Harman bulk hopper install

[iceguy4]

I'm starting this thread to gather info...ideas...ect ..from fellow members as its easy to see there is a lot of "smarts" here (and beer drinkers)lol
There are MANY problems with my install, so you will have to set your beers down for a moment to put on your "thinking caps" to help me solve them...
I have ordered and placed a down payment on a hopper and my dealer says he should have it in his hands 2/27... So my first question is ...whats a fair price for this unit?
Next...since I cannot store pellets in my basement over the summer(moisture) this hopper will have to be empty over the summer(also I switch to electric HW too so boilers are not used)
I know the hopper will have to be moveable so the first stop will be to my bosses shop to weld castors on the bottom. I expect I will have to shorten the legs to compensate the castors because of my cieling height is like 2" short of the 80" required. Ideas I have are to open it up between floor joists, or modify the door somehow. I'm not sure how this unit maintains my PB 105's hopper "air tightness" so I will neer the bulk hopper in my hands to make an evaluation of the best way to handle this.
As forum RULES dictate..".pic's ...or it didnt happen" so you can follow this thread if your interested
also...thanks in advance for your ideas

 

[glenc0322]

Sorry cant help you on anything lol but want to see what you come up with good luck

 

[Delta-T]

why does it "have to be moveable"?

 

[Delta-T]

i am familiar with that bulk hopper btw, just trying to figure out what your "big picture" is.

 

[iceguy4]

i am familiar with that bulk hopper btw, just trying to figure out what your "big picture" is.

big picture...less filling and being prepared for bulk deliveries when they come to the albany area.. due to the moisture in my basement in the summer I will build a purpose built building outside. originally I was gonna install this hopper in that building and extend the pipe between as I have height to my advantage. since I have found an augar assembly cheap, I now plan to feed this hopper(harman) from a pellet bin in my outside building transfering aprox 1000 lbs at a time with a manual switch. since the new augar is around 12' long I see this as working rather well. Having the hopper on casters will enable be to have the ability to move it outa my way. also filling the harman hopper will be easy cuz it will be a gravity tube rather then bags filling it. my outside building will have an ares to store bags till bulk deliveries come to my area. can you tell me ...is the bulk hopper fussy with longer pellets? also is the new hopper sealed like the PB 105s?? also how does it work...IE electric eye? bottom line is I want to go 2 weeks without tending stove so I can go on vacation...I know this is not ideal but so what???

 

[iceguy4]

why does it "have to be moveable"?

will block my bilco doors...I chose to have a short vent pipe...and kinda glad i did. If I move it out of the bilco doors it blocks passage to extra washer and dryer

 

[iceguy4]

another week delay kinda was expecting that...next will be a price increase

 

[smoke show]

sub'd. I love a challeging project.

can't wait for pics!

 

[DexterDay]

sub'd. I love a challeging project.

can't wait for pics!

I'm no help either. But I love seeing chit like this. Great minds here will help you. I'm not one of them

The is a nice PF-100 in my area that I am trying to drill down the price on. If I can get it around $1,000, I will be a Harman owner too

This is my subscription.

 

[iceguy4]

Great minds here will help you

It dosent look like there going to help me .. and this thread is getting old.....thats OK too. I'll figure it out myself. I'm very frustrated at this point...

 

[DexterDay]

It dosent look like there going to help me .. and this thread is getting old.....thats OK too. I'll figure it out myself. I'm very frustrated at this point...

I know you already said that the hopper could get damp, thats the reason for removal? But have you thought about what you can do to reduce the overall moisture in the basement? Some simple ventilation products may be cheaper than building a separate shack for the hopper to stay over the Summer?

My basement is pretty moist, but with a decent sized dehumidifier, it keeps it under control. I keep several ton in my basement at any given time.

Just a thought. Your basement may be worse than mine, but it can be done fairly cheap and pretty much automatically controlled.

 

[nailed_nailer]

I don't understand the need to keep the hopper out of the "damp" basement.
I store my pellets in a very damp (high summer humidity) basement, and have never had any issue.
The stored pellets (in bags) will settle out to what we woodworkers call EMC (Equilibrium Moisture Content, basically ambient humidity)
The pellet humidity will rise and fall with changes to the seasonal atmosphere.
Unless you get the bags physically wet I have never seen a problem.

