Harman XXV Feeder Adjuster Knob- Help?

[Justaddwater]

Hello everyone and thanks for helping me out the past two years.

This is my first post,

I have just installed (Sunday)the Harman XXV after two years of going back and forth between a corn burner or pellets. After much research and discussion I relized that for my situation, corn was going to be just as much work as heating with firewood. Also, I just could not bring myself to utilize a product so heavily subsidized by the goverment. Even when prices were low they were still inflated thru subsidies.

Anyway, I just sold my wood stove two weeks ago after eleven years of use. What a relief that was.

All I can say now is WOW! what a change. Same heat=less work=more play.

My question to all of you is what relation does the feed adjuster knob have in relation to the "one inch" of ash on the front of the burn pot, which indicates maximum heat output.

How does a setting of 5 differ from a setting of 3?

So far I have found that a higher number (6) means less ash then a setting of (4). Does this sound correct?

What do fellow XXV owners have there feed adjuster knob set at?

I am burning "White Lightning" pellets, if that means anything.

Thank You!

 

[cantman]

The feed adjuster knob can be thought of as a BTU limiter. Just as a gas pedal on a car will only allow the car to go
so fast if only pressed so far, the feed adjuster will limit the BTU output. I have found on my XXV that if I adjust the feed adjuster too high,
the flame gets too high and makes the glass very sooty. I am heating a very poorly insulated office (680 sf) with a drop ceiling. Above the drop ceiling is
an open space/ventilated attic. I don't really worry too much about the 1 inch of ash line, as I lightly push the accumulated ash out of the ash pot
every morning. This tactic seems to work better for me than have the stove over burn with too many pellets. My settings are as follows:

1) pellet feed level between 2 and 3 depending on the outside temperature
2) manual setting for ignition
3) XXV thermostat set to have it on continually (80 degrees)
4) wall thermostat set to 68 degrees
5) low draft setting to full counter clockwise
6) room temp mode set to high

This seems to work best for me/your settings may be different.

Was your unit draft tested? What were the readings?

 

[Justaddwater]

Thanks Cantman for taking the time to explain what I could not understand in the owners manual.

The unit was not draft tested. I was assured by the dealer that it was not neccessary. I was very clear in pointing out that the owners manual reccommended the draft testing. He said he has never needed to adjust the draft.

My pellet feed level is set at 4 (per owners manual)
set to auto ignition
stove temp set to 4
distribution fan set at medium.

This stove is in my family room of my 2500 sqft home. At this moment it is 18F outside, inside the house the thermostat for our propane furnace registers 69F.

Thanks again

 

[cantman]

How does the installer know where to set the "low draft" adjustment to if he doesn't draft test?
Is it just me or is this "the installer never draft tested my pellet stove" really annoying.
It's like taking your car to be inspected and having the mechanic say " Although the
service manual says to remove the tires and see if your brake pads need service, I
assume they are good because you didn't crash through the front of our building."
I don't know, I just think it's an important part of the install.

 

[GVA]

Hello everyone and thanks for helping me out the past two years.

This is my first post,

I have just installed (Sunday)the Harman XXV after two years of going back and forth between a corn burner or pellets. After much research and discussion I relized that for my situation, corn was going to be just as much work as heating with firewood. Also, I just could not bring myself to utilize a product so heavily subsidized by the goverment. Even when prices were low they were still inflated thru subsidies.

Anyway, I just sold my wood stove two weeks ago after eleven years of use. What a relief that was.

All I can say now is WOW! what a change. Same heat=less work=more play.

My question to all of you is what relation does the feed adjuster knob have in relation to the "one inch" of ash on the front of the burn pot, which indicates maximum heat output.
The 1" of ash from the edge is only to set your maximum feed rate.. most will not need this...
This is there to give you a reference point to what the highest setting on YOUR stove should be set to, to avoid wasting fuel and pushing burning pellets into the ashpan.. best bet as most here will tell you set it to 4 and adjust up or down IF needed...... Most will be between 3.5 and 4.5...

How does a setting of 5 differ from a setting of 3?
When the unit is calling for heat the auger will run based on a 60 second cycle, the feed knob numbers correspond to this.
setting of 3, means the auger will run for 30 seconds out of a minute.
setting of 5, means the auger will run for 50 seconds out of a minute.
NOTE..... this is when the unit is calling for heat (maintenance burn and the ESP will adjust feed rate regardless of this setting when trying to maintain room temp)
So far I have found that a higher number (6) means less ash then a setting of (4). Does this sound correct?
Yes....
But you are creating the same amount of ash regardless of setting.... It's just how close to the edge you are pushing the burning pellets..
I hope this makes sense....
What do fellow XXV owners have there feed adjuster knob set at?

