cleaning harman exhaust blower xxv

[Tom D]

i had my stove 2 years and would like to remove blower and clean. i was wondering how to remove
it and if the electrical wires to the motor can be disconnected,so i can take to garage and clean it.
also is there a gasket that has to be replaced or do you use same one if its not ripped.
also if i remember talking to service rep. that you have to turn motor to remove.
thank you for any advice.

 

[Delta-T]

you can remove that blower from underneath the unit. Theres a plate that screws in that prtects the blower, then I think its 2 more screws that hold it in. The wires have male/female spade connectors on them, so yes you can remove it, make sure to take note of which wire goes where. Its much easier to do if you have someone help you. Its hard to hold everything in place while screwing and unscrewing while laying on your back with your head under the stove.

 

[Delta-T]

sorry sorry, that would be for the dist. blower, my bad......combustion blower lets see here. Its mounted to a plate on the left (when facing stove) that is held in by some wing nuts, just loosen them and the plate twists off. I'd just vac it and put it back, but you can disconnect wire(spade connectors again) and take it wherever you like.

 

[Xena]

I don't have a Harman but I would remove both blowers
and take them to the garage for cleaning. Good practice
to do at the end of each season to get max. life from them.

 

[tinkabranc]

I agree with Delta-T, just unbolt and twist it out. Easy to unhook/hook the wire too.
If my stove needs it midseason the blowers get cleaned while the wire is still attached, but
at the end of season I unhook the wire and take them out completely to clean them elsewhere.

Either way, be careful with the fins on the blowers as they can bend very easy which
will mess up the balance.

 

[swalz]

The wing-nuts may be a pain to get off the first time, I bent one of them the first time I took mine out. Now they come out with no problem and i clean mine after each ton when do a good cleaning on the stove.

 

[escobarmj]

I just cleaned my Harman XXV after putting 4 tons of pellets through it last winter. I was surprised to find that when I removed my combustion blower, it was perfectly clean. I had done the leaf blower trick back in the spring. I guess that cleaned my combustion blower. One question. At the end of the season, I was starting to get some exhaust gas leakage at startup. I can see it is comming from the cleanout at the bottom of the pipe. Is there a sealant that I can apply to these joints without having to take the pipes apart? Can I buy it at Lowes, or do I need to go to the dealer?

Thanks

Mike

 

[summit]

there are two wing nuts and a loooonng 7/16 head machine bolt that hold the blower mount on... the wingnuts are accessable after you remove the rear panels, the long 7/16 bolt requires a ratchet or a wrench to reach, as it passes under the motor where you cany really see it...loosen, dont remove completely, all three, then twist: you'll notice the metal plate the motor is attatched to has grooves cut in where the nuts hold it down. you may have o tap w/ a hammer first before it will twist free... all you need to do to clean the exhaust blades is to use an old tootbrush or small wire brush on the fan blades, and use a small putty knife to scrape any buildup off betewwn the plate and the fan... do not try to disconnect the alan set screw that holds the fan to the motor shaft when cleaning, you will just strip the alan head or the threads.. if you must remove it, douse it in the weasel piss (WD-40) and let it sit for a few hours before attempting to unset the set screw. while you are in there, you should clean out the fines trrap on the side of the feeder box (a rectangular plate w/ a wingnut on it),, undo the nut, lift up and pull plate forwards, and you will have a little pile of fines in there...

 

[summit]

I just cleaned my Harman XXV after putting 4 tons of pellets through it last winter. I was surprised to find that when I removed my combustion blower, it was perfectly clean. I had done the leaf blower trick back in the spring. I guess that cleaned my combustion blower. One question. At the end of the season, I was starting to get some exhaust gas leakage at startup. I can see it is comming from the cleanout at the bottom of the pipe. Is there a sealant that I can apply to these joints without having to take the pipes apart? Can I buy it at Lowes, or do I need to go to the dealer?

