Harman P68 no start

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snikr

snikr

Member
Hearth Supporter
Sep 14, 2008
170
Wallingford, VT
I went to start my Harman P68 for the first time this season (after waiting to lift after back surgery). I plugged the stove in (I always unplug it for the summer) and loaded a few pellets into it and when I went to turn it on, as soon as I moved the knob to turn it on I saw a white flash and NOTHING (red light is now off). I think I blew the 6 amp fuse on the circuit board. What I am wondering is, did I harm the board or can I just change the fuse (if I can find a new one that is)? Or is something else going on?? I know I have a bad spot with the fan speed control pot (or what ever you call it) but it's never caused the fuse to blow.
 
The fuse is a protective device; if it worked properly the board should be fine. I would try and figure out what caused the short before you run it again or you might just blow another fuse and possibly damage the board.
 
I'm hoping that the switch that turns the stove on was the problem so I'm turning all of them before I try it again (if I can find a fuse that is. No stove dealer open on Sunday). Plus I'm going to check and see if the motors turn free. But if I need to replace the control board, no big deal. With the turn on/fan speed switch acting up it'll need to be replaced sometime.
 
I would do as you say , check all the motors, wires and connections and take a look at the igniter too. Who knows, maybe bug liked your control board or a mouse chewed on the wiring. I have seen both. To bad we can't find a replacement for the pot switch. Fuse should be available at a good home improvement store but since the location is turned off our avatar I can't recommend a store:(
 
How old is your 68? This new format here threw me off and many I've seen do not like that their locations are no longer attached. I saw where the web fish is trying to work on that. You could go ahead and pull the fuse and inspect it.

Flashes are never good when dealing with electric. Hopefully the fuse did its job but you do need to figure out the issue causing the flash no matter what. Something is out of whack.
 
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If the Igniter is shorted then that can cause the fuse to blow.
I would unplug & test the igniter and if it does not work you can leave the igniter unplugged and run the stove by lighting it manually. :-)
 
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Your seasons start up is probably going to be a laborious one as your due for a set of gaskets too. Both Sears and Harbor Freight have frequent sales on multimeters for under $10. I use one at least weekly around the house and garage to check voltages, fuses, batteries etc
 
Bioburner said:
Your seasons start up is probably going to be a laborious one as your due for a set of gaskets too. Both Sears and Harbor Freight have frequent sales on multimeters for under $10. I use one at least weekly around the house and garage to check voltages, fuses, batteries etc
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No pain...no gain right???
 
No pain no HEAT
 
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Same thing happened to me end of last season. Was a shorted Igniter. EBay has em. Simple install. Don2222 has suggestions above. If you are REALLY LAZY you can also get small ceramic wire nuts and cut and paste a new one "in situ" which is what I did to get me thru until I felt like pulling the insert and installing one properly.
 
snikr said:
I have no way to test the igniter :( And the P-68 is 7 years old.
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Disconnect it. Replace the fuse with one an amp or so lighter. Fire it up. No blow = bad Igniter. If you don't know how to use a VOM empirical testing beats fumbling around although a dead short is easy to diagnose even for a VOM novice.
 
bags said:
How old is your 68? This new format here threw me off and many I've seen do not like that their locations are no longer attached. I saw where the web fish is trying to work on that. You could go ahead and pull the fuse and inspect it.

Flashes are never good when dealing with electric. Hopefully the fuse did its job but you do need to figure out the issue causing the flash no matter what. Something is out of whack.
Click to expand...
Mine did the same thing Bags. Fuse saved the day.
 
A quick update. I finally got the new fuse installed. Put it in test mode and the motors works just fine. When I turned the stove on, once again the fuse blew. Looks like F4jock and others might be right, shorted igniter. Put a call in to my local Harman dealer and they will come and fix it. I just don't have the "right stuff" to fix it. Plus with recovering from back surgery it's not fun laying on the floor to work on that stove. Sucks getting old huh. I'll update after I find what was wrong with the P-68.
 
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Don2222 said:
If the Igniter is shorted then that can cause the fuse to blow.
I would unplug & test the igniter and if it does not work you can leave the igniter unplugged and run the stove by lighting it manually. :)
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OK, after a lot of looking in the owners manual I found the wires to unplug the igniter (or I hope I found them). What I need to know is, can I just unplug them by the control board? I'm making the assumption that seeing as I can run the motors in TEST mode they are OK. If I can unplug the igniter and it'll run then I'm good to go (fingers crossed). And if I do test the igniter, what readings do I look for (I'm new at this testing stuff with a meter).
 
A dead short should about peg the Ohm meter. If its ok it will not. If you disconnect the igniter and replace the fuse you should have a working stove but will have to manually start if you are in need of heat. I have lived with out auto ignition on several stoves for many years. Several methods for getting a Harman to light manually if you want to give it a try.
 
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I've found VOM readings on igniters to be flukes at times. Best indication of igniter problem is to start the stove with it disconnected. If it doesn't blow a fuse you found the problem. It doesn't have to actually fire. Also, inspect the igniter wires for bare spots, especially where they enter the body of the igniter.

As for manual igniton sure, you can do this but if the starter in your car went bad would you replace it or install a manual crank? If the igniter is the problem they are about 70 bucks on Ebay. Easy install. Why gimp the stove?
 
F4jock said:
if the starter in your car went bad would you replace it or install a manual crank
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I have had to give my bike or truck a good shove to get my butt to work, but the suggestion for a manual start was for a temporary need for heat:) Once November comes here the need for heat will only allow for monthly cleanings so whats a half dozen starts?
 
I see your point but I'm a perfectionist. If I buy something, ANYTHING with "features" I expect all of them to work and if they don't I fix them. "Broken window" syndrome I guess.
 
Had a poster hanging in the shop," Its hard to remember the original objective was to drain the swamp when your up to your ass in alligators"
 
Bioburner said:
A dead short should about peg the Ohm meter. If its ok it will not. If you disconnect the igniter and replace the fuse you should have a working stove but will have to manually start if you are in need of heat. I have lived with out auto ignition on several stoves for many years. Several methods for getting a Harman to light manually if you want to give it a try.
Click to expand...
This is what I'm going to try. Of course, after reading the manual I found out I can just turn the igniter switch to manual and see if I can get the bad boy to run. The tech is showing up Monday so it will be fixed then. So far we really have not needed the heat all that much (my furnace works good and oil is $2.09 a gal) but I do want to get the P-68 fixed before the real cold weather gets here.
 
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Well I got the Harman fired up Friday afternoon. All I had to do was flip the control board switch to MANUAL so the igniter doesn't come on. Looks like the igniter is my "issue" but when the tech comes on Monday I'll know for sure. Boy the heat was nice Friday night. :)
 
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snikr said:
Well I got the Harman fired up Friday afternoon. All I had to do was flip the control board switch to MANUAL so the igniter doesn't come on. Looks like the igniter is my "issue" but when the tech comes on Monday I'll know for sure. Boy the heat was nice Friday night. :)
Click to expand...
Good news. Especially since the stove works meaning you didn't fry anything and the fuse did its job. The igniter is an easy fix. Interesting that it should be totally shosted though.
 
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