• Harman Accentra insert - Feed too many pellets!

[mikepc]

Pellet Stove Details:
Harman Accentra insert
6+ years old
Burn 2 tons/year
Stove completely cleaned 2 to 3 times year
Normal settings:
Room Temp – 90 degrees
Feed Adjustment 3.5

Problem:
With a feed setting of 3.5, everything has worked just fine for years. But, starting last year I started to spill pellets. So, I turned the feed setting down to 3, then over time, I had to turn it down to 2.5 then to 2 and now 1.5. At a setting of 1.5 I am not spilling pellets, but it is feeding pellets as if it was set at 3.5.

I am a DIY type guy and have replaced blowers etc., but this one has me stumped!

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[newsu]

Different stove, I had this problem a while back, my air damper was opened to much, further cleaning the burn pot holes and replacing the door gasket, ash pan door gasket solved it completely.

 

[mikepc]

Different stove, I had this problem a while back, my air damper was opened to much, further cleaning the burn pot holes and replacing the door gasket, ash pan door gasket solved it completely.

I cleaned everything, including vent and ESP. Checked everything I know to check, no difference!

One observation - The stove will not push pellets over the edge for about 4- 5 hours, then slowly, the pellets get closer and closer to the edge and then start to spill. Yes, I clean the pot daily. I am burning about one bag in 14 hours, assuming I do not spill too many pellets.

Settings: Room Temp 90, High fan (large room with many windows, cold outside)
Auto igniter (does not matter since Room Temp never gets to 90)
Feed Adjuster 3.5 spills pellets after 4-5 hours, 1.5 does not
Use 'Premium' pellets

Since I leave the house at 7:00 am, I turn the stove on and set the feed rate to 3 - 3.5. When I come home around noon, I am starting to spill pellets. If I set the feed rate to 1.5, it takes forever to heat the house but I don't spill pellets.

Any idea what is going on?

Thanks!

 

[gfreek]

Ever replace the ESP ? Could the control knobs not be working correctly ? Maybe clean the control knobs (potentiometers) on the back side of control board with Deoxit ?

 

[Mt Bob]

Well, without seeing video of stove burning, kind of hard to guess. So your stove runs wide open, whenever it is on, yet only burn 2 tons a year? Vacation home,I guess. Anyway, some things it could be,"assuming" flue and intake are clean and clear--
Exhaust probe acting strange after on for a while.
Exhaust motor "-----------------------------------------"
Control board "------------------------------------------"
BUT, something people get lazy about, is proper cleaning of the holes in the pot. Not only do they have to be open, but the right size, they close down over time. I like to use a drill bit(broken off to be shorter, just easier for me), and, after opening each hole, you can go up and down, wiggle around, so it actually scrapes carbon off to the metal. However, be careful over igniter, don't go down too far and damage it.

 

[newsu]

I cleaned everything, including vent and ESP. Checked everything I know to check, no difference!

One observation - The stove will not push pellets over the edge for about 4- 5 hours, then slowly, the pellets get closer and closer to the edge and then start to spill. Yes, I clean the pot daily. I am burning about one bag in 14 hours, assuming I do not spill too many pellets.

Settings: Room Temp 90, High fan (large room with many windows, cold outside)
Auto igniter (does not matter since Room Temp never gets to 90)
Feed Adjuster 3.5 spills pellets after 4-5 hours, 1.5 does not
Use 'Premium' pellets

Since I leave the house at 7:00 am, I turn the stove on and set the feed rate to 3 - 3.5. When I come home around noon, I am starting to spill pellets. If I set the feed rate to 1.5, it takes forever to heat the house but I don't spill pellets.

Any idea what is going on?

Thanks!

Nice stove, I'm betting your stove needs a deep cleaning.

Some good reads:

Harman 52i insert ... pellets are only partially burning

Hi, all. I have a Harman 52i insert in my fireplace, installed (professionally) back in 2013. Usually it works well, often great, but sometimes little things come up that I simply can't figure out no matter how many web searches I do. So far this winter I've burned just over 4 tons of pellets...

www.hearth.com

(While the insert was unplugged I scraped the burn pot and vacuumed the insides, then I plugged it back in and re-started. The fire was on within about 15 minutes. I checked after an hour and all I'm seeing now are ashes -- no partially-burned pellets overflowing the burn pot (and making an inverted-V pile in the ash pan!). So somehow it seems to have fixed itself?! I am glad of course but I really like to understand how/why things happen.)

Harmon 52i insert - burn pot overloaded with unburnt pellets

Stove wasn't running for a while and I noticed room was cold. Went to the insert and saw burn pot was over filled with unburnt pellets. First time this ever happened (insert is 3 months old) So I manually took out the pellets and put them back in the hopper. Restarted insert and worked fine...

www.hearth.com

https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/Accentra_Insert.pdf

 

[gfreek]

Simple things first..

