Harman P35i Any input on my cleaning process?

Eng5ive · Nov 12, 2016

I just want to make sure I am doing this correctly. This is my second season with a Harman P35i. I cleaned it three times last year. Once after the first ton, once after the second ton and then did kind of a half ass job the third time around since it was starting to warm up. A few weeks ago I did a full cleaning where I remove the insert, clean the chimney liner, fines filter, fan, etc.

Just wondering if I could get some input on weather these things looks safe after being cleaned?

This is the very top of the liner, after cleaning it with a brush on the end of a cordless drill

looking a little further down the liner

This is the fines collector/ area. This is after a full ton of Fireside Ultras. Does this look like a normal amount of accumulation?

Lake Girl · Nov 12, 2016

Changed your title so folks with Harmans will catch sight. Might want to put your stove in your signature line (profile page to add it).

Eng5ive · Nov 12, 2016

Thanks!

fmsm · Nov 12, 2016

Describe your weekly routing, I do my exhaust with a brush every ton and get about a coffee cans worth of ash out of a 20-25 foot run. I am a pellet snob and burn mostly Douglas Firs.

I clean the inside every week including the passages behind the ash pan and leading to the ESP probe. Pull the stove once a month and clean the probe, usually there are very few fines as I sift prior to burning, I also bang the liner lightly and vac what I cab reach. Also hit the fans when pulled. At least this is what I did do before I built my in law and gave the house with the stoves to my daughter and her family, now a 14 year old does the maintenance.

Eng5ive · Nov 12, 2016

fmsm said:
Describe your weekly routing, I do my exhaust with a brush every ton and get about a coffee cans worth of ash out of a 20-25 foot run. I am a pellet snob and burn mostly Douglas Firs.

I clean the inside every week including the passages behind the ash pan and leading to the ESP probe. Pull the stove once a month and clean the probe, usually there are very few fines as I sift prior to burning, I also bang the liner lightly and vac what I cab reach. Also hit the fans when pulled. At least this is what I did do before I built my in law and gave the house with the stoves to my daughter and her family, now a 14 year old does the maintenance.

I pour my pellets into a 5 gallon bucket a few buckets at a time, then pour into my hopper. During the cold season I vacuum the ash pan about once every 2-3 days depending on the quality of pellets I'm using. I do not sift my pellets but if you have an easy method I'm certainly open to it. My first season I burned what was on sale and kind of regret it. They made a mess and I had to clean a lot. This season I'm using FSU and Hamer's. The hamers burn noticeably cleaner.

About once a week I will pull the side covers and clean the passages, glass, ignitor, etc. Basically do a full cleaning, minus pulling the stove out. I hit it with a stiff bristle brush all along the inside and then vacuum it all up.

When I clean the stove pipe I also clean the ESP, fan, fan housing, fines filter etc. I consider myself a neat freak/ perfectionist and I don't think I am skimping out on anything. I am mostly concerned about my stove pipe as I have been to numerous chimney fires. I clean it with flexible rods attached to a cordless drill.

fmsm · Nov 12, 2016

Eng5ive said:
I pour my pellets into a 5 gallon bucket a few buckets at a time, then pour into my hopper. During the cold season I vacuum the ash pan about once every 2-3 days depending on the quality of pellets I'm using. I do not sift my pellets but if you have an easy method I'm certainly open to it. My first season I burned what was on sale and kind of regret it. They made a mess and I had to clean a lot. This season I'm using FSU and Hamer's. The hamers burn noticeably cleaner.

About once a week I will pull the side covers and clean the passages, glass, ignitor, etc. Basically do a full cleaning, minus pulling the stove out. I hit it with a stiff bristle brush all along the inside and then vacuum it all up.

When I clean the stove pipe I also clean the ESP, fan, fan housing, fines filter etc. I consider myself a neat freak/ perfectionist and I don't think I am skimping out on anything. I am mostly concerned about my stove pipe as I have been to numerous chimney fires. I clean it with flexible rods attached to a cordless drill.

It sounds like you are doing the job. I bought a dispenser and the sifter from www.pelletdecor.com

bags · Nov 13, 2016

Are you cleaning behind the little wing nut door on under the fire pot? A lot of junk get in there. Other than that sounds like you have a good grasp on cleaning. I might have missed the under the fire pot but don't remember reading that you cleaned in there. Fines box, under the pot where the igniter is, and the other general stuff and you are good.

The Harman dealer where I bought my P68 runs his P68 all year long without thorough cleanings to show how well these stoves run even when slightly neglected on cleaning. He'll scrape the pot and empty the ash pan but that's about his extent of cleaning all season. He said most service calls he gets with stoves not firing or working is from a bunch of crap jamming up the igniter under the burn pot. People tend to forget to clean it out. I do mine every ton along with the other stuff.

MuchoBueno · Nov 14, 2016

Eng5ive said:
I just want to make sure I am doing this correctly. This is my second season with a Harman P35i. I cleaned it three times last year. Once after the first ton, once after the second ton and then did kind of a half ass job the third time around since it was starting to warm up. A few weeks ago I did a full cleaning where I remove the insert, clean the chimney liner, fines filter, fan, etc.

Just wondering if I could get some input on weather these things looks safe after being cleaned?

This is the very top of the liner, after cleaning it with a brush on the end of a cordless drill
View attachment 187839

looking a little further down the liner
View attachment 187840

This is the fines collector/ area. This is after a full ton of Fireside Ultras. Does this look like a normal amount of accumulation?
View attachment 187841

I have the same stove and yes that's pretty much what happens in the fines box about after a few weeks. It builds up more quickly when I burn the white pine pellets but otherwise it's just the way it is.

Eng5ive · Nov 16, 2016

bags said:
Are you cleaning behind the little wing nut door on under the fire pot? A lot of junk get in there. Other than that sounds like you have a good grasp on cleaning. I might have missed the under the fire pot but don't remember reading that you cleaned in there. Fines box, under the pot where the igniter is, and the other general stuff and you are good.

The Harman dealer where I bought my P68 runs his P68 all year long without thorough cleanings to show how well these stoves run even when slightly neglected on cleaning. He'll scrape the pot and empty the ash pan but that's about his extent of cleaning all season. He said most service calls he gets with stoves not firing or working is from a bunch of crap jamming up the igniter under the burn pot. People tend to forget to clean it out. I do mine every ton along with the other stuff.

Yes I clean the ignitor about once a week. I take the cover off the door, vacuum it out and hit it with a soft bristle brush. Hasn't given me any problems so far other than taking a little while to light when it's dirty.

mrjohneel · Nov 17, 2016

Your photos are similar to what I experience. Aside from other regular cleaning, I try to do a lint brush/power drill cleaning after every ton.

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Harman P35i Any input on my cleaning process?

Eng5ive

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Lake Girl

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Eng5ive

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fmsm

Minister of Fire

Eng5ive

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fmsm

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bags

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MuchoBueno

Burning Hunk

Eng5ive

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mrjohneel

Feeling the Heat

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