Harman 52i Auger Locked

[fire451]

I have read where this type of stuff is not all that uncommon. I think this is what others above are stating. It would be very odd for a new auger to go bad and the auger and feed are trying to work but something it keeping it from doing so. I do not screen mine but I do eagle eye what is coming out of the bag. Screening takes a little time but I can agree it is some very cheap insurance.

I have found a very quick and simple fast way of screening, if you're interested I'll send you a pic

 

[jlyon]

Looks like it is attached the right way. Can you wiggle anything such as being able to move that slide by hand or looking at the end of the mechanism that rides on the piece that actually lifts it as the auger turns? If you can lift it by hand you should be able to see the slide move. Maybe there is a foreign object that was in the bag of pellets that wedged in the slide or under the auger, Can you see two bolts that hold a bracket that actually holds the large bearing and auger in position? then a couple bolts that hold the motor in position? How about one that holds the shaft of the motor onto the auger? It isn't hard to remove the motor then remove the two bolts that hold a bracket against the bearing on the end of the auger. Then tap the auger from inside the stove pushing it towards the back of the stove. It should just pop out. That way you will have found any obstruction in the auger plus that slide should be free.
Truth be known this is a easy stove to take apart and put back together. Sometimes things get into the fuel that shouldn't and cause problems. I had a friend who shoveled free corn from the railroad tracks and got pieces of granite rock in his auger. He was yelping about what a crappy stove Harman was until I got the rock out and asked how it got into the stove? Got pretty quiet after that.

Is this what I remove ? Do it all from the back of the stove? I have it pulled out. Sounds simple when you explain it but there's alot going on back there and I'm new to this stove. I just dont want to screw something up that would effect my warranty. Thanks.

 

[jlyon]

I'm also wonder how much give that plate has? I can pull it up some but it don't have much give to it. Is it supposed to open up that plate inside the hopper completely? Thanks.

 

[rona]

I'm also wonder how much give that plate has? I can pull it up some but it don't have much give to it. Is it supposed to open up that plate inside the hopper completely? Thanks.

 

[rona]

It won't open that plate all the way but enough so pellets will fall into the auger. You should see a set screw that holds a collar onto the shaft coming out of the motor loosen it and wiggle on the motor while looking for a bracket that holds the motor in place. This bracket is black and has a hole with rubber gromlet in it. Maybe the motor will just slip out of that collar. That collar should be oblong shaped making it act like a camshaft. As it turns it will lift up the mechanism that slides the plate back and forth.
Before you do that look in that fines box and make sure the plate that slides back and forth is dropped onto the other one and the other one is fitting in the opening for it and not just jammed against it. The picture looks like that part that is supposed to slip into the sliding plate may have slipped out and is actually under the plate rather then into it.

 

[F4jock]

Reading this thread I sense the OP is not comfortable with things mechanical. If I'm right I strongly suggest that he call Harman, obtain warranty service and watch carefully. Perhaps that will help him next time.

 

[rona]

If his dealer hasn't helped him other then tell him to pry on the front of the auger I wouldn't expect great things out of him and guess who will be doing the warranty work? There is 3 possibilities of problems. the plate isn't moving because it slipped out of proper position and now it can't. Or something is caught in the auger, or the motor is bad.
The sliding plate has gotten out of position before when cleaning the fines and that would be my first guess. Reason being the stove worked before it was cleaned. I have seen it happen on other Harmans and if that is the problem it is a easy fix. That happened to a dealer near me once and after he called his special number to the company he got a little red in the face and went back to check and sure enough that was the problem. Harman has a book for trouble shooting their stoves that they give to dealers describing problems and solutions but they don't describe mechanical problems or situations like this.
I had this same problem with a PC45 and had forgotten the solution. I pulled the motor out and wired it direct to 110 and motor worked. Removed the two bolts holding the auger in position and tapped it from the front and it came out. Nothing in it and turned easy. OK 2 out of three work so that left the fines box.
By then I knew what I was going to see and sure enough that plate had slid out of the proper position when the owner was cleaning the fines out. So put everything back together and it worked.
I have walked people through fixing their stoves before and if the choice is a cold house or fixing it usually we get it fixed.
I have seen people talk about bad dealers and not honoring the warranty etc and sometimes it is legitimate and other times the dealer has one tech and he is swamped so it takes two weeks to get there. my belief is that websites such as Hearth,com can be a place where owners should be able to ask for help and get their problem solved. I am willing to help as are many other folks so with the help of cameras and experience we can guide even the less experienced to a happy conclusion.