I am burning "White Lightning" pellets, if that means anything.

Thank You!

 

[GVA]

How does the installer know where to set the "low draft" adjustment to if he doesn't draft test?
Is it just me or is this "the installer never draft tested my pellet stove" really annoying.
It's like taking your car to be inspected and having the mechanic say " Although the
service manual says to remove the tires and see if your brake pads need service, I
assume they are good because you didn't crash through the front of our building."
I don't know, I just think it's an important part of the install.

How true.... :long:
Don't know why so many skip this step..
I assume it is a direct vent out the side of the house, but still should be checked..

 

[Justaddwater]

Thanks GVA- Much appreiated.

The stove vent is a top vent to simulate a wood stove, which is what I replaced.

My chimney is a pre-fab and has an incredible natural "draw". When we heated with wood we had to keep the air adjustment as low as possible to keep the fire from over heating.

I don't know what affect this may or may not have on my xxv top vent or the draft control adjustment.

Once again thanks, everyone for your help. Your time is greatly appreciated!

 

[Southbridge06GT]

This was very informative. I just fired up my XXV for the first time tonight. It just got inspected two days ago. Thank you very much :coolsmile:

 

[newpelletstove]

Congrats, Southbridge, on your new XXV. I got mine on Feb 4, so I'm still learning what it can and can't do.

Everybody, for what it's worth, this is what I've been doing:

I keep the temp around 57F at night and while no one is home during the day, and turn it up to 65-70 in the evening. When I get home from work in the evening, I often turn my stove to Stove Temp Mode, High, feed rate = 6 and Temp = 7, to get maximum output to heat the place up. It seems to heat more on Stove Temp than on any setting on Room Temp (?).

My house is 1900 sq ft, mostly uninsulated and old, so the stove can't always keep the temp up when it's 20F or less outside. So I supplement with electric or oil at times. At bed time, I go to Room Temp Mode (still High), temp 57F, keep the feedrate at 6 (see no reason to reduce this, since I seem to maintain a good ash line and don't lose burning pellets to the ash pan). The stove does a great job of maintaining 57F all night.

BTW, my installer also didn't do a draft check, and I had him install a 2-story pipe going up from the stove. Could this be a problem ?

 

[Delta-T]

GVA is right on the money. Leaving the feed adjuster between 3 and 4ish is your "par for the course" setting. If you really want to max out the machine you can turn it up. Many times when people turn the adjuster below 3 it can trick the ESP probe in to thinking the stove is not working correctly because the exhaust temp will not match what the fuzzy logic circuit is expecting. This can caus ethe stove to go into a fault and set the status light blinking (5 times I think). As for the draft setting, even with a draft meter hooked up to the machine adjusting the draft potentiometer changes things very little. If you are at a high altitude this may need to be adjusted or if you are having problems with ignition (when burnpot is clean, free of debris,pellets not wet,ect.) A 1/4 turn of the draft adjuster can help. 99% of the time the factory setting is sufficient. Blindly turning the knob to see what happens is not going to help. Choosing Room Temp over Stove Temp is purely personal preference. The Max output of the machine is the same for either mode, you're just telling the machine to do 2 totally different things. If you want a constant output hour after hour choose Stove Temp and set your 1-7 according to your experience with the machine over a couple of hours use. I tell people to start at 3.5 (feed adjuster almost always at 3.5-4) and if you need more turn it up, less, turn it down. Room temp tells the machine to do what it thinks it needs to do to acheive and maintain whatever temp you have set the dial for. The greater the difference between that temp and the current temp of the room the higher the output of the machine. As it approaches the temp you've set it will slow down. Ignore that whole 1 inch of ash thing, I have no idea wht that is suppsed to mean at all. I put pellets in the machine, scrape burnpot 3-4 times a week and thats about it. I use the XXV in a 1300 sq. ft. space running in Stove Temp at about 4 (on the dial) for the early part of the day, and usually turn it down to 2.5 in the afternoon (sun shines in big window in the afternoon). This all keeps the space about 70-74 when its 20-30 outside. Everyone has a bit different variables and eveyone should experiment with the setting to find what they like but it usually doesnt change much to go turning the feed adjuster. Congrats on your new XXV's guys.

