Harman XXV ignitor hardly works and starting via firestarter gel is a bearcat

[BGStG1aholic]

My XXV is 9 years old and this has been going on for the last 7 years at least. I run the stove on the continuous mode, not with the room temp mode so it does'nt keep shutting off an relighting. Switches are on "stove temp" and ignitor is on "automatic"

When I shut the stove down to clean it, it hardly ever lights up with the ignitor and when it does, many times the unburnt pellets will overflow outta the burn bin then sometimes it will start but I usually have to use firestarter gel because after 15 minutes or whatever the stove has blinking lights and it shuts down, When I use the firestarter gel (imperial from Lowes) it is usually a hassle getting the flame to take hold. It is usually a VERY lazy flame with no apparent draft to feed the fire and it usually goes out untill I keep squirting the gel into the burn bin repeatedly to get the pellets going again apparently due to lack of oxygen getting fed to the pit. Finally it will take hold and start burning on one side while not burning on the opposite side until the fire spreads. I have cleaned the ESB probe, replaced the probe and this has no effect on starting. I have replaced the ignitor twice with no better startup. I even replaced the control board and that did'nt help. The seal on the hopper seems to be in good shape as it alters the flame bigtime when I open the hopper.

I asked my local Harman dealer service man if I may need a new rope gasket on the door and he said that has nothing to do with the fire getting ignited. It's kinda weird tho that everytime I clean my stove or open and shut the door that immediately after that the ignitor won't work and it's hard to start with gel. If I have the door closed for hours while running the stove, then shut it down and DO NOT open the door it will lotsa times start back up using the ignitor.

Seems to me that the burning fire may put soot around the door seal and if I don't open the door the the seal stays intact but if I open the door then it breaks the seal. I presented that question to my Harman tech and as I said earlier, He said that has nothing to do with ignition.

I'm a bit frustrated on this matter as I'm going thru a lot of gel firestarter not to mention the hassle.

Even tho the rope seal looks good and is clean as I vacumn it gently everytime I clean the stove it seems to me that's the cause but was told different by the professional Harman tech.

I'm getting a bit fed up with this EXPENSIVE pretty stove that does NOT work correctly, I even have problems with the dist. fan as my last one only lasted 13 months, is a REAL BEARCAT to remove and harder to install and costs over $350 a pop

I'm about ready to sell this lemon and go back to a wood stove or another brand of pellet stove, I've been fighting this thing for years now....pert near ever since brand new and I've got a friend who bought a cheap other brand and he has had ZERO problems with it so that REALLY bumbs me out with my lovely beautiful XXV, Sure is purdy but don't work worth a darn

I've replaced EVERYTHING at least once except for the auger motor

These pics are me trying to light it with gel for the fourth time till it finally got some draft going and lit

 

[DAKSY]

Check the fines box cover gasket. My P43 exhibited this same symptom & replacing the fines box cover solved it.

 

[BGStG1aholic]

Check the fines box cover gasket. My P43 exhibited this same symptom & replacing the fines box cover solved it.

Thanks, for the tip I will try that. I keep it clean and it's not damaged at all but the gasket type of material does look a bit compressed so maybe that's it. I don't suppose they sell the gasket separate. ??

Thanks for the positive tip !!

 

[Tim_M]

I have the same luck trying to use the igniter on my Accentra so have given up and and now light it manually. I run mine on room temp/manual, and I’ve found that if I leave the door open just a crack for the first 5-10 minutes after lighting it gives the pellets time to start burning. Otherwise the starter fluid burns off quickly and the fire goes out.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

My XXV is 9 years old and this has been going on for the last 7 years at least. I run the stove on the continuous mode, not with the room temp mode so it does'nt keep shutting off an relighting. Switches are on "stove temp" and ignitor is on "automatic"

When I shut the stove down to clean it, it hardly ever lights up with the ignitor and when it does, many times the unburnt pellets will overflow outta the burn bin then sometimes it will start but I usually have to use firestarter gel because after 15 minutes or whatever the stove has blinking lights and it shuts down, When I use the firestarter gel (imperial from Lowes) it is usually a hassle getting the flame to take hold. It is usually a VERY lazy flame with no apparent draft to feed the fire and it usually goes out untill I keep squirting the gel into the burn bin repeatedly to get the pellets going again apparently due to lack of oxygen getting fed to the pit. Finally it will take hold and start burning on one side while not burning on the opposite side until the fire spreads. I have cleaned the ESB probe, replaced the probe and this has no effect on starting. I have replaced the ignitor twice with no better startup. I even replaced the control board and that did'nt help. The seal on the hopper seems to be in good shape as it alters the flame bigtime when I open the hopper.