 

[F4jock]

If his dealer hasn't helped him other then tell him to pry on the front of the auger I wouldn't expect great things out of him and guess who will be doing the warranty work? There is 3 possibilities of problems. the plate isn't moving because it slipped out of proper position and now it can't. Or something is caught in the auger, or the motor is bad.
The sliding plate has gotten out of position before when cleaning the fines and that would be my first guess. Reason being the stove worked before it was cleaned. I have seen it happen on other Harmans and if that is the problem it is a easy fix. That happened to a dealer near me once and after he called his special number to the company he got a little red in the face and went back to check and sure enough that was the problem. Harman has a book for trouble shooting their stoves that they give to dealers describing problems and solutions but they don't describe mechanical problems or situations like this.
I had this same problem with a PC45 and had forgotten the solution. I pulled the motor out and wired it direct to 110 and motor worked. Removed the two bolts holding the auger in position and tapped it from the front and it came out. Nothing in it and turned easy. OK 2 out of three work so that left the fines box.
By then I knew what I was going to see and sure enough that plate had slid out of the proper position when the owner was cleaning the fines out. So put everything back together and it worked.
I have walked people through fixing their stoves before and if the choice is a cold house or fixing it usually we get it fixed.
I have seen people talk about bad dealers and not honoring the warranty etc and sometimes it is legitimate and other times the dealer has one tech and he is swamped so it takes two weeks to get there. my belief is that websites such as Hearth,com can be a place where owners should be able to ask for help and get their problem solved. I am willing to help as are many other folks so with the help of cameras and experience we can guide even the less experienced to a happy conclusion.

Not knocking you at all, I just recognize the OP's tentative replies. And Harman has sent people from 75 miles away and more when the "locals" were no help. Also, everyone is different but were it me after two days I'd be up to my a** in Harman parts but *shrug* And if the original dealer does the work and screws it up, guess who gets a new stove, but *shrug again*.

 

[bags]

That's why I asked where he was in KY. If fairly close I would go help but he's 2 plus hours away. I know exactly what rona is talking about and would be happy to help out. I feel no matter which make or model of a pellet stove you have the owner really needs to understand them and be able to work on them for their own benefit. I know that is unrealistic for many owners though. I think the guy is more worried about being unsure and messing components up than he is about doing the actual fix. That is understandable too. I would have been somewhat hesitant at first with a new stove under warranty, but fortunately my used PC45 volunteered to be the Guinea Pig. Pretty simple stuff once one understands what is what and how things jive.

The reality of it is you are not going to mess anything up unless you go beating and prying on stuff. BE SURE TO UNPLUG FIRST. I would be more concern on shorting stuff and forgetting to unplug it. Might only take the touch of a metal tool in the wrong spot.

 

[rona]

Not knocking you at all, I just recognize the OP's tentative replies. And Harman has sent people from 75 miles away and more when the "locals" were no help but *shrug*

Not to worry I didn't take it that way. Just had some bad experiences with Harman a few years ago and after that decided to pass on any help I could in the hopes the stove owner could understand how their stove worked and save a unnecessary service call. When a tech is called for a warranty problem but finds out it is operator error usually there is a bill presented.
Most of these stoves are pretty simple and if we can give the owner a little encouragement they can learn and gain confidence while they do it. 25.00 worth of simple tools can repair most problems.
I will agree that having a good dealer nearby and willing to help you in a timely manner is a great thing but that isn't a normal situation. I know people who live 200 miles from the nearest dealer. They keep extra parts on hand and repair the stove themselves. There is also dealers that sell you the stove and say here is a phone number if you have problems.

 

[bags]

I have found a very quick and simple fast way of screening, if you're interested I'll send you a pic

That would be great. Always up for good tricks of the trade. You can PM me or could also put it out on a thread for others also. Up to you. Thanks.

 

[F4jock]

Bags and Rona, I agree with you both. What I sense is that the OP is frustrated and a bit scared of breaking something but, as you said, if you don't pull and pry and unplug the beast first you can't do much harm. What he needs to do is take pictures and draw diagrams before he dismantles, if he choses to. . . .

