We just purchased a new home that has a Harmon Accentra insert. I have been cleaning as instructed. Just yesterday we started hearing strange noises coming from the combustion motor. I noticed the stove was manufactured in 2006, I'm wondering if there are bearings or bushings that may need to be replaced. It may be time to replace this blower. Also, where is the flame sensor located ?
Harmon Accentra Insert
- Thread starter jmcvinnie
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Lake Girl
Moderator
Forgot to say welcome to the forum! The Harman website has owner resources to access. Hope this helps!
http://downloads.hearthnhome.com/communications/AccentraInsertCleaningInstructions.pdf
http://downloads.hearthnhome.com/communications/AccentraInsertCleaningInstructions.pdf
Appreciate the welcome. Did review the Harman cleaning info that you recommended. I've done most of that work, what I haven't done is cleaning the fan blades and I have not cleaned ESP probe. I ordered a replacement combustion motor off of ebay, when I got home yesterday the blower had stop
Making noise. I guess we will have a spare. I took a picture of my burn pot, wondering if the buildup of ash is typical, I'm burning Lumberjack pellets. I appreciate all feedback. Thanks
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Lake Girl
Moderator
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
Looks like a quite a bit of ash.....you want to pull that ash down into the ash pan as so not to smother the flame or interfere with the flames.
pellets are funny. some of the hottest are the ashiest but you will learn which brands to use or stay away from in time.
I have a free standing Harman stove so not familiar with Inserts.....but as far as blower motor, get a 2" paint brush and use that to clean the blower blades with a shop vac sucking up much of the ash.
on a free standing, we remove a plate behind the ash pan which give access to the tunnel where the ESP probe lives...
in either case, insert or not, best thing to use is a long bristtle brush..[think of a bottle washer] and gently run the brush back/forth over the probe..
some people remove it regularly and wipe it with some cleaning product but I don't think that is necessary as the probe does NOT get a build up of carbon on it like the burnpot does.
just powdery ash residue easily removed with a brush. Don't need to go OCD...
As far as motor noise, mine sometimes will make some noise which at times was actually one of the back metal covers viabrating and sounding like motor noise.
other times I have turned the blower knob down and slowly turned it back up again and noise gone.... but that just means I really didn't have a blower motor problem/..hopefully you didn't either..
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Lake Girl
Moderator
Keep the old one and see if you can rehab it for back-up
When was the last time venting and internal exhaust pathways cleaned? Do you have a SS liner to the top of the chimney?
Lake Girl
Moderator
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
btw:
this will show you that not all pellet reviews are equal so test a few bags of everything u can get your hands on..
#1
Sunday, 22 February
Lumberjack is the worst pellets I have ever used, they are extremely ashy and put out quite a bit of creosote. The burn pot would fill with very hard ash and pellets would end up overflowing because of this, they plugged my chimney and coated the impellers on the combustion fan so bad that it couldn't move air in an efficient manner. Also the fines were so bad that the auger plugged up. I maintain my stove to the highest degree, clean it daily and maintain as the manufacturer recommends it should be maintained. The heat output is very poor even at the highest setting the fan would cycle on and off because temperature could not be maintained also I had to clean the burn pot every eight hours. I only ran these pellets for a week but purchased a ton unfortunately and will be burning them in a barrel this summer thats all they are good for. Maybe they would work so, so in a multi-fuel stove.
#2
Friday, 04 November
I run 4 different pellet stoves 2 at home and 2 at my business. Lumberjack is the best pellet I could find for my Bixby and US stove. It also does very well in breckwell big E and Cumberland. Nice consistent clean pellet. Definately a hotter & better buring pellet. 4 pellets to avoid are ozark, michigan, Marth, and Indeck (worst on btus, ash, consitency and stove operation) in my opinion.
this will show you that not all pellet reviews are equal so test a few bags of everything u can get your hands on..
#1
Sunday, 22 February
Lumberjack is the worst pellets I have ever used, they are extremely ashy and put out quite a bit of creosote. The burn pot would fill with very hard ash and pellets would end up overflowing because of this, they plugged my chimney and coated the impellers on the combustion fan so bad that it couldn't move air in an efficient manner. Also the fines were so bad that the auger plugged up. I maintain my stove to the highest degree, clean it daily and maintain as the manufacturer recommends it should be maintained. The heat output is very poor even at the highest setting the fan would cycle on and off because temperature could not be maintained also I had to clean the burn pot every eight hours. I only ran these pellets for a week but purchased a ton unfortunately and will be burning them in a barrel this summer thats all they are good for. Maybe they would work so, so in a multi-fuel stove.
#2
Friday, 04 November
I run 4 different pellet stoves 2 at home and 2 at my business. Lumberjack is the best pellet I could find for my Bixby and US stove. It also does very well in breckwell big E and Cumberland. Nice consistent clean pellet. Definately a hotter & better buring pellet. 4 pellets to avoid are ozark, michigan, Marth, and Indeck (worst on btus, ash, consitency and stove operation) in my opinion.
alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
Worth watching/look see :
<iframe width="1175" height="524" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ANCoZ2HUcjE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="1175" height="524" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ANCoZ2HUcjE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Certain burning conditions and / or pellets will cause ash build up like that. Quick pot scrapes will take care of all that stuff. As Tony mentioned just pull it into the ash pan and off of the burn pot. If I am burning low and slow I will usually keep an eye or do it as required.
No idea about quality of Lumberjacks but some pellets produce much more ash and mess than others.
No idea about quality of Lumberjacks but some pellets produce much more ash and mess than others.
