Harman Auto vrs Manual Savings theory?

[tiger]

I don't know about damage, but I do it to keep the auger tube clearer from hardened carbon deposits which are harder to clean there. Moving the flame forward means the carbon collects on the burn pot and is much easier to scrape and clean.

This just became very interesting for me. One week after replacing the combustion fan motor and enjoying the quiet(er) performance, Thursday night I heard a disquieting grinding sound, a new one and not what I usually figure is just a rogue pellet bringing through the auger. I shut it down.

Friday, I was ready for my weekly front-cleaning anyway and I thought about this topic. You know, I followed up the instructions on the Harman DVD, and I clean out the burnpot thoroughly, including the holes, etc. However, I'm not sure I ever pursued cleaning further up, into the agar tube. Well, I could see some deposits built up there, and I attacked to the degree I could get at them (no, did not take the stove apart and remove the auger, I have no idea how); most of this was on the lower 180 degrees of the tube, much less on the upper, I guess gravity is involved, eh? I got as far as the auger blades would permit, using an old narrow wood chisel, and a pick with a 90 degree bent tip -- the latter was slow, but more effective. This took a while. I estimate I got out between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of debris, I could see bare metal in the tube when done.

I did a three hour burn last night and about four hours so far today, nice and quiet, no grinding.

Lesson learned.

Still burning at very low setting -- and it's still quite warm in that room -- but I need to keep a sharp eye on this area when cleaning.

 

[SidecarFlip]

You'll get hard carbon deposits with any brand of stove, any fuel delivery system, none are exempt. I'd say the only time you don't is burning corn like I do. Corn don't produce nearly the hard carbon like pellets do.

Corn produces hard clinkers which is why corn only stoves use a clinker pot. In my case I mix pellets with the corn as that mitigates the clinkers much like the addition of oyster shell does (chicken scratch) but the pellets do produce hard carbon so I remove the burn pot and soak it in warm water when I clean the unit and that loosens the hard carbon and then I take a short blade putty knife and remove it.

The feed design of my unit eliminates any hard carbon buildup in the feed tube and the reason why it builds carbon on the bottom side of the tube versus the top has nothing to do with gravity and everything to do with flame impingement on the tube itself.

I have found over the years that running my stove (at least) on a lower heat setting, produces more hard carbon that a higher fuel delivery setting. Why, not sure, but it does. I run mine 24 / 7 unless I shut it down to clean it. All winter other than cleaning, I never shut it down. Mine is on a remote thermostat in the kitchen right next to the central furnace t'stat so I can compare settings and adjust as needed.

Again, I never depend on my solid fuel appliance for a primary heat source, only as a supplemental source so I always have the central furnace carry the heat load and have the bio fuel stove add to it. Propane is dirt cheap here anyway. Realized BTU output compared to any solid fuel (except my free field corn) is a negative. Best thing about the central propane furnace is other than filter changes and maybe a hot surface igniter every few years, it's 'plug and play'. No stove is no matter what it burns.

 

[tiger]

Corn don't produce nearly the hard carbon like pellets do.

Cool, but here near Washington DC, the only corn being grown is at the USDA research farm nearby. Betcha they would object to me taking any of it!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Cool, but here near Washington DC, the only corn being grown is at the USDA research farm nearby. Betcha they would object to me taking any of it!

Time for a road trip to the boonies with a pickup truck or empty gunny sacks and a visit to a local co-op. They will sell you cleaned field corn at 15% RM or less. I have a buddy who buys his from the local co-op here. He lives in the city (Toledo) and has a utility trailer he pulls to the co-op and fills with corn a couple times a winter. Parks it in his garage out of the weather and uses it right out of the trailer. Takes it in, in 5 gallon pails as needed, exactly what I do. 5 in the morning, 5 in the evening.