Harman low draft voltage adjustment Nonsense

[flashbang]

What's up with this BS about low draft voltage adjustment on the Harman stoves?

From the manual:

"NOTE: The factory low draft setting may not be correct for the unit's permanent installation conditions.

Neither pellets or a fire are required for this test.

This voltage adjustment is provided to allow the unit to be adjusted for the household voltage where the unit is going to be in permanent operation. NOTE: The line voltage varies from area to area and often home to home.
The low draft voltage should be adjusted to achieve the most efficient burn on low burn or "maintenance". This voltage adjustment allows the installer to change the low voltage set point approximately 15 volts. This adjustment should be done by the installer during set up because a draft meter reading is required to insure proper set up.
If the unit is not adjusted properly, it does not cause a safety concern. If the unit is adjusted too high, only effiency is lost. If the unit is adjusted too low, the low draft pressure switch will not allow the feeder motor or the igniter to operate."

Ok, let me see if I get this right.

I buy a Advance for $3200 +tax, install it myself with $550. worth of vent pipe, Harman says low draft adjustment should be done by the installer during set up because a draft meter reading is required to insure proper set up. In other words, your new stove will either not work, run at peak uneffiency, somewhere inbetween or go out and buy a $75.00 draft meter and hope you the homeowner sets it up right.

OR
Just ask the dealer to adjust the draft setting on a stove he sold you but did not install and listen to the laughter when I request him to do the draft setting.

WTF?

What other manufactures require this complete load of BS to dump on the end user?

 

[djarseneault]

I am sure I will get some disagreement on this post, but setting the low draft is not usually necessary unless you have a problem with the stove igniting itself. In certain situations (usually when stove is hooked to an interior chimney) you can have a low draft that moves the air too quickly across the ignitor. The air doesn't pick up enough heat to ignite the pellets). If you are direct venting your Harman, do the following: turn the low draft adjuster to max (usually already there from factory) then turn it back about 45degrees. This should work fine. If you have ignition problems or get smokey burn on low, then worry about the low draft.
I am sure many on here will not agree, but for what it is worth, I have Installed many Harman Stoves over the last 15 years (not just a for friends and neighbors), as well as the 3 that I have owned, so I know that my cheap "yankee" method works because I have used a manometer to do installs with and this is where the setting usually ends up.

 

[flashbang]

I'm confused on how Voltage has anything to do with vent draft.

 

[djarseneault]

less voltage to the exhaust blower means it turns slower and that = less draft.
but you are not supposed to measure vent draft, you measure the negative pressure in the firebox. That's where the port is located on the stove.

 

[Gumbo]

You sound disgruntled. Perhaps you should have bought a cheaper stove with no draft adjustment. Then you wouldn't have anything to be upset about. If your stove is installed and running well then you don't have anything to worry about. If you have a lazy flame or low burn, try giving the draft adjustment 1 turn. You will see a difference. I can't imagine Harman manufacturers expect everyone to purchase a draft meter to install their product. The stove will run just fine. If you fine tune the draft adjustment it may run a little better. Just think of all the money you saved installing it yourself. I'm not siding with the manufacturer but it was your choice to buy their product. At least they give you the ability to adjust your stove where others simply do not.

 

[flashbang]

You sound disgruntled. Perhaps you should have bought a cheaper stove with no draft adjustment. Then you wouldn't have anything to be upset about. If your stove is installed and running well then you don't have anything to worry about. If you have a lazy flame or low burn, try giving the draft adjustment 1 turn. You will see a difference. I can't imagine Harman manufacturers expect everyone to purchase a draft meter to install their product. The stove will run just fine. If you fine tune the draft adjustment it may run a little better. Just think of all the money you saved installing it yourself. I'm not siding with the manufacturer but it was your choice to buy their product. At least they give you the ability to adjust your stove where others simply do not.

Perhaps you are right.

 

[Bxpellet]

Just leave it alone, installed mine worked fine, played around with this year, ended up putting back where it was set.

Parrot head you where right I let it burn for a few hours and I did not notice any smoke.

Thanks for the advice

 

[djarseneault]

You sound disgruntled. Perhaps you should have bought a cheaper stove with no draft adjustment. Then you wouldn't have anything to be upset about. If your stove is installed and running well then you don't have anything to worry about. If you have a lazy flame or low burn, try giving the draft adjustment 1 turn. You will see a difference. I can't imagine Harman manufacturers expect everyone to purchase a draft meter to install their product. The stove will run just fine. If you fine tune the draft adjustment it may run a little better. Just think of all the money you saved installing it yourself. I'm not siding with the manufacturer but it was your choice to buy their product. At least they give you the ability to adjust your stove where others simply do not.