In the case of a large storage hopper......
You could probably put a 40 watt light bulb at the top of the hopper (inside) to drive off the humidity

Woodturners make a lightbulb drying kiln that does this
Here is an example just for reference
(broken link removed to http://www.baltimoreareaturners.org/bowldryingkiln.pdf)

As for the hopper itself.
Cool Idea.
Wish bulk delivery was avail in my area for cheap $$$.

---Nailer---

 

[Delta-T]

the harman bulk hopper doesn't really have problems with longer pellets, it does work with some type of proximety sensor mounted just under the location that the flex tube enters the hopper on the PB105. It is very important that the bulk hopper sit close to the hopper on the PB105, otherwise the pellets will clog up in the flex tube. For all the trouble you're going through, it would make more sense (to me) for you to find yourself a used agricultural silo, and install your own flex auger system with its own sensor, right into the PB105...this is not unique stuff..is commonplace for farms. WHo offers bulk delivery to your area now? If you don't have at least a few outfits somewhere near by I would not hold my breath...its not growing the way people envisioned. The vehicles are very costly, and Americans who are interested tend to be in low population density areas. If you plan to store the pellets outside, then auger them, then store them into a bulk hopper, and auger them, and then finally auger them into the stove...the amount of disturbance might be equal to, maybe greater than, just storing them in a slightly moist environment...dehumidifier might be your best friend. I'm a big fan of simplicity. SOmeone on here built themselves a wood frame stroage systme in the basement that, as I recall, worked pretty well...was low tech and custom fit. Not trying to rain on your parade or anything...just seems complex.

 

[iceguy4]

just a few more days... dealer says the 6th

 

[glenc0322]

you figure out the bugs yet since its late ?

 

[iceguy4]

you figure out the bugs yet since its late ?

there are a few things locked in ...castors welded on bottom is one. a purpose built building outside is another. aside from that everything else will be "fit in the field"... I'm getting too old to carrybags to the basement so the thought of loading a building from the back of a truck appeals to me. I'm not expecting any bumps in the road with the harman equiptment, and the rest of my plans are very simple. Based on this years consumtion I expect to burn over 10 tons next year...too many to carry down basement stairs... I WILL post pictures of my progress

 

[glenc0322]

Wow ten tons I agree I used 2.5 and that was allot to carry to the basement with ten tons I would make a chute to get them down there

 

[iceguy4]

here it is ..almost ready...shortened legs 4 3/8 inches to accomadate castors.. unit was to be somewhat assembled...NOT

 

[iceguy4]

took unit to my bosses shop...4 of my co-workers helped....lots of beer ...and quality help

 

[iceguy4]

couple of great guys....work hard for...you guessed it beers!!

 

[iceguy4]

more pictures to follow....things that bothered me...missing 3 hose clamps and hopper door stop...nothing pi$$es me of more then missing parts. we worked till we were too drunk to finish so it will stay at my bosses for the evening...expect to have it working thursday night.. I was tinkering with augar and it seems it will run as soon as pellets move from proxcimity switch. seems to me it will run too often...we will see

 

[iceguy4]

notice at point of hopper 2 little doors to empty fines

 

[Don2222]

Looks Great

Let us know how it works out?

Do you know if that could be connected to a hopper of a free standing pellet stove for an easy fill up?

 

[iceguy4]

Looks Great

Let us know how it works out?

Do you know if that could be connected to a hopper of a free standing pellet stove for an easy fill up?

let me take a picture of the adaptor that goes into the side of the hopper. It requires an elongated oval hole cut (aprox 5" X2 1/2"). this is where the sencsor and the pellets feed into. The entire hopper is air tite as all seams need to be sealed and its lid is sealed. those pictures will be 2marrow or friday. Long story short...I see NO reason this cant be fitted to ANY stove.

 

[iceguy4]

up and running...not going to fill it more then 8 bags or so...been down this road before...note to self"make sure the succa works"