Thanks



Mike

HVAC foil ductwork tape works great for seals like that.

 

[escobarmj]

I just cleaned my Harman XXV after putting 4 tons of pellets through it last winter. I was surprised to find that when I removed my combustion blower, it was perfectly clean. I had done the leaf blower trick back in the spring. I guess that cleaned my combustion blower. One question. At the end of the season, I was starting to get some exhaust gas leakage at startup. I can see it is comming from the cleanout at the bottom of the pipe. Is there a sealant that I can apply to these joints without having to take the pipes apart? Can I buy it at Lowes, or do I need to go to the dealer?

Thanks



Mike

HVAC foil ductwork tape works great for seals like that.

I will try that..thanks

 

[escobarmj]

there are two wing nuts and a loooonng 7/16 head machine bolt that hold the blower mount on... the wingnuts are accessable after you remove the rear panels, the long 7/16 bolt requires a ratchet or a wrench to reach, as it passes under the motor where you cany really see it...loosen, dont remove completely, all three, then twist: you'll notice the metal plate the motor is attatched to has grooves cut in where the nuts hold it down. you may have o tap w/ a hammer first before it will twist free... all you need to do to clean the exhaust blades is to use an old tootbrush or small wire brush on the fan blades, and use a small putty knife to scrape any buildup off betewwn the plate and the fan... do not try to disconnect the alan set screw that holds the fan to the motor shaft when cleaning, you will just strip the alan head or the threads.. if you must remove it, douse it in the weasel piss (WD-40) and let it sit for a few hours before attempting to unset the set screw. while you are in there, you should clean out the fines trrap on the side of the feeder box (a rectangular plate w/ a wingnut on it),, undo the nut, lift up and pull plate forwards, and you will have a little pile of fines in there...

I was actually surprised that I didn't have many fines in the feeder box. The pellets that I used didn't have many. Thanks for the info on cleaning the blower. I guess I have more work to do.

 

[imacman]

I just cleaned my Harman XXV after putting 4 tons of pellets through it last winter. I was surprised to find that when I removed my combustion blower, it was perfectly clean. I had done the leaf blower trick back in the spring. I guess that cleaned my combustion blower. .......

Glad to hear that the blower was clean, but in most situations, you should NOT wait until you burn 4 tons before giving the stove a major cleaning....that is a long time. Most pellet stove manufacturers recommend doing it after every 1 - 1 1/2 tons.

 

[summit]

i had a guy run 14 ton thru his harman pellet furnace without cleaning before the vent finally plugged. i routinely go to cleanings and service for harman pellet stoves where 3-4 ton have been burned, and another 3 ton coulda been burned before it needed service. they are pretty tolerant, and stop most of the fly ash in the firebox. also, pellet types dictate how much cleaning will be req.

 

[Stentor]

i had a guy run 14 ton thru his harman pellet furnace without cleaning before the vent finally plugged. i routinely go to cleanings and service for harman pellet stoves where 3-4 ton have been burned, and another 3 ton coulda been burned before it needed service. they are pretty tolerant, and stop most of the fly ash in the firebox. also, pellet types dictate how much cleaning will be req.

Summit, just to be clear ---- you're saying good quality pellets produce less ash and so a Harman XXV might go through four tons without cleaning? And to get right down to the details, do you see two tons of Okanagans and two tons of New England Wood Pellets as a pellet type that will get me through before the vent plugs?

Lots of questions in the forum are interesting but I think my question today is REAL interesting!

 

[escobarmj]

I found my combustion blower and vent pipes to be very clean afte 4 tons of pellets. I think some of the factors that contributed to this are use of the leaf blower to suck ash out, and use of fairly low ash pellets. I used the leaf blower twice during the season and I used a shop vac to clean the interior of my stove on a weekly basis. That being said, I will want to inspect and clean my combustion blower this year after 2 tons of pellets. No sense taking a chance on this.