Harman XXV (My first Pellet Stove)

[cantman]

Well, after three weeks of trial and error with my new stove, I'm getting the hang of it.
First and foremost, DAILY cleaning and maintenance are essential. My system consists of 17'
of vertical 4" Pellet Vent Pro with a 4" clean out "T" and an outside air kit consisting of 4" flexible
ducting (15'). I finally have been able to get about 24 hours out of a 40# bag of pellets. The stove's
settings are room temp mode/pellet feed of 2.75/temp of 68 degrees with a setback of 57 degrees
overnight. (Honeywell thermostat) I am heating my office which is about 700 SF and very poorly
insulated. One of my concerns was that this would be too big of a stove for this space but I couldn't
be happier with my choice. The office heats up quickly and feels very cozy. Here are my two questions.
First, is there a chance I get too much combustion draft? I have adjusted the low draft adjustment pot
as low as it will go and I still seem to burn a very hot fire. (tested with Magnehelic myself)
Has anyone ever put a adjustable damper on the combustion air intake? Fantech does have a "Iris"
damper which is adjustable. (will not fully close though) Second question, is the accumulation at the front
of my burn pot ash or clinkers? I'll try to describe it as thoroughly as possible. The accumulation happens
when the stove calls for heat after a long maintenance burn and has to raise the temperature more than just
a few degrees. The accumulation looks like ash, but it is very very slightly stuck together. I can very very
easily crush and scrape it. It is fluffy. I'm assuming this is ash, but would this be categorized as "clinkers"?
Thanks for bearing with my ramblings!

 

[webbie]

Clinkers are just fused ash - which can happen for a number of reasons, in this case not really meaning anything much. One of the advantages of the Harman bottom feed is that these usually get pushed off by the new ash/pellets/auger. I suspect it is a combo of pellet type and, as you mention, the exact heat setting.

There is such thing as too much combustion air (draft) - this can result in a lower efficiency since the air to fuel ratio ends up being too high (too much airflow though a stove means too much heat out the chimney). However, I certainly am not experienced at adjusting that stove or even knowing what needs to be adjusted for a proper setting.

 

[Xena]

Has anyone ever put a adjustable damper on the combustion air intake? Fantech does have a "Iris"
damper which is adjustable....

I can't even come close to answering your questions, but I'd look
into whether or not messing with the stock damper could void your warranty.
Enjoy that stove!

 

[cantman]

It seems that getting an efficient burn with low ash and adequate heat output is
a balancing act with the pellet feed, intake air level, distribution blower level,
and room temp/stove temp mode. I have been running this stove in "room temp" mode
with the igniter set to "manual" and running with a maintenance burn. (with setback thermostat)
Tomorrow, I will start experimenting with "stove temp" mode with automatic ignition and see
if I notice any heat output or pellet usage differences.

 

[GVA]

It seems that getting an efficient burn with low ash and adequate heat output is
a balancing act with the pellet feed, intake air level, distribution blower level,
and room temp/stove temp mode. I have been running this stove in "room temp" mode
with the igniter set to "manual" and running with a maintenance burn. (with setback thermostat)
Tomorrow, I will start experimenting with "stove temp" mode with automatic ignition and see
if I notice any heat output or pellet usage differences.

Tough call...
The setback t-stat works with the room temp sensor.
Going to stove temp will ignore the setback...
The best way I can describe a clinker is it looks like a hunk of charcoal..... And it usually tries to become part of the burnpot.....