My Harman Story of 4 years.

[Tonyray]

Have Had a Harman P61A for 4 yrs now...
Although a Harman will burn any pellets with no problem, things I have learned along the pellet trail:

1] I have found that using better grade of Pellets like good softwoods keeps me from having to clean the stove more frequent.
Lot less Ash and speedbumps to scrape..might pay 50.00 more a ton but less than Starbucks for a week and the pellets last a month or so longer than the coffee does.

2] After screwing around with feed rates and modes back/forth, I have finally given up the ghost and now keep it at the Holy Grail setting of #4.
I actually use less pellets now.1/4 bag or so but house heats up faster and stays more consistant.

3] After the 1st year of feeling drafts along the floor and Not realizing it was cool air being pulled back to the stove,
We installed an OAK and drafty floors are history..[ I might add it was air I paid to heat with pellets]

4] Room/Auto squeezes every bit of heat out of the stove and longer as opposed to room/manual whereas the distibution blower will shut off at times
for quite a while sending all the heat up the exhaust pipe..never quite felt warm and fuzzy about that setting which some use to save the ignitor.

Speaking of:
5] I have replaced my igniter[not hard at all] due to having a bare spot on the wire so learned where to replace the fuse it blew and change out my igniter[Exact Harman Specs] for 60.00 cost...I mention this only because I can run on Room/auto without having ignitor phobia....

6] This Forum is priceless and has helped many others including myself save money by Not having to call repair techs out..
learned alot from them and fixed simple glitches as they occured..
Thanks for the help and... Happy New Year To all....

 

[railfanron]

I also run my P43 at #4 in room temp auto most of the time. I do run in room temp manual when then temperature at night gets below 10 degrees as the stove only stays off for a few minutes in auto mode. What's funny is the stove actually runs a little less on high when it's cold because the radiant heat is enough to keep the room at 73 for about an hour before it goes to high. The pellet usage is about the same but the electric for the igniter saves some money.
Ron

 

[Tonyray]

I also run my P43 at #4 in room temp auto most of the time. I do run in room temp manual when then temperature at night gets below 10 degrees as the stove only stays off for a few minutes in auto mode. What's funny is the stove actually runs a little less on high when it's cold because the radiant heat is enough to keep the room at 73 for about an hour before it goes to high. The pellet usage is about the same but the electric for the igniter saves some money.
Ron

yes.. there is a few bucks saving on the igniter...
my house is not well insulated so on very cold windy nights the stove never goes off in room/auto.

 

[bags]

While running room temp auto if you set your temp dial at 5 or more the distribution fan stays on constantly. Below that and it will go off and on. I control my inside temp in this mode by the feed rate.

 

[bogieb]

While running room temp auto if you set your temp dial at 5 or more the distribution fan stays on constantly. Below that and it will go off and on. I control my inside temp in this mode by the feed rate.

I have actually never tried that method for the P61a. I have run it in room temp / manual (dial temp just above 5) in the deep of winter, but that kind of sucks because the basement gets to be 80* and even above. And really, I don't need it that warm - if more of it found it's way to the main floor, I would be more inclined to like that method. However, Room temp / auto makes it cycle on and off continuously in the deep of winter. I will have to try the feed rate to regulate temp while in room/auto. I'm pretty sure I used Stove/auto using the feed rate last year, but never got it dialed in since we never really had a long, deep chill.

yes.. there is a few bucks saving on the igniter...
my house is not well insulated so on very cold windy nights the stove never goes off in room/auto.

My P43 will shut down, then immediately start back up on those cold, windy nights also, so I turn it to stove/auto with a feed rate of 1 (or less). I still wake up to a 74* house (too warm), but then again, the bedrooms are still benefiting from the heat being blasted down the hallway, so it is a better alternative than room/auto. But, probably the majority of the time, I run it on the thermostat.

It is great that there are so many options on how to run the Harmans so everyone can find what works best for them.

 

[bags]

I have actually never tried that method for the P61a. I have run it in room temp / manual (dial temp just above 5) in the deep of winter, but that kind of sucks because the basement gets to be 80* and even above. And really, I don't need it that warm - if more of it found it's way to the main floor, I would be more inclined to like that method. However, Room temp / auto makes it cycle on and off continuously in the deep of winter. I will have to try the feed rate to regulate temp while in room/auto. I'm pretty sure I used Stove/auto using the feed rate last year, but never got it dialed in since we never really had a long, deep chill.



