So I am a new xxv owner. My house is about 2500 sq ft. I am burning Thurman pellets. I have the stove running in room temp manual. The setting has been keeping downstairs at 70f according to the thermostat. Upstairs has been 66f. Today it is really cold. Single digits with wind chills of about -15f. Last night downstairs was 68 f. Today downstairs is 63f. The house is well insulated and newer so should be pretty tight. Is the stove just too small to keep up with the heat load of the house with the temps so cold? I could see this being the case. Just wanted input from other users. In a previous cold snap it kept up, seemed to burn 2.5-3 bags a day. This cold snap seems to only be burning 2 bags a day. Previous cold snap it was nearly empty in the morning and when I got home at night. Last two days this wasn't the case. So seems like it isn't blowing through as many pellets this cold spell. Is there any reason for this? Still not burning oil so I am happy. But it is a bit colder than I would like.
harmann xxv not heating house
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john193
Minister of Fire
When was the last time the ESP probe in the exhaust was cleaned. On days like this running on stove temp is also another option. The stove is a bit small for your needs but it shouldn't be struggling that much. Which is why I'm inclined to think its the ESP.
subsailor
Minister of Fire
What is your feed rate set at? It should be at 4. What do you have the temp set at? Are you running off of a t-stat?
Stove is new installed a month ago. Just polished off first ton, wouldn't think it would need a cleaning yet. Been cleaning out burn area every week or two.
I have feed rate at 5 it isn't pushing out unburnt pellets. Temp set to 75 using stove room temp probe, that's where it has been for past few weeks with great success, until this cold snap.
Bioburner
Moderator
Have to agree, I just had strange pellet use and the esp was cruded up. New pellets are not as clean. I try and clean the stove before hard cold weather to eliminate as many heating issues.
subsailor
Minister of Fire
I bought a small paint brush and taped it to a paint stirrer. I brush my probe off weekly. I don't know if you can do that on a XXV or not.
Harman manual states the XXV should be fully inspected/cleaned after each ton burned. The venting as well.
Bioburner
Moderator
Pretty much standard guideline for Harman. Guideline being the magic word here.some need more some need less
P38X2
Minister of Fire
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
The stove can't keep up with the heat loss, you need to reduce the heat loss or increase the stove's efficiency (cleaning and even that may not solve the heat issue).
Reducing the heat loss may be simple or not but it usually can be done.
These situations always crop up when you have your first real cold air outbreak. Having the temperature hit -15 and then recover into the teens or twenties isn't a good test it is the continued low temperatures that barely go up at all during the day that test a stove. Today my average temperature is just below zero.
Reducing the heat loss may be simple or not but it usually can be done.
These situations always crop up when you have your first real cold air outbreak. Having the temperature hit -15 and then recover into the teens or twenties isn't a good test it is the continued low temperatures that barely go up at all during the day that test a stove. Today my average temperature is just below zero.
Bioburner
Moderator
This is one of the longest cold spells we have had here in four years. Thermal mass helps with the minor-brief cold spells but the effect is lost after extended period that we are now seeing. Was 3 for a high here and fell from 8 AM on with lots of wind.
kinsmanstoves
Minister of Fire
The feed rate does not HAVE TO BE AT 4. 4 is the default. I had a customer that had the same feed rate setting for the last year and wanted more heat. He said he left it where I set it. It was not single digits when I installed the stove. The feed rate needs to be adjusted every so often. That is why it has a dial and not just part of the computer.
Eric
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
kinsmanstoves
Minister of Fire
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
I'd clean the stove and especially the ESP adjust the feed rate in accordance with the manual (after all Harman must know how their system works) and make certain the room probe isn't being lied to.
I'd also go around the house looking for drafts and cold spots. Make a note of all of them then proceed to eliminate as many as possible.
This current cold spell is along the lines of some older ones and yesterday my average temperature was below zero, todays is also going to be below zero and it looks like the same will be the case tomorrow. The design heat loss (0
) for my place is just about the dead center firing rate I can expect from my stove, I normally run on hi/low above 15I have a high fire of 2 below that and above 0 I use 3 for high, yesterday I switched to 4. The stove did just fine. I'll also likely run with it at 4 for tonight.
I'd also go around the house looking for drafts and cold spots. Make a note of all of them then proceed to eliminate as many as possible.
This current cold spell is along the lines of some older ones and yesterday my average temperature was below zero, todays is also going to be below zero and it looks like the same will be the case tomorrow. The design heat loss (0
) for my place is just about the dead center firing rate I can expect from my stove, I normally run on hi/low above 15I have a high fire of 2 below that and above 0 I use 3 for high, yesterday I switched to 4. The stove did just fine. I'll also likely run with it at 4 for tonight.
P38X2
Minister of Fire
Keep in mind you're trying to heat your entire house with a space heater. If it works for you 99% of the time, great, and it's very important to keep that in mind as well. I'm in the same boat as you. 2400' with a 43kbtu stove. It's been all I need since I've owned it, with the exception of these last few very cold days. I knew this would happen when I chose my stove, but it happens so infrequently that it's almost trivial. If you have to use your boiler a couple days, so be it. You'll be supplementing your stove so you're not gonna use that much oil anyway. Its fun to say "screw you" oil, but you gotta be realistic. You're still saving a ton of money.
kinsmanstoves
Minister of Fire
I do know we have drafts in our house. With temps in the single digits I am burning about a bag of pellets a day which is double the normal burn and the wood stove is using slightly more wood than it has been, about 1/3 more.
Yes it is cold out.
Eric
Yes it is cold out.
Eric
P38X2
Minister of Fire
....and to echo what Smokey and Eric said, insulation is your second best friend here. New house, good insulation= Very good.....BUT, don't assume it can't be improved, and likely easily and affordably. As they say, the devil is in the details....I think that's the line.
Take a walk around your house and feel around. Exterior wall outlets and switches are notorious for cold air infiltration, especially if you have fiberglass batts for insulation. A lot of these contractors go in and insulate a house in a day or two, and do a more than adequate, code satisfying job. Again, details. It's very easy to screw up around outlets and not notice. Exterior baseboard trim is another area to look out for as are improperly closing doors or doors with damaged weather stripping. Just the other day I noticed I could see my garage lights coming through from my hallway. Who knows how long it was like that but it took 2 minutes to adjust the strike plate and problem solved. Dryer vent and bathroom fan flappers get covered in dust and lint and can stay open a bit. Again, easy fix.
Take a walk around your house and feel around. Exterior wall outlets and switches are notorious for cold air infiltration, especially if you have fiberglass batts for insulation. A lot of these contractors go in and insulate a house in a day or two, and do a more than adequate, code satisfying job. Again, details. It's very easy to screw up around outlets and not notice. Exterior baseboard trim is another area to look out for as are improperly closing doors or doors with damaged weather stripping. Just the other day I noticed I could see my garage lights coming through from my hallway. Who knows how long it was like that but it took 2 minutes to adjust the strike plate and problem solved. Dryer vent and bathroom fan flappers get covered in dust and lint and can stay open a bit. Again, easy fix.
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