Need help with setting Harmon Accentra

[investor7952]

Hi
I just had a Harmon Accentra insert installed.Can someone help with the settings?
Should I set my temp lower and feedrate higher to obtain steady room temp?My installer said set at 1.5 -2 I found this to be a very bad setting.I have been playing withfeed at 4 and room temp at 73. No unburned pellets over pot but room wont go over 68-69. I have tried temp higher but no luck. Should I crank feedrate to 5-6? I didnt want to waste pellets but from what I am reading as long as no unburned pellets go over pot all is well. What if at a higher burn I see some glowing red pellets go over burn pot? Is this considered too high? Any help would be much appreciated.I just want the room between 70-73 and I cant get there yet.The wall thermostat is in the same room as the stove and never goes over 69.The thermostat is about 15 ft from stove on side wall.The entire downstairs is wide open and about 1500 ft.House was built in 2004.The thermostat on wall is for oil burner and has nothing to do with stove I just use this to monitor room temp.The stove has been running day and night since monday Jan 5th.the stove hasnt shut down yet since room temp has never been obtained.

 

[lecomte38]

Yup - crank the feed rate to 6 and increase the room temp to 80. Then you can back the temp down to comfortable. The temp indicator is not that accurate.
I think the install manual tells how to set the feed rate for room temp. Basically you crank the room temp all the way up and let it run about 30 minutes to equalize. Adjust the feed for 1" of ash along the outer lip of the burn pot. My insert will run on max feed (6) without overfilling the pot. Your understanding about overflowing the pot is correct.
For maximum efficiency I run a bag a day on stove temp - 3 ( the feed rate doesn't come into use in stove temp mode) and let my oil supplement any extra heat I need.
Note : I have a 1400 ' ranch in Mass and my Accentra insert alone would NOT be able to heat the house in these cold days.

 

[investor7952]

Your feed is on 6 ? Wow.Where is room temp set at? Also how many bags do you burn in a day? In 24 hours I burn 2 bags .

 

[cac4]

I don't know if the manual is different for the insert, but for my free-standing, it says to set the feed adjuster to "4", for premium pellets. set the room temp where you want it. If its not putting out enough, check the room temp probe. how close is it to the stove? On mine, with the length of wire they give you, I can't get it far enough away from the stove to get an accurate temp. it reads too warm.
I bet if you get a little digital thermometer, and put it right next to the room temp probe, you'll find that the stove is doing exactly what its been told.

 

[investor7952]

When you say a bag a day that is for 24 hours?
I am now trying feedrate at 5 and room temp at 75 lets see if we can push to 70 and beyond
I am burning fireside ultra

 

[mick5726]

Mabey I can help you out with your Accentra, I also had one installed in September. They are not a hot rod when it comes to heat out put and they have a very small ash pan. After burning 3 tons of pellets sofar this heating season I am finding this out, good thing I didn't listen to the dealer and stocked up with 7 ton and not 3 ton.

The best setting that I have found is to set the feed rate at 4 and the room temp. at 75, at an outside temp. of 0 degrees this will keep most of the house at 68 to 72. At night time I set it in stove temp mode and let the furance take over when it gets cold. In stove mode the output is alot lower but is a constant heat. This cold spell I am burning close to two bags in 24 hrs befor it was less then a bag and a half, the ash pan and stove has to be cleaned about every 12 bags. Hope this helps.

 

[hossthehermit]

Hi
I just had a Harmon Accentra insert installed.Can someone help with the settings?
Should I set my temp lower and feedrate higher to obtain steady room temp?My installer said set at 1.5 -2 I found this to be a very bad setting.I have been playing withfeed at 4 and room temp at 73. No unburned pellets over pot but room wont go over 68-69. I have tried temp higher but no luck. Should I crank feedrate to 5-6? I didnt want to waste pellets but from what I am reading as long as no unburned pellets go over pot all is well. What if at a higher burn I see some glowing red pellets go over burn pot? Is this considered too high? Any help would be much appreciated.I just want the room between 70-73 and I cant get there yet.The wall thermostat is in the same room as the stove and never goes over 69.The thermostat is about 15 ft from stove on side wall.The entire downstairs is wide open and about 1500 ft.House was built in 2004.The thermostat on wall is for oil burner and has nothing to do with stove I just use this to monitor room temp.The stove has been running day and night since monday Jan 5th.the stove hasnt shut down yet since room temp has never been obtained.

