Harman XXV Auger Not Feeding

[carlschmarl2]

My new (just over a month old with about a ton of pellets through it) Harman XXV Pellet Stove has stopped feeding. I have cleaned it several times since it was installed.

I filled the hopper last night before bed, and cleaned out the ashes. When I came downstairs this morning, the stove was cold to the touch and hardly any pellets were gone.

When I put it into test mode, everything lights up except the bottom "Distribution" light.

With that being said, the auger doesn't feed any pellets into the burn pot. In fact, it the auger and/or motor don't even come on.

What can I do to try and fix this?

I'd rather not call out the installation company if I don't have to. But I might since the stove is still under warranty.

 

[Hoot23]

Is your hopper lid closed and latched properly? Doors fully closed? One time my didn't close the hopper lid and I came home to a cold stove.

 

[carlschmarl2]

That's what I initially thought. But everything is sealed up tight.

 

[Hoot23]

Try a reset. Unplug, give it a few seconds and plug it back in and run in test mode to make sure all is working. If that doesn't work, re-check your doors and latches. And if that don't work, you might have a pellet jam

 

[rickwai]

It could be a couple of things. 1st with pot clean turn stove on like you are going to start it. Make sure toggle switch is in auto setting. Leave it on for 30-60 seconds. Then open the door and check burnpot for heat from the igniter. Dont directly touch the bottom of the pot, You should be able to feel heat if igniter is coming on w/out touching it. If there is no heat it is a vacuum issue. If there is heat it is a auger/auger motor issue.

 

[Lousyweather]

Is your hopper lid closed and latched properly? Doors fully closed? One time my didn't close the hopper lid and I came home to a cold stove.

if its a new stove, hopper lid wont matter....they did away with that/those

 

[Hoot23]

if its a new stove, hopper lid wont matter....they did away with that/those

Didn't know that, learn something every day.

 

[Lousyweather]

lack of feed can actually be ALOT of things.....it troubles me that in TEST mode your distribution fan isn't running, since it should, regardless of pellet jams, etc. That alone is enough to get the dealer out there for a warranty fix.

As for hardly any pellets being gone with a cold stove after an evening, I agree with above, pellet bridge over the slide plate stopping the flow of pellets....this is pretty hard to prove this one, as the cavity can collapse itself easily as well. I would look for anomalously long pellets.....over, say 1-1/2" long, or a preponderance of fines with your pellets.....

If not a pellet bridge, and Im assuming NO status light blinks (error), its a bad control board....again....warranty for your new stove.....

 

[Lousyweather]

Didn't know that, learn something every day.

yea, about a year ago, they did away with the hopper lid switch, which replaced the intake sensor in the bin.....that dang intake was a pain!

 

[john193]

yea, about a year ago, they did away with the hopper lid switch, which replaced the intake sensor in the bin.....that dang intake was a pain!

News to me as well. My 2012 mt vernon still has this though (H&H). Not to derail the discussion, but why the removal? I always considered that a neat safety feature.

 

[nayslayer]

Fines box full? Maybe fines box cover not on well?

 

[Don2222]

yea, about a year ago, they did away with the hopper lid switch, which replaced the intake sensor in the bin.....that dang intake was a pain!

I just fixed a 3 y/o P43 with an auger not turning, Auger did not turn in test mode, so After cleaning the burnpot and checking all the parts with my test cord, In found 2 pellets on the foam hopper gasket! Cleaned them off and made a good seal and the stove ran fine. Taking the vacuum from the new sensor in the hopper stinks! I like my old P61a that gets nice clean vacuum from the air inlet tube!


Also fixed a 7 y/o Harman Advanced last week where the auger was jammed solid! I could not imagine what was wrong since less than a year ago I did the super auger service on it. That included removing the auger, buffing it out and using dry moly spray and slapping in a nice new Gleason- Avery motor. Since it was a chain drive the motor had to turn Counter Clockwise!
Anyway, after removing the chain and turning the auger back and forth I loosened the auger. Then I turned the auger by hand until all the pellets in the chute came out along with 2 brand new Deck Screws!
Noone knew where they came from but that makes sifting the bags of pellets not a bad idea! ! !