 

[tinkabranc]

Congrats on your new XXVs! Enjoy!

 

[newpelletstove]

Thanks Delta and tinkabranc.

The reason I believe I use a feed setting of 6 is because with 1900 sq ft of OLD house with mostly uninsulated walls (950 sq ft per floor x 2 floors), I can't always get the output I need otherwise. I need the full capacity of the stove to have any chance of heating my space. I have plugged holes, weatherstripped, got new windows, etc, but still need the full capacity much of the time. If it's 10F outside, the stove makes a big difference but can't make the house 65F - 70F on its own.

And as far as room vs. stove temp, you're probably right - to get it to stay with max output in room mode I probably need to ask for 90F. If it's 10F outside and I set the stove at 65F, because the difference between 65 and actual room is less than the difference between 90 and actual room, I believe I don't get as much of a fire. So I've been setting it at stove and 7 on those evenings when the full capacity won't reach 65. I could try room and 90.

BTW, I've now burned 2 bags of the Walmart Sparkman pellets ($4.94 for 40 lb bag) and they seem to burn well. Don't know if burning a ton would turn up some problems. They do have a bit more fines than Energex.

 

[Justaddwater]

Congrats, Southbridge, on your new XXV. I got mine on Feb 4, so I'm still learning what it can and can't do.

Everybody, for what it's worth, this is what I've been doing:

I keep the temp around 57F at night and while no one is home during the day, and turn it up to 65-70 in the evening. When I get home from work in the evening, I often turn my stove to Stove Temp Mode, High, feed rate = 6 and Temp = 7, to get maximum output to heat the place up. It seems to heat more on Stove Temp than on any setting on Room Temp (?).

My house is 1900 sq ft, mostly uninsulated and old, so the stove can't always keep the temp up when it's 20F or less outside. So I supplement with electric or oil at times. At bed time, I go to Room Temp Mode (still High), temp 57F, keep the feedrate at 6 (see no reason to reduce this, since I seem to maintain a good ash line and don't lose burning pellets to the ash pan). The stove does a great job of maintaining 57F all night.

BTW, my installer also didn't do a draft check, and I had him install a 2-story pipe going up from the stove. Could this be a problem ?

I installed my xxv on 1-13-08 and have averaged 1.4 bags per day. During cold weather I use the stove temp mode (4-5)for steady heat out put and our 2500 sqft will stay at 70-72. Feed rate of 4.

I tried using the room temp mode but seemed to go thru more pellets(during cold weather). One thing to keep in mind is to ignore the temp setting on the dial. I set an indoor thermometer next to my sensing prob and compared that temp to the room temp on the propane furnace state. If the room temp is 63 at the sensing prob location in my great room I set the room temp dial (on stove) at 63 and my furnace stat will read 70.

One note is that the temp dial on the stove (when in room temp mode) is very accurate. It has always read the same as the indoor temp thermometer setting next to the sensing prob. How do I know, well just for fun when the thermometer temp would fluctuate I would adjust the dial to the same temp and the flame hight/heat out put would remain constant.

Once we start getting warm days and cool nights I will go to room temp mode because I feel it will save on fuel big time!

Two cents.

Stove has been running flawless since start up.

 

[Southbridge06GT]

I burned a bag over 12 hours. is this normal? it was about 20 degrees last night. it was toasty in here last night. a constant 74. i turned the dial down to 70 this morning. feed rate is at 4. i'm thinking the stove had to get up to temp for its first fire.

 

[tinkabranc]

It all depends on your floorplan, insulation, etc...so many variables.

Normally I run my stove on feed 3-4 depending on pellet size, stove temp 4
and run the blower on medium. When it is freezing out, I put the blower
on high for a bit and run the ceiling fans backwards on low.

My XXV lives in my finished basement, but we have an open staircase to
the first floor so it also keeps the first floor fairly comfortable too, as long as
we keep the bedroom doors at the far end of the house open.
Home is a ranch, roughly about 2800sq ft total.

Have you tried to run the blower on high for a while? Any difference?

 

[Southbridge06GT]

the fan has only been on high

 

[newpelletstove]

Congrats, Southbridge, on your new XXV. I got mine on Feb 4, so I'm still learning what it can and can't do.