Not to be rude, but, you say you just had it installed. Did the installer start your insert, let it run, show you how to change settings? Did you read the manual?

 

[valentine92]

We have a freestanding Accentra. We have the feed rate on 2 and set it to room temperature. Since its been so cold I have the room temp set to 80. It is nice and toasty in my house. Room that the stove is in is 78 and the room the farthest away is 70. We usually burn a bag a day but with this real cold spell we are burning 1.5 bags a day. My dealer told me not to put the feed rate higher than 3. 2 is working out well with our pellets.

 

[investor7952]

Read the book 5 times.Did everything it said.The installer gave me a 5 min speal then said you have to play with it.He is the one that said keep the feed rate at 1.5-2 and set the room temp to 70.It is -2 outside right now I tried the feed at 5 and room temp at 75 and thermostat still jumps between 68-69. I am now trying a 5.5 feed rate at 75.I have about 10lbs left in hopper of the ultra fire.I am going to load a bag of Rocky mt supreme.Maybe this will help.I am sure its just because its so cold outside.The day I had it installed it was 29 outside and had the feed on 2 and the temp on 73 and the room did hit 70 for about an hour.That was the last day I saw 70 in the room.

 

[Matt715]

Its currently -10 where I am and I have my house (1000 sq ft ranch) at about 72 degrees with the stove on room temp set on 75 with a feed rate of 3. I did change over to softwood pellets for the cold spell and it really makes a big difference as far as the amount of heat the stove throws. I also find the same as what other people have said: a feed rate of 3-4 works good and during cold weather I usually run in stove temp mode between 3-4 and room temp mode when the weather is warmer than 20 degrees or I am at home and am looking to keep the house a certain temp. I also scrape the heat exchangers every other week because some ash build up on the exchangers really reduces the amount of heat mine produces.

 

[camdids]

Replied to your later post.
I have my Insert feed rate set between 3 and 4. The room temp at the moment with it being 4 outside , is set at 75. I have a two level house about 1000 sq ft on each level. The rooms furthest away are 70 right now. The upstairs bedrooms (3 of them) are all 65.
I am burning just a little under 2 bags in 24 hours. I clean the Pot and vacuum down the inside once every 5-6 days. Did it Monday this week and plan on Tomorrow.
You will see lots of factors going into whetehr your stove can heat the house.everything from the Pellets you use to how well the House is insulated. But first make sure the stove is working properly.
Best Wishes

 

[cac4]

Read the book 5 times.Did everything it said.The installer gave me a 5 min speal then said you have to play with it.He is the one that said keep the feed rate at 1.5-2 and set the room temp to 70.It is -2 outside right now I tried the feed at 5 and room temp at 75 and thermostat still jumps between 68-69. I am now trying a 5.5 feed rate at 75.I have about 10lbs left in hopper of the ultra fire.I am going to load a bag of Rocky mt supreme.Maybe this will help.I am sure its just because its so cold outside.The day I had it installed it was 29 outside and had the feed on 2 and the temp on 73 and the room did hit 70 for about an hour.That was the last day I saw 70 in the room.

again,

get a thermometer, and put it in the same spot as the room temp probe. I'll bet its 75 degrees where that room temp probe is.

changing the feed adjuster isn't going to do anything; that sets a MAXimum amount that the stove will feed...if it THINKS you need it; not the "actual" amount of pellets that it will feed. sounds like your stove "thinks" its warm enough. unless you're saying that the room won't go above 70, and the fire is absolutely roaring high, and the blowers are going full-blast, etc, etc.

my stove acts like yours, if the room temp probe is too close to the stove. With it moved 10' away, it keeps the room at the temperature that is set on the dial.

