Harman P43 - Reasonable Ash Volume?

[huskerdooo]

I have been reading a number of threads and it seems that most folk's Harman stoves are producing much less ash than mine.

What is a reasonable amount of burned bags to fill the ash pan in a P43? Seems like 20 bags burned gives me 3/4 of a full pan.

My ash is white, very fine, and fluffy. The ash volume can be reduced a bit if I stir the ash in the pan. No pellets have gone overboard.

Burning La Crete softwoods pellets.

I swear I am creating more ash than when my stove was new (10 years ago), but I also think my stove consumes more pellets than it used to also.

Thoughts?
TIA,
Seth

 

[jackman]

It takes about 2 tons to fill my ash pan. I'd try 4 or 5 bags of another brand of pellets before doing anything else.

 

[Washed-Up]

Yeah it depends on a few things, a clean stove produces leads ash. I know on my P61, it produces lots of ash when my burnpot holes start to get carbon’d up, hardwood pellets also produce a fluffy large amount of ash as well

 

[huskerdooo]

Yeah it depends on a few things, a clean stove produces leads ash. I know on my P61, it produces lots of ash when my burnpot holes start to get carbon’d up, hardwood pellets also produce a fluffy large amount of ash as well

Thanks

Usecase:
I do clean once a week (shutdown, vacuum/brush all surfaces, vacuum/clean combustion fan and output duct and ESP, vacuum inside burnpot, empty ash pan). I use a mirror and check the burnpot holes and open them as needed. With the amount of ash I get, I need to make sure I empty the ash pan to avoid overflow.

I also totally clean the exhaust vertical/tee once a year at the beginning of the season.

I have never cleaned/scraped daily and let everything run a week before opening the door again.

I have been burning Le Crete for 4 years now. Maybe they produce too much ash and produce low heat? They burn very nicely with very little clinkers and almost zero door glass residue/blackening. Light fluffy white ash...and a ton of it.

Per jackman, I'll pick up enough bags of a different brand and will compare a week's worth of burn.

 

[mtnbiker727]

I clean my pipe about once mid-season, and at the end of the season. I noticed I wasn't getting enough airflow, and doing a deep clean of the stove didn't help, but once I cleaned the pipe that took care of it. I have a 3" pipe, so maybe that gets restricted quicker?

If the door isn't getting dirty, then you're getting good combustion.

Actual ash in the stove varies so much depending on many factors, some of them are related to the stove, some the weather, the pellet making process... It's possible that Le Crete changed types of wood, or suppliers, or something. Spring/Summer/Fall of 2019 was exceptionally wet in PA, so pellet quality was really poor no matter which brand you got simply because the raw material (sawdust) was wet when they made the pellets.

 

[shtrdave]

My P43, I go though 1 to 1.5 bags per day. It is run in manual mode using SkyTech remote thermostat for temp. I clean about once a month, the ash pan is full, and I have used the Harman scraper to kind of mash the ash down. I scrape the pot and vacuum under it where the igniter is and use the brush that came with the stove to clean the ash off the ESP. Also clean out the fines collection. Clean the glass. use some Pledge on the out side.

Currently using Appalachian Wood Pellets.

My glass gets dirty usually with in a week, especially on the right side top corner.

 

[mtnbiker727]

My P43, I go though 1 to 1.5 bags per day. It is run in manual mode using SkyTech remote thermostat for temp. I clean about once a month, the ash pan is full, and I have used the Harman scraper to kind of mash the ash down. I scrape the pot and vacuum under it where the igniter is and use the brush that came with the stove to clean the ash off the ESP. Also clean out the fines collection. Clean the glass. use some Pledge on the out side.

Currently using Appalachian Wood Pellets.

My glass gets dirty usually with in a week, especially on the right side top corner.

I recommend cleaning more often than that... the stove loses efficiency dramatically with all that ash buildup everywhere.

Ash is a very good insulator... There's also a downward spiral effect: the dirtier the stove is the poorer it performs, making it dirtier still.

