the house looking for drafts, not finding anything major.
I use Premium Pellet, a company just outside of town.
When the room temp is reached, the stove will still have large, active, dancing flames with a lot sparks (fines) I am trying to cut down on the fines going into the hopper, but, some do get in.

 

[movemaine]

That is EXACTLY why you should have an OAK. That problem will stop. And you know that the crack under the door isn't the only place that cold air is being sucked in. PLUS, you're using air that you already paid to heat as combustion air, and sending that right up the exhaust.....what a waste.

There is NO downside to having an OAK on a stove.

Never said there was a downside, i'm sure I would get more efficiency by not having the negative pressure. An OAK would be great, however, I'm not sure this is the OP's issue.

His stove should be cranking heat, even with any inefficiencies.

To the OP - A Harman can burn anything, but you will notice a difference if you use a higher grade pellets. 8000/btu is on the low end of pellets.

Additionally, the ash shouldn't feel moist. That's a major red flag.

Also, what are you running the stove at?

 

[BrianN]

My stove settings are set at 77F, I am currently getting a room temp of 68F. Pellet feed is at 4 and distribution fan is set at low. It is set at low because it is way to noisy when set any higher. So noisy that the wife and I would have to yell to carry on a conversation.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I do not have an OAK on the stove in my house. The of the three stoves on the shop do not have OAKs. Still a toss up with me.

Eric

 

[movemaine]

My stove settings are set at 77F, I am currently getting a room temp of 68F. Pellet feed is at 4 and distribution fan is set at low. It is set at low because it is way to noisy when set any higher. So noisy that the wife and I would have to yell to carry on a conversation.

I'd pull it and check that everything is tightened, pull the blower to give it a cleaning and check on it, and tighten everything back up.