Harman P43 operating question

[PJPellet]

Hello,
In the shoulder seasons when there isn't always a call for heat the pellet stove goes on and off frequently. I imagine this is rough on the igniter. I read in the owner's manual that if you flip the switch to manual mode the stove will not completely shut down. It will go into a low burn mode when no heat is called for and when heat is called for it will fire up as necessary. My question is if this would just be a big waste of fuel? I would like to prolong the life of the igniter as along as possible. Or do you guys just run it in automatic mode and find that the igniter handles the constant on/off without issue? This would be in Room Temp mode of course. The way I look at it is an igniter costs about $99. If manual mode burns a few extra bags each year but makes the igniter last quite a bit longer then maybe manual mode is the way to go?

Any other tips for running the P43 efficiently are appreciated too. Thank You!

 

[imacman]

If that is a good est. for the price for an ignitor, and let's assume $4/bag for pellets, it would mean the stove on hi-lo would have to burn MORE than 25 extra bags before the ignitor replacement was cheaper.

IMO, if you're worried about the ignitor, burn the pellets.

Might be the way to go now anyway, as it's only 58 degrees out here, and I imagine it's colder where you are.

 

[roadking88]

if you have the newer model p43 they changed the ignitor for a better one..
also the ignitor is warranty for 3 years...
my buddy had a p43 made in 2008 with the old ignitor and they replaced it no charge last year...
i run mine in auto mode with temp set about 68......if the house needs heat it come on and off as needed.....
also my buddy said they told him about 60 bucks for the ignitor if he has to buy it.......

 

[Delta-T]

ignitor on the Harman usually doesn't burn out from just turning on and off, its turning on and off without being cleaned regularly. Ash builds up in the cavity, insulates the igniter, preventing it from dumping the heat and basically just cooks itself to death. Keep it clean and it will be fine. If you leave it on "room temp" all the time, I'd suggest cleaning it at least every week.

 

[Delta-T]

see that, I just used both spelings of igniter/ignitor in 1 post...talk about efficiency eh?