Harman PF100 questions

[Ikantski]

So we just bought a new home with a PF100 and have three questions that are hopefully nothing serious. The local dealership that installed this furnace is now out of business. The two closest are an hour and 1.5 hours away and I haven't heard back from them yet.

1) The first issue is the baffle plate. We followed the cleaning instructions and removed the upper baffle plate and it's severely corroded around the bottom center. I've attached a few images.





2) There is some hot air blowing from the glass window when it's burning. I'm sure that should be sealed. It looks like some of the rope has burned away but that could also be related to the hole in the baffle?

3) The combustion fan is very loud right now. We opened it up and cleaned a lot of soot out of there and tried to clean the blades but it didn't make any difference. My guess is that the bearing is on the way out. Here is a video:

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Anyways, any info would be helpful until I can get somebody here to look at it.

 

[Labrat]

Your corrosion is right at were the the piece of steel is to hold the bottom in. I'm thinking it maybe replaced by Harman but I would suggest cleaning that area frequently. It looks alot like heat, and salt corrosion from the pellets and ash.

There should be air blowing by the glass. This is so that you don't burn yourself should you accidently bump the glass and I'm sure a few other reason as well.

Lastly your squeeky motor could be a bearing or it could be a blade rubbing I'm not sure.

 

[Lousyweather]

find out what the age of the unit is.....depending upon that, the baffle may, or may not be, covered. They are still available, evenso.

Glass gasket leaking is almost certainly unrelated to the baffle, but likely bears replacing.

Most likely the combustion blower is bad. Again, the age of the unit will tell whether its covered or not (most likely not), and the manual will give you the warrantee coverage times.....when we install a unit, we write the date on the back cover of the manual....maybe others do this? You'd be surprised how many folks have no idea how old thier unit is.....

 

[Ikantski]

Well, it's only 1.5 years, installed August 2011. I'm glad to hear that the combustion blower isn't supposed to be that loud, it definitely wasn't when we looked at the place 3 months ago.

 

[Lousyweather]

Well, it's only 1.5 years, installed August 2011. I'm glad to hear that the combustion blower isn't supposed to be that loud, it definitely wasn't when we looked at the place 3 months ago.

cool- probably both parts covered under warranty! now you probably ought to contact Harman and have them contact a dealer to get out there and service the unit....as you may know, the other dealers who didnt sell the unit are not required to do service work, tho they may if you pay travel time, etc......

 

[Ejectr]

First, that upper baffle is nothing special. If it isn't covered by warrantee (good luck finding a dealer if the one who sold it went out of business) Take it to a metal fabrication shop and have them cut you a piece of steel that gauge and that size.
Next, I too had a lot of air blowing out of the door window. I got a piece of regular window glass a little smaller than the inside dimensions of the window and used hi temp silicone and put it in the inside of the door where the opening is all the way in against the cross hatch they have covering the opening. I also got some open cell foam weather stripping and sealed all around where the outside door seals to the frame and for good measure, two small spring clamps holding that edge closed tighter. All that air your're losing around the door and window should be going up the duct to heat your house. The glass on the inside combustion door is going to get hot anyway. It's on the combustion chamber door.
Last...on your combustion blower there is a fan guard. I bet the noise is from the outside cooling fan hitting the guard because the set screw on the fan came loose and the blades are hitting the guard. Shut it down...take off the fan guard and see if you can slide the fan up and down the motor shaft. If you can...tighten the set screw.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ikantski]

That's exactly what bugged me about that air blowing out, it just seems like a waste. Thanks for the info on the fan guard screw, I'll definitely try that.

Okay, good news. The guys who helped him install it are out of business but the retailer who sold the unit is in business and I got in touch with him.

 

[Ejectr]

That's exactly what bugged me about that air blowing out, it just seems like a waste. Thanks for the info on the fan guard screw, I'll definitely try that.

Okay, good news. The guys who helped him install it are out of business but the retailer who sold the unit is in business and I got in touch with him.

That's a good thing. I bought a unit from a company that went out of business and no one will touch it.

Having cleaned the combustion fan, you obviously know it's behind that black metal protector. The fan guard is a black plastic cover that sits on the back of the motor and you can see the fan inside. DO NOT take that plastic guard off the back of the motor with the motor running. If the set screw is loose, it will come flying off of the shaft like a propellar. Don't ask me how I know that.

 

[Ejectr]

I want to make a correction to that glass install in the outter door window. I put it in from the outside all the way to the back of the tunnel into where the crosshatch is. I did not want to just put a piece of glass over the holes on the inside and leave exposed edges to get cut on.

