My one year old absolute 43 started feeding too many pellets and would fill the ash pan in 1 1/2 days with partially burned pellets. Easy fix right? Turn down the feed limit, right? Nope! Did the same thing the next day 25%(lowest feed rate). So I gave the stove a good cleaning and I have the dealer coming out to give it its first pro clean. I am not sure if it works because now it says "Warning:door open" and the pressure switch wont close so the stove will not ignite. I obviously have the doors closed and the rope seals appear to be in good shape so I am not sure what to do to fix this. The dealer is coming Tuesday but it's going to be a cold couple of nights if I can't get this fired up. Please help** Thank you
Harman Absolute 43 issues-need help
- Thread starter beavs72
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- absolute 43
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Lake Girl
Moderator
When was the last time the venting and internal exhaust pathways were cleaned? It sounds like you have a congested stove. See the end of the maintenance video for cleaning the combustion fan ... Might want to figure out an attachment to your ash vac (or shop vac with drywall bag and cold stove) that you can get into the chamber where you are supposed to brush. You'll have to be cautious of the ESP probe though. I have a tube attached to my shop vac that I snake up the exhaust pathway on my stove.
http://www.harmanstoves.com/Owner-Resources/Use-and-Care-Videos/Absolute-Series-Pellet-Stove.aspx
PS Since the stove is not getting enough air through your firebox, it doesn't produce as much heat. The "brain" on the stove is saying "need more heat so need more pellets".
http://www.harmanstoves.com/Owner-Resources/Use-and-Care-Videos/Absolute-Series-Pellet-Stove.aspx
PS Since the stove is not getting enough air through your firebox, it doesn't produce as much heat. The "brain" on the stove is saying "need more heat so need more pellets".
The frustrating thing is that I have done all of this. I follow the cleaning prompts and I use the wire brush that comes with the stove as shown in the video.It might be that I am not going up far enough but again they tell you not to go too far B/C you could damage the probe as you mentioned. This is why I have called the dealer to give it a good cleaning but this still doesn't explain why-after this last cleaning I gave it- It keeps saying "Warning:door is open" and the pressure switch won't close and therefore now it wont do anything. I'd be happy with the other issue right now but it won't even light now and it's 17 degrees out-Brrrrrrrr
Lake Girl
Moderator
Have you ensured that the door microswitch is contacting? Not sure how to access it on the Absolute though... My hopper microswitch has given me grief before - the arm on it needed a little bend to reposition so it was contacting the strike plate.
Lake Girl
Moderator
Jason845845
Feeling the Heat
If this unit has a switch to detect that the doors are closed it does not appear on the parts diagram. no matter what I do I can not get this stupid thing to realize that the doors are closed
fmsm
Minister of Fire
Have you inspected the hopper gasket?make sure there are no pellets sitting in gasket preventing a good seal. Is there a hopper lid switch. If so try holding it down with you finger and see what the stove does then. Make sure switch didn't get bumped from auto to manual. Only other thing is fines box cover. Did you happen to mess with that when you cleaned stove
The hopper lid has a different notification. The stove knows the difference between "hopper open" and "door open" but doesn't tell you which door (main or ash pan) so I don't know which one it is referring to...
can you tell me what "fines box cover" is??
there are no switches on this thing-it is all done on the touch screen.
Thank you for the input
Ding ding ding
We have a winner! The stove I had for 10 years before this one did not have a screen on the exhaust vent and I did not know this one had one. Sure enough, a quick peak out side and there is a screen and it is solid. I take it out, clean it a little, go back in-stove fire right up. This obviously fixed both problems I was having. I feel dumb for not knowing/realizing this was the issue but at least it is fixed. Thank you all for your help.
Maladjusted
Member
Ding ding ding
I feel dumb for not knowing/realizing this was the issue but at least it is fixed. Thank you all for your help.
Awesome to see you got this resolved! Are you going to still have the dealer out of for a "Pro Cleaning"? I'd be interested to hear your assessment on if it is worth it.
Could you explain a bit better where the "exhaust screen" is... I have a new Absolute 63 and will likely have to clean this as well.
Mal
Lake Girl
Moderator
How come you ignored the exhaust venting part of the question when I asked on the first response post?
Glad to hear you found the solution...
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
How come you ignored the exhaust venting part of the question when I asked on the first response post?
As with most problems, a good cleaning solves most issues. This is not a critique by any means but I'm sure I'm not the only one noticing that some pellet user's immediately state they've done a cleaning, and later answer "yup, I've done that" to every follow-up cleaning question and it's determined that there was in fact a blockage causing the problem. I'm glad this poster's issue, along with so many other posted issued, was solved simply by a thorough cleaning from the stove to the ending of the stove pipe.
The screen was up inside the exhaust tube and I had no idea it was there. It is a coil of wire that is maybe there to keep critters out.I wish the dealer would have walked me through cleaning that thing. I did not ignore the exhaust venting part of the original response. I just thought you meant cleaning from the inside which I had done. I guess I am just not knowledgeable in such things. I learn something new every day. The dealer is coming out tomorrow to give it its a yearly cleaning so should be good. Thanks all!
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
Lake Girl
Moderator
It is there to keep critters out! Be thankful for that as other members have had birds, etc. lodged in their exhaust venting or near the combustion motor. When the dealer is there, pay attention to how to clean the ESP