Thanks for the reply. I guess I sort of understand, however I am confused on the feed rate in conjuntion with stove temp. If in Stove temp say I have it set at 4 which lets call 350 degrees on the esp probe, why would the feed rate matter at all? shouldnt the stove adjust the feed itself ( over ride the feed setting) to keep the esp probe at/about 350?
Also, does it make sense then that in stove mode I am using 2 times the amount of pellets I use in room temp?
As far as the smoke in hopper , I am NOT happy at all with that whole problem it happens 90% of the time if the hopper is less than 1/2 full ( wind definately doesnt matter, and I dont think the temp does either) - I open the lid to add more pellets and smoke comes pouring out stinking the place up. I know this is what causes the the build up on the auger and slide plate, I've already had the stove replaced once for this same thing. I was told then it was a bad motor and the new stove has a new type motor. well that was great at 1st, I never even knew it was running but now its slowly gets louder and louder. When I ask the dealer about it i get -- "HMMMMmmm, ahhh... I dont know.. you have the new motor everything should be fine... just let it run and let me know if it gets real bad." supposedly they have talked to Harmon about it. I've questioned them a few times about it and get the same response ea time. I think they are trying to put it off a short time until warmer weather when I wont use it- then forget about it untill next season when it will become a "oh.. its too late now, you should have had that taken care of when it was newer" - I love the Stove, but I hate the fact that Harmon wont deal with the end user. Makes me think that they are scared of a bad product and can blame it on the dealers or end user if they never have to talk to the end user.
With normal usage, your feed rate will remain the same....not something you really need to play with, unless you decide to "test" the unit and see how much it will put out....Ive never done that.
I havent really heard of many problems with the Advance, smoke-in-the-hopper-wise. BUT the ones I have heard of, well, it wasnt a motor problem. Try running the stove really low on pellets, open the hopper door, and see if you can feel or hear a "suck" at the throat of the hopper, where it enters the auger. Smoke should NEVER come POURING out of the hopper. NEVER. I dont question the veracity of the fact that your dealer spoke to Harman or not, but be persistant. I dont think its a motor. A few ideas....did they check the intake damper, seeing if it swings freely? Do you bring in outside air? If so, is the intake pipe blocked or clogged? Is it excessively long? Has it done this since it was new? (thats important).....Harman wont deal with you, simply because its the dealers job to fix this issue, not theirs.
And oh yea, in stove temp, its possible you could use ALOT more pellets, especially if its warmish out. In stove mode, the stove has no idea of what room temp is, so it just chugs along, keeping a constant exhaust gas temperature......the room could be 50 degrees or 100 degrees....doesnt matter. Whereas, in room temp mode, the stove adjusts the fire in an attempt to make the area the probe is in the correct temperature. If it gets to that temp, the fire will get smaller, and can actually go out, until the room sensor feels the temp drop, below its set point, and will relight the fire.....so, in this case, you could use many times more pellets in stove temp than in room temp.....
I guess I am curious what you want Harman to do for you that the dealer cant do for you. If the dealer is calling Harman, Harman is of course telling them what to check and try. Its in Harman's best interests to get your problem resolved, and you DO have a problem. Ive heard many folks "dis" Harman for not dealing directly with the customer, but what would that really solve? Do most poeple own a Magnahelic to test draft? No, so how are we going to get that reading? Is Harman expected to guess on what part might be bad and mail the part to the end-user until they "get it right"? Are most pellet users technically proficient enough to change the parts? Ad Nauseum. I dont want to sound like Im down on you, because that isnt the case. I think you have a real problem which the dealer should resolve. Im just not sure how much help can really be given over the phone, with people in most cases who are upset (deservedly so, sometimes), and in many cases lack the technical know-how to deal with these issues themselves. I know Im gonna get slammed by guys and gals who could build a supercomputer out of an old battery and some weeds, but I find thats by far the exception and not the rule. Good luck!
