Harman "new-one month old" Igniter not working

[nhdblfan]

Just changed my ignter-again last one went for 2 years,in my XXV in 2/13/15 and last two days it getting slow to start.Stove was clean but did a good full cleaning again-including of course under the burn pot.

This morning it would not light the pellets-just a bit warm,do they have bad runs of these igniter's ?

I am hoping there is some sort of warranty as 100 per unit and they only last a month.

anyone else ever had one go bad so quick ?

 

[Peterfield]

Is it the newer 15-fin model or the older version?

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Check the resistance with a meter. I will bet $5 the ignitor is good. If the ignitor went in two years you are not cleaning it well enough. I have a post on here that will help you in cleaning the ignitor. It goes beyond the manual.

Eric

 

[nhdblfan]

Maybe its the cleaning but I have been doing it the same for the last 7 years (that one lasted 5 years).
It does put out heat,not enough thou-and I doubt in a month even bad cleaning could kill it no ?
I will check resistance as you suggest.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Every ton you should back out the two 5/16" machine screws (by three turns) that hold the ignitor cage in place. Stick your fingers inside the burn pot and rattle the cage. This will knock off the fly ash. Since I been having my customers do this my ignitor replacements dropped off to zero. ****Legal disclaimer**** Do this while there is no fire in the stove and it is cold.

Eric

 

[nhdblfan]

Thanks Eric,

I will check it,just waiting till she cools off-dealer is giving me "no return on parts" "if" it bad he is going to take it back I will be sure of that.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

There is a warranty on parts from Harman.

Eric

 

[nhdblfan]

Thanks Eric,

I just pulled it out, no real amount of ash in the fins at all-I do vac in there at least once a month-more like every couple weeks.
I called them back and they spoke with Harman and agreed there is a 90 day warranty and they will indeed take it back-smart move on their part.
Resistance on old one was 49.5, "new" one 53.4 ohms.
What should I be getting-guess I can test the new one they are going to give me.

thanks for your help Eric

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Thanks Eric,

I just pulled it out, no real amount of ash in the fins at all-I do vac in there at least once a month-more like every couple weeks.
I called them back and they spoke with Harman and agreed there is a 90 day warranty and they will indeed take it back-smart move on their part.
Resistance on old one was 49.5, "new" one 53.4 ohms.
What should I be getting-guess I can test the new one they are going to give me.

thanks for your help Eric

Check the connections and make sure the cradle was installed correctly. Both those ignitors are in good shape.

 

[nhdblfan]

Just got back and installed the brand new one (checked it 43.5),works great-fired up the pellets nice a fast..
They-the two others may be ok for resistance but both gave out and would not put out enough heat to get the pellets lit,they would not work 100% sure of that.
Connections are fine,as is the cradle-really only one way to get that installed-at any rate both were installed the same as the factory.
Just a crappy igniter I think,they did say the guy at Harman said they take them back if they fail in 90 days no problem.

 

[richkorn]

Sorry to hear. That's unusual. At least you can return last one.

2008 Leyen and still original igniter - and run in auto on t-stat.

 

[nhdblfan]

He was not real interested in taking the faulty one back initially-I would have disputed the charge on my card if he didn't, and I had to tell him that Harman does guarantee them ! When I got there he gave me the "well we don't like to take parts back because we don't know if its the same one we sold you" line and I did see a small sign that said no parts returns (not on my receipt or mentioned when I purchased it) so I will NOT be buying any more from them should I need parts again.
I keep my stove clean,have a surge protector on the power and run it on "Stove Mode"

Harman makes a decent stove I guess but no way to deal with the factory direct,just dealers who make their own rules so I would not buy one again.
The igniter was indeed bad,the new one has now worked fine 3 times,resistance I suspect is only one factor in telling good from bad,they have to be able to get hot enough. I doubt they make them and that dealer buys them by them in bulk as they sell so many so there are issues.

 

[UpStateNY]

How much did you pay for the igniter? I need to replace mine. I am getting tired of manually starting the fire with a torch.

 

[hockeyfan]

Connections are fine,as is the cradle-really only one way to get that installed-at any rate both were installed the same as the factory.
Just a crappy igniter I think,they did say the guy at Harman said they take them back if they fail in 90 days no problem.

