Today we had a 50 deg heat wave in Maine, so I decided to give my new P43 a good cleaning. I have been running the stove daily for a while now on room temp mode, 75 when home 70 when gone. I have used 1/2 ton (25 bags) to date, Maine Choice pellets only. This is what I got out of it for ash, the pan was almost full. Harman says in the manual you can burn 1 ton before emptying, does this look normal compared to other Harman owners, or am I generating to much ash?
Maine Choice review, Harman owners please take notice
- Thread starter BJN644
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
![[Hearth.com] Maine Choice review, Harman owners please take notice](/talk/data/attachments/20/20250-f749877980c91f4a8b43b5d69ffe46f3.jpg?hash=xEY5ezSI5u)
![[Hearth.com] Maine Choice review, Harman owners please take notice](/talk/data/attachments/20/20251-db7e5d4bc9716004648398fac627de03.jpg?hash=CiU6DjHt7_)
![[Hearth.com] Maine Choice review, Harman owners please take notice](/talk/data/attachments/20/20252-035c10f2e903d25e06ff92685fd938f2.jpg?hash=qvvtdhjmWi)
I haven't let my stove burn 25 bags before I empty the ash pan, but I think if I did, it would be close to yours. Right now I'm burning NEWPs, have been thinking my stove was acting strange, and cleaned it out thoroughly after 10 bags. I was surprised at how much ash there was. My ESP probe looked pretty dirty. I'm hoping that was my problem.
I'm wondering if the stove doesn't like the low burns. It's been cold, but not that cold.
If you read posts from other people, there are some that don't do much of a cleaning, and seem to get away with it. Don't think my stove would do too well. I also can't say if it's the pellets or my stove.
I'm wondering if the stove doesn't like the low burns. It's been cold, but not that cold.
If you read posts from other people, there are some that don't do much of a cleaning, and seem to get away with it. Don't think my stove would do too well. I also can't say if it's the pellets or my stove.
All depends on the pellets you are using. Some produce a lot of ash, despite what the label says. Others produce much less. I would worry about how your stove is running and not how much ash you got out.
For example, does the flame look dirty, sooty, and yellow? Does the glass get dirty quickly? Is there any black creosote in the stove?
You may try turning down the feed rate of your pellets to see if it burns the pellets more completely. Also try, a few bags of a known good pellet, like Lignetics or something.
I clean my stove about 4 or 5 times a season and have never really seen a half full ash can to my recollection. When I burned ACP pellets, I did notice A LOT of ash.
Hope this helps!
Mark
For example, does the flame look dirty, sooty, and yellow? Does the glass get dirty quickly? Is there any black creosote in the stove?
You may try turning down the feed rate of your pellets to see if it burns the pellets more completely. Also try, a few bags of a known good pellet, like Lignetics or something.
I clean my stove about 4 or 5 times a season and have never really seen a half full ash can to my recollection. When I burned ACP pellets, I did notice A LOT of ash.
Hope this helps!
Mark
Hi Jim here
I have a Harman Advance and have run 3 bags of Okanagan's and 2 bags of Rocky Mountain's through It. I cleaned It Sunday and got about 2 shot glasses full of ash Either I am putting out a tremendous
amount of fly ash or the pellets you are using are a little dirty. try another brand and see If It changes
I have a Harman Advance and have run 3 bags of Okanagan's and 2 bags of Rocky Mountain's through It. I cleaned It Sunday and got about 2 shot glasses full of ash Either I am putting out a tremendous
amount of fly ash or the pellets you are using are a little dirty. try another brand and see If It changes
I'm not unhappy with the pellets, just wanted to know if this would be considered a normal amount of ash. It's a new stove and everything else I have burned has been in my Englander shop stove that requires daily cleaning, so it's hard to judge ash output. The Maine Choice have been keeping us quite warm, I dump the bags directly into the hopper with hardly any fines.
Your ash experience sounds like it is normal. As the others have said, it depends on the pellets that you are using. Try several brands to get a feel for which ones you like best. I burned Turman pellets last year and I probably could have gone just about the full ton before emptying the ash pan. I tried some other pellets and they produced significantly more ash. I found that in my Harman, the hardwood pellets seem to burn better. I would try different brands and see what burns best for your stove. Since the Harman has many automated features, it is more important to find pellets that burn best with your setup.
Looks similar to what I am seeing with my new P68. However I am mostly running in stove temp mode with as small a fire as I can get( It's all I need right now) With your stove in room temp mode how long does the stove run on a "simmer" between the temp in your house calling for more heat? I'm pretty much a newbie to pellet stoves but from what I have gathered it seems the Harmans anywhy run cleaner with a hotter fire.
JB
JB
I burned 7 tons thru my P61 last season and your amount of ashe seems to be ok.
I only empty the ashe bin when its full. last season that meant about 1 ton of LG soft wood pellets, .75 ton energex hardwood, and less than half ton when burning Michigans.
I would not be worried about the amount of ashe but only the type. Those michigans leave a heavy sandy type ashe that seems to starve the fuel of air before it gets pushed out of the burnpot, so I have to scrape the pot more often and it seems to burn dirtier as well when this happens.
If they are hot, just empty the can and keep burnin!
I only empty the ashe bin when its full. last season that meant about 1 ton of LG soft wood pellets, .75 ton energex hardwood, and less than half ton when burning Michigans.
I would not be worried about the amount of ashe but only the type. Those michigans leave a heavy sandy type ashe that seems to starve the fuel of air before it gets pushed out of the burnpot, so I have to scrape the pot more often and it seems to burn dirtier as well when this happens.
If they are hot, just empty the can and keep burnin!
- Status
Similar threads
