P68 won't ignite

[Lstanley]

Hello all,

Yesterday my p68 decided to stop functioning properly. Everything is working except it won't ignite. It just runs the pellets into the ash tray. The pellets do get pretty hot. I been lighting it with a torch and it's been working fine. Does this mean I need to replace the igniter? I cleaned out the pot really well, all the buildup etc, and it still didn't work. I havnt cleaned it recently before this, but I've never had a problem before.

 

[Peterfield]

Couple of things. Describe cleaned real well. Does that mean banging the burnpot, vacuuming the space under the burnpot, using your fingers to pull out all the ash? The second thing I found with mine once was I had a flat speed bump that was so thin I didn't see it initially nor feel it with the scrapper but with my finger I could tell it was there and it was covering a few of the vent holes toward the bottom of the burn pot. Once I found it, it took some sideways scraping and finally it chipped free. I used a 90 degree pick to clear all holes and after that my pellets have fired up within five minutes.

 

[bogieb]

If the pellets are getting hot, your igniter is probably fine. There is probably an air flow issue. Make sure the igniter area (under the burn pot) is clear of ash. Even if the front area is clear, it is possible that some ash got pushed back to the air inlet and is causing some obstruction - so make sure to feel way back there and make sure it is clean.

 

[MarkF48]

This is a video from Harman on cleaning the P68. At about 3:30 it shows cleaning out the burn pot and ignitor. As well make sure the holes in the burn pot are clear as shown in the video.

 

[MellieNH]

I agree with bogieb about cleaning the ignitor area. I have a Harman also and I have that issue if the ignitor is not clear of ash. In the video above it is at the 3:30 mark. I picked up an attachment for my vacuum that is supposed to be for vacuuming computers and I use that VERY carefully in there. You don't want to screw up the wires in there. Once that area is cleaned out I'm willing to bet you won't have another issue.

I have found that some pellets have more ash issues than others too.

 

[bags]

Undo the wing nut thumb screws and clean the junk out of the igniter compartment under the burn pot.

Otherwise, X4 on what has already been stated.

 

[MarkF48]

In the video above it is at the 3:30 mark.

Don't know where I got 3:59..... corrected in my post.

 

[Lstanley]

Thanks guys for all the help! Gave it a very thorough cleaning and now it's working like a charm!

I think most of you were right, the chamber under the burn pot needed a good cleaning! Thanks again

 

[bogieb]

Glad it is back to working the way it is supposed to. Always check out the easy and cheap (or free) things first