Wow, kinda hostile, don't ya think?
The only thing you could acomplish by giving the draft adjustment "1 turn" is breaking the potentiometer off of the circuit board. It's complete range is less than 360degrees.
Maybe you should stick with a cheaper stove?

 

[Yardbird]

Wow.

When I installed my Advance, the dealer came out to inspect the install and sign off that it was installed to approved conditions. They also did the draft adjustment at that time, for no additional charges. Maybe you should ask the dealer if that is included with the stove. Worst the dealer can do is say no.

 

[djarseneault]

Wow.

When I installed my Advance, the dealer came out to inspect the install and sign off that it was installed to approved conditions. They also did the draft adjustment at that time, for no additional charges. Maybe you should ask the dealer if that is included with the stove. Worst the dealer can do is say no.

Absolutely.
When we have a customer do a self install, I will send one of my guys out to set the low draft. But I don't volunteer it, only do it if the customer asks. I also give each customer one "freebee". What I mean is, if they are a nice customer and I have to send a tec out for a service call in the first year they own the stove, and there is nothing wrong with it, just "opertator error", there is no charge, but this is not common knowlege, and we don't do it for ball busters. (pays to be nice)

 

[Gumbo]

You sound disgruntled. Perhaps you should have bought a cheaper stove with no draft adjustment. Then you wouldn't have anything to be upset about. If your stove is installed and running well then you don't have anything to worry about. If you have a lazy flame or low burn, try giving the draft adjustment 1 turn. You will see a difference. I can't imagine Harman manufacturers expect everyone to purchase a draft meter to install their product. The stove will run just fine. If you fine tune the draft adjustment it may run a little better. Just think of all the money you saved installing it yourself. I'm not siding with the manufacturer but it was your choice to buy their product. At least they give you the ability to adjust your stove where others simply do not.

Wow, kinda hostile, don't ya think?
The only thing you could acomplish by giving the draft adjustment "1 turn" is breaking the potentiometer off of the circuit board. It's complete range is less than 360degrees.
Maybe you should stick with a cheaper stove?

My reply was not intended to be hostile at all. If the OP feels that adjusting the draft control is BS that the manufacturer dumped on the end user then maybe he would indeed be better off with a stove without that provision. What is hostile about that? When I adjust the draft setting on my stove there is a distinct segmented adjustment on the potentiometer. 1 turn does not indicate 1 complete revolution in this case. I should have specified.

 

[djarseneault]

You sound disgruntled. Perhaps you should have bought a cheaper stove with no draft adjustment. Then you wouldn't have anything to be upset about. If your stove is installed and running well then you don't have anything to worry about. If you have a lazy flame or low burn, try giving the draft adjustment 1 turn. You will see a difference. I can't imagine Harman manufacturers expect everyone to purchase a draft meter to install their product. The stove will run just fine. If you fine tune the draft adjustment it may run a little better. Just think of all the money you saved installing it yourself. I'm not siding with the manufacturer but it was your choice to buy their product. At least they give you the ability to adjust your stove where others simply do not.

Wow, kinda hostile, don't ya think?
The only thing you could acomplish by giving the draft adjustment "1 turn" is breaking the potentiometer off of the circuit board. It's complete range is less than 360degrees.
Maybe you should stick with a cheaper stove?

My reply was not intended to be hostile at all. If the OP feels that adjusting the draft control is BS that the manufacturer dumped on the end user then maybe he would indeed be better off with a stove without that provision. What is hostile about that? When I adjust the draft setting on my stove there is a distinct segmented adjustment on the potentiometer. 1 turn does not indicate 1 complete revolution in this case. I should have specified.

OK, cool. Sorry I mistook your post that way.

 

[cac4]

I was just looking at my Accentra manual, and it says that the low draft is set at the factory, using 120 volts exactly. So...what if I just check the voltage at my outlet...(I seem to remember in the past getting ~124v at my house)? If the voltage is a little high, would that mean that the low draft would need to be turned down? or is it the other way around? How big a differentiation from 120v does it take to have a significant impact?

