Looking for help with my science project; A Harman XXV

[beerwizza]

Greetings everyone. I've been running a Harman xxv for almost 2 weeks now. I'm still playing with settings to try and get the most heat. I even bought an infrared thermometer from harbor freight to record my settings and temp readings. I've gone thru 22 bags of New England wood pellets in 12 days. I don't think that's too bad considering it's an old uninsulated house and we like to keep warm. My concern is that I've already had to clean it out because of a lot of ash buildup on the baffle plate and the ash bin was probably 2/3's full. A friend has the Harman Advance and theirs has minimal ash or soot in the viewing area. Ive got it everywhere. Plus my flame is huge compared to theirs. The book says to clean out after every ton of pellets. I would be afraid to wait that long. Is this normal for this stove? I've attached a picture of my flame. Now keep in mind the feed rate is at 6 (at the moment, normally at 4) and the stove temp dial is at 7 max. That leads me to my next question. The book says to use a feed rate of 4, and I have been. I read here somewhere that the feed rate settings mean the cycle time of the feed auger, ie; 4= 40 seconds per minute but then 6 would equal a full run time then. Could someone clarify this as to how the feed rate works? Also what exactly does the stove temp dial control inside? Thanks in advance. I gave up on getting a new motorcycle this year to go for this pellet stove so I'm giving it the same attention a new bike would have gotten to make it my own. LOL.
Thanks, Rick.

 

[MainePellethead]

Greetings everyone. I've been running a Harman xxv for almost 2 weeks now. I'm still playing with settings to try and get the most heat. I even bought an infrared thermometer from harbor freight to record my settings and temp readings. I've gone thru 22 bags of New England wood pellets in 12 days. I don't think that's too bad considering it's an old uninsulated house and we like to keep warm. My concern is that I've already had to clean it out because of a lot of ash buildup on the baffle plate and the ash bin was probably 2/3's full. A friend has the Harman Advance and theirs has minimal ash or soot in the viewing area. Ive got it everywhere. Plus my flame is huge compared to theirs. The book says to clean out after every ton of pellets. I would be afraid to wait that long. Is this normal for this stove? I've attached a picture of my flame. Now keep in mind the feed rate is at 6 (at the moment, normally at 4) and the stove temp dial is at 7 max. That leads me to my next question. The book says to use a feed rate of 4, and I have been. I read here somewhere that the feed rate settings mean the cycle time of the feed auger, ie; 4= 40 seconds per minute but then 6 would equal a full run time then. Could someone clarify this as to how the feed rate works? Also what exactly does the stove temp dial control inside? Thanks in advance. I gave up on getting a new motorcycle this year to go for this pellet stove so I'm giving it the same attention a new bike would have gotten to make it my own. LOL.
Thanks, Rick.

Wow...lol.....how big is your house? I used 17 bags in 30 days. Your sq. footage must be high.

 

[beerwizza]

"Wow...lol.....how big is your house? I used 17 bags in 30 days. Your sq. footage must be high. "

I have approx 1560sf. uninsulated also it doesn't have an open floor plan so I've been playing with the ceiling fans to circulate better. I put new windows in last year and it made a huge difference. we're hoping to get the house insulated and re-vinyl sided this year. I will gladly burn 2 bags of pellets a day to keep the oil man away. LOL. I had already spent over $1400 in oil this season prior to the pellet stove. That would have bought a nice pile of pellets.
Rick.

 

[tinkabranc]

Wow! thats alot of pellets!

How often do you scrape the burnpot?

The only time I ever get a big flame like that on my XXV is when
it needs a good cleaning. The manual may state cleaning after a ton
but this is just asking for problems to wait that long.
I scrape the burnpot once a day, and vac once a week.
No problems so far.

edit: My XXV is in my basement so I normally run it on stove temp- feed rate 4.

 

[cantman]

beerwizza...

I've had my XXV for a few months (Nov. 2007) and my experience is similar.
Having the feed rate @ 6 will get the flames too high and sooty. Try to get the flame
height so the flame height maximum is at top of the stove heat exchanger. Try a feed of four.
You should be shooting for a light grey to light tan fly ash coating on the inside of the stove.
Also, your glass will get this coating and can be wiped quickly daily. I have found that soft wood
pellets burn better in my stove. (and hotter) The "stove temp" mode will not turn on the distribution
blower until the feed rate is at least 5. Below this level, you will get the "visual" of a high flame
but no heat distribution. My stove flame tends to vary from a sheet of flame to hot yellow/white
fingers of flame shooting up. Hope this helps!?

 

[tinkabranc]

The "stove temp" mode will not turn on the distribution
blower until the feed rate is at least 5. Below this level, you will get the "visual" of a high flame
but no heat distribution.

I have to disagree with you on this part.
The distribution fan will not turn on if the temperature dial is at #5 or less,
not the feed rate.

 

[cantman]

The "stove temp" mode will not turn on the distribution
blower until the feed rate is at least 5. Below this level, you will get the "visual" of a high flame
but no heat distribution.

I have to disagree with you on this part.
The distribution fan will not turn on if the temperature dial is at #5 or less,
not the feed rate.