Make sure you leave room for the glass to expand inside that tunnel area. I think I got the glass 1/4 inch smaller than the width and height of the tunnel.(Tunnel = I don't know what else to call it)

 

[mcmaxx]

That is the top of the upper baffle plate not the bottom. this is the spot that the flame seems to hit when the unit is calling for a lot of heat, I had the same issue with mine. if you are having a difficult time getting a replacement or even if you do get a replacement you can help this from not happening again. get a heavy piece of steel 4inch by 8inch and weld some hooks halfway down the back so that you can hang it over the top of the baffle plate to protect that edge from direct flame. will try to get some photos if you need it.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I have a unit out there that is three years old and doing the same thing, burned through two baffles. Harman has modified a baffle plate to correct this and it is doing great. What it does is add an extra brick to that plate. So far so good but you will need the help of a dealer to obtain one.

You will need a draft meter and check what the draft is on the unit while it is cold. Might be a little to much draft on a low burn.

Eric

 

[Ejectr]

Did you check on that combustion fan set screw? Don't want to run it too long like that. The motor isn't getting enough cooling air and the motor shaft is getting scored up running like that if the set screw is loose.

 

[katman]

Sounds like the set screw to me too.

 

[Ikantski]

Hi guys,

I took the fan out yesterday but didn't have the right wrench here to get the guard off to get at that set screw. The shaft does kind of wobble though so I'd bet you're right. I've got the right wrench today and will get to that screw and we'll find out!

 

[Ejectr]

Hi guys,

I took the fan out yesterday but didn't have the right wrench here to get the guard off to get at that set screw. The shaft does kind of wobble though so I'd bet you're right. I've got the right wrench today and will get to that screw and we'll find out!

On mine, the plastic guard on the back of the fan motor is just held on by screws at the corners. You don't have to pull the whole cast aluminum guard off. Just the black plastic one that is attached to the end of the casting. If I remember correctly, the set screw is an allen wrench that you will be able to reach from the back once the plastic guard is removed or through the spaces in the casting that surrounds the fan.

 

[Ejectr]

You know, I was just thinking. I'm not talking about the inside fan that goes inside the hole in the furnace. I'm talking about the outside fan on that motor that does the cooling of the motor. It's a small multi blade aluminum fan behind the black plastic guard on the end of the combustion motor. It's held on the shaft with a small set screw. You don't even have to take the motor off the furnace to get at it. It sticks right through the hole in the black aluminum cover that goes around the combustion motor.

Wanted to make sure that was clear to you.

 

[Ikantski]

Just figured I'd post the resolution here.

The shaft was spinning off center in the fan so we just replaced it with a new one. It was only about 120 bucks. We're getting a replacement place shipped from Harman but our dealer said that it is likely to happen again due to the high salt content of the pellets we're burning (cubex). I'll make that steel reinforcement modification this summer to help it hold up a little better.

 

[Ejectr]

Just figured I'd post the resolution here.

The shaft was spinning off center in the fan so we just replaced it with a new one. It was only about 120 bucks. We're getting a replacement place shipped from Harman but our dealer said that it is likely to happen again due to the high salt content of the pellets we're burning (cubex). I'll make that steel reinforcement modification this summer to help it hold up a little better.

How the heck could that happen?

 

[Lake Girl]

High salt content in Cubex?

Eric already mentioned that Harman acknowledged a problem and modified the baffle.

 

[5tonhopper]

Hey, Everyone. I'm glad i found this web site. I recently bought a Harman PF100 (9/27/2012) I'm having similar issues with the upper baffle deteriorating and my burn pot cracking and bubbling up. I'm currently on my 2nd upper baffle for this heating season and just ordered a new burn bot. I spoke with Harman and they didn't have any answers for me other then the pellets i'm using are the high BTU and they may be causing the damage and that they'll replace the parts as perscribed in the warranty. The Harman Dealer/installer also said the same thing. The Upper baffle and the burn pot are also considered ("consumable and normal wear items") according to Harman. My gripe with this is that i only had the furnace for 1 heating season(7-8 months) and all this is wrong with it =(
To me that isn't normal wear!

 

[Ejectr]

I'm on my second heating season with my PF100 using Okanagans and I don't have any of that trouble. Both the burn pot and the upper baffle are virtually new looking, but when mine burns with a high flame, the flame doesn't get drawn to the upper baffle that much.

 

[5tonhopper]

I used 9 tons of pellets so far this season. The first 5 tons i used were "Curran" hard and soft blend. The other 5 tons i bought were "Curran" Hardwood. Maybe its the pellets im using? I know when mine burns it shoots a wicked flame out that is parallel with the slope on the burn pot. I have my temp setting at 3 and my feed rate at 4, so its not like i've got the furnace maxed out.