Just the other day, I fixed another Harman Advanced built in 1999 with the light weight fiber board brick backing (Not the Iron backing like the new ones! LOL) with the auger not turning. The area under the burnpot was plugged solid with ash! Cleaned it out and guess what? It worked!

 

[carlschmarl2]

lack of feed can actually be ALOT of things.....it troubles me that in TEST mode your distribution fan isn't running, since it should, regardless of pellet jams, etc. That alone is enough to get the dealer out there for a warranty fix.

As for hardly any pellets being gone with a cold stove after an evening, I agree with above, pellet bridge over the slide plate stopping the flow of pellets....this is pretty hard to prove this one, as the cavity can collapse itself easily as well. I would look for anomalously long pellets.....over, say 1-1/2" long, or a preponderance of fines with your pellets.....

If not a pellet bridge, and Im assuming NO status light blinks (error), its a bad control board....again....warranty for your new stove.....

The blower fan is working when in Test Mode and/or in Normal Operation Mode and there aren't any blinking error lights.

I didn't get a chance to play with it much before work today so I'll have to clean it up and troubleshoot it more when I get home later.

 

[Lousyweather]

I just fixed a 3 y/o P43 with an auger not turning, Auger did not turn in test mode, so After cleaning the burnpot and checking all the parts with my test cord, In found 2 pellets on the foam hopper gasket! Cleaned them off and made a good seal and the stove ran fine. Taking the vacuum from the new sensor in the hopper stinks! I like my old P61a that gets nice clean vacuum from the air inlet tube!


Also fixed a 7 y/o Harman Advanced last week where the auger was jammed solid! I could not imagine what was wrong since less than a year ago I did the super auger service on it. That included removing the auger, buffing it out and using dry moly spray and slapping in a nice new Gleason- Avery motor. Since it was a chain drive the motor had to turn Counter Clockwise!
Anyway, after removing the chain and turning the auger back and forth I loosened the auger. Then I turned the auger by hand until all the pellets in the chute came out along with 2 brand new Deck Screws!
Noone knew where they came from but that makes sifting the bags of pellets not a bad idea! ! !

Just the other day, I fixed another Harman Advanced built in 1999 with the light weight fiber board brick backing (Not the Iron backing like the new ones! LOL) with the auger not turning. The area under the burnpot was plugged solid with ash! Cleaned it out and guess what? It worked!

don-

no new sensor in the hopper either- that's done away with as well....the hopper intake was PRIOR to the lid switch....which was first a plastic button (they broke- problematic), to a metal button, which was better, to none at all! (currently)

 

[Don2222]

don-

no new sensor in the hopper either- that's done away with as well....the hopper intake was PRIOR to the lid switch....which was first a plastic button (they broke- problematic), to a metal button, which was better, to none at all! (currently)

Thanks LW for setting us strait on the proper sequence.

 

[XXV-AK]

Carl
Any luck yet?

 

[carlschmarl2]

Carl
Any luck yet?

I completely cleaned the stove and still nothing from the auger.

Should I be able to turn the auger by hand?

After the cleaning, the auger light won't light during test mode. But it does come on during the normal start up process.

I'm assuming it's an auger jam or bad motor since it doesn't want to try to turn.

 

[Lousyweather]

if you unhook the f

I completely cleaned the stove and still nothing from the auger.

Should I be able to turn the auger by hand?

After the cleaning, the auger light won't light during test mode. But it does come on during the normal start up process.

I'm assuming it's an auger jam or bad motor since it doesn't want to try to turn.

if you unhook the feed motor, yes, it should turn

 

[carlschmarl2]

Any other ideas?

I called the installer for a repair man to be sent out. They're booked until second week in Jan.

I'm beginning to think I should've just stuck with a wood stove...

 

[thedak]

have the old lady dump pellets in the burn pot every 5 min ?