Tinkabranc is right on this one....damn multitasking!

Thanks for correcting this!

 

[GVA]

The book says to use a feed rate of 4, and I have been. I read here somewhere that the feed rate settings mean the cycle time of the feed auger, ie; 4= 40 seconds per minute but then 6 would equal a full run time then. Could someone clarify this as to how the feed rate works? Also what exactly does the stove temp dial control inside? Thanks in advance. I gave up on getting a new motorcycle this year to go for this pellet stove so I'm giving it the same attention a new bike would have gotten to make it my own. LOL.
Thanks, Rick.

In a nutshell the feed rate in room temp is as you described
While the stove is calling for maximum heat the feed rate will cycle the auger for the times you described.
However, once the room approaches the stove setpoint the control board will take over and adjust these to prevent overshooting of the setpoint.
Stovetemp only monitors the temp at the ESP.
That is to say the exhaust temp, now in stove mode you're XXV doesn't care if you are hot or cold only a consistant reading at the ESP...
The easiest way to describe the difference between room temp and stove temp is
Room temp= more like a furnace= will ramp up and down
Stove temp= more like a wood stove= steady heat output
Hope this helps

 

[swalz]

Greetings everyone. I've been running a Harman xxv for almost 2 weeks now. I'm still playing with settings to try and get the most heat. I even bought an infrared thermometer from harbor freight to record my settings and temp readings. I've gone thru 22 bags of New England wood pellets in 12 days. I don't think that's too bad considering it's an old uninsulated house and we like to keep warm. My concern is that I've already had to clean it out because of a lot of ash buildup on the baffle plate and the ash bin was probably 2/3's full. A friend has the Harman Advance and theirs has minimal ash or soot in the viewing area. Ive got it everywhere. Plus my flame is huge compared to theirs. The book says to clean out after every ton of pellets. I would be afraid to wait that long. Is this normal for this stove? I've attached a picture of my flame. Now keep in mind the feed rate is at 6 (at the moment, normally at 4) and the stove temp dial is at 7 max. That leads me to my next question. The book says to use a feed rate of 4, and I have been. I read here somewhere that the feed rate settings mean the cycle time of the feed auger, ie; 4= 40 seconds per minute but then 6 would equal a full run time then. Could someone clarify this as to how the feed rate works? Also what exactly does the stove temp dial control inside? Thanks in advance. I gave up on getting a new motorcycle this year to go for this pellet stove so I'm giving it the same attention a new bike would have gotten to make it my own. LOL.
Thanks, Rick.

I have found that you need to scrape the carbon build up at the botton of the burn pot to keep the holes there open, this seems to give me a good flame. Also the draft setting needs to be right, mine was not tested by the dealer but I played around with it until I had a good flame. I seem to get a lot of ash on the sides and had to empty and clean the stove 4 times after 1 and a half tons not sure if that is normal. Been burning my XXV for about 2 months 24/7 and liking that I not burning nearly as much oil but still need the oil for the hot water.

 

[beerwizza]

Wow! thats alot of pellets!

How often do you scrape the burnpot?

The only time I ever get a big flame like that on my XXV is when
it needs a good cleaning. The manual may state cleaning after a ton
but this is just asking for problems to wait that long.
I scrape the burnpot once a day, and vac once a week.
No problems so far.

edit: My XXV is in my basement so I normally run it on stove temp- feed rate 4.

I just keep comparing it to oil and it doesn't seam too bad.
The burn pot gets scraped probably 4 times a day. It's a new toy so whenever someone walks by and sees ash they scrape it. I don't think I would wait for a ton of burned pellets to clean it. I just went by how dirty it looked and cleaned it after 1/2 ton.
Rick.

 

[beerwizza]

beerwizza...

I've had my XXV for a few months (Nov. 2007) and my experience is similar.
Having the feed rate @ 6 will get the flames too high and sooty. Try to get the flame
height so the flame height maximum is at top of the stove heat exchanger. Try a feed of four.
You should be shooting for a light grey to light tan fly ash coating on the inside of the stove.
Also, your glass will get this coating and can be wiped quickly daily. I have found that soft wood
pellets burn better in my stove. (and hotter) The "stove temp" mode will not turn on the distribution
blower until the feed rate is at least 5. Below this level, you will get the "visual" of a high flame
but no heat distribution. My stove flame tends to vary from a sheet of flame to hot yellow/white
fingers of flame shooting up. Hope this helps!?

I do keep it 4. I haven't tried any other pellets yet. I started with 2 tons of New England brand. I think it's hardwood.
Do you get little glowing pieces of ash flying around inside from the flame?
Rick.

 

[beerwizza]

I have found that you need to scrape the carbon build up at the botton of the burn pot to keep the holes there open, this seems to give me a good flame. Also the draft setting needs to be right, mine was not tested by the dealer but I played around with it until I had a good flame. I seem to get a lot of ash on the sides and had to empty and clean the stove 4 times after 1 and a half tons not sure if that is normal. Been burning my XXV for about 2 months 24/7 and liking that I not burning nearly as much oil but still need the oil for the hot water.

