Harman Accentra 2 Pellet Stove Trouble!

[fedtime]

Hi forum members.

I thoroughly cleaned my stove last spring, including all of the holes in the combustion chamber and every nook and cranny - you could eat off this thing, so being dirty is not an issue.

The problem today: the stove feeds fine, the combustion motor works fine, but I can't get it to light. I pulled the ignitor and checked the resistance - it measured about 50 ohms. I connected it when still out of the stove and it glowed a dull red. I put it back in and I see and occasional spark from the combustion chamber, but no lighting. I've tried in both "stove" mode and "room" mode - no change.

Is my ignitor shot or is it some other problem? I figured and ignitor either works or it does not, but perhaps it is dying a slow death?

Thank you for any help with this vexing problem.

 

[fedtime]

OK - I spoke with the dealer this morning. He seems to think the resistance should be much higher (but could not give me a figure)and says that the ignitor should grow "cherry red" within a 10 seconds of ignition, not the dull red glow I get after 1 minute. This seems to make sense, but it is an expensive experiment if he is wrong.

Does anyone know the correct resistance numbers for a properly functioning ignitor?

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I found this by doing a google search. According to this thread your reading is ok.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/41103/

Your certain that there is no carbon buildup between the burn pot and the igniter port?

 

[fedtime]

Thank you for the link - the mystery deepens, it seems.

I spent over an hour cleaning the stove (this is after my thorough cleaning last spring) on Sunday, including all surfaces in and around the burn pot and ignitor - I cleaned out all the small holes in the burn pot (again), wire-brushed surfaces - you name it. It is bare metal all around.

I've got a call in to Harman on the issue of the correct resistance and timing (performance) of the ignitor. We'll see what the response is there.

Thanks again for your response.

 

[DAKSY]

Does anyone know the correct resistance numbers for a properly functioning ignitor?

Igniter resistance spec. is 50 - 54 ohms.
Did you see if the igniter indicator light was lit when
you tried to light the unit?
If it was, did you check the voltage at the igniter?
The draft differential switch could also be the culprit.
If you have a draft meter, the reading has to be less than .17" W.C.
If all of the above are ok, & there is no voltage to the igniter, it's
most likely the circuit board...About $180 to replace...

 

[fedtime]

Thank you for your reply.

It sounds like the ignitor is within spec.

The draft issue was one I looked at since the ignitor seemed to be working (glowing a dull red). I explained to the local dealer that when the stove was orignally installed, it was vented through a 3" pipe. We moved the Accentra to the basement after a reno job and it is now connected to a 4" pipe. In your opinion, would (or could) the change in vent pipe throw out the draft settings? The local dealer said "no," as 4" was the recommended size, but I've heard the Harmans are fussy on this adjustment.

If you think I need to check the draft setting, any idea where I can get a draft meter? The owner's manual details how to check and make this adjustment so I can probably do it myself.

Thank you again.

 

[wil lanfear]

Hi forum members.

I thoroughly cleaned my stove last spring, including all of the holes in the combustion chamber and every nook and cranny - you could eat off this thing, so being dirty is not an issue.

The problem today: the stove feeds fine, the combustion motor works fine, but I can't get it to light. I pulled the ignitor and checked the resistance - it measured about 50 ohms. I connected it when still out of the stove and it glowed a dull red. I put it back in and I see and occasional spark from the combustion chamber, but no lighting. I've tried in both "stove" mode and "room" mode - no change.

Is my ignitor shot or is it some other problem? I figured and ignitor either works or it does not, but perhaps it is dying a slow death?

Thank you for any help with this vexing problem.

When you cleaned your stove last spring, did you remove all the pellets in the hopper, etc? If so, I might suggest that you follow the start up directions, page # 6 of the owners manual. Are enough pellets being fed into the burnpot? I'm thinking that maybe not enough pellets feeding into the burnpot for the igniter to ignite.

