Ash build up question on a Harman 52i

[stratocaster1422]

Been running my new Harman 52i insert since Nov 10th. I am running Hamer's Hot Ones pellets and have absolutely no frame of reference for what I should/shouldn't be seeing in the burn put after certain times. Below is a picture of my burn pot after around 13hours of continuous high heat burn. I think the setting was Stove Temp 5 or 6 for a majority of the time with the distribution blower on high. This is also the first burn after doing my first big cleaning.

Does this look like a lot of ash build up that "should" have been pushed out of the pot? Is this exactly what I should be seeing? The "dam" of ash at the front is probably around 1 inch thick from front to back like the manual says. I tend to get the build up in the corners as can be seen in the picture. There are times where the ash in corners kind of clumps a bit, but it doesn't seem to be what people call clinkers. I am still kind of stumped on what those look like sitting in the burn pot. All of that ash is fluffy

 

[DAKSY]

Doesn't look TOO bad to me. What's your feed rate setting?

 

[stratocaster1422]

Feed rate is 3.

 

[dlavigne7324]

Been running my new Harman 52i insert since Nov 10th. I am running Hamer's Hot Ones pellets and have absolutely no frame of reference for what I should/shouldn't be seeing in the burn put after certain times. Below is a picture of my burn pot after around 13hours of continuous high heat burn. I think the setting was Stove Temp 5 or 6 for a majority of the time with the distribution blower on high. This is also the first burn after doing my first big cleaning.

Does this look like a lot of ash build up that "should" have been pushed out of the pot? Is this exactly what I should be seeing? The "dam" of ash at the front is probably around 1 inch thick from front to back like the manual says. I tend to get the build up in the corners as can be seen in the picture. There are times where the ash in corners kind of clumps a bit, but it doesn't seem to be what people call clinkers. I am still kind of stumped on what those look like sitting in the burn pot. All of that ash is fluffy

View attachment 124637

Doesn't look bad ..

 

[dlavigne7324]

Feed rate is 3.

I usually keep it at 4 to 4.5 on my p35i

 

[stratocaster1422]

Upping the feed rate to put more pellets in the pot and have less places for the ash to settle out?

 

[lbcynya]

Upping the feed rate to put more pellets in the pot and have less places for the ash to settle out?

+1. This is affectionately referred to as the "ash mustache". If you find a really good pellet, this mustache will take a few days to build up. With the average pellets I have this year, I remove the mustache twice a day to keep everything happy. Can affect the flame pattern which might or might not impact efficiency, so I clean it to make myself feel better.

 

[RKS130]

Been running my new Harman 52i insert since Nov 10th. I am running Hamer's Hot Ones pellets and have absolutely no frame of reference for what I should/shouldn't be seeing in the burn put after certain times. Below is a picture of my burn pot after around 13hours of continuous high heat burn. I think the setting was Stove Temp 5 or 6 for a majority of the time with the distribution blower on high. This is also the first burn after doing my first big cleaning.

Does this look like a lot of ash build up that "should" have been pushed out of the pot? Is this exactly what I should be seeing? The "dam" of ash at the front is probably around 1 inch thick from front to back like the manual says. I tend to get the build up in the corners as can be seen in the picture. There are times where the ash in corners kind of clumps a bit, but it doesn't seem to be what people call clinkers. I am still kind of stumped on what those look like sitting in the burn pot. All of that ash is fluffy

View attachment 124637

I am only in my third season so hardly an expert. I don't think the pattern you have shown is any real concern, however, I have found that the arced ash pattern is more likely to occur when there is carbon buildup on the sides of the burn pot. When I see this I power down the stove long enough to give the pot a good scraping (I use a Craftsman Gasket Scraper) and the configuration reverts to straight line for quite a while.

 

[Ctcarl]

My new p35i is at two weeks and does the same thing. I keep my rate at 4 loving it.That's what your scraper is for

 

[pfmaloney]

The flame looks a little narrow. When you did your full cleaning, did you remove any carbon buildup that may have been on the flame guide?
I can't tell from the picture if that is ash or carbon on both sides of the flame guide.

 

[stratocaster1422]

It was fine earlier, the flame is narrow due to the ash build up. It was all fluffy ash that clears easily and the flame is back to full throttle.

 

[dlavigne7324]

My new p35i is at two weeks and does the same thing. I keep my rate at 4 loving it.That's what your scraper is for

For you p35i owners there is a new flame guide extender ..I bought my unit last year so I called my dealer and he ordered it and there was no charge due stove stil under warranty

 

[Ctcarl]

For you p35i owners there is a new flame guide extender ..I bought my unit last year so I called my dealer and he ordered it and there was no charge due stove stil under warranty

No charge is always nice!

 

[Rescue5BFD]

I kind of had the same thing going on. The edge of the burn pot doesn't get that high but pretty much the same amount on the sides. I was curious myself to see if this was normal.