New Accentra 52i Insert - Help with Room Temp

[cantamag]

Hello! Sorry about the typo in the title, somehow I hit the #1 and didn't realize it.

Ok so we are brand new to pellet stoves. Had them installed in September and absolutely LOVE it. The 52i is beautiful and the heat is awesome!

Have been using it in the mornings and evenings to take the chill out and it is awesome in our wide open floor plan! Much faster warming than our forced air and don't have to run the whole time. Happy happy!

So we dropped into the 30s last night here in PA. The Accentra ran all night and burned a full bag of Hamers from about 830pm to 630am. Thought it should go longer for the bag, and probably should have if the burn adjusted throughout the night but it seemed to burn high all night.

I'd really like to get this figured out before long since I don't want to blast thru the pellets too quickly knowing we will need them when the 'real cold spells' hit.

Problem is it does not ever seem to cycle into low.....doesn't seem to adjust to room sensor I guess i should say. I have to say it has never looked to self adjust low off or on.

It is set at about 72 degrees, ignitor auto, room temp blower.

Does this mean the probe is not reading the temp? It is set just to the left side of the hearth so it is not directly in the blower line - gets no draft nor heat radiation but it should know when the room gets to temp, right?

I slept in the living room with it and at one point thought I was melting but was too tired to fiddle with it at the time. I am going out to buy a room thermometer or 2 today to put up in different areas around the house to see what the temps read. Will put one right near the probe too.

Is this normal? Doesn't seem to be since it is on room temp but, this is our first go with overnight burn.

Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Having the same issue with our new Accentra 52i. Our last Acccentra (non insert) would keep a consistent supply of heat and cycle into low to maintain. However this stove will run and run "melt you out", doesn't seem to cycle into a low mode.

With it set to 72 and the stove not firing, when at what room temperature will the stove kick on? Unless mine is set to 73/74 the stove won't kick on until the room temp is ~68.

 

[cantamag]

Mine doesn't seem to cycle on or off......at least not in what I have seen so far. Our thermostat for our forced air unit can read 72 and the burn on the Accentra doesn't seem to adjust at all. I am going to have to get the thermostats and set them near the probe to see what it is reading in that spot when I am roasting. And what it is reading when I think it should cycle low and high......hopefully moving it around will help it work to regulate.

I did read in the post on here that the probe "reads 6 degrees higher" which seems in line with your room temp of 68 and your setting of 73/74 for yours to kick on. So according to the "How Your Harman Works" post : https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/how-your-harman-works-what-your-manual-doesnt-tell-you.91030/ Yours seems to kick on in line with that.

 

[bags]

May need to adjust the location of your room sensing probe. If it is lying on a cool stone hearth or the floor it will not read correctly. I do not have a 52i but they all run similar. I have my probe up about five feet high and away from the stove somewhat. My P68 will stay withing a degree or two of what my central HVAC system stat reads at all times.

I did have to experiment a bit and at first my room sensing probe was coiled up like it came from the factory on the lower right side. There it was not reading as well as I wanted so i moved it. Kind of a trial and error deal.

If your stove was burning you out then it is not reading correctly. The mode you are running in you should see it ramp up and down to maintain set temp and not running full blast all night unless it was cold. Either way you should not have been melting riding the couch.

Where is the feed rate knob set? Set it at 3 and see what you get. Set your room temp to 72* and auto ignite. With these settings and outside temps (wish I could see where you are located) with the room sensing probe in a good location you should experience the stove flutuating and ramping up / down and possibly shutting down completely at times or getting close to doing so.

Doing the thermometer locations test is a good start and will also come in handy to see how your air is moving throughout your home so they will be reused frequently. I did this myself last year. Good Luck and keep us posted.

PS, A properly placed room sensing probe and getting set up your stove will keep your place at whatever temp you choose consistently no matter what the outside temps might be.

 

[NHcpa]

I will bet in a months time, you will have this all figured out. I agree with bags ^. I tape my probe 3' on to the brick left side on the chimney away from the stove. no probs and pretty accurate. I will tell you though, past shoulder season, I let it run on manual at setting 3.

 

[Zeus]

Also check to make sure that your room temp probe is working properly. You can put the probe in your hand to warm it up and see if the stove shuts down or use ice in a bag to cool it and see if the stove turns on.

 

[Zeus]

Having the same issue with our new Accentra 52i. Our last Acccentra (non insert) would keep a consistent supply of heat and cycle into low to maintain. However this stove will run and run "melt you out", doesn't seem to cycle into a low mode.