 

[imacman]

........ When you cleaned your stove last spring, did you remove all the pellets in the hopper, etc........

As far as the pellets, your post made me wonder if old pellets that were left in the hopper over the summer are a little too high in moisture content (like trying to light wet wood). If so, try new (dry) pellets?

Just a thought.

 

[Lousyweather]

no, sounds to me like your ignitor is ok.....is the stove feeding pellets?

And of course, the door is closed?

I guess its *possible* there is so much draft that the airflow is increased around the ignitor to the point that there isnt enough dwell time at the ignitor for the air to get heated....BUT I think thats remote.....

Do you get any smoke at all? the sparks are fines igniting........is the burnpot warm/hot after a cycle or two?

 

[fedtime]

Thanks for your replies.

#1 I followed the regime for lighting, so the pellets are fed properly to the burnpot;
#2 The pellets were from a new bag - nice and dry;
#3 The ignitor does glow a dull red and the burn pot gets hot.

On the issue of draft, my local dealer tells me he NEVER measures the draft reading on the Harmans because it is a non-issue. In fact, he does not even have a meter.

This is a real head-scratcher...

 

[Lousyweather]

well, its pure folly for the dealer to not measure draft! At a MINIMUM, it gives a baseline for later diagnostics, but can also indicate an out-of-spec blower, a pipe blockage, an intake blockage, etc. What we do is after an install, we record the draft reading in the owners' manual. If we get called back at a later date, first thing we do is take a draft reading....if it varies much, then its often a cleaning issue......and not our problem. The owner is responsible for cleaning the unit, unless we are hired to do so.

Back to your issue......and yes, a draft reading would be helpful here....the draft may be diminished to a point where there still isnt enough airflow around the ignitor, but still enough airflow (vacuum), to allow the pellets to feed. I dont think its the ignitor. Has anyone hooked up a DDM to the unit? This could indicate a bad board, or also, erroneous ESP readings (which can prematurely shut the ignitor down)....Im guessing though, that since the dealer doesnt bother to take draft readings (as indicated in the owners' manual), then they most likely also dont own a DDM.

 

[amick780]

Just wondering if you cleaned the pipe going outside, or at least walked outside to see if any air is comming out if it. It might be blocked by something.

 

[fedtime]

Yes to both questions. Clean pipe and excellent air flow out of it.

I admit it - I'm stumped. I've cycled it several times now and there is a small amount of smoke, but no ignition.

I wonder - could the igniter have good resistance but still be faulty in the sense that it takes too long to get to full temp? It seems to take over 1 minute to get a dull red.

 

[THE ROOSTER]

I may have missed this in one of your posts, but have you manually fired it up to see if it burns??? I'd do that, for sure

 

[amick780]

Never purchased an ignitor for my stove but are they expensive? Would it be worth buying one and putting it in at this point, maybe the dealer would let you return it if that's not the problem. Seems like a lot of time and effort when all things point to the ignitor at this point. I would also through some starting gel on it to make sure it burns like stated above by THE ROOSTER .

 

[Lousyweather]

Rooster had an EXCELLENT point...try to light the thing in manual with gel....

if it lights then, and burns well, pull the ignitor, see if the dealer will let you try a new one......and yes, it takes a minute at least for ignition, sometimes as much as 4-5 mins...

 

[wil lanfear]

Yes to both questions. Clean pipe and excellent air flow out of it.

I admit it - I'm stumped. I've cycled it several times now and there is a small amount of smoke, but no ignition.

I wonder - could the igniter have good resistance but still be faulty in the sense that it takes too long to get to full temp? It seems to take over 1 minute to get a dull red.

After you get this small amount of smoke that you mention, is it powered long enough to get a status light blinking or are you powering it down prior to a status light blinking? As already been mentioned, it takes more than a minute to ignite after the red glow of the igniter, more like 3~4 minutes from a cold start. When you mention that you have cycled it several times, are you saying that you shut the power off, remove the pellets from the burn pot, power it back up to start the cycle over again??