I asked my local Harman dealer service man if I may need a new rope gasket on the door and he said that has nothing to do with the fire getting ignited. It's kinda weird tho that everytime I clean my stove or open and shut the door that immediately after that the ignitor won't work and it's hard to start with gel. If I have the door closed for hours while running the stove, then shut it down and DO NOT open the door it will lotsa times start back up using the ignitor.

Seems to me that the burning fire may put soot around the door seal and if I don't open the door the the seal stays intact but if I open the door then it breaks the seal. I presented that question to my Harman tech and as I said earlier, He said that has nothing to do with ignition.

I'm a bit frustrated on this matter as I'm going thru a lot of gel firestarter not to mention the hassle.

Even tho the rope seal looks good and is clean as I vacumn it gently everytime I clean the stove it seems to me that's the cause but was told different by the professional Harman tech.

I'm getting a bit fed up with this EXPENSIVE pretty stove that does NOT work correctly, I even have problems with the dist. fan as my last one only lasted 13 months, is a REAL BEARCAT to remove and harder to install and costs over $350 a pop

I'm about ready to sell this lemon and go back to a wood stove or another brand of pellet stove, I've been fighting this thing for years now....pert near ever since brand new and I've got a friend who bought a cheap other brand and he has had ZERO problems with it so that REALLY bumbs me out with my lovely beautiful XXV, Sure is purdy but don't work worth a darn

I've replaced EVERYTHING at least once except for the auger motor

These pics are me trying to light it with gel for the fourth time till it finally got some draft going and lit

View attachment 322219 View attachment 322220

Two suggestions on lighting your stove. I’ve got a P43 and Accentra Insert and always light them manually.

I buy 91% rubbing alcohol and put two handfuls of pellets in a plastic container. I pour some of the rubbing alcohol onto the pellets. You don’t need a lot of alcohol. I soak them for about 20 minutes stirring them occasionally. I pour the entire contents into the burn pot and light them with a long lighter. Keeping the door open, I turn on the stove and shut then shut the door slowly after the pellets are burning. Sometimes I don’t shut the door all the way until the pellets are burning nicely. Works pretty well for me and I’ve been doing it this way for over 25 years.

Another way is to use a small butane torch. Just light the pellets manually but it takes about two minutes for the pellets to light.

 

[DAKSY]

Thanks, for the tip I will try that. I keep it clean and it's not damaged at all but the gasket type of material does look a bit compressed so maybe that's it. I don't suppose they sell the gasket separate. ??

Thanks for the positive tip !!

The only time I bought one the gasket was attached to a new cover.

 

[gfreek]

I start my P38+ by : turning on the stove, putting a cup of pellets in the burn pot, adding Rutland starter gel, mix it together with the Harman cleaning tool, add more gel, light it, leave the door open a crack, you'll see a long flame, then after a few minutes close the door and it should continue after the ESP reaches temperature..

 

[LobsterParty]

Found this post at random...
I have a possible answer as I experienced this problem myself and solved it .
Sometimes brands of pellets make a super fine ash that goes into the tiny holes of the burn pot slide. I burned 50 bags, it really filled up the inside of burn pot area where my harman accentra insert , ignition coil was absolutely covered , it's a bunch of round disc's and it was entirely insulated and wouldn't start the fire for me anymore.

I bought a special soft brush and it's cone shaped with paintbrush style bristles and I stick it in there and go to town with my vacuum,
Problem solved, fire starts up rapidly now.

Also, I kinda got used to starting my pellet stove with the plumbers propane torch lately

 

[Oregun]

I have XXV stove also. Try cleaning the burnpot then insert an appropriate sized allen wrench into each of the bottom two rows of the holes in the burn pot and rotate the allen to open up the holes. Then open up the igniter compartment below the burn pot and clean out excess ash/debris. Take a screwdriver and rake the fins several times on the igniter to knock loose any debris.
Close up the igniter compartment and start the stove normally. If the pellets still don't ignite then replace the igniter.

 

[MarkF48]

While doing a routine ash dump and clean of my XXV as related to the burn pot and ignitor area.......

- 'Feed Adjuster' is set to 'Test' for most of the cleaning which helps prevent ash dust from entering room.
- Scrape down top of burn pot to remove hardened chunks
- Vacuum out burn pot.
- With flashlight check vent holes in burn pot and clean as necessary
- With ignitor cover plate removed, use finger to sweep out bottom of ignitor box.
- Using a flexible rubber hose about 2 feet in length, insert one end into the ignitor box and direct towards the ignitor. Blow through the hose to clear ash off the ignitor (doing this may result in a cloud of ash dust, so keep your face away when doing this The 'Test' mode should help exhaust ash dust out of the stove).
- Button it all back up and reset the 'Feed Adjuster' to its normal setting.
- If the ignitor is working properly, the fastest method I've found to get fire quickly is a small handful of dry sawdust thrown in the burn pot and do a normal auto start of the stove. The fine sawdust tends to ignite easily which aids getting the pellets burning.