Accentra Insert - hole in auger pipe?

[fedtime]

During my weekly cleaning I noticed this new development - a small gap in what looks like the joint between the burn pot and the auger pipe. But I've not taken it apart to see what the problem is.

Any ideas, Harman experts? Can I run the stove as-is?

 

[alternativeheat]

Looks like it's a hole in the auger tube. That is part of the whole feeder weldment assembly if so. Not a small repair to replace. The good news is some folks have had successful weld jobs done to repair such things.

Speaking solely for myself, I probably wouldn't run the stove till the hole is plugged in some way or the weldment replaced, just sayin.

 

[fedtime]

Good eye! I pulled the burn pot off, and dug around a little more - the hole got bigger, as seen in the attached pic, once the carbon flaked away.

It is clearly a hole between the auger pipe and the weldment. I suspect a pin hole formed, and when the air from the combustion blower managed to escape, the hole just got bigger until I noticed it.

I've got a really good welding shop nearby (all I have is a heavy-duty mig welder that won't work). I'm hoping he's up for the challenge of working in such a tight space.

Any other tips or suggestions?

 

[alternativeheat]

2500deg furnace cement might hold till you get it welded. But it isn't too cheap, I saw some at Amazon for $30 or so, supposed to work on stoves, boilers etc. But you go sticking muck in there it then has to be cleaned out in order to weld it. More of a passing thought than a suggestion I guess !

 

[fedtime]

I considered trying to plug it with something, but I'd rather just bite the bullet and get it fixed - partly for the reasons you mention.

I'm about to become even more intimately familiar with the insides of my insert. To get that part out, it looks like I'll have to pull apart quite a bit of the stove.

Thank you, again, for your reply. Always nice to have someone to bounce things off.

 

[MarkF48]

I had remembered reading a similar thread a while back....
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/harman-auger-tube-burn-hole-repair.154440/#post-2075833

 

[jzm2cc]

Also check your auger tip to make sure its not eroded/shortened. The fire may burn deeper into the auger tube with a worn auger which increases the chance of thus recurring . I went thru this with my pc45, buddy of mine welded up the auger hole and fabricated additional length to auger tip, wish i had those kind of skills.

Definitely a weakness in this brand of stove and expensive parts if replaced with new and even more expensive labor costs.

 

[Mt Bob]

Well,have never replaced an weldment,but entails almost whole stove dissasembly.Even though the tube itself has deteriorated away,could be welded in place,then die grind/smooth down.As the air for burn pot comes from below there,a leak might tend to have the flame/fire further back,causing faster damage.Not knowing the generation of your unit,checked the early accentra sitting here,and appears lots of auger length is missing(as jzm said).A new auger,with brgs/plate is really not very expensive.Just some thoughts.

 

[fedtime]

Also check your auger tip to make sure its not eroded/shortened. The fire may burn deeper into the auger tube with a worn auger which increases the chance of thus recurring . I went thru this with my pc45, buddy of mine welded up the auger hole and fabricated additional length to auger tip, wish i had those kind of skills.

Definitely a weakness in this brand of stove and expensive parts if replaced with new and even more expensive labor costs.

Well,have never replaced an weldment,but entails almost whole stove dissasembly.Even though the tube itself has deteriorated away,could be welded in place,then die grind/smooth down.As the air for burn pot comes from below there,a leak might tend to have the flame/fire further back,causing faster damage.Not knowing the generation of your unit,checked the early accentra sitting here,and appears lots of auger length is missing(as jzm said).A new auger,with brgs/plate is really not very expensive.Just some thoughts.

Thank you for your responses. I agree that the auger may be the source of the problem, so my plan is to replace it.

One question: is it safe to try to weld the hole with the weldment in place? I once cooked a circuit board when I was welding on an outboard motor. Is there any risk I could mess up the electronics of the stove if I try to weld up the hole without removing the part first?

I'll keep the forum posted on my progress!

 

[alternativeheat]

I bet the original auger length was out to about where that hole is or beyond. The tube has a gouge in it as well as the hole, I bet a piece of auger broke off and caused that. Just sayin.

 

[Tim_M]

I had remembered reading a similar thread a while back....
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/harman-auger-tube-burn-hole-repair.154440/#post-2075833

I had a similar issue on my Invincible and was able to repair it by inserting a bolt in the hole and securing it with a nut on the other side. But my hole was at the bottom of the auger tube so I could easily access the other side by removing the burn pot. Yours appears to be more to the side and I'm not sure how you could get access to secure the bolt with a nut. As others have stated, these holes are usually due to upstream air leaks that cause the fire to burn hot at the throat of the tube. I think mine was caused by a leaky hopper gasket.

 

[alternativeheat]

I think the OP's auger is missing nearly a full turn of screw flute/thread.

 

[Mt Bob]

If it was mine,would carry in my little 115 volt mig,unplug stove,unplug control board,weld right there,clean up with dremel.

 

[fedtime]

If it was mine,would carry in my little 115 volt mig,unplug stove,unplug control board,weld right there,clean up with dremel.

Hi Bob - I'm thinking about doing just that, if I can isolate the stove electronics sufficiently. As I mentioned above, I once toasted an outboard motor circuit board be welding another part, but that was probably due to insufficient grounding. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[alternativeheat]

Removing Two screws pops out the circuit board, then unplug it and it's in your hands not in the stove at all. You might want to mark down wire positions before detaching them.

I don't have a mig welder any more, I had a big Miller at work that we welded steel and aluminum with and I had personal access to that. But since retiring, no more welder. Had gas welder too and ark as well.

 

[fedtime]

Repair completed! I pulled the insert out, removed the control panel, unplugged the stove, and welded up the hole with a 115v mig welder. I then ground it smooth, replaced the burn pot, re-connected everything and we are back in business.

I'm waiting on the new auger - it may take a few weeks to get here. Thanks again to all who replied with helpful suggestions.

 

[alternativeheat]

Wow !

 

[jzm2cc]

Very nice work, much better than ripping auger weldment out like i did on my PC45. I think i need a little 110V mig now!

 

[fedtime]

Very nice work, much better than ripping auger weldment out like i did on my PC45. I think i need a little 110V mig now!

Having considered removing the weldment on my stove, I have respect for anyone who tacked that job!

The weldment on my insert would require pretty much taking the major components of the stove apart - and even some smaller ones. On top of that, almost everything connection on my insert was caulked with RTV silicone. It would have been a monster of a job and to do it properly, I would have to take the insert out to the shop for disassembly.