 

[fire451]

That would be great. Always up for good tricks of the trade. You can PM me or could also put it out on a thread for others also. Up to you. Thanks.

laugh if you want but this sucker works Great! I pour them out of the bag, they end up in the pan with no sawdust no debris.
not sure what I'm doing on this site just yet, seems like everytime I load an image it comes out upside down

 

[bags]

F4 I was not concerned one bit and know you well enough and you always offer the quickest and simplest solutions and advice. Fact based to boot. We've been buds since day one. Nothing taken wrong at all. I think KY Guy is frustrated too and has a right to be. He said his dealer has been pretty much so useless and I agree with you Harman would be hearing from me but I'm with rona on not sitting around in the cold and many dealers and techs not being of much help when the teeth are chattering.

I have an excellent and a quick response dealer and still would prefer to do my own work. They are going to give me free parts if needed though. I had a defective Harman OAK and took it back. It was all jacked up and not close to fitting together. No tweeking that puppy. Can you say square peg in a tiny round hole. I have no idea how it was messed up so bad during manufacturing. The I could care less guy or the bot had a serious short and malfunction. For my inconvenience he knocked off a nice chunk of a ton of pellets for me. This guy was a big reason I bought from him. I went to numerous other places and it seemed I had more general knowledge than many of these jokers selling stoves. I knew little other than reading here.

I highly suggest jlyon hang here because this is his service and warranty dept. to a large degree. Unless he is willing to wait however long. He should also explore the options you said and see if Harman has anyone else. He might be surprised and a good tech would be there quickly. Rona and Bioburner have spent tons of time with me on my PC45 and I know that machine forwards and backwards. Now I will have no problem diagnosing much of anything and working on either of my stoves. I am fairly mechanically inclined but for a guy that new nothing about pellet stoves few months ago to being able to basically rebuild one I have had a big improvement. All thru the great coaching here and thru email and such.

Just curious as I have not read my warranty but is it stated in said Harman warranty all work must be done by a certified tech or it voids it?

Sorry to thread jack. We gotta get this guy up and running. Just offering encouragement because he has a team of helpers here. He don't need no stinking dealer man!

 

[Big papa]

Rona is my go do girl with problems from now on sorry F4 and bags

 

[NHcpa]

He paid a PREMIUM for his Harman and I would demand they set it straight. If there is a Harman mfr rep lurking about, get him fixed!

 

[jlyon]

F4 I was not concerned one bit and know you well enough and you always offer the quickest and simplest solutions and advice. Fact based to boot. We've been buds since day one. Nothing taken wrong at all. I think KY Guy is frustrated too and has a right to be. He said his dealer has been pretty much so useless and I agree with you Harman would be hearing from me but I'm with rona on not sitting around in the cold and many dealers and techs not being of much help when the teeth are chattering.

I have an excellent and a quick response dealer and still would prefer to do my own work. They are going to give me free parts if needed though. I had a defective Harman OAK and took it back. It was all jacked up and not close to fitting together. No tweeking that puppy. Can you say square peg in a tiny round hole. I have no idea how it was messed up so bad during manufacturing. The I could care less guy or the bot had a serious short and malfunction. For my inconvenience he knocked off a nice chunk of a ton of pellets for me. This guy was a big reason I bought from him. I went to numerous other places and it seemed I had more general knowledge than many of these jokers selling stoves. I knew little other than reading here.

I highly suggest jlyon hang here because this is his service and warranty dept. to a large degree. Unless he is willing to wait however long. He should also explore the options you said and see if Harman has anyone else. He might be surprised and a good tech would be there quickly. Rona and Bioburner have spent tons of time with me on my PC45 and I know that machine forwards and backwards. Now I will have no problem diagnosing much of anything and working on either of my stoves. I am fairly mechanically inclined but for a guy that new nothing about pellet stoves few months ago to being able to basically rebuild one I have had a big improvement. All thru the great coaching here and thru email and such.

Just curious as I have not read my warranty but is it stated in said Harman warranty all work must be done by a certified tech or it voids it?

Sorry to thread jack. We gotta get this guy up and running. Just offering encouragement because he has a team of helpers here. He don't need no stinking dealer man!

 

[jlyon]

Thank you Rona! And everyone. My wife hung stocking above it and the plastic thing fell in. She's sick now lol. Good thing is I learned so much about my stove durine this experience. Thank you all for not giving up on me. I'll send you a Christmas card next year

 

[bags]

Thank you Rona! And everyone. My wife hung stocking above it and the plastic thing fell in. She's sick now lol. Good thing is I learned so much about my stove durine this experience. Thank you all for not giving up on me. I'll send you a Christmas card next year

That's what it's all about. Glad you have it figured out! Read up here and you will learn tons of stuff. Don't wait until after the fact and it's too late then you get stuck in a jam.But if you ever do get into a jam you know where to head to get it figured out. As for the warranty and dealer support IF a tech would have came out for that it would NOT have been covered and you would have been paying. You also saved yourself some money which is always good this time of the year. By you handling this issue you are well on your way to be able to take care of your own service and stuff. Good for you!

