UPDATE....Harman PP38 Box fire update

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

A few weeks ago I had a fire which toasted the inside of my box...Decided to take it to a repair shop. Heres what was found..

They did a more thorough cleaning than I did....
Culprit found at first was a blown fuse on circuit board...esp probe is good....
2nd was a faulty exhaust blower motor....changed both...actaully got a Haraman exhaust motor for $103.00 locally not on line.
fired it up and there is still a leak somewhere as the pellets were not burning up completely and I could see smoke from the plate/cover that is on underside of burn pot.
The thumb screws on the bottom side of the burn pot which hold the plate on has always had 1 screw snapped off ( how i bought it) but it was always tight enough to hold plate on securely and air tight......since the fire the plate wont fit flush unless I get the screw out and put in a new one meaning it has to be drilled out and retapped...well..I think thats the last part of the puzzle...not how I want to do it but trying to avoid that part as it is in a difficult to reach location....hoping a high temp sealant on the edges of this plate will end the air leaks and create a better flame to burn off the pellets completely.

 

[Bioburner]

Good to hear it wasn't to painful to repair.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

So far approx. $350.00 Hurt me enough but glad it wasnt worse...I still have to wait til tomorrow morning to start up after the curing time for the Hi Temp sealant..Hope it does the trick.

 

[Bioburner]

If I remember you thought needed esp and control board. So your about what the same $$ but got the stove cleaned and checked by a pro.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

It was a smart decision..glad I took it in.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

OK..stove repairs all completed...heat sealant is working great on plate....Now here is what I am seeing....
I am still getting black soot on my door glass and on the insides of the fire box.
Spoke to a tech nd we have come to the decision that it must be due to pellets.
I tried some of my old pellets ( Instant Heat) and I get virtually no smoke and absolutely no black soot.
I tried 2 other brands...
Keystone and BareFoot...both of these are producing black soot on my door and in the box...smoke exhaust is increased as well....virtually no smoke from the instant heat pellets..
The barefoot are also noticeably burning much hotter than anything I have ever used in the past.

So now how bout the pellet gurus share some wisdom on these events.

Stove is a HARMAN PP38+ 1997 MODEL....MANUAL IGNITION.

Thanks
joe t

 

[smwilliamson]

Your ash pan has warped at the top front edge and is not sealing properly.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

Your ash pan has warped at the top front edge and is not sealing properly.

Then would I replace the ash pan gasket?

It looks like and seems like it is sealing properly...

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

Your ash pan has warped at the top front edge and is not sealing properly.

Then why does it soot up for just certain pellets?

 

[smwilliamson]

Just saying, lazy flame while running usually means bad seal. Warped ash bins are common on the PP38 since the door and bin are one and the same. Just tossing it out there. Does that top of the bin look arched left to right when you look down on it?

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

Right now burning stove on setting 1 on feed dial....96deg in stove room...never ran this hot with instant heat pellets...burning Barefoot now...
Why does ths happen with barefoot or keystone and not with instant heat pellets??

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

Just saying, lazy flame while running usually means bad seal. Warped ash bins are common on the PP38 since the door and bin are one and the same. Just tossing it out there. Does that top of the bin look arched left to right when you look down on it?

What needs to happen to fix this problem? Is it a replacement of the ash pan gasket or replace the entire ash bin?

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

pellet stove 001.JPG

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

Here is a pic of the inside of my box...See the soot burning on the sides..
WHat is the safety issue?
Is it in danger of burning the house down??

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

View of ashpan for my p38...Does the front edge look warped? The pellets inside are from burning for a few hours on #1 on the feed dial...Something just isnt right on it and I dont feel safe burning it at all.

 

[Bioburner]

Looks to me the door-ash bin is bowed!? Optical abnomally? When was the last time the main door gasket replaced?That stove is a 97 and you will have to expect some wear and use issues. None look to hard or expensive to fix.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

Door gasket replaced about 5 years ago when I bought stove...Never changed ash pan gasket...do I need to replace the entire ash bin or just the ash bin gasket? Thanks for the replies.
joe

 

[heat seeker]

It does look bowed, but the lines in the tile don't look bowed, so I don't think it's a camera thing. That flame is fat and lazy, not enough airflow. You could try the dollar bill test around the ash bin when it's installed.
You might be able to straighten out that bow, and I don't think any amount of gasketing will help until you do.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

I see the bow in it..we could see it right away...I am thinking I need to replace the entire ash bin and the main door gasket.
Did the dollar test on the door...the paper will not pull out at all on the left side or top but towards the right side you can pull it out with some resistance.

 

[Bioburner]

If the front of the stove where the pan mates up to the stove is flat and the pan is warped you may be able have a shop with a press gently bring it back straight. Not really hard to do. Then replace the gasket on it and on the main door while your at it as I noticed it may have an issue as well. IMO. If it were me I would block up the edges of the door and put a wood block on the bin front and give a love tap with a 8lb sledge to get it straight.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

I might as well try to straighten it..if it doesnt work then i guess i buy a new one.

 

[Bioburner]

Remember its a 97. Hope there is spare ash bins.

 

[Joe and Kelly Tomeno]

I am calling parts place in morning before work. Hoping they may have an ash bin just in case. Glad I have furnace back up..

How dangerous is it to burn the stove as is?
I turned it off and dont feel comfortable burning it.

 

[heat seeker]

I wouldn't run it. You're probably not getting much heat from it anyway, and that lousy burn will just soot up the stove and venting, maybe lay some creosote in places.