With it set to 72 and the stove not firing, when at what room temperature will the stove kick on? Unless mine is set to 73/74 the stove won't kick on until the room temp is ~68.

I noticed a 4to 5 temp swing on my set temp as well, if it gets too cool before the stove turns back on what I did was turn it up a little more so that it kicks on at maybe 70 heats the room to 73 or 74 and kicks back on at 70 again. Happy tinkering enjoy

 

[Lake Girl]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new insert. These folks are setting you on the right path ... a little adjust to the probe will help!

Keep us posted...

 

[cantamag]

I will bet in a months time, you will have this all figured out. I agree with bags ^. I tape my probe 3' on to the brick left side on the chimney away from the stove. no probs and pretty accurate. I will tell you though, past shoulder season, I let it run on manual at setting 3.

Thanks. Why do you choose manual vs auto after shoulder?

 

[cantamag]

May need to adjust the location of your room sensing probe. If it is lying on a cool stone hearth or the floor it will not read correctly. I do not have a 52i but they all run similar. I have my probe up about five feet high and away from the stove somewhat. My P68 will stay withing a degree or two of what my central HVAC system stat reads at all times.

I did have to experiment a bit and at first my room sensing probe was coiled up like it came from the factory on the lower right side. There it was not reading as well as I wanted so i moved it. Kind of a trial and error deal.

If your stove was burning you out then it is not reading correctly. The mode you are running in you should see it ramp up and down to maintain set temp and not running full blast all night unless it was cold. Either way you should not have been melting riding the couch.

Where is the feed rate knob set? Set it at 3 and see what you get. Set your room temp to 72* and auto ignite. With these settings and outside temps (wish I could see where you are located) with the room sensing probe in a good location you should experience the stove flutuating and ramping up / down and possibly shutting down completely at times or getting close to doing so.

Doing the thermometer locations test is a good start and will also come in handy to see how your air is moving throughout your home so they will be reused frequently. I did this myself last year. Good Luck and keep us posted.

PS, A properly placed room sensing probe and getting set up your stove will keep your place at whatever temp you choose consistently no matter what the outside temps might be.

YES!! Moved the probe off the stone and up in the air (I have a large vase to the left side and looped in around there) yesterday morning.

Refilled the hopper around 1030am yesterday and it is now 640am and still have pellets and still running!

Moving the probe up into the air the stove cycled itself all day yesterday and through the night.....so seems all is well!!

THANKS EVERYONE

 

[F4jock]

YES!! Moved the probe off the stone and up in the air (I have a large vase to the left side and looped in around there) yesterday morning.

Refilled the hopper around 1030am yesterday and it is now 640am and still have pellets and still running!

Moving the probe up into the air the stove cycled itself all day yesterday and through the night.....so seems all is well!!

THANKS EVERYONE

Welcome aboard. Yep! Probe placement is critical and it takes a bit of messing with it to optimize. Harmans are great stoves bit there is a learning curve. . . . .

 

[NHcpa]

Thanks. Why do you choose manual vs auto after shoulder?

I choose manual so as to not cycle the ignitor. Others will argue with their own preferences. Other discussions are OAK, battery back-up, etc... this is a great site for info. Search 52i and become aware of the various topics - including cleaning, type of brushes, when to do, etc... You are already well liked because you have a Harman too!

 

[F4jock]

I choose manual so as to not cycle the ignitor. Others will argue with their own preferences. Other discussions are OAK, battery back-up, etc... this is a great site for info. Search 52i and become aware of the various topics - including cleaning, type of brushes, when to do, etc... You are already well liked because you have a Harman too!

Oh boy! I feel another "Manual vs Auto, OAK vs No Oak" season coming on! My original igniter lasted almost seven years in "Auto" so . . . . . . ..

 

[linc1216]

I will bet in a months time, you will have this all figured out. I agree with bags ^. I tape my probe 3' on to the brick left side on the chimney away from the stove. no probs and pretty accurate. I will tell you though, past shoulder season, I let it run on manual at setting 3.

I have my probe located and Gorilla taped the same place as yours.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Anyone happen to know which dip switch on the control board that tightens the +\- temp differential?

 

[F4jock]

According to the directions I received with my new Platinum board, DIP switch 6 in the ON position reduces the differential by 1 degree. Not sure if that'll work for your particular set up but I assume you can't hurt anything by trying.