Harmon Pellet Pro

[Oztimer]

Just purchased a Pellet Pro through an auction after reviewing Harman Stoves on their site as well as a few forums rated them very highly. Can’t see where it says it’s a Pro 2 though, however the manual downloaded from Harman looks like the same unit. I’m new to pellet stoves but have had wood stoves since before the airtight upgrades. It seems the first thing to do when converting to pellet stoves is forget everything you know about wood stoves. Lol, having looked thru the manual and compared to the unit, initial observations are the 3 fire bricks are missing, thermostat missing as well as the scraper. I’m hoping that these parts are available direct or Canadian distributor, Manual thermostat not big issue but wondering if new wireless upgrade would work? I will follow the manual for recommendations to clean the unit throughly and test for operation before installation. But I’m wondering if there are any other things to check for during these procedures to ensure a safe and happy installation? One thing I’ve noticed is the chimney installation recommends not more than 2 elbows in flue, being my installation will be in the basement I think mine will have 3, one at back of stove, one at exit point (above) thru the foundation wall and one outside the wall to allow for a 3’ stack. Will this be an issue. My house is old and far from airtight so don’t think fresh air flow will be a problem. The Serial number of my unit is WHI 002051 if that helps discern any info? Thanks for any info and guidance you can offer, Mike.

 

[rickwai]

As long as you have proper ground clearance there is no reason to go up once you get outside. You have plenty of vert. rise w/ a basement install

 

[rickwai]

I dont have any input on the stove. I have not worked on one that old.

 

[Oztimer]

Thanks, I was wondering that after viewing install and maintenance info, the amount of ground clearance outside is about 18". Being old school airtight was thinking needed stack. That's one question solved. Hoping for more input to troubleshoot before install. The unit itself looks in fairly good shape for its age I guess. Will be able to tell better once I hook up some hydro see what works and what doesn't. Should probably find distributor close by and pay them a visit once this Covid mess settles down. Thanks again.

 

[Washed-Up]

Any photos of the stove you can post?
I used to have one and I work on it from time to time, it’s across the street now.

 

[Oztimer]

Any photos of the stove you can post?
I used to have one and I work on it from time to time, it’s across the street now.

I'll see what I can come up with today and add to the post. Thanks good idea.

 

[Oztimer]

Ok managed to get some photos of the stove. Once I opened the ash tray compartment and cleaned out the massive mouse nest I found 2 of the fire bricks and 2 metal kind of triangle shaped metal pieces? Not sure where they go. I see that it needs a good clean out and vacuuming before i put hydro to see what fans , motors etc work and what Doesn't! The ash tray seems fairly sturdy still will know better after a good scrape and brush out. Should I paint it with BBQ paint or leave it natural?

 

[Washed-Up]

Well, that’s a pellet pro 2, in decent shape I’d say. The 2 pieces you found in the firebox should actually be one piece, it’s the flame guide for the burn pot. With a bit of cleaning and a part or 2 hop
you’ll have great heat out of that.

 

[Washed-Up]

Here’s a copy of the manual

https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/Pellet_Pro_II.pdf

 

[Oztimer]

Thanks, upon further inspection today doing pictures, I came to realize that they gave her a squirt of flat black paint to clean it up on the outside but other than a good clean and blow out will see how electronics work. Thanks for the link to the manual as well, I’ll follow the directions for yearly service etc and see how it goes. Should I see if I can get the broken pieces welded, or order new ones? Or can they go back into place without much malfunction the way they are.

 

[Oztimer]

Oh another question, I noticed inside the hopper where the pieces come together there seems like there was some kind of sealer applied to the joints which have now opened up a bit. Should I reseal. Probably would help with dust and debris coming out, but not sure what to use for this task?

 

[Washed-Up]

Yeah, clean the seams up with alcohol and use a silicone sealant. Here is a link for the flame guide....that one you have is toast and it’s a consumable part.

https://pellethead.com/product/harman-heatilator-ecochoice-flame-guide-aftermarket/

 

[Oztimer]

Sounds good ! Thanks, I assume since your in Alta., these guys ship up here. I had a quick look at site that parts on sale was gonna order but seen free shipping over so much, think ill wait till tomorrow and put some power to the stove see what else I might need motor wise. Thanks for the quidance, will keep you advised as to how I'm progressing greatly appreciated.

 

[Washed-Up]

There is also this in Ontario

Harman Flame Guides (3-00-08534 / 3-00-03000 / 3-00-06644)

This is the official OEM Harman Pellet Stove replacement Flame Guides and pellet insert fireplaces. This is not an aftermarket part from a different

friendlyfires.ca

 

[rickwai]

Looks like the same stove body Harman used for the coal stoves

 

[Tim_M]

I’ve been burning my Invincible T for almost 10 years now. I think it’s Harman’s successor to your Pellet Pro 2, and it shares the same control board and probably some other components too. It’s been a great stove over the time I’ve owned it, and I’ve had relatively few problems with it considering its age and that I burn it almost 24/7 for most of the winter. Here are a few things I’ve learned about it that are probably applicable to your Pellet Pro 2:

It’s important to have a good air seal at the hopper lid and also where the hopper connects to the stove body. If air is drawn in through the hopper/auger tube it can promote the flame to burn down in the throat of the auger tube where it meets the burn pot, and over time this can cause holes to burn through the auger tube. I learned this the hard way but was able to patch mine up a few years ago. In my case a new lid gasket fixed the issue. I would recommend you replace yours before burning, and seal up the area where the hopper meets the stove.

My Invincible has an “enhanced” expansion card soldered to the main control board. From your pictures it looks like the Pellet Pro 2 does as well. I think Harman added this as a safety feature that causes the auger to pulse every minute or so during the shut down sequence, to prevent burn-back. (Maybe that was the difference between the original Pellet Pro and the Pellet Pro 2?). Anyway, I think the connection between the 2 cards is prone to shorting out over time. Mine did a few years back, which scorched that area of the board and disabled the stove until I could get it repaired. The guy who fixed it specialized in these repairs and said he had seen a lot of them do the same thing. I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do to prevent it but it’s something to be aware of. Maybe you will have better luck than me. There’s a thread on here about swapping out the board on your model for one for a newer model, I think a P61. I’ll try to post the link if I can find it.

I’ve always burned mine on the Stove Temp mode at the lowest heat setting so I’m not sure how a thermostat would work.

Good luck with your new stove. It’s a classic.

 

[Tim_M]

Here’s a link to the thread I was referring to about updating the control board on your stove:

Updating the Controls in the Harman Pellet Pro II.

Hello Anyone try doing this? It works well once I got the manual feed adjust set properly. :) Harman Pellet Pro II Updated to work with new P61 Manual Circuit board and P61 Wire Harness. The combustion blower was also updated with the quick change housing and a new OEM Harman combustion blower...

www.hearth.com

 

[Harmanbob]

Just cruising the forum and came across your post on PP2. You still got it? How did it work for you ? I have had a PP2 for 28 years. Do all my own maintainence on it. I think it’s the best stove Harman made. No bells and whistles and easy to maintain. Live in BC. Let me know if you need any info.