Harman PC 45 Problems

[redpower]

This is my second year with my PC 45 and it has been trouble free up to this point. I am burning 100% corn with the stove. In the last 3 weeks I have had trouble keeping the stove burning all the time. I clean the stove weekly, swept the chimney, and cleaned the sensor in the pipe. The stove will run for about 2 days and shut off. There is no codes showing up on the status light (constant on). When the fire is out, there is plenty of fresh, unburned corn in the burn pot. I'm stumped on this and need help. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Bioburner]

Probably getting a few spots of damp corn and that raises the ignition temp and the pot cools down and out goes the fire. Try mixing some pellets in the mix and that may well keep you burning till end of the season. Are you using the pot reflector-grain cap?
I dry my corn into the single digits with a homemade batch drier.

 

[bags]

Were you burning pellets before? Have you just started using 100% corn these last few weeks? If you were running the 45 and it was burning fine prior to the last few weeks then Bio is onto it here. What has changed in the last few weeks and have you ran the stove all winter?

The more details you include = better answers. If you are running 100% corn you also need to probably reconfigure your burn pot and set up. The pellets will help keep the fire going to ignite the corn. Wet stuff doesn't burn well and as mentioned your corn might not have optimal lower moisture content.

Give more details so people can help figure it out. Is the igniter light coming on when you try to restart it? Sounds like it is since it will run a couple of hours. Where do you have things set? Temp dial, stove or room, etc;

Was it trouble free burning 100% corn before? What has changed from last year and this season earlier to turn it into a problematic stove recently. If you were burning pellets before and it is now giving you issues since you are now 100% corn then it must be something with the corn like Bio suggests and / or your burn pot set up and exhaust blower plate. Are you running the small or large hole one?

 

[Bioburner]

Bags, the OP is from Iowa. Two things that state is one of the highest producers of, corn and pigs, Well maybe a beginning of a contentious political season that smells like the hog feed lot. At least with the hog feed lot it's the start of something tasty.

 

[redpower]

Probably getting a few spots of damp corn and that raises the ignition temp and the pot cools down and out goes the fire. Try mixing some pellets in the mix and that may well keep you burning till end of the season. Are you using the pot reflector-grain cap?
I dry my corn into the single digits with a homemade batch drier.

This might be possible. The corn I am using was dried in my bin dryer and I moved it to an overhead bin in my corn crib for storage. Every time I've tested the moisture it is 13-14%. How large is your homemade batch dryer? I've considered building something like this.
I've always burned 100% corn since the stove was new. It seems like I can used either the large or small burn pot and still have a good flame as long as I adjust the feed rate. Lately I've been using the large hole burn pot and have been having the best luck with it. I always use the grain cap on top to reflect some heat back into the burn pot.
Once I get the hopper empty I am going to check the slide at the bottom of the hopper and make sure something didn't get stuck in there.

 

[Bioburner]

One can get something in the flights as well. I screen everything thru 1/2 inch screen and over 1/4 to get the fines and cob pieces out.

 

[bags]

Bio I remember you posting some pics of your set up a ways back. Maybe that will help some of us slackers again. I still haven't even locked in a stash of corn yet.

Hey redpower, Thanks for answering my questions. I haven't ever seen you around. I'm still picking up pointers and tips here for my 45. Most I have done is run a 50 / 50% mix of corn and pellets several times. High dollar TSC bagged corn at that but it was worth the $8 bucks for 50 lbs. for the experience. I've ran about 8 of those between this season and last.

I know the lower moisture content the better but I was of the understanding 15% or less was good to go. What kind of time and effort is it for the single digits and what do you think this high dollar designer bag stuff is likely at, Bio? No way I'd heat with the bagged stuff. Electric would be less.

Red has his at 13-14% so this has opened my eyes a bit more. I can do inside under roof storage but need to see what my local farmer dries his to.

Red, I'd really appreciate if you can shed more light for me here and please let me know what you figure out. Thanks

 

[redpower]

Bags- If your local farmer is storing corn in a bin, it's pretty hard to keep it at anything over 15% moisture for any extended period of time. Around here where is gets pretty cold, you can push that up a little and get the grain temp below freezing, but come spring you better be moving that grain out of that bin to market. I burn corn because its so cheap. Last year alone I figure I spent $5-600 less on heating than I did the year before and my house is quite a bit warmer. With the local market priced at $3.25/ bushel I am trying to get every bit of heat out of it I can. I'd love to get my hands on some wheat and try that in the PC 45.

 

[Bioburner]

We had a Aussie that burned wheat in a couple different modified stoves. I don't see wheat having the same oil or sugar as corn. Around here much of the corn is contracted for the ethanol plants. Wheat is going for about 1.25 more per bu according to the farm report. Wheat is one of the things I have not tried to burn. Got a few bags of pellets made of wheat screenings but that was very high in weed seeds and the ash was very high.

 

[rona]

Bio I remember you posting some pics of your set up a ways back. Maybe that will help some of us slackers again. I still haven't even locked in a stash of corn yet.

Hey redpower, Thanks for answering my questions. I haven't ever seen you around. I'm still picking up pointers and tips here for my 45. Most I have done is run a 50 / 50% mix of corn and pellets several times. High dollar TSC bagged corn at that but it was worth the $8 bucks for 50 lbs. for the experience. I've ran about 8 of those between this season and last.

I know the lower moisture content the better but I was of the understanding 15% or less was good to go. What kind of time and effort is it for the single digits and what do you think this high dollar designer bag stuff is likely at, Bio? No way I'd heat with the bagged stuff. Electric would be less.

Red has his at 13-14% so this has opened my eyes a bit more. I can do inside under roof storage but need to see what my local farmer dries his to.

Red, I'd really appreciate if you can shed more light for me here and please let me know what you figure out. Thanks

15% is to high for a Harman unless you blend with pellets. Actually 13% is about the upper limit for burning straight corn with a Harman PC45. I've owned 3 different 45s since I started burning corn and they all worked the same. I never dry corn down below 15% so if I want to burn straight corn I needed to dry it down more. The easiest way was to buy a couple of those metal screened waste baskets that you see by a secretaries desk. You can find them at Walmart relatively cheap. Just fill them full of shelled corn and set them in front of the 45 exposing them to the moving hot air. 24 hours later they will be 11% and you could blend one of them with a equal amout of 15% and get by. Having said that you will still get a buildup on that agitator and need to clean it every couple of days. After doing that I decided to just blend pellets with the corn and that eliminates cleaning the agitator and any problems with wet corn.