Looks like Santa brought your stove a present too and hid it in the hopper. LOL! What was this plastic stocking thing a ma jig that fell in anyway? I can see the stocking hanging but what came off and managed to get into your stove?

And another perk here is the fact your wife realized what happened. Betcha she'll cut you a little slack now. Ha Ha hahaha

 

[heat seeker]

Yeah, the wife owes you big time!

 

[jlyon]

That's what it's all about. Glad you have it figured out! Read up here and you will learn tons of stuff. Don't wait until after the fact and it's too late then you get stuck in a jam.But if you ever do get into a jam you know where to head to get it figured out. As for the warranty and dealer support IF a tech would have came out for that it would NOT have been covered and you would have been paying. You also saved yourself some money which is always good this time of the year. By you handling this issue you are well on your way to be able to take care of your own service and stuff. Good for you!

Looks like Santa brought your stove a present too and hid it in the hopper. LOL! What was this plastic stocking thing a ma jig that fell in anyway? I can see the stocking hanging but what came off and managed to get into your stove?

And another perk here is the fact your wife realized what happened. Betcha she'll cut you a little slack now. Ha Ha hahaha

It's those scotch things that hAve sticky side that you can hang things on. It fell off my brick fireplace.

That's what it's all about. Glad you have it figured out! Read up here and you will learn tons of stuff. Don't wait until after the fact and it's too late then you get stuck in a jam.But if you ever do get into a jam you know where to head to get it figured out. As for the warranty and dealer support IF a tech would have came out for that it would NOT have been covered and you would have been paying. You also saved yourself some money which is always good this time of the year. By you handling this issue you are well on your way to be able to take care of your own service and stuff. Good for you!

Looks like Santa brought your stove a present too and hid it in the hopper. LOL! What was this plastic stocking thing a ma jig that fell in anyway? I can see the stocking hanging but what came off and managed to get into your stove?

And another perk here is the fact your wife realized what happened. Betcha she'll cut you a little slack now. Ha Ha hahaha

Here's a before picture of what fell in the hopper

 

[heat seeker]

So the hopper lid must have been open when the thing fell. What are the odds? Any, glad you're going to be warm again!

 

[bags]

I've seen those and sorry, I should have looked at the photos closer. I've never used them and won't let my wife because I'm the handy man that gets to fix the walls after they are torn off. Obviously they do more damage than rip paint and finishes off of walls too. LOL! Little 3M auger killers.

Hey another trick I've figured out is to turn your phone sideways for pics. They seem to rotate some how when the pic is taken with the phone straight up and down when attached to sites and forums.

Glad your up and running. These Harmans are worth the extra cash and you will grow to really like it. Normally they run like trouble free high speed tanks.

What do you think about these Northerners are sending us all of this ugly cold weather? LOL! SHHHH! They have us seriously out numbered. Do you have many or anyone close to you that have pellet stoves? I haven't found many here. Mostly wood burners are around my neck of the woods. Which pellets are you using? Somersets? They're manufactured in Somerset, KY so I know you know where that is. Stay warm my fellow Kentuckian!

 

[jlyon]

My uncle has a freestanding pellet stove. I don't know anyone else that has one around me. Most use wood or those outside furnaces.

As for pellets, I'm using Southern Indiana Hardwoods. My dad runs a feed store and stores them for me. He bought them from a wholesaler. Hopefully I can talk him into being the wholesaler next year. I'm sure there's people around that would buy and we would be cheaper than tractor supply.

I'm definitely hating the cold but glad my machine is running now. I love it. Alot better than my old wood stove.

 

[thro9]

I recently heard a grinding sound coming from the auger. I'm figuring the feeder chamber needs to be cleaned but I am unable to access the feeder chamber due to the tight area it sits in. I have found 3 hex nuts that bolt the fan to the unit but I can't seem to get to them.

I'm working on getting someone out with a smaller wrist to see if they can access the wingnut so I can bypass all of this but I'd like to know my options if they can't access the wingnut.

Thanks to anyone that can help!