How to get higher temperature from Harmon P43?

[Danno_99]

Hey all,
I've been having issues with my stove just getting started and staying lit, but those issues have been resolved.
Now I find that I can't get the temperature high enough in my home. My thermostat is set to 72 most of the time, but at night the stove will only heat up to 71 degrees (or so) which means that my propane heat kicks on, AND, I'm burning pellets for nothing?
Are they any links or suggestions on how to increase the temperature? My stove is set to Stove temp, feeder set to around 3, and the temp options maxxed.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[gutlo]

1. Try turning up the distribution blower speed.
2. Try changing pellets. I've had good luck with Curran pellets. I've had bad luck with Green Supreme.
3. Clean the stove. Pay special attention to the heat exchanger. Use stainless steel pot scrubber or a brass bristle brush.
4. Make sure your ESP probe is clean. If it's dirty, it won't call for the stove to get hot.

 

[Mt Bob]

It's not a house heater, it is a room heater.
When "calling for heat", your flames should be from the burn pot to the top of the stove.
What is your ash line like, per the manual?

 

[bogieb]

What is the fan speed? Placing it on high will let you get maximum heat out of the stove.

I'll assume that the toggle switch is on auto (if it isn't, then it should be). Auto, when in manual means it will auto-light, but won't go out after that unless it runs out of fuel.

If at night the flame is staying tall (ie, not idling), It may be the pellets (either they are long or they are not high quality), in which case try setting the feed rate to 4. If using small pellets, I use feed rate 3 - when they are long, I use feed rate 4.

If the above doesn't help, try putting the stove in room temp H, feed rate at 4, make sure the room probe is in a good place - not next to stove and not against an exterior wall, and set the temp dial to about 80. Does that increase the heat output? If so, then turn the temp dial down to where it is comfortable and run it like that (you can flip the switch to manual if you don't want it to go out).

 

[zrock]

i would definitely try different pellets i get a noticeable difference in different brands at the same settings even year to year i get a difference in heat using the same pellet. This year i noticed that the pellet length is much larger than normal on my usual brand so my heat output is not the same as their are gaps with the larger pellets. Even though your propane is kicking on at night your still saving money as its probably only kicking on for a 1/4 of its usual time. When its cold out i turn my furnace up some to make sure it kicks on and helps distribute the heat from the stove.

 

[Shank]

How large of an area are you trying to heat? What does the flame look like? Is the distribution fan on high (should be moving a good amount of air).

 

[rickwai]

post a pic of the flame. Without a visual it is hard to help. With feed on 3-4 in room temp and tstat set at 80 and fan on high flame should be full and tall, like touching to heat exchanger.

 

[scajjr2]

With a P series, setting a temp will mean it'll be that temp near the stove but depending on where temp probe is, floor plan of your home and air flow, the further out from the stove will be cooler. So setting the temp to 72 and igniter on Auto means the stove will shut off once it reads 72. But that will be right at where the temp probe is, rooms away from stove may not reach that temp. And with igniter on Auto, the stove cools off between calls for heat, meaning rooms that never got to 72 anyway stay cooler.

As bogieb said, setting the igniter to manual lets the stove stove drop to a low, idle burn. This lets a little heat keep being generated between the thermostat calling for heat.

So setting your temp higher will help as will setting the igniter to manual leaving that idle burn going and check where your temp probe is located.

We have a Skytech 3301P wireless thermostat on our P43. It's on a wall about 12 feet away from stove. It's set on 73 with a swing range of 2 degrees (on at 71, off at 75). Igniter set to Manual so an idle flame is always burning. Our house works well for a pellet stove ( small 1700 sq ft 2-story, well insulated, open floor plan 1st floor with ceiling and 2 5" doorway fans, stove sits next to staircase so good flow to upstairs). Upstairs is usually 70-72, downstairs usually 72.

sam

 

[SciGuy]

Hey all,
I've been having issues with my stove just getting started and staying lit, but those issues have been resolved.
Now I find that I can't get the temperature high enough in my home. My thermostat is set to 72 most of the time, but at night the stove will only heat up to 71 degrees (or so) which means that my propane heat kicks on, AND, I'm burning pellets for nothing?
Are they any links or suggestions on how to increase the temperature? My stove is set to Stove temp, feeder set to around 3, and the temp options maxxed.

Thanks for any suggestions!

How many bags of pellets are you burning per day? At full output the P43 ought to be able to combust something on the order of 3 bags per day.

 

[rickwai]

How many bags of pellets are you burning per day? At full output the P43 ought to be able to combust something on the order of 3 bags per day.

Great question

 

[mtnbiker727]

With your current settings at max temp and feed rate of 3, you're starving the stove and then complaining about not getting enough heat out of it.

If you're trying to maintain a certain temperature in the room, switch the stove to Room Temp, and then manual igniter as previously mentioned. You'll have to figure out what temperature to set the stove to achieve the desired room temperature, but once you've got it down, don't touch it anymore, the stove will adjust the pellet feed rate (up to your chosen feed rate setting) to maintain that temperature. Stove Temp mode will just burn at that set rate regardless of the temperature in the room (too hot or too cold).

My feed rate is always set to 4, which Harman suggests is the default for a P68. The main thing feed rate is used for is to keep unburned pellets from being shoved into the ash pan down below. If you're not having that problem, then increase the feed rate.

This is what my P68 looks like on startup with a feed rate of 4. The stove is absolutely cranking, but it's not spilling out unused pellets. It gets hot in a hurry.

Another thought: set your propane to kick on at 68 degrees, so the stoves don't compete with each other, but if you run out of pellets overnight your house won't freeze.