 

[bogieb]

A lot of it depends on the pellets you burn. I burn middling pellets, so I end up cleaning every 2-3 weeks. I just cleaned this weekend and had a totally full ash pan from 15-20 bags of known ashy pellets (GS), running on auto. I run ashy pellets in the fall, then go to less ashy pellets when winter hits (less ashy includes more middling pellets such as MWP). Since I am burning more, but creating a bit less ash, I can still go 2-3 weeks between cleanings.

Since you are using manual mode, It also depends on how much of that run time is spent in "idle".

I clean the "shelves" in between cleanings and scrape the pot once a day.

 

[huskerdooo]

I clean my pipe about once mid-season, and at the end of the season. I noticed I wasn't getting enough airflow, and doing a deep clean of the stove didn't help, but once I cleaned the pipe that took care of it. I have a 3" pipe, so maybe that gets restricted quicker?

If the door isn't getting dirty, then you're getting good combustion.

Actual ash in the stove varies so much depending on many factors, some of them are related to the stove, some the weather, the pellet making process... It's possible that Le Crete changed types of wood, or suppliers, or something. Spring/Summer/Fall of 2019 was exceptionally wet in PA, so pellet quality was really poor no matter which brand you got simply because the raw material (sawdust) was wet when they made the pellets.

Thanks I bought a good week's worth of pellets yesterday, I will see if that makes a difference. I have been producing way more ash than others here for years now, so it isn't some new issue.

I am only a month into a complete pipe clean, so I don't think that is it.

 

[huskerdooo]

A lot of it depends on the pellets you burn. I burn middling pellets, so I end up cleaning every 2-3 weeks. I just cleaned this weekend and had a totally full ash pan from 15-20 bags of known ashy pellets (GS), running on auto. I run ashy pellets in the fall, then go to less ashy pellets when winter hits (less ashy includes more middling pellets such as MWP). Since I am burning more, but creating a bit less ash, I can still go 2-3 weeks between cleanings.

Since you are using manual mode, It also depends on how much of that run time is spent in "idle".

I clean the "shelves" in between cleanings and scrape the pot once a day.

So maybe these pellets are just ashy since you seem to be creating the same amount of ash with your GS ones.

 

[Pete Zahria]

I've burned quite a few brands of pellets..
What I have found with LaCrete, is that they do "appear" to produce more ash.
I think (in my use) that their ash is very light and fluffy,
compared to some other brands.
In other words, a full bucket of them, would weigh less than others.
So you aren't getting "more" ash, necessarily.. just more "volume".
Same difference as a yeast donut, vs. a cake donut.
Same size... less donut in the yeast donut..
LaCrete is a VERY popular, good seller... I like 'em..

Dan

 

[bogieb]

I had missed that the OP was burning LaCretes. I got about 15 bags last year and they burned very hot. My notes do say they were somewhat ashy (but a light ash as Dan mentions).

 

[rickwai]

The pellets produce the ash not the stove. Amount of ash is 95% the results of that particular pellet. With that being said, if your stove is partly plugged up it will not get as complete of a burn. Remember just because it may be the same brand you have burnt in the past dont mean they have not changed the formulation. When the timber supply and home building was down pellets seem to take a hit due to the pellet mills having to use what they had available. Pellets are produced from the waste from lumber mills ect

 

[huskerdooo]

Thanks. The excessive amount of ash is not really a new thing and has been going on for a while. But I have been using La Cretes for a few years and prior to that I used a similar Canadian soft brand.

 

[huskerdooo]

I've burned quite a few brands of pellets..
What I have found with LaCrete, is that they do "appear" to produce more ash.
I think (in my use) that their ash is very light and fluffy,
compared to some other brands.
In other words, a full bucket of them, would weigh less than others.
So you aren't getting "more" ash, necessarily.. just more "volume".
Same difference as a yeast donut, vs. a cake donut.
Same size... less donut in the yeast donut..
LaCrete is a VERY popular, good seller... I like 'em..

Dan

It is definitely a volume issue. I can stir it down to half its volume, but that stirred volume is still a lot more than what other folks report. I think a ton would produce 1.5 full, stirred ash trays. They are great burning pellets. Pure white fluffy ash (lots!) and zero blackening of the stove.