Harman PC 45 combustion blower loud???

[srosss]

Just hooked up our new Harman PC 45...2 questions...

1) Does the fan blow ALL the time? Ours seems to be EXTREMELY loud.

2) Which pot burns pellets better if you do not want to purchase a "pellet" pot, the small hole (1/16") pot or the large hole (1/8") pot?

 

[vvvv]

i bet 1/16th

 

[srosss]

Thanks. That is the one we chose to try first; however, the combustion blower still seems to be rather loud. Any suggestions on making it quieter or run less often.

 

[trylon]

My combustion fan runs all the time as it should. The distribution fan, which blows hot air into the room, only runs at higher stove temps if you run in room temp mode. It shuts off when set room temp is approached. The combustion fan alone is pretty loud as is the auger motor. The fan runs to push the gases out of the firebox. I use the larger hole pot for wood pellets and the smaller one for corn. Just following the directions in the manual.

 

[imacman]

Since this stove was mainly designed to burn corn, was the stove set-up for pellets by you or the installer, as per Harman's owner manual instructions?

"For optimal performance burning wood pellets, the pellet kit #1-00-06801 is now
included. This kit allows you to convert the PC45 into a fully automatic pellet
stove with 50,000 BTU capacity, fast ignition and clean viewing glass. Due to the
fact that there are changes needed for the circuit board programing, it is recommended
that this installation be completed by a trained service technician. Be
sure the power cord is un-plugged prior to adjusting circuit board switches. The
pellet kit contains the instructions for the conversion, a new burn pot end gate,
and a new combustion blower inlet ring."

 

[srosss]

No, the retailer sold us a unit and said they checked with Harman and everything was included as it should be. When I opened the box, I noticed the Quality Control paperwork was stamped 2008. I am now concerned that we may have bought a unit that is older and without the newest technology available. Is there any way to lower the noise level of the combustion blower?

 

[srosss]

The additional "pellet burn pot" was not included and our manual parts list includes "pellet grate kit" 1-00-724112" as an option.

 

[imacman]

If this is truely a new unit, regardless of the year, you pretty much have what you have, unless the blower is just defective from the factory.

I'd be more concerned about the stove being 2 years old....did the dealer tell you that, or note it on the receipt? If not, I'd be making some calls to them, and maybe to Harman too.

Also, ask the dealer what they did to make the unit "pellet ready"....they come from Harman set-up to burn corn.

 

[srosss]

No, the retailer did not do anything to get the unit "pellet" ready. Since we live three hours away from the store, they just sent us home with the box and said call if you have any questions.

 

[imacman]

I'm not saying this is the solution to the "noisy blower", but if this unit was just installed w/ no prep for burning pellets, it is not only noisy, but isn't burning the way it should.

Did the dealer KNOW you were going to be burning pellets? If not, then they are not at fault as far as the stove set-up.

But you DO need to find out why they sold you a 2 year old (almost 3) stove w/o telling you. If you don't get any satisfaction with them, call Harman ASAP and explain the problem.

Was the stove "on sale" or listed as a clearance unit, etc?

 

[srosss]

No...not "on sale" or "clearance." The retailed never asked us what we plan to burn or offered to install the unit.

 

[srosss]

We have access to corn. Do you think the blower would be less noisy if we burned the corn as fuel instead? Thank you for your comments. I just sent a lengthy e-mail to Harman thourgh the link on their website. I hope that they will answer it instead of sending me back to the point of purchase.

 

[imacman]

We have access to corn. Do you think the blower would be less noisy if we burned the corn as fuel instead? Thank you for your comments. I just sent a lengthy e-mail to Harman thourgh the link on their website. I hope that they will answer it instead of sending me back to the point of purchase.

Unless there is something about this stove that I don't know about, unfortunately the burning of corn will have no effect on the blower. The blower is run by a motor, and the motor doesn't know what you're burning.

Sending Harman an email was a good idea...I hope you explained all of this to them. I'm sure the members on the forum will be very interested in their response.