New Harman P68 is falling apart!!!!!

[Steveo]

I purchased a Harman P68 because after researching all the different stoves, I thought this would be the best quality stove. Last night while we were sleeping I heard a noise like something fell. I could not find anything so I went back to bed. When I woke up this morning I opened the pellet stove to clean out the ash pot and when I opened the door there was a large piece of metal sitting on top of the burn pot. It appears that this piece was plug welded if you know what that is. Anyways it looks like a faulty welding job on a brand new stove. This stove is last years model but I bought it new this year. The dealer I purchased this stove from is no longer a Harman dealer, they say they dropped the line due to issues they were having with harman.
So I know I can find somebody to weld this back in for me but I know a few things about welding and electronics. If the current goes through the electronic circuit board it could smoke.damage the board. Does anybody know for a fact what I should remove from the stove before welding this piece back in place? I am going to try and make a call to the manufacturer to see what they recommend but I heave heard they refer everything to the dealer.
Here is a picture of the piece that fell off:

 

[rap69ri]

I would contact other Harman dealers in your area to see if they can help to begin with, then I would start emailing Harman themselves. You should get a replacement stove. The piece that fell off is not a simple fan or motor, but an integral piece of the firebox.

 

[crausch]

Nice picture, that shows everything they should need to see. That definately looks like a manufacturers defect to me. I would see what they have to say about replacement or fixing before you try it yourself. Even if you have it repaired, they should pay for it.

Please make sure you share their response!

 

[itworks]

Sorry to hear about your P68. My friend and I have been running P68's for the last 5 years without any problems. I understand the dealer you purchased the stove from is no longer a Harman dealer. IMHO I would contact Harman and insist they send a tech out to remedy the situation, or replace the stove under warranty.
I hope you resolve this issue quickly.

 

[imacman]

.....I would start emailing Harman themselves. You should get a replacement stove.

I agree with Rap 100%.....no way would I even attempt a repair. If you do, then you could have warranty issues down the road. That big piece with 4 large plug welds, and it fell out?? Sounds like it was built on a Friday at about 4:45 PM, and the welder just wanted to get done. Who knows what else is wrong with the welds in the rest of the stove.....I would be pushing for a replacement stove.

 

[Steveo]

I just left a message with the dealer that I purchased the stove from. They are a very large dealer and carry just about every line of stove. The last time I was in their store I was told they were dropping the Harman line but their website says they still carry Harman so we will see if I get a call back, I had to leave a message with the service department. This stove has been perfect up until now. I love everything about this stove except for it falling apart lol.

 

[imacman]

Keep us up-to-date on this situation. I, for one, am very interested in how the dealer & Harman resolve this.

 

[j00fek]

call your dealer asap and get it fixxed

 

[Lobstah]

Definitely need a new stove. I'd accept nothing less...and I can't imagine a manufacturer offering anything less.

Jim

 

[abbdog]

That's embarrassing for harmon.Probably made on a chrysler assembly line.

 

[imacman]

Probably made on a chrysler assembly line.

Most likely.... :lol:

 

[STOVEGUY11]

Harman of the past allowed one of our customers to hire a welder to fix a broken piece on their advance a few years back. We just sent Harman the bill and they payed for it. I dont know how HHT handles things now.

 

[Steveo]

So I got an answer about fixing my P68. The dealer said to hire someone to weld the piece back into my stove and Harman will pay the bill. The problem I am running into is that nobody wants to come to my house to do the job. It looks like I am going to have to uninstall my stove and bring it to someone to weld it. This really sucks because I am in Maine and my dealer is in NH, so I do not expect them to come here and remove the stove.

 

[newpelletstove]

Steveo I'm sorry you are having this problem. I hope my Harman XXV doesn't have that kind of problem. It's good that Harman is willing to help to some degree, but it sounds like they are making it hard on you. I agree with some of the other posters here - would welding that back in really fix the problem ? Could carbon monoxide get out of the firebox area and enter your living space, if the firebox is not completely sealed ?

 

[Steveo]

The piece is just the upper air wash so it has nothing to do with the seal on the stove. It does keep the flame off the glass so I can not use the stove until I get it fixed. Hopefully I get this fixed soon. I miss the heat that it put out. I am back to heating with my forced hot water baseboard heat with oil. I miss standing in front of my stove and feeling the heat already.

 

[imacman]

Steveo,

if you can't get a welder to come to you, and you're forced to remove the stove to bring it someplace, I'd make sure that Harman is aware of that, and that they should compensate you for the welding job, and AT LEAST some time and gas in your vehicle.

Like I said in a previous post, I hope this is the only thing that wasn't welded/assembled correctly

I wouldn't be letting them off the hook so easy, either. The welds were caused by THEM, but somehow YOU have to have it fixed?????

Thats BS in my book.

 

[woodsman23]

If i had to pull the stove out have it welded then reinstall i would be making a road trip with the stove to harman and place it where the sun don't shine right at the main plant.

 

[coldfeet1958]

I finally received my Harman XXV yesterday, after waiting since June. I absolutely love it, but hope that it does not fall apart.