 

[fedtime]

Thank you for all of the very helpful tips. I will try to light it manually as this is an excellent suggestion. As to the other questions, when I say I cycled the stove, I mean I followed the start procedure to the letter. When the stove did not start, I cleaned out the burn pot and started over. I've even changed the pellets, then started the whole procedure over again! The smoke from the stove was such a small amount it could not be seen, only smelled when I opened the door.

Being totally stumped, I called a different dealer and spoke with a tech who seemed to know what he was doing. I had quite a lenthy discussion and described the problem in detail.

He tells me that, in his experience, he has seen ignitors that test as having in-spec continuity but are faulty in operation. He has seen this exact problem before with the Harman and is convinced that my ignitor is bad and will "put his money where his mouth is" - I buy the ignitor ($120) and if that is not the problem he'll take it back with a full refund.

Thank you again - I'll keep you posted on the outcome!

 

[mnkywrnch]

Thank you for all of the very helpful tips. I will try to light it manually as this is an excellent suggestion. As to the other questions, when I say I cycled the stove, I mean I followed the start procedure to the letter. When the stove did not start, I cleaned out the burn pot and started over. I've even changed the pellets, then started the whole procedure over again! The smoke from the stove was such a small amount it could not be seen, only smelled when I opened the door.

Being totally stumped, I called a different dealer and spoke with a tech who seemed to know what he was doing. I had quite a lenthy discussion and described the problem in detail.

He tells me that, in his experience, he has seen ignitors that test as having in-spec continuity but are faulty in operation. He has seen this exact problem before with the Harman and is convinced that my ignitor is bad and will "put his money where his mouth is" - I buy the ignitor ($120) and if that is not the problem he'll take it back with a full refund.

Thank you again - I'll keep you posted on the outcome!

Now thats a stand up dealer good luck.

 

[summit]

could also be pellets.. i have seen some bad batches that take forever to ignite, or fail to stay lit...if the pot is getting hot to the touch it should ignite.. also, check the air intake flapper on the combustion air return... sometimes they stick a little and do not draw enough air thru: the ignitor actually heats the incoming air to the point where the air ignites the pellets.. not enough air = no fire...

 

[sparkydog00]

Umm maybe i miised something...but isn't this stove still under warrenty?
They have like a 5 year one on these things...
Harmen is a good stove...they can do that!

 

[DAKSY]

I buy the ignitor ($120) and if that is not the problem he'll take it back with a full refund.

The igniter for the Accentra lists for $98. Ask your dealer why he's stepping on the price...
I just read a comment from one of our service techs, who has dealt with Harman since the early 90s
& he indicates that the resistance should be 45 - 49 Ohms. I'll hafta ask him why he thinks it
should be less than what the Harman trouble shooting guide says...
I won't see him til Monday...

 

[fedtime]

From the two dealers I have spoken with in Nova Scotia, the ignitor is $120.00 - it may be that the price is higher in Canada because, well, almost everything is more expensive in Canada as compared to the USA: motor vehicles, tires, pellets, clothing, the list goes on.

I lit the stove manually this morring - no problems and works "like a charm." I pick up the new ignitor today and will install it tonight, so I'm hoping it cures the problem. I'll be interested to measure the resistance before I install it to compare with the old one.

Thanks again for your responses.

 

[imacman]

.....I'll be interested to measure the resistance before I install it to compare with the old one.......

Yes, I agree. Maybe write it down in your owners manual for future reference.

 

[fedtime]

So, here is the final chapter I suppose.

New ignitor: 47 ohms
Old ignitor: 50.2 ohms

I installed the new ignitor and the stove started right up with no trouble. I'm no electrical expert, but I would not have thought that 3 ohms would have made much, if any, difference in the performance of an ignitor.

In any event, the problem is solved and thanks again to all who responded.