Harman Accentra insert, operational changes

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joecyr

New Member
Nov 10, 2013
3
Milford, MA
Does anyone know how to change the temperature at which the distribution blower will turn on in Manual Mode Room Temp? Running in Automatic Mode makes the stove shut down and restart too often. If it would just run longer at minimum feed rate without shutting down it would probably work fine. I put the room sensor probe in many different places, no help. Stove Temp Manual Mode, lowest setting, runs too hot unless it is really cold outside. Room Temp Manual Mode does not run the distribution unless there is a call for heat. This is inefficient as most of the heat goes up the chimney when not heating. Getting the distribution blower to run as it does in Stove Temp would probably be easier than changing the Auto/Manual logic. Ideally though, I'd really like to change the Automatic Room Temp algorythm to be less responsive, but that's not likely to happen. I guess this is my reward for a well insulated room/house.
 
Sure just move the toggle switch to manual from auto on igniter, and in room temp mode and once temp is reach it will go into Maint burn which uses very few pellets and still throws some heat
 
Sure just move the toggle switch to manual from auto on igniter, and in room temp mode and once temp is reach it will go into Maint burn which uses very few pellets and still throws some heat

Of course it keeps running, but without the distribution fan and the stack temperature rises dramatically pushing most of the heat up the chimney. Not very efficient. In Auto, the system plays catch-up when it starts up, gets to the set temperature but the stove is too hot now so it goes into maintenance for a while (not long enough) and then shuts down unless it is really cold outside. This manic-depressive behavior in Auto Mode is the problem but Manual Mode Room Temp (no distribution blower) is very inefficient at lower stove temperatures. It would be nice to have the distribution fan running during this lower temperature, as it does in Stove Temp mode. The sacrifice would be not having the ability to run a quiet (inefficient) stove. I'll take efficiency over quiet. The distribution fan is not really that noisy on low.
 
I also wish Harman would change the threshold of the blower. Maybe the better word is "could". I think the temp threshold is where it is to ensure proper exhaust temps/velocities through the venting, so as not to cause issues.
 
I also wish Harman would change the threshold of the blower. Maybe the better word is "could". I think the temp threshold is where it is to ensure proper exhaust temps/velocities through the venting, so as not to cause issues.

Possibly, but the distribution blower runs at low stack temperatures if in Stove Temp Auto mode. Harman gives you the option to silence the blower (it's in the user's manual) by putting the Auto/Manual switch in the Manual position. That way you can have a large (enjoyable) flame with no noise, like for watching television, i.e. most of your heat goes up the stack. They (Harman) admit this. I installed thermocouples in the exhaust next to the ESP and in the distribution duct, initially to test the heat output of various pellets. For this I needed to run without the distribution blower to get accurate readings in the stack. Different pellets DO produce different heat output, but not that much different. But ash and carbon buildup can be very much different.
 
Ah, I see. My thoughts were based off the old style 2 knob P38 board. The distribution blower wouldn't turn on unless a certain ESP temp was met. Never tried it with my P68. On a side note, assuming the pellet length was very close, you could kinda test different pellets by checking at which number on the pot the blower would turn on at. Of course, there are many other factors, but I found some pellets would "trip the switch" at 1.75 and others would require 2.5 on the knob. To me, this doesn't make sense because the ESP should have told the board to feed the necessary amount of fuel to maintain the same temp at any given # on the dial, but its always done it, and the results were repeatable. Had to make mental notes, once I installed it in my man cave, to turn it to 1 as it would cook you outta there if the distribution blower stayed on after the room was brought to the desired temp. The room is well insulated and only around 600 sq' with lots of electronics throwing off additional heat. Prob not the best candidate room for a pellet stove, but I already owned it and didn't want to add a zone of buzz prone hydronic baseboard heat.
 
Joey do you have the new accentra? My stove still throws decent heat in maint burn and dist fan runs. 52i here.
 
Well, on maintenance burn my stove stays nice and warm and becomes a nice radiant heater bleeding heat into the room between calls for heat. I don't find this too inefficient... You overheat on ST auto, but want the dist fan on while in maintenance burn or something thereabouts, sounds like you're expecting a bit too much. If you run he distribution blower in maintenance burn you will run the risk of producing creosote...don't assume Harman hasn't thought of that. Just find the best compromise an enjoy!
 
I agree with above, stove stays hot and doesn't cycle much at all. I'm impress how efficient this stove is and the amount of heat it cranks out. Last 7 years I was using quad sante Fe, while a nice stove, this 52i is impressive .
 
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