My P43 will shut down, then immediately start back up on those cold, windy nights also, so I turn it to stove/auto with a feed rate of 1 (or less). I still wake up to a 74* house (too warm), but then again, the bedrooms are still benefiting from the heat being blasted down the hallway, so it is a better alternative than room/auto. But, probably the majority of the time, I run it on the thermostat.

It is great that there are so many options on how to run the Harmans so everyone can find what works best for them.

I do this in room temp with the igniter in manual. Sometimes I set the feed rate at almost the red 'test' hash mark at its lowest possible. With the room temp set at 5 or above it will never reach set temp so the stove just motors and runs with the allowed feed rate.

Right now my house stat is reading 76* and the P68 is blowing hot air with the feed rate at > .5. The outside temp is in the 40's today. When it was colder the other day I set the feed at 1.5 and it kept the same inside temp here with it being around 32 degrees. When it is say 20* or less I will turn the feed rate up to 2.5 - 3 or a smidge more. I have been watching this for three seasons now and have figured out how I like mine to run and make adjustments accordingly.

 

[Tonyray]

While running room temp auto if you set your temp dial at 5 or more the distribution fan stays on constantly. Below that and it will go off and on. I control my inside temp in this mode by the feed rate.

no.. not with mine....
at temp 5 it will start to lower blower speed then shut off..
Now on room/manual, at that setting the distr blower pretty much would stay on all the time..

 

[alternativeheat]

I run mine pretty much as you do Tony. It is very very set it and forget it that way right through weather changes. My house is 72-74, 24/7. Pellet consumption is all about weather, especially in older capes, (rather loose) like we both have.

 

[Tonyray]

I have actually never tried that method for the P61a. I have run it in room temp / manual (dial temp just above 5) in the deep of winter, but that kind of sucks because the basement gets to be 80* and even above. And really, I don't need it that warm - if more of it found it's way to the main floor, I would be more inclined to like that method. However, Room temp / auto makes it cycle on and off continuously in the deep of winter. I will have to try the feed rate to regulate temp while in room/auto. I'm pretty sure I used Stove/auto using the feed rate last year, but never got it dialed in since we never really had a long, deep chill.



My P43 will shut down, then immediately start back up on those cold, windy nights also, so I turn it to stove/auto with a feed rate of 1 (or less). I still wake up to a 74* house (too warm), but then again, the bedrooms are still benefiting from the heat being blasted down the hallway, so it is a better alternative than room/auto. But, probably the majority of the time, I run it on the thermostat.

It is great that there are so many options on how to run the Harmans so everyone can find what works best for them.

at feed rate 1, I can see why the blower stays on because the feed rate is so low..
your feed rate is acting like a govenor..never catchs up so blows continuous..
couple of us here call that RENEGADE MODE....where the feed rate controls[Governs] the dist blower.

 

[Tonyray]

I do this in room temp with the igniter in manual. Sometimes I set the feed rate at almost the red 'test' hash mark at its lowest possible. With the room temp set at 5 or above it will never reach set temp so the stove just motors and runs with the allowed feed rate.

Right now my house stat is reading 76* and the P68 is blowing hot air with the feed rate at > .5. The outside temp is in the 40's today. When it was colder the other day I set the feed at 1.5 and it kept the same inside temp here with it being around 32 degrees. When it is say 20* or less I will turn the feed rate up to 2.5 - 3 or a smidge more. I have been watching this for three seasons now and have figured out how I like mine to run and make adjustments accordingly.

RENEGADE MODE.....
[coined by Tully last season...
Bags,
didn't want to get into that on my original post but glad u did....
good shoulder season setting also.

 

[bags]

My bad I misquoted myself. Room temp with igniter on manual and temp dialed to 5 or more and the dist. blower will stay on.

 

[Mt Bob]

Wow,you guys/gals heat your house into the mid 70's?(well except for youall down south).I generally heat to 68-70.I know the heat loss on my house/cabin.When it gets to below 0 i do not waste heat,the house looses it too fast,and i burn too many pellets.Have an infrared scan done,find the "break point" of loosing heat on your house,and learn to use sweats/wrap blanket,will save you lots of money.Sorry,but grew up in old farm houses in western MD.

 

[bogieb]

no.. not with mine....
at temp 5 it will start to lower blower speed then shut off..
Now on room/manual, at that setting the distr blower pretty much would stay on all the time..