Glad you were able to solve the ignitor problem.

I did want to mention, sometimes the cradle can be installed incorrectly and cause problems. My brand new stove had ignitor issues one month in, and it turned out to be the ignitor was incorrectly installed in the cradle. A little adjustment and 3.5 years later I'm still on the same original ignitor.

I'd say if the pellets almost light but don't, or if the ignition is always off to one side of the burnpot, it could be an ignitor cradle problem.

 

[nhdblfan]

Thanks for both reply's
The igniter was $100-you can find them on ebay for 65-75 thou.
I looked at the model of the burn pot they had in the showroom for the cradle attachment and even tried to make mine go in "wrong" just to see,it won't really fit wrong as far as I can tell,at least on the XXV.

 

[Jim H.]

another easier trick is a little compressed air to clean the fins....works for me....thought mine was going and decided to try a little air and bingo......some pellets are dirtier and create more ash.....must have had enough fine ash for it not to light......original igniter from 2008

 

[smwilliamson]

Every ton you should back out the two 5/16" machine screws (by three turns) that hold the ignitor cage in place. Stick your fingers inside the burn pot and rattle the cage. This will knock off the fly ash. Since I been having my customers do this my ignitor replacements dropped off to zero. ****Legal disclaimer**** Do this while there is no fire in the stove and it is cold.

Eric

And unplugged

 

[smwilliamson]

I've found that the door gasket on the xxv is more of a no start culprit than the igniter

 

[Tonyray]

another easier trick is a little compressed air to clean the fins....works for me....thought mine was going and decided to try a little air and bingo......some pellets are dirtier and create more ash.....must have had enough fine ash for it not to light......original igniter from 2008

I use compressed air also...
1st time I did it I had my head real close and learned quickly to keep my Mouth shut when pulling the trigger..

 

[oldengineer]

Once or twice a season the ignitor in my XXV will not heat up. When starting up the sequence seems to be a feed-wait sequence for about 6 minutes, followed by 2-3 minutes of no auger action (by now the burn pot has a lot of pellets in it if burning hasn't commenced). It will then start a feed-wait sequence again if it's not stopped. If it gets to the no auger action phase I always turn it off, clean out the burn pot and restart, and it always starts up okay the second time. I always thought there was a software glitch or a problem with the board and a tech sort of confirmed the glitch theory when he told me that sometimes the stove gets "confused" during start up and thinks that ignition has already occurred. That may be true but what is the door gasket theory? That may be a better explanation. BTW it hasn't done it at all yet this season. I clean the firebox every 7-10 bags and clean the ignitor housing and the burn pot ignitor surface thoroughly. When it doesn't start the burn pot surface is cool to the touch.

 

[smwilliamson]

Theres a lot of surface area for the xxv gasket to cover and its a very heavy cast door which seems to flatten the gasket down. You need air coming in on the igniter not around the door seal. Stubborn xxv ignitions, changed the gasket.....presto! Ignition in 3 minutes. That's been my experience. With Harman, change the igniter, change the door gasket.

 

[drewmo]

I've had a love/hate relationship with my 3 year old starter, and am now on the love cycle. I've seen it light in less than 3 minutes, and I've watched the pot fill with pellets until it overflows. I was ready to replace it, but then read a thread here recommending to back out the seating screws 3/4 turn and tapping the burn pot with the cleaning tool until the dust settles. I couldn't believe how much ash fell the first time doing this. I now do this and dust the fins with a paint brush every cleaning. Doing that and scraping the burn pot free of ALL carbon deposit on every cleaning (don't be shy, use a flat-head screwdriver and a good amount of elbow grease), I've pretty much been trouble free, If anyone has a faulty starter, please send it to me and I'll be sure to dispose of it properly.

 

[Jim H.]

I noticed some pellets also seem to light faster then others....still like the compressed air. Door gasket shouldn't stop it from lighting I wouldn't think unless it was real bad???

 

[kinsmanstoves]

And unplugged

That Sir, is what we call a self correcting error. You only do it once.

Eric

 

[nhdblfan]

And its out again !,
This time I am not buying OEM will give one of the aftermarket ones a try,anyone heard of these ?
He does mention "high failure rate" with Harman igniters.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement...155027?hash=item27ee627753:g:qn0AAOSwR0JUPwUC