 

[Steveo]

If I purchased this stove from a local dealer I would be more demanding. The only place I could get a stove when I wanted it was in another state so I was aware that I could have some issues if something went wrong with the stove. So I will get this welding taken care of and hope for the best.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

im not really getting into this as its not my company and im not going to make a "value judgement" of another manufacturer here. things occasionally happen, its a handmade unit just as ours are. any manufacturer who says this never happens is blowing smoke (pardon the pun) but if i understand the "dealer service" warranty side of the buisness it falls upon the selling dealer to get the issue corrected , it doesnt matter in my opinion that he may no longer be carrying harman stoves at this point , he was carrying them when he sold the uit to you and that means he has to stand behind the product and deal with harman to receive compensation for his efforts. so in my mind at least he needs to be the person doing the leg work not you. you paid for the warranty along with paying for the stove. i would expect harman to offer what they did and if you could get an "on site" welding repair done it would be a done deal ( i have set up such things in the past myself), if not seems to me the dealer should be the one getting the stove transported to a site where the repair harman authorized the repair to be done. i do not know how that warranty reads personally and i may be wrong , but shouldnt the dealer be more actively involved in this? i know were it me who sold it i'd be shaking the bushes pretty hard right now.

 

[imacman]

Mike, I agree 100%....Steveo shouldn't be the one doing all the leg work here. Like you said, he paid for the warranty, and the company and dealer should be taking care of this.

 

[slink]

I purchased a Harman P68 because after researching all the different stoves, I thought this would be the best quality stove. Last night while we were sleeping I heard a noise like something fell. I could not find anything so I went back to bed. When I woke up this morning I opened the pellet stove to clean out the ash pot and when I opened the door there was a large piece of metal sitting on top of the burn pot. It appears that this piece was plug welded if you know what that is. Anyways it looks like a faulty welding job on a brand new stove. This stove is last years model but I bought it new this year. The dealer I purchased this stove from is no longer a Harman dealer, they say they dropped the line due to issues they were having with harman.
So I know I can find somebody to weld this back in for me but I know a few things about welding and electronics. If the current goes through the electronic circuit board it could smoke.damage the board. Does anybody know for a fact what I should remove from the stove before welding this piece back in place? I am going to try and make a call to the manufacturer to see what they recommend but I heave heard they refer everything to the dealer.
Here is a picture of the piece that fell off:

This is definetly a warranty situation. Harman covers this type problem for 6 years from date of purchase. Contact them directly and explain the problem and see how they want to proceed. I assue you this is not a common problem. Most of the parts are robotically welded and it must have been just a fluke.

 

[STOVEGUY11]

Harman pays very little to re-imburse dealers for labor. Where is the motivation for the dealer a state away to perform these tasks. I doubt the dealer has any conections a state away for a welder, he is going to want to bring it to his area where he has ties with his community. I think that is going to end up costing our friend here more money. We had trouble at first finding a welder for our Advance customer a few years back, but he was able to find someone eventually. We called like 5 different guys. He was an engineer and was able to find someone through a friend.

 

[Tom Pajak]

this might be of some help regarding warranty



Harman Warranty*
Harman's stove warranty is carved in stone. Don't be fooled by the "lifetime" warranties you see offered by other stove companies. Read the fine print.

Harman Stoves are manufactured with precision using the highest quality materials and they are built to a higher standard than other stoves on the market. We express our confidence in the manufacturing and performance of our stoves by offering each customer the best warranty in the industry. 6 years material & workmanship - covers the body of the stove and components made by the Harman Stove Company.
3 years parts & labor for mechanical & electrical components - covers circuit boards, wiring, motors and igniters.
100% Transferable to new owner.



Refer to the warranty form that comes with your stove or ask your Harman dealer for a detailed explanation of the Harman Gold Warranty and procedures for making a warranty claim.

* Central heat and boiler models are covered by a 5 year limited warranty for residential use and 1 year for commercial use.



Sounds like to me the dealer is responsible for getting this fixed for you..IMO

 

[MCPO]

this might be of some help regarding warranty



Harman Warranty*
Harman's stove warranty is carved in stone. Don't be fooled by the "lifetime" warranties you see offered by other stove companies. Read the fine print.

Harman Stoves are manufactured with precision using the highest quality materials and they are built to a higher standard than other stoves on the market. We express our confidence in the manufacturing and performance of our stoves by offering each customer the best warranty in the industry. 6 years material & workmanship - covers the body of the stove and components made by the Harman Stove Company.
3 years parts & labor for mechanical & electrical components - covers circuit boards, wiring, motors and igniters.
100% Transferable to new owner.



Refer to the warranty form that comes with your stove or ask your Harman dealer for a detailed explanation of the Harman Gold Warranty and procedures for making a warranty claim.

* Central heat and boiler models are covered by a 5 year limited warranty for residential use and 1 year for commercial use.



Sounds like to me the dealer is responsible for getting this fixed for you..IMO

I believe the OP stated that the orig dealer is our of business. This usually presents a big problem since dealers are so territorial.