igniter replacement

[aqualab]

Hi,

Does the burnpot need to be totally removed from the stove (4-nuts?) to fully access igniter's wires/connection on the Harmon XXV? Are those nuts typically siezed, spray with blaster or WD-40?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[summit]

NO! Just remove the burnpot access plate w/ the 2 wingnuts, remove the ignitor from the cradle (2 5/16 head machine scews just above access plate)... then get into the back of the stove. directly underneath auger you will see a rubber stopper w/ a yellow and blue wire going into it... trace the wires back, and cut off the wire ties bunching it together untill you get about a foot of slack. then pull the ignitor out thru the brun post access from the front untill you expose the quick disconnects. remove the cover plate from the ignitor cradle (using a pair of pliers to untwist the tabs holding it on... take note of how the plate fits on 1st, as you must put it back the same way), then replace the ignitor. pull the wires back thru to the back, and re tie off... easy.

 

[aqualab]

Thank you very much. I did see the yellow and blue wires and where they go through to the igniter wires. There is black silicone spread on the wires at that location so I didn't want to pull in case I may have damaged something - the rubber stopper must be under the goop/silicone. Need to re-silicone the blue and yellow at the stopper after pulling/re-installing wires again?

Again, thank you for your help.

Bill

 

[aqualab]

Okay, I peeled/pulled off the silicone around the plastic stopper and the wires and pulled the stopper out, gave myself enough wire to pull the igniter out through the burnpot opening and disconnected the leads. Did an ohms check on the igniter and it is open, so definitely a bad igniter. Should I get some heat proof silicone and goop the stopper back up when I reinstall? Thanks again for your help, I certainly appreciate it.

Bill

 

[summit]

Okay, I peeled/pulled off the silicone around the plastic stopper and the wires and pulled the stopper out, gave myself enough wire to pull the igniter out through the burnpot opening and disconnected the leads. Did an ohms check on the igniter and it is open, so definitely a bad igniter. Should I get some heat proof silicone and goop the stopper back up when I reinstall? Thanks again for your help, I certainly appreciate it.

Bill

yes, a little dab will do ya....

 

[fedtime]

Hi Bill. I'm not sure if your stove is similar to my Accentra, but when I replaced my ignitor I applied a small amount of high temp anti-seize compound (a silvery-grey paste) to the two screws holding the ignitor and the two wing nuts that secure the inspection cover. This should prevent seizing and make the job easier if I ever need to replace that ignitor again which, based on history of this stove, is likely.

 

[summit]

Hi Bill. I'm not sure if your stove is similar to my Accentra, but when I replaced my ignitor I applied a small amount of high temp anti-seize compound (a silvery-grey paste) to the two screws holding the ignitor and the two wing nuts that secure the inspection cover. This should prevent seizing and make the job easier if I ever need to replace that ignitor again which, based on history of this stove, is likely.

Can't hurt anythin' to do so..

 

[aqualab]

Well............... looks like the replacement igniter is bad already! My wife called me last night to say it is doingg same thing, just blowing, no flame. I told her to clean/scrape the top of the burn pot to see if it makes any difference. It didn't. I am out of town on business and won't be back until the end of this month - really PO'd about this. New igniter is less than a month old or so. My wife can't change it out, so no pellets being burned - just propane. I am going to send Harmon a nasty gram directly to let them know how much I appreciate their quality replacement part - faulty igniters. I don't know what the warranty is on these but will call the shop/dealer where I purchased it and make sure they will replace free of charge as soon as I get back to change it out. I remember reading somewhere on here that you can check the igniter's ohm reading with a multimeter to see if it is one of the faulty manufactured ones prior to buying/installing - can't remember what a "good" continuity reading should be. Anybody???

Thanks Again in Advance.

Bill

 

[kilbury]

Usually 90 days on replacement parts. 38 is what it should read I think but not 100% sure on that.

 

[Lousyweather]

well, I would have her clean out the area around the igniter first, she can do that, two thumbscrews, COLD stove though! Otherwise, "All replacement parts beyond warranty period" are covered for 90 days by Harman.

 

[aqualab]

Thanks guys for the info and suggestions. I will see if she can vac out the burn box - would be surprised if that much ash has accumulated in it after only one month of burning - never was an issue so soon before. Though I did up the burn rate to compensate for the temps outside, which has us burning slightly more pellets per day. We'll see how she does and what she sees - I better have a bloody mary while instructing her over the phone, it could get frustrating.

 

[Lousyweather]

I better have a bloody mary while instructing her over the phone, it could get frustrating.

good idea!

 

[LIpelletpig]

Do a manual start. Just b/c your igniter went bad doesn't mean you can use the stove. Burn it on stove temp.

 

[aqualab]

My stove has stopped lighting again in auto............... replacement igniter installed in Jan so out of warranty of course. I just cleaned out the stove and figured I would give it another try before removing the igniter and getting a replacement. Didn't light but the burn pot is warm to the touch? Why would that be if the igniter was bad, partially bad igniter? I am going to check continuity on it before I pull it out completely-should read 30 ohms I believe? Any ideas?

Thanks in Advance

 

[Lousyweather]

42-48 ohms, actually. Also check for ash buildup on the fins.........

 

[aqualab]

I pulled the igniter, still looks new, fins are clean. Checked with my meter - reading 50 ohms. So it appears the igniter is good. What else would prevent the stove from firing up? Like I said earlier, the fire box does get very warm/hot to the touch after it fails to ignite and the light flashes indicating a failure. How does the ESP sensor work and can you test it?

 

[kilbury]

Screen on the cap? is it clean? just a stupid question.

 

[aqualab]

screen on cap? Are you referring to the exhaust vent outside cover/rain cap? I dont have a screen on mine - daylights on the horizontal. I did look in the piping though, no buildup. I had vac'd it out when I installed the replacement igniter in Jan. I have noticed over the past few months that it seemed to take longer to fire up. Occasionally I would get the blinking light failure, reset the stove (unplug and plug back into wall outlet) and it usually would fire up. So it seems something was starting to fail? I am thinking the ESP sensor but would like to know more about what it does and test it if possible. Could tar/soot buildup on the ESP sensor's probe and cause it to missread? Both fans are working fine. The entire stove was cleaned back in Jan also.

 

[Delta-T]

some pellets are rather resistant to ignition, so that could be a factor. if the little door to the igniter is not secured tightly or crooked it could allow air to escape through the front of the burnpot instead of focusing all the heat into the pellets. Have you tweaked the combustion air at all? excessive combustion air can cool the igniter enough to prevent normal ignition. Dirty ESP would not prevent ignition, but if it was faulty or really dirty sometimes the stove will light and then shut down because it cannot perceive the heat. no way to test the ESP (without the Harman DDM), but your symptoms do not point to that as the problem.

Stove feeds properly and all? Runs OK when it is fired up?

 

[aqualab]

I'm burning New England brand pellets. Little door on burn pot is tight. Feed is good and it runs fine after it fires up, other than the occasional annoying vibration noise from the blower and auger poping/grinding/squealing noise which has happened when there is excessive buildup at the auger/burn pot - pellets bind up. Thanks for the ideas and pretty much eliminating the ESP as the culprit. I have not tweaked combustion air, can you please explain how that is done? Do I need a manometer? One of my labs chewed up the original manual, (I actually know which one did it - the same one that is always getting into trouble) need to get on the Harmon website and download it.

 

[aqualab]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I tweaked the combustion air, backed off on the screw about a 1/4 turn. Tested it out and it started up beautifully. Been working great all night.