I clean every Sunday, I do include running a brush through the internal vent chambers. I have not cleaned the Chimney vent, which is a SST liner to the top of the Chimney. ThanksKeep the old one and see if you can rehab it for back-up
I did speak to a couple different dealerships on this issue as well, one was very helpful the other not so much. The knowledgable one told me to inspect the end of the auger to make sure it is the proper length. If it is to short it can not push the pellets up far enough to get a proper burn. He also mentioned to see if there where 5 air holes in the burn pot next to the pellet tube or auger. Sounds like Harman did this for a short time and then corrected it when they found out it was burning off the end of the auger. If I have this problem it will require a major rebuild to replace all the impacted parts. He said Harman has been covering all parts in these situations. I hope this is not my problem. Will inspect the burn pot for these air holes and auger length during my next clean. I appreciate all the great feedback from the members. Thanks
My take on that picture is you have a large air leak in the hopper, because the burning is happening at the end, and likley in, the auger and xfer tube. This condition will compromise the weldment over time and grind the carbon there until there is a hole in the xfer tube.
Eliminate the air leaks to the hopper (gasket, hinge adjustments, pellets jammed under hinges, etc.)
This will move the burn up onto the ramp in front of the air holes where it should be.
Eliminate the air leaks to the hopper (gasket, hinge adjustments, pellets jammed under hinges, etc.)
This will move the burn up onto the ramp in front of the air holes where it should be.
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
I was waiting to respond until I had mine replaced under warranty today. My stove is only a year old and the combustion motor started making noise and rattling the stove. The tech said it's easier just to replace the motor and there is no place to lubricate it due to its a magnetic bearing versus a wheel bearing on a car. I'm sitting in my living room liking my stove a lot more than I'd did the past few weeks.
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
NOTE:
if you look at the cleaning video, check out the Ash pan removal...
they pull OUT the " I can't believe it's so small" ash pan, but few seconds later you see the ash pan being emptied into a metal can BUT, it is the Big ash pan from the P series Harman free standing models.
Checked the lid and gasket, gasket is in great condition and door appears to be fully closed and sealed. Any other ideas. Thanks.
Anywhere in the hopper where two surfaces meet can be suspect; check the sealant, and rtv spots that are a void.
Sometime the ears are more useful to listen for air leaks.
Also after shut down, check around the the end of the auger to see if the surrounding metal has been breached already.
No sign of any leaks. Not seeing anyajor wear around the tune, I did notice the tip of auger is burn
Took a few pictures of auger and burn pot. Any thoughts to why the end of the auger is burnt off?
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![[Hearth.com] Harmon Accentra Insert](/talk/data/attachments/173/173655-52938cc893274c8287179a2e34b8dd5a.jpg?hash=kxeGajGYZl)
![[Hearth.com] Harmon Accentra Insert](/talk/data/attachments/173/173658-764ea28e5acdc4f1b725ba944f0bd1d1.jpg?hash=wHdJ8FIhEY)
Yup you've got problems there. It appears you have a cracked weldment and maybe a bad auger. That crack in the bottom of the auger tube is causing you a vacuum leak and probably a lazy flame. It's a major disassembly of the stove to fix it. I'm pretty certain the tip of your auger is missing too...hard to tell in your photo.
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Ye
The tip of the auger is definitely missing, how big of a job is it to repair?
Do a search using the word "weldment" and you will see my thread and others regarding the issue. I did it on my older Invincible but I'm thinking an insert would be just as tough.
I did not notice any crack in the tube weldment. I could easily see the crack in the pictures that were posted in other older threads. Is there any chance there may be something else causing this problem? Also, I'm in NW Wisconsin and need the stove to heat the house, can I safely run this another couple months? What are the biggest issue this will cause ? Thanks.
Maybe I'm seeing things in your pic. If you say that's not a crack in the auger tube right where the burn pot mates with it then you are probably ok to run it. Can you take another pic with better lighting when you get a chance? The crack I think I see is between 6 and 7 o'clock. Nobody else says they see it so maybe you are ok
Here are a couple more pics. I think you are seeing where the tube meets up against the mounting plate for the feeder assembly. There's a weld and a small lip from the tube. I cleaned this with a flat bladed screw driver and what looks like a crack , is just a deep scratch from the screw driver. To make sure, I will check again this weekend. What's the chances I don't have a crack in the feeder assembly but have a leak between the feeder assembly and burn pot weldment. Could this just be loose and not sealing on the burn pot gasket. How can this be checked? Thanks again. Very knowledgable folks on this forum.
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![[Hearth.com] Harmon Accentra Insert](/talk/data/attachments/173/173723-a7a7072389e83d1783c01a151a568efb.jpg?hash=kxeGajGYZl)
![[Hearth.com] Harmon Accentra Insert](/talk/data/attachments/173/173724-7c24d3d15d8b579a572da759e21a6ae1.jpg?hash=MOjONE__1a)
Yeah, wouldn't hurt to make up a new burnpot gasket and see what that does, but the extent of the char there is indicative of a lot of air getting in.
IF that bright line is indeed well sealed with a weld, should be ok, else it has to be corrected. If cracked, it could be more symptomatic than causual.
The auger itself looks good to me.
If there is a jet of flame near that area still, or burning going on at the auger there is an air leak.
Maybe a part of the hopper assembly missed its RTV? Since new..?
Well when the burn pot is off, consider buzzing that suspect area on the weldment with a mini wire wheel to clean it up and be most certain.
Whatevery the root cause is, I suspect its been there for a good while.
IF that bright line is indeed well sealed with a weld, should be ok, else it has to be corrected. If cracked, it could be more symptomatic than causual.
The auger itself looks good to me.
If there is a jet of flame near that area still, or burning going on at the auger there is an air leak.
Maybe a part of the hopper assembly missed its RTV? Since new..?
Well when the burn pot is off, consider buzzing that suspect area on the weldment with a mini wire wheel to clean it up and be most certain.
Whatevery the root cause is, I suspect its been there for a good while.
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