 

[djarseneault]

I was just looking at my Accentra manual, and it says that the low draft is set at the factory, using 120 volts exactly. So...what if I just check the voltage at my outlet...(I seem to remember in the past getting ~124v at my house)? If the voltage is a little high, would that mean that the low draft would need to be turned down? or is it the other way around? How big a differentiation from 120v does it take to have a significant impact?

They basically set the draft at max. Voltage in your house has an impact, but, to a greater degree, so does vent configuration.

 

[cac4]

They basically set the draft at max. Voltage in your house has an impact, but, to a greater degree, so does vent configuration.

So, with an OAK, (basically "no" restriction on the stove's ability to breath), and voltage >120...could that be too high?

 

[djarseneault]

could be too high. but if you are not experiencing any problems (not igniting or dirty burn on low) then you should not worry about it. Just set it back about 45deg from max, and you should have no problem.

 

[slink]

Sounds like you shouldn't believe everything you read. The low draft adjustment isn't a big deal. The factory sets it to max and the low voltage may be adjusted as required. If the unit doesn't ignite easily then turn it down. Generally the stove is preset and should be fine.

 

[GVA]

FWIW draft can be off and it won't affect the stove much. BUT it depends on the way the stove is vented etc....
The best thing about a draft reading is, at install it gives the baseline for the stove (and it is recorded in the book). It becomes a diagnostic tool for troubleshooting down the road and in some cases poor stove performance right from the install..
One thing that is also important is the polarity of the outlet the stove plugs into I don't think they mention that though :-/

 

[slink]

FWIW draft can be off and it won't affect the stove much. BUT it depends on the way the stove is vented etc....
The best thing about a draft reading is, at install it gives the baseline for the stove (and it is recorded in the book). It becomes a diagnostic tool for troubleshooting down the road and in some cases poor stove performance right from the install..
One thing that is also important is the polarity of the outlet the stove plugs into I don't think they mention that though :-/

The polarity is more important. I have had a case where the plug was wired wrong and it kept burning up the logic in the control board. The stove would work but do wierd stuff. After 3 control boards we figured out the plug was wired wrong and its been fine for 7 years. The odd part was the TV was on the same outlet with no issues.

 

[MikePelletier]

I finally received my manometer to measure the negative pressure in the stove. After 60 seconds in test mode,
the motor slowed down and I measured .6 IWC. I could turn the potentiometer in either direction and it made no
difference whatsoever. I think I'll call HARMAN to determine whether I should have seen any fluctuation.

I'll share any information I get on this.

Have a great day!

Mike Pelletier

 

[djarseneault]

I finally received my manometer to measure the negative pressure in the stove. After 60 seconds in test mode,
the motor slowed down and I measured .6 IWC. I could turn the potentiometer in either direction and it made no
difference whatsoever. I think I'll call HARMAN to determine whether I should have seen any fluctuation.

I'll share any information I get on this.

Have a great day!

Mike Pelletier

you have to wait until the combustion blower goes to low on test mode. after the first minute on test mode, when the feed stops, the blowers will alternate hi and low. When the distribution blower is on low, the combustion will be on hi, and vice versa, and they will switch every 60 seconds. so you were probably measuring high draft, because you had no adjustment and .6" W.C. is a decent hi draft number.
You probably won't get anywhere calling Harman, they will just refer you back to your dealer.

 

[trogers]

I have anew Harman Accentra that was installed by a third party installer. He did not use the draft meter when he installed it. My flame always looks lower than the one in the show room, could this be the issue?

 

[djarseneault]

I have anew Harman Accentra that was installed by a third party installer. He did not use the draft meter when he installed it. My flame always looks lower than the one in the show room, could this be the issue?

no

 

[trogers]

I have anew Harman Accentra that was installed by a third party installer. He did not use the draft meter when he installed it. My flame always looks lower than the one in the show room, could this be the issue?

no

Do you have any idea why my flame would be lower, even on the highest setting? any help would be great. Thanks.

 

[MikePelletier]

Hi Parrot!

Thanks for your advice. However, I did wait for the motor to slow down. As I said in my post "After 60 seconds in test mode, the
motor slowed down and I measured .6 IWC". I'll try my dealer. Not sure if the potentiometer is bad or what. I'm not REAL concerned
as the boiler is working fine. I just like to be thorough...(my beloved wife has another word for it... I think it begins with an "a"...)

Anyway, Thanks again.

Mike