Tips and suggestions for my new P68

[Veracity]

Hi,

I've been running my new P68 for about a week now and I'd like to get some settings suggestions.

We're burning Energex premium grade hardwood pellets.

Currently, these are the settings:

Feed limit 3

Constant burn 3

Constant burn fan 6-7 o'clock position

Ignitor auto

So far, we're burning one bag roughly every 13-15 hours.

We're happy with the temperature it's putting out. The fan is a bit loud at the current setting, but it's a necessary evil.

Is this a normal pellet consumption rate?

Any comments or input at all would be appreciated.

 

[Golfeur]

My house is 2400 sq / ft 3 floors the P68 is in the basement he -5 * f I take 1 bag per 12hrs Cubex pellets and Trebio
I am Temp stove 5.5 and the feed speed 3 and distribution fan max

 

[bogieb]

Well, first we need to know about the size of the area you are trying to heat. If you are heating 400 sq/ft, that might seem a bit much. If you are heating 3300 sq/ft, then it will be absolutely wonderful.

For the settings though, it sounds about right. You might try putting it in manual (after it is lit), then putting it on room temp to see if that does better over all for you. Some people like the ramp down and the fan is quieter during that time. Others swear by stove temp (what I believe is your "constant").

 

[Veracity]

Well, first we need to know about the size of the area you are trying to heat. If you are heating 400 sq/ft, that might seem a bit much. If you are heating 3300 sq/ft, then it will be absolutely wonderful.

For the settings though, it sounds about right. You might try putting it in manual (after it is lit), then putting it on room temp to see if that does better over all for you. Some people like the ramp down and the fan is quieter during that time. Others swear by stove temp (what I believe is your "constant").

Ok.

My two story house is roughly 2500 sq feet. The stove is on the first floor...at the north end of the house....which is the "chilly" part of the house. For us, it's maybe more of a space heater than a house heater, but we'll take whatever heat this thing has to offer.

 

[alternativeheat]

It has way more to offer than the settings you have it at in terms of heat output. The question is for how many more pellets consumed. Right now you're barely cracking the P68's capability. You just need to try different modes of operation. In cold weather you may actually find you use less pellets on feed rate 4 ( most of us set it someplace around there and forget it actually). If not then you may find it heats quicker for the same pellets used. I run my P61 in Room temp manual all through the winter months, soon as it hits high 30's outside actually or colder. My room probe is coiled up on the back of the hopper with the probe itself sticking out 3-5 inches to the side. if you do this make sure there are no drafts near by and that the end of it doesn't touch any surfaces. I have it taped there. FWIW. And I run my living room pretty warm, the temp is set at 74 deg. On average I use two bags a day. 0 weather can increase that amount and warm days decrease that amount. The house is comfortable with the dining room, also at about 73-74ish.

 

[Tonyray]

Hi,

I've been running my new P68 for about a week now and I'd like to get some settings suggestions.

We're burning Energex premium grade hardwood pellets.

Currently, these are the settings:

Feed limit 3

Constant burn 3

Constant burn fan 6-7 o'clock position

Ignitor auto

So far, we're burning one bag roughly every 13-15 hours.

We're happy with the temperature it's putting out. The fan is a bit loud at the current setting, but it's a necessary evil.

Is this a normal pellet consumption rate?

Any comments or input at all would be appreciated.

Sounds about right...
2 story house here...90 yr old not well insulated..
just finished 2 tons of The Same Energex Hardwoods.
Doing about a bag every 12-14 hours running 24/7..
I use Room temp/Manual.....
Stove[Constant] seems to use more pellets with my P61A...
BTW:
If u ever see these Energex Golden Pellets in your Area,
, scarf them up...
Very Hot/SUPER low Ash..

 

[elevenMracing]

Sounds about right. Mine will do about the same consumption-wise burning Uncle Jed's softwood pellets. Keep the stove good and clean, a clean stove is an efficient stove. I have run mine in room temp mode also, but felt that was less efficient and created more ash buildup in the burn pot so I prefer to find the right stove temp setting to keep my shop at 70 degrees and let it chew (usually around 4).

 

[Tar34]

Setting the distribution fan on high may reduce fan noise you experience.

 

[Tonyray]

Sounds about right. Mine will do about the same consumption-wise burning Uncle Jed's softwood pellets. Keep the stove good and clean, a clean stove is an efficient stove. I have run mine in room temp mode also, but felt that was less efficient and created more ash buildup in the burn pot so I prefer to find the right stove temp setting to keep my shop at 70 degrees and let it chew (usually around 4).

Tried stove temp and in Constant cold 40 degrees or lower it's One thing but when u get days that warm up in the afternoon, the house get's too warm..

 

[Veracity]

Setting the distribution fan on high may reduce fan noise you experience.

Really?

I haven't turned the fan up that high yet, but the higher I HAVE turned it up, the louder it gets.

 

[Veracity]

To all,

Thank you for the replies.

I know the owner's manual says to put the pellet feed on 4, but the guy who installed it said to put it on 3.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Mt Bob]

What I have seen is if set too low (3 in my case) in room mode,stove can just keep running like it is in stove mode.Turn up to 4 and it heats up,shuts off and restarts.Much nicer in mild weather we are having,uses lots less pellets than running constatly.As you are not using room mode,kind of does not make a difference.But if you turn it up to 4 and set your blower in the middle the room blower may run less.

 

[alternativeheat]

To all,

Thank you for the replies.

I know the owner's manual says to put the pellet feed on 4, but the guy who installed it said to put it on 3.

Any thoughts on this?

I wonder who knows more about Harman stoves, the installer or Harman engineers.

You can go back over years worth of posts and read all about feed rates and theory on Harman stoves. You will find that the vast majority of low feed rate setters had pellet economy in mind first, heating the house second or they assumed the house would get heated anyway... You can read all those posts if you like, I'll condense it meanwhile. A Harman stove wants it's sensors satisfied, be that internal or room temp. A higher feed satisfies the sensors sooner than a lower feed, especially in colder weather. And too low a feed in Room Temp mode might never satisfy the Room Temp probe on the coldest days and or given certain fuels.

And it doesn't matter much even in warmer weather because the stove will never max it's feed anyway so we can take so called shoulder season ( spring and fall weather) out of the equation..

What matters in a Harman about pellet consumption is weather, more specifically how cold it is outside and how well insulated your house is.

You asked what we think, that's what I think. My very own personal opinion is by running on feed rate three you have your P68 on restricted duty. Depending on the fuel it may even be so on feed rate 4. My P61 right now is on feed rate 4.25 ( roughly). Last winter in the so called Polar Vortex I had it on 5 because that gave me the 1" ash line on the fuel I was using at the time ( the 1" ash line is a test you can conduct with your stove and you can read about it in How To Run Your Harman, The things Your Manual Doesn't Tell you or something like that, it's in the sticky at the top of the page here in the forum). Well with those pellets the 1" line stove running full out was at feed rate 5, that's the max the stove can do. It doesn't mean the stove will draw feed rate 5 but if it needs to it can. imagine if I willy nilly set it to 3 last year, I'd be disappointed my central heat was coming on.

 

[Tar34]

Really?

I haven't turned the fan up that high yet, but the higher I HAVE turned it up, the louder it gets.

In my experience with the P68, distribution fan set at mid range has a distinct resonance which I would describe as smooth higher pitched whistle which completely smooths out and disappears when the fan in set high. Once the the room temperature come up to your setting, the fan will cycle as needed to warm the room.