Everybody, for what it's worth, this is what I've been doing:

I keep the temp around 57F at night and while no one is home during the day, and turn it up to 65-70 in the evening. When I get home from work in the evening, I often turn my stove to Stove Temp Mode, High, feed rate = 6 and Temp = 7, to get maximum output to heat the place up. It seems to heat more on Stove Temp than on any setting on Room Temp (?).

My house is 1900 sq ft, mostly uninsulated and old, so the stove can't always keep the temp up when it's 20F or less outside. So I supplement with electric or oil at times. At bed time, I go to Room Temp Mode (still High), temp 57F, keep the feedrate at 6 (see no reason to reduce this, since I seem to maintain a good ash line and don't lose burning pellets to the ash pan). The stove does a great job of maintaining 57F all night.

BTW, my installer also didn't do a draft check, and I had him install a 2-story pipe going up from the stove. Could this be a problem ?

I installed my xxv on 1-13-08 and have averaged 1.4 bags per day. During cold weather I use the stove temp mode (4-5)for steady heat out put and our 2500 sqft will stay at 70-72. Feed rate of 4.

I tried using the room temp mode but seemed to go thru more pellets(during cold weather). One thing to keep in mind is to ignore the temp setting on the dial. I set an indoor thermometer next to my sensing prob and compared that temp to the room temp on the propane furnace state. If the room temp is 63 at the sensing prob location in my great room I set the room temp dial (on stove) at 63 and my furnace stat will read 70.

One note is that the temp dial on the stove (when in room temp mode) is very accurate. It has always read the same as the indoor temp thermometer setting next to the sensing prob. How do I know, well just for fun when the thermometer temp would fluctuate I would adjust the dial to the same temp and the flame hight/heat out put would remain constant.

Once we start getting warm days and cool nights I will go to room temp mode because I feel it will save on fuel big time!

Two cents.

Stove has been running flawless since start up.

Hey Justaddwater, your house is obviously much better insulated than mine. Glad you can be so toasty with so many square feet and a setting less than maximum !!

I had the same issue with my probe reading different than my furnace thermostat. Like you, I put an indoor thermometer right next to the probe. I relocated the probe and thermometer to the floor behind the stove (the installer put the probe right under the stove). Now my furnace thermostat reads very close (within a degree or two) of where I set the Harman room-temp dial, so I think I'm getting great control.

 

[Southbridge06GT]

I burned a bag in 24 hous now much better tamp is at 70 and feed is at 3.5

 

[fico720]

Hello. I just came across this site and it looks like a great source of info. I am leaning towards a pellet stove (Harman XXV) vs a wood stove and was wondering for the ones that just got one, where you purchased yours from and what price range did you get yours for? Thanks

 

[Tom D]

i bought my xxv in sept. feed rate set at 3.5 when its below 20 deg. when its 10 deg. or colder will burn 1.5 bags a day.

heat about 1250 square feet home my wife watches grand kids. keep house on average 74 deg. since october i burned 140 bags. where i
buy my pellets its 60 bags per pallet. depending what kind its any where between 150 per ton to 200.00 i bought 3 tons have about
450.00 invested. last year heated house for 780.00 natural gas. keeping house warmer and not paying big gas and oil co.
paid 3200.00 for stove had custom painted by dealer 200.00 dollars leaves painted in fall colors. 400.00 installed direct vent.
pound for pound still i think best built and best looking stove on market. my opinion only.no problem with stove yet. i know
pellet stoves do and will have problems with parts,but what doesnt. still love the heat. any body have there xxv hooked up to
set back thermostat and what model and how do you like it. and how do you hook it up.

 

[newpelletstove]

Hello. I just came across this site and it looks like a great source of info. I am leaning towards a pellet stove (Harman XXV) vs a wood stove and was wondering for the ones that just got one, where you purchased yours from and what price range did you get yours for? Thanks

Hey Fico,

I'm in Upstate NY too, north of Albany. I bought from The Fireplace Company in Lake George, 668-9300. I found them competent and reasonably knowledgeable. The stove itself was $3,300 plus tax. I had a vent pipe run up through 2 stories, so my installation was more $ than for many folks. My overall cost, with all parts, labor, taxes, etc was about $5,500. I agree with Misty that it appears to be a well-built unit. I saw an XXV at a friend's house before I bought. Everyone's conditions are different, but I think I will save $700 - 900 a year at current prices.

 

[GVA]

any body have there xxv hooked up to
set back thermostat and what model and how do you like it. and how do you hook it up.

Here's a thread about the subject and what Harman recommended.
Maybe PM some of the people that did the conversion..
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/7790/