Harman PC45

[rona]

I was reading the literature about Harman PC45s and in it they said you could remove the burn pot and install a burn pot from a p61 if you were going to burn straight pellets. I never heard of this being done but I wonder if you could get 61,000 btu's out of it by doing this? The bolt pattern is the same.
I would assume you would use that pellet plate that covers the exh fan if you were to do this. May have to play with the dip switches also.
Just curious if anyone has done this and the results they got? That would be a cheap way of getting more heat out of the 45. It surprises me that Harman recommended this so evidently it must work.

 

[Bioburner]

I want a copy of that. Hard to think that the stove body could get anymore btus out of it. Would be more like a P43?

 

[jzm2cc]

Pc45 and p61 share the same chassis. I've purchased the p61a burn pot and igniter, etc as i want to do this conversion also. I also bought a new circuit board as the p61 feed duty cycles and max feed rates are different than the pc45.

 

[bags]

I'm all ears. I did know they were basically the same box I believe so it must be the pot, CB, and stuff. Rona, where did you see this? Copies? The fire doors are the same for the 45 and 61 so I assume the fire box is the same size. Bigger door on my 68 by far though. Wider and taller.

Are they referring to the "cradle" or burn pot weldment that attaches to the back wall of the fire box with 4 bolts or just the pot? I have not seen the difference in the 61's pot and stuff. Might be worth a trip to the dealer to look at.

 

[Bioburner]

What did that all set you back? $$$ I know the board is $200

 

[jzm2cc]

I decided to go this route as the pc45 air pump is very expensive as are the igniters. If the air pump fails the igniter will be right behind it. My oversized aquarium air pump experiment resulted in a destroyed igniter so i started collecting p61a parts (burnpot, gasket, igniter holder and igniter, flame holder, and circuit board). Throwing numbers out there as its been a while but pc45 pump is $350 and igniter is $125 so $475.

P61a parts were roughly $150 +10 + 20 + 40 + 30 + 200 = $450. Not exact but you get the idea.

 

[Bioburner]

I have a stove with a working pump but its so easy to light manually that its not worth the effort to replace the igniter so have a spare pump. (Hestia)

 

[jzm2cc]

I have a stove with a working pump but its so easy to light manually that its not worth the effort to replace the igniter so have a spare pump. (Hestia)

Thats how i run the pc45 also. Manual light plus i leave it in manual mode to prevent shutdowns. Very infrequent cleaning whether I'm burning pellets or cherry pits. Great stove for $250 and maybe someday I'll convert it to the P61A components.

 

[Bioburner]

A running Harman for $250 is a good deal as they are very easy to refurbish. I don't think I have but 20 starts a season.

 

[jzm2cc]

A running Harman for $250 is a good deal as they are very easy to refurbish. I don't think I have but 20 starts a season.

It will probably be a once in a lifetime cheap/steal purchase for me. It's what got me started in the pellet world and I'm still amazed years later. Fought with unsteady output from wood stoves for years, getting up twice in the night to fuel with wood, granted they weren't the best wood stoves. But with the pellet stove in the living room I'm loving it. Heating source turned hobby for sure.

 

[bags]

I just looked at the P61 burn pot on the photos of the guy who just scored the $700 deal in ID. The pot and flame guide looks similar to my new P68's but the hole for the igniter is more like the PC45's. The hole is not like that on the 68 and it has a cover plate with 2 wing nuts to access the igniter up a bit higher. The 61 and 45 pots are different. That said, if you did the 61 conversion I'd venture to say it would limit you to burning pellets or a 50 / 50 pellet corn mix like the other new P series. Most are running a mix anyway from what I've read.

Rona, Bio....... Thoughts? What's the CB difference between the 45 and 61's? The burn pot is definitely different and wonder if the 61's exhaust plate is the same as the large hole "pellet" plate for the 45? I'm interested. I bought a back up CB for the 45 and may return it for a 61 CB???? Being able to get the extra BTU's would be a huge plus.

 

[Bioburner]

PC45 has a pressure igniter and the rest don't. That would be the main control difference IMO

 

[bags]

So the air pump would be eliminated possibly? Has anyone done a conversion?

 

[rona]

So the air pump would be eliminated possibly? Has anyone done a conversion?

I haven't yet but I have a pellet burn pot that may be what is needed. I won't know for sure until tomorrow but I had some oddball parts for Harmans and have a pellet pot but have to look closely tomorrow to see if it would fit. In the interests of economy it may not be a smart move as just because you can burn more pellets it may just mean you are making a hotter exhaust and not able to capture the heat and send it into the room. We have to remember that the btus is often measured by how much pellets are burned and not what is staying in the house.

 

[bags]

True but the distribution blowers are about the same CFM for the P Series and the PC45 while the 45 and 61 is the same box. I get what you are saying on it being a waste going outside vs. being able to capture the heat and get it into the room. IF the 61 is the same vs. some internal control components then switching out the relevant parts should turn the 45 into a 61 would it not. What am I missing?

Rona do you have a parts list with numbers for both the 45 and 61? I amy have them in my manual. Maybe run down the list to see exactly which part numbers are different between the two. That would differentiate the two stoves.