We scrape the pot a few times a day (new toy). I'm thinking a draft setting is needed. When it was installed they never put a draft gauge on it. I have the service tech coming over on Tuesday and for what I paid for the install I want it adjusted properly. I was going to install it myself but then opted for them to do it. I have a draft gauge, but I want them to do it.
Rick.

 

[beerwizza]

In a nutshell the feed rate in room temp is as you described
While the stove is calling for maximum heat the feed rate will cycle the auger for the times you described.
However, once the room approaches the stove setpoint the control board will take over and adjust these to prevent overshooting of the setpoint.
Stovetemp only monitors the temp at the ESP.
That is to say the exhaust temp, now in stove mode you're XXV doesn't care if you are hot or cold only a consistant reading at the ESP...
The easiest way to describe the difference between room temp and stove temp is
Room temp= more like a furnace= will ramp up and down
Stove temp= more like a wood stove= steady heat output
Hope this helps

What does the stove temp dial do? Say like when it's on a setting 3 compared to a setting 7. Is it changing the flame intensity or just raising the temp setting for the ESP so the stove will run longer and not cycle?
Thanks, Rick.

 

[tinkabranc]

As mentioned in a prior post, I vac out the ignitor area and ash pan
normally once a week, but scrape the burnpot once a day.
Some pellet brands burn very dirty and cause more clinkers than others
so sometimes I have to use a pry bar to knock those little suckers loose.
I am burning three different brands this season and have one brand
that makes a mess in a hurry.

Wiping the loose ash a few times a day sounds like you are babying
that stove. ;-)

 

[beerwizza]

As mentioned in a prior post, I vac out the ignitor area and ash pan
normally once a week, but scrape the burnpot once a day.
Some pellet brands burn very dirty and cause more clinkers than others
so sometimes I have to use a pry bar to knock those little suckers loose.
I am burning three different brands this season and have one brand
that makes a mess in a hurry.

Wiping the loose ash a few times a day sounds like you are babying
that stove. ;-)

Yeah, maybe we are babying it, but it was supposed to be my new motorcycle. It might not have any chrome but I still want it to look pretty. Lol.
What brand is the messy one?
Rick.

 

[mark112955]

I purchased a Harman xxv about the same time you did and WAS having similar problems. I've been reading your post daily hoping someone would have the answer. Today my Harman Dealer came and solved the problem. There wasn't a gasket on the glass. Now it's putting out tons of heat and the pellets are now completely burning. Check your glass for a gasket. I hope that's it.

 

[STOVEGUY11]

Inside the backs of all the flue collars of the Harman stoves, it was they call a esp probe. What this probe basically does, is senses the temperature of the gases exiting the stove, and reads that back to the control board. So when you move a dial the stove knows what is going on. When your running the stove on Temp mode, the stove will slow down and speed up as it needs it. If your running off of stove mode, you control how fast the pellets turn inot the burn pot. At this point the stove will burn basically till it runs out of pellets

 

[beerwizza]

I purchased a Harman xxv about the same time you did and WAS having similar problems. I've been reading your post daily hoping someone would have the answer. Today my Harman Dealer came and solved the problem. There wasn't a gasket on the glass. Now it's putting out tons of heat and the pellets are now completely burning. Check your glass for a gasket. I hope that's it.

That's a bit scary not having a gasket there. I just checked and mine is there. I had the installer over yesterday because of a noise in the feeder and I talked to him about the flame. I let him know I was a bit disappointed that they didn't put a draft gauge on it when they set it up and from what I researched it looked like a draft problem. He agreed and they are getting me a new feeder for the noise and are also going to set it up with the draft gauge. I'm thinking I might have been part of the problem. I wasn't told you have to scrape way down inside the pot to clear the holes down bottom. I had just been clearing the ash off the front. I shut it down completely and cleaned it real good and vacuumed it out. Flame is good now like day one. I'm learning.

 

[tinkabranc]

There wasn't a gasket on the glass. Now it's putting out tons of heat and the pellets are now completely burning.

There was no gasket on the door?? Did the dealer install this stove for you?
If they did, shame on them for missing such an important piece.

 

[cantman]

Was the XXV a floor model? Maybe the door glass gasket was taken out
as a replacement for someone else and forgotten?

 

[tinkabranc]

Was the XXV a floor model? Maybe the door glass gasket was taken out
as a replacement for someone else and forgotten?

That would still be no excuse for the installer to miss it. It is not a hidden part.

 

[Dougsey]

I'm suprised the vacuum switch didn't trip without the glass gasket in place.

 

[mark112955]

The stove was a floor model. I bought it brought it home and installed it. I just couldn't get the stove to put out much heat plus it wasn't burning the pellets completely. I dumped the ash pan twice in 10 days. This is my first pellet stove and wasn't sure what the flame was supposed to look like or how the stove was supposed to act. I thought I bought the world's most expensive space heater. So my dealer came up and the first thing he noticed was the weak flame. He tested the draft, exhaust temp. etc. then by accident he tapped on the glass and noticed it rattled. Opened up the door and no gasket. He did replace it and now it's putting out great heat and burning the pellets completely. I do hope this stove saves us money over our propane boiler with base board heat.