Harman XXV & Similar... How are You Cleaning out the Ignitor Box?

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MarkF48

MarkF48

Feeling the Heat
Nov 14, 2011
270
Central MA
The end of a vacuum hose can't be angled to reach in easily. I can get some of what rests in the bottom of the box, but not much else. I've used a rubber hose to blow out ash from the ignitor, but that results in fine ash coming out into the room.
Any tips or hints to what your doing to get a thorough cleaning in there?
 
MarkF48 said:
The end of a vacuum hose can't be angled to reach in easily. I can get some of what rests in the bottom of the box, but not much else. I've used a rubber hose to blow out ash from the ignitor, but that results in fine ash coming out into the room.
Any tips or hints to what your doing to get a thorough cleaning in there?
Click to expand...
I bang on the top of the burnpot with my scraper, and then take a small paint brush and brush out up by the ignitor. I sweep everything out with my fingers. At the end, (i always have my combustion fan running when I am cleaning), I close the door of the stove for 10 seconds, and the ash I could not reach gets blown out.
 
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After I scrape the "speed bump" out of the burnpot,
I poke a short section of stripped 12 ga. wire thru all the holes...
Then I remove the igniter cavity cover.
Then I use my scraper to bang on the top of the burnpot to knock any
flyash & carbon off the igniter.
Then I reach in with my left & right index fingers to clear all the debris
from the bottom of the cavity.
Just for grins, I bang on the burnpot again & clear
the cavity with my fingers...
I don't bother with the ash vac in that area...
FWIW, I do my entire firebox & ash pan cavity with the feed control
knob set to TEST...
 
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DAKSY said:
After I scrape the "speed bump" out of the burnpot,
I poke a short section of stripped 12 ga. wire thru all the holes...
Then I remove the igniter cavity cover.
Then I use my scraper to bang on the top of the burnpot to knock any
flyash & carbon off the igniter.
Then I reach in with my left & right index fingers to clear all the debris
from the bottom of the cavity.
Just for grins, I bang on the burnpot again & clear
the cavity with my fingers...
I don't bother with the ash vac in that area...
FWIW, I do my entire firebox & ash pan cavity with the feed control
knob set to TEST...
Click to expand...
Yes that is the only way to do it. keep tapping the top of the pot and it is amazing how much fine dust falls down and have to use your fingers to get all of it in the corners and in the front
 
Im thinking if you can get your fingers in there, wouldn’t a piece of 1/4”-3/8” fuel line on the end of a vacuum hose work? Just asking I don’t have a harman, Yet.
 
Some good ideas such as running in test mode. I had been tapping on the pot when doing a scrape job on the top and using a finger to sweep it out, but usually when in there with a vac for the rest of that area, had always tried to give the ignitor box a better cleaning. Maybe don't need to vac it, but the stove definitely starts quicker if that area is cleaned out of any ash. I may try to adapt a piece of hose to the end of the vac nozzle.
 
Ssyko said:
Im thinking if you can get your fingers in there, wouldn’t a piece of 1/4”-3/8” fuel line on the end of a vacuum hose work? Just asking I don’t have a harman, Yet.
Click to expand...
believe me even using your fingers you have to contort them. not worth hooking up a 3/8 hose to a vacuum when I use the cheap latex coated gloves and it takes 30 seconds to do it. used to use no gloves and it was OK
 
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I have an old Ridgid 12 Gal. wet dry vac with 2-1/2 in. hose and use the Car Nozzle. I just go under the air wash bar right into the opening and vac it right out. I can feel the air being pulled through the holes on the burn pot when I put my hand over it.
 
Does not have to be spotless.I use shop vac after scraping,as above.Also,as was in older Harman cleaning instructions,loosing the 2 ignitor screws before tapping and vac will remove most ash from ignitor.
 
Sticking anything other than your fingers in the ignitor compartment is not always a good idea..
depending on it's age or condition, the asbestos wrapping around the ignitor wires become frayed or loose from hitting it un-intentional..
mine became shredded eventually and I must have pushed one of the leads against the compartment wall while vacuuming it out.
that lead had a bare spot and did not know it.. shorted out and blew the ignitor and the 6amp fuse..
sooooooo,
I use " fingers only" and periodically give it a visual just to check the white/grey wrapping on the 2 leads...
 
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Vacuum and can air but it’s a good idea to remove the igniter once every couple years to clean it up. I see it all the time where the fins are packed with ash so it won’t get the pellets hot enough to light or takes 10-15 minutes. If you do pull the igniter, as said above be careful with the wires and also unplug your stove first.
 
Overfireinthehole said:
Vacuum and can air but it’s a good idea to remove the igniter once every couple years to clean it up. I see it all the time where the fins are packed with ash so it won’t get the pellets hot enough to light or takes 10-15 minutes. If you do pull the igniter, as said above be careful with the wires and also unplug your stove first.
Click to expand...
good advice.. forgot to mention about the canned air.>>
 
On my P61 I take the plate off of the bottom and use either a can of compressed air, or air compressor with the straw and blow into the burnpot holes(after cleaning them with a tiny screwdriver) and the fines just go into the ash can. Also put it in test mode to get a bit of vacuum out of the fire box.
 
Last edited:
I have an automotive cleaning kit that includes small hose attachment that fits my shop vac. I use this hose to clean the igniter area. It works great to get to the recessed areas in the sides of the compartment and then direct it upwards to get the bottom of the igniter.
 
Good idea after cleaning the igniter area to leave the plate off and shut the door to let the combustion blower blow some more ash out. You definitely want the combustion blower to run when cleaning. Can of air is good also with the plate off to blow down from the holes on top. I will have to try that one. Cleaning this area is critical when cleaning. I always work from the top down, top, sides, back and pot before I even open the ash door.
 
David M said:
I bang on the top of the burnpot with my scraper, and then take a small paint brush and brush out up by the ignitor. I sweep everything out with my fingers. At the end, (i always have my combustion fan running when I am cleaning), I close the door of the stove for 10 seconds, and the ash I could not reach gets blown out.
Click to expand...

How do u turn on your combustion blower when cleaning? Does turning it on test mode automatically kick on the combustion blower the whole time?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
DAKSY said:
I do my entire firebox & ash pan cavity with the feed control
knob set to TEST...
Click to expand...

Stupid question but... while the door is open do u have the stove running on test.. or after ur done clean.. u close the door THEN turn the stove on test?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
TonyVideo said:
Good idea after cleaning the igniter area to leave the plate off and shut the door to let the combustion blower blow some more ash out. You definitely want the combustion blower to run when cleaning. Can of air is good also with the plate off to blow down from the holes on top. I will have to try that one. Cleaning this area is critical when cleaning. I always work from the top down, top, sides, back and pot before I even open the ash door.
Click to expand...
Make sure your mouth is shut if your head is partially in the stove.
 
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Eeps24 said:
How do u turn on your combustion blower when cleaning? Does turning it on test mode automatically kick on the combustion blower the whole time?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
On a p series stove, flip the igniter to manual and turn the stove on. This turns on the blower but does not feed pellets.
 
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bob bare said:
Or,stove set to off,unplug and plug stove back in,will run until door is shut,and it sees vacuum.However,I do not know if all series control boards will do this.
Click to expand...
Sounds like it will continually run a test until the door is shut I assume
 
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Or if you leave the igniter in auto with the door open, the pellets won’t feed with the combustion blower on. Oh the choices! And for me, I clean the igniter box by putting a plastic tube on the end of the vacuum and carefully move it around. The tube came with an accessory kit with my love-less ash vacuum.
 
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