 

[lecomte38]

People, please, cac4 is correct. The feed rate is only the MAXIMUM allowable feed when the stove is running as hard as it can. Think of it as a throttle stop on your car engine. When going up a steep hill you want full throttle when the gas pedal is put to the floor.
All of you running on room temp - feed rate 2,3, or 4 open the side door and check the number of seconds that the auger feeds. Then turn the feed rate up to 6 and time the auger again. IT WILL REMAIN THE SAME.
And for the guy that started this thread - stop playing around and put the "pedal to the metal." - temp 80 and feed 6. watch and see if the pot overflows with burning pellets in about 15 minutes. if so back off on the feed rate a little. It will take at least 5 hours to bring the house temp up. When you are down to your skivvies you might turn the room temp down a little.

 

[Steve_in_NH]

I've been burning an Accentra Insert since September. Feed rate set at 4 and room temp set between 70 and 75 to keep large open living room - dinning room - kitchen area at 73. Rest of house between 65-68. The room temp never varies (reading on digital thermostat for furnace 20 feet from stove) unless I accidentally forget to fill the stove or an occasional pellet jam that causes the fire to go out. I scrape the burnpot once a day with the stove running. Takes 1 minute or less. I empty the ash pan about once a week. And do a thorough cleaning and vacuuming (taking apart the backing plates and scraping down the heat exchanger tubes and cleaning all I can reach about every two weeks. I notice a distinct drop in heat output after about 15 to 20 bags of pellets (about two weeks worth) and a substantial increase after cleaning.
You'll have to "play with it" a bit to get it where you want it. MAKE TINY CHANGES AND GIVE IT A COUPLE OF HOURS TO EQUALIZE...... Believe me once you get it dialed in you wont believe how constant the heat is. Keep us insert folks posted on your progress.... Any questions you can email me anytime......

 

[LIpelletpig]

Here is my 2 cents. I agree with the other poster you need to clean the heat exchangers every other week! For some reason the insert and depending on the pellets the soot build-up on the exchangers builds up quick. I try to shut down the stove every 3-4 days and vacuum out the inside and do a good cleaning of the burn-pot. It takes about 15 minutes. It keeps my stove happy and it puts out good heat. I am running at feed rate 4. (doesn't matter though) Since I am in Stove Temp Mode at 4 1/2 to 5 in this cold snap. I am not a fan of room temp mode since the probe is not far enough away from the stove. I've been burning the Rocky Mountain Pellets (softwood) and I really like them alot! They are clean burning and very little fines in the bag and put out great heat. I still have to clean the ash pan every 3 days though. How Harman thought you can burn a ton before cleaning the ash pan in unspeakable....Good luck and let us know how you make out.

 

[investor7952]

The posters on this site should all get together and open your own shop ! You guys are VERY HELPFUL.
Update on stove.I vacumed out burnpot bought some rocky mts. Mixed them with the fire ultra. I refired the stove set to stove temp 80 feed at 6 and ????
MY ROOM HIT 72 YES 72 NICE !NOW MY WIFE IS HAPPY !Thanks to all for all your help you guys are the best !

 

[GVA]

investor....... here's a cleaning link for you download it and keep it handy.... (broken link removed to http://www.harmanstoves.com/maintenance/accentrainsertcleaninginstructions.pdf)

How have you made out with the 4 blink status?

 

[investor7952]

Well I pulled the stove out and messed with the temp probe.I put new connector ends on.Works great now.
As far as my earlier problems getting my house over 68 thats all fixed.
I cranked the feed to 6 the temp to 80 and let er rip.My room where the stove is reached 80 and the furthest room was at 75 about 42 feet away.I have got it dialed in now.Feed at 4.5-5 temp at 70 and room is at 73 steady.My second floor is at 70 in the hall and 68 in bedrooms.I am very pleased with my Harmon Accentra insert.

 

[ivanhoe]

hi,
i'm also new to this pellet heating world. i've ordered a p68 with a delayed delivery so i purchased a used fs accentra. the problem i'm having is the fire guide is moving out of place. can i wedge the guide in place or is that a no-no? i too am trying to heat whole house(1500sq ft down stairs plus 1500sq ft upstairs) feed rate at 4 and room temp at 80. it has been very cold here lately, -20F.
ivanhoe

 

[tinkabranc]

hi,
i'm also new to this pellet heating world. i've ordered a p68 with a delayed delivery so i purchased a used fs accentra. the problem i'm having is the fire guide is moving out of place. can i wedge the guide in place or is that a no-no? i too am trying to heat whole house(1500sq ft down stairs plus 1500sq ft upstairs) feed rate at 4 and room temp at 80. it has been very cold here lately, -20F.
ivanhoe

If you start a new post with your issue more people will see it to assist you.