 

[mikepc]

Well, without seeing video of stove burning, kind of hard to guess. So your stove runs wide open, whenever it is on, yet only burn 2 tons a year? Vacation home,I guess. Anyway, some things it could be,"assuming" flue and intake are clean and clear--
Exhaust probe acting strange after on for a while.
Exhaust motor "-----------------------------------------"
Control board "------------------------------------------"
BUT, something people get lazy about, is proper cleaning of the holes in the pot. Not only do they have to be open, but the right size, they close down over time. I like to use a drill bit(broken off to be shorter, just easier for me), and, after opening each hole, you can go up and down, wiggle around, so it actually scrapes carbon off to the metal. However, be careful over igniter, don't go down too far and damage it.

Thanks for all the suggestion! A few more details.
Things I have done:
1. Have checked door seal
2. Have cleaned everyone one of the pot holes using a drill bit (not on a drill)
3. Exhaust motor and blower seems to be running correctly, no blinking lights of any kind
4. I deep cleaned everything

Things I have NOT done:
1. Replace ESP, will order one
2. Clean the control knobs (potentiometers) on the back side of control board with Deoxit, will purchase

Will report back!

Thanks again!

 

[newsu]

Well, without seeing video of stove burning, kind of hard to guess. So your stove runs wide open, whenever it is on, yet only burn 2 tons a year? Vacation home,I guess. Anyway, some things it could be,"assuming" flue and intake are clean and clear--
Exhaust probe acting strange after on for a while.
Exhaust motor "-----------------------------------------"
Control board "------------------------------------------"
BUT, something people get lazy about, is proper cleaning of the holes in the pot. Not only do they have to be open, but the right size, they close down over time. I like to use a drill bit(broken off to be shorter, just easier for me), and, after opening each hole, you can go up and down, wiggle around, so it actually scrapes carbon off to the metal. However, be careful over igniter, don't go down too far and damage it.

Well, without seeing video of stove burning, kind of hard to guess. So your stove runs wide open, whenever it is on, yet only burn 2 tons a year? Vacation home,I guess. Anyway, some things it could be,"assuming" flue and intake are clean and clear--
Exhaust probe acting strange after on for a while.
Exhaust motor "-----------------------------------------"
Control board "------------------------------------------"
BUT, something people get lazy about, is proper cleaning of the holes in the pot. Not only do they have to be open, but the right size, they close down over time. I like to use a drill bit(broken off to be shorter, just easier for me), and, after opening each hole, you can go up and down, wiggle around, so it actually scrapes carbon off to the metal. However, be careful over igniter, don't go down too far and damage it.

Very true, it could be a number of things. With my stove I've always found keeping it simple makes it easier to find the problem and resolve it, making it complicated makes me want to grab an Advil.

 

[gfreek]

Thanks for updates ..... Having an extra ESP on hand and maybe an igniter would be a good idea. Is the stove plugged into a surge suppressor ?

 

[mikepc]

Pellet Stove Details:
Harman Accentra insert
6+ years old
Burn 2 tons/year
Stove completely cleaned 2 to 3 times year
Normal settings:
Room Temp – 90 degrees
Feed Adjustment 3.5

Problem:
With a feed setting of 3.5, everything has worked just fine for years. But, starting last year I started to spill pellets. So, I turned the feed setting down to 3, then over time, I had to turn it down to 2.5 then to 2 and now 1.5. At a setting of 1.5 I am not spilling pellets, but it is feeding pellets as if it was set at 3.5.

I am a DIY type guy and have replaced blowers etc., but this one has me stumped!

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[mikepc]

Spilling Pellets
Update: Same problem as last year.
History: With a feed setting of 3.5, everything has worked just fine for years. But, starting last year I started to spill pellets. So, I turned the feed setting down to 3, then over time, I had to turn it down to 2.5 then to 2 and now 1.5. At a setting of 1.5 I am not spilling pellets, but it is feeding pellets as if it was set at 3.5? I normally run the stove 12 hours a day.
I am a DIY type guy and have replaced blowers etc., but this one has me stumped!

I have taken the following actions this year with no change in the problem:
1) Deep, deep cleaned
2) All pot holes are clean
3) Stove is NOT plugged into a surge suppressor
4) No blinking lights
5) Checked door seal
6) Cleaned potentiometers with Deoxit
7) Replaced ESP Thermistor Probe

Unit: Harman Accentra insert
7+ years old
Burn 2 tons/year (seasonal)
Normal settings:
Room Temp – 90 degrees

Suggestions?

Thanks everyone!

Mike

 

[Washed-Up]

How often do you burn it up high? I do this on my P61a once a week just to burn any build up off.

 

[mikepc]

I run the stove on 'High' (Room Temp 90) all the time .
Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm wondering if the Mother Board is bad?

 

[Washed-Up]

Try it on stove temp, it’ll make a difference

 

[mikepc]

I ran the stove for two days (12 hours day) on stove temp. with no difference.

The stove will run for a few hours and then over time the pellets start to spill at any setting greater than 1.5. On either stove or room temp, if I set it on 3.0, pellets start spilling after 4 hours. If I set it at 1.5, I have an inch of ash after four hours and after 10 hours 1/2 inch of ash.