Do you by chance have a thermostat set up on yours? I have found the P43 won't do this either and surmise it is because of the thermostat set in line with the probe. Don't know that for a fact, but that is why I set the P43 on Stove temp / auto and control with feed rate - the fan doesn't go off.

 

[bogieb]

Wow,you guys/gals heat your house into the mid 70's?(well except for youall down south).I generally heat to 68-70.I know the heat loss on my house/cabin.When it gets to below 0 i do not waste heat,the house looses it too fast,and i burn too many pellets.Have an infrared scan done,find the "break point" of loosing heat on your house,and learn to use sweats/wrap blanket,will save you lots of money.Sorry,but grew up in old farm houses in western MD.

Nope - I set the thermostat for the P43 to 68-69 (depending on if I'm home or not. Very occasionally I will set it to 70. The basement stove is set at about 72 but that just allows extra heat to go to the main floor - which just reduces the amount of time the P43 is running

 

[alternativeheat]

I've done the Eskimo suit routine in my house and called that comfortable at another time in my life.

 

[Pete Zahria]

Most of the time.. I do stove temp/auto, and the blower runs.

 

[Tonyray]

My bad I misquoted myself. Room temp with igniter on manual and temp dialed to 5 or more and the dist. blower will stay on.

Right... thougth so..

 

[Tonyray]

Wow,you guys/gals heat your house into the mid 70's?(well except for youall down south).I generally heat to 68-70.I know the heat loss on my house/cabin.When it gets to below 0 i do not waste heat,the house looses it too fast,and i burn too many pellets.Have an infrared scan done,find the "break point" of loosing heat on your house,and learn to use sweats/wrap blanket,will save you lots of money.Sorry,but grew up in old farm houses in western MD.

73 degrees for us..
blows upstairs and keeps that around 66 degrees..

 

[alternativeheat]

Right... thougth so..

Soon as someone who owns a Harman starts talking about regulating house temp by feed rate I'm tuned out, so wasn't paying much attention anyway personally.

 

[Tonyray]

Do you by chance have a thermostat set up on yours? I have found the P43 won't do this either and surmise it is because of the thermostat set in line with the probe. Don't know that for a fact, but that is why I set the P43 on Stove temp / auto and control with feed rate - the fan doesn't go off.

No.. just have the probe on my P61A.
Taped to the Hopper rear just below the hopper lid.. might have mentioned that before.
Room /manual, if I have the temp set at minimum 75, the blower never goes off.
regardless of feed rate..actually, in that mode I can drop the feed to 1..
this is Renegade mode...Best setting in the shoulder season and won't blow you out of the house like Stove mode. .feed rate is the govenor.
but in normal steady cold like now, I use the feed rate 4.

 

[alternativeheat]

Today is 45 out, the stove is starting and stopping and the dining room is 74, upstairs is probably about 68. Last Friday morning was 21 and the stove ran mid to low burn on it's own, the dining room was 73 and upstairs was probably about 67. Knobs turned: 0.

 

[Tonyray]

Today is 45 out, the stove is starting and stopping and the dining room is 74, upstairs is probably about 68. Last Friday morning was 21 and the stove ran mid to low burn on it's own, the dining room was 73 and upstairs was probably about 67. Knobs turned: 0.

yes,, I get the same... I leave it at 4..
I only run the feed low duriing shoulder season...

 

[alternativeheat]

If I had a stove in the basement the P61 in the living room would trim itself back. How do I know that ? Because I have a kerosene heater down there for when I do wood working in the basement. It takes 2-4 hours to stabilize the basement temp but when it does the P61 works easier. Back in the fuel rip off days of Jimmy Carter I also did this with coal ( couldn't afford oil and gasoline was rationed, what a time to live ! While we saw the oil tankers off shore here at anchor, what a joke). But anyway, so far this winter there hasn't been many days I need heat in the basement, maybe later this month not that I really want it to come.

 

[Pete Zahria]

at feed rate 1, I can see why the blower stays on because the feed rate is so low..
your feed rate is acting like a govenor..never catchs up so blows continuous..
couple of us here call that RENEGADE MODE....where the feed rate controls[Governs] the dist blower.

Wasn't there a thread a year ago, or maybe a little longer, that was all about different views on
this? like feed rates, room/stove... yada yada?
Do you remember it?

Dan

 

[Tonyray]

Wasn't there a thread a year ago, or maybe a little longer, that was all about different views on
this? like feed rates, room/stove... yada yada?
Do you remember it?

Dan

I would say there have been MANY threads on these views in past year or longer..always a new one pops up..