 

[GViz]

My installer said set at 1.5 -2

So did my installer/dealer. I don't keep my house that warm, usually in the low 60's. The feed rate of 2 has worked out fine for me. When I want it warmer, I just crank up the temp setting and it works fine. I have a digital thermometer with high/low memory set next to the temp probe and it has pretty much been right on with the temp setting on the stove. This is my 2nd winter with the stove and it's been fine in my 1100 sf ranch. A friends P68 REALLY puts out some serious heat, much more so than the Insert.

Just curious, where did you get your stove ? Was it in Montague NJ ?

Viz

 

[erikbrooks]

I have an Accentra Insert, just installed it in October. I too was a bit perplexed by the various settings... here is what i have learned.

When it's cold out, dont even bother with the Room Temp mode. Use it in Stove Temp mode and the stove will simply crank out heat. I leave my Feed Rate setting on 3, and I end up burning just under 2 bags per day.

The fan setting can be anywhere you want it to be, I think it depends how loud you can stand it... if you have a TV in the room you are going to want it on the lowest setting. At night, when we are all asleep upstairs and can't hear it, I crank it up a bit. The dog does not seem to mind at all

 

[erikbrooks]

I have to agree with what others have said here, that Harman claims you only clean the ash pan after a ton of pellets - nonsense. I empty that at least once a week, which is about 14 bags worth.

Oh, and cleaning makes a HUGE difference in performance. I do a complete shutdown about every 2 weeks and vacuum it out. Be sure to remove the iron plates, and vacuum/brush the triangular fins in the back [I use an old paint brush]. Also be sure to use that extra long wire brush and do BOTH of the vents, the one on the left side is much deeper.

 

[investor7952]

I am getting the hang of this stove.I also have to agree.This stove runs very well and very hot when clean.But this Harmon Accentra Insert has to have the burn pot vacumed at least every 3-4 days and while it is down I hit the vents real quick. I cleaned stove saturday and ran sunday monday tuesday at room temp 73 .My room was at 72 3 straight days.Wed morning I had to shut it down romm was at 68 flame fluttering a bit but even when it roared still couldnt get past 68.I just cleaned it and in 1 hour room back to 72.My wife says that stove is more maintanance then she is lol.I said I will take the stove. The maint isnt that bad once you get the hang of it only takes 15 min or so.I did find keeping the exhaust blower on when cleaning makes a huge difference in less mess.

 

[investor7952]

I have to agree with what others have said here, that Harman claims you only clean the ash pan after a ton of pellets - nonsense. I empty that at least once a week, which is about 14 bags worth.

Oh, and cleaning makes a HUGE difference in performance. I do a complete shutdown about every 2 weeks and vacuum it out. Be sure to remove the iron plates, and vacuum/brush the triangular fins in the back [I use an old paint brush]. Also be sure to use that extra long wire brush and do BOTH of the vents, the one on the left side is much deeper.

Hi
You only clean your insert once every 2 weeks? Wow. I have the same stove I have to clean every 3rd day or my heat goes from the day of cleaning on the restart
73-74 day #2 71-72 day #3 69-71 day for 68-69. If I dont clean on day 3 or 4 the room temp never goes over 69-70. The heat difference is just amazing from when I clean it to the 3rd or 4th day. I have tryed all different pellets with the same results. I started with fireside ultras then New england then Hammer hot ones.Now I started with Lingnetics and still need to clean the same time frame. What kind of heat drop are you seeing the longer you go after cleaning? Also what are your settings? I am always in room temp. I start the day of the cleaning at feed 4.5 and temp on 70.The room heats uo so fast and is comfortable 73.By day 3 or 4 I have feed on max 6 room temp on 80 but doesnt matter if I put room up to 90 still temp maxes at 69-70.