Hello all, I am in need of some assistance. I am a former St. Croix Prescott owner who has upgraded to the Harman P68 since I will be adding an addition onto my house this summer. I needed the higher BTU’s once the project is complete. The St. Croix was just not going to cut it. I was able to buy it this year since the shop I go to knew I was in the market and they were liquidating some inventory at the end of the year.
I knew my St. Croix inside and out due to those on this site who were able to post service manuals, it appears that is not an option on the Harman stoves however. I would like to know from P68 users some of the information below from my observations over the last 2 months. I have attempted to search the forums before posting.
1. Ash buildup in the burn pot – How long before you see the burn pot completely covered in ash? I’m sure due to the brand of pellets used, etc it will vary. I am just trying to see what others might see. I am using LG Premiums and see quite a bit of ash buildup after a few hours to the point where the flames bend towards the glass and get tall. They don’t get lazy, they just appear taller than when the pot is clean. I do scrape the pot twice a day to keep this from happening. I am used to the short, sharp flames of the St. Croix due to the versa grate constantly scraping the burn pot.
2. Beyond the normal fly ash, do you normally see chunks of burning pellets fly out of the burn pot? I thought this might have been due to too much air coming in the outside air tube, but I disconnected it this morning to see the same phenomenon. It is not all pellets, I just notice that 3-5 pellets will jump/fly out after new pellets are pushed into the pot. Some of these do fly into the ash pan. They appear to be burned for the most part, but again, just an observation.
3. Is it normal to hear a clanking/clunking noise from the auger every once and awhile? I know longer pellets would cause the St. Croix to clunk from time to time, but this noise is very different (different auger setup which is most likely the reason). Of course, I can never catch it on video to see what is happening or be able to show my dealer. This isn’t something that has shown up over time, this was from the get go. The dealer said they did the 4-6 hour burn on the stove prior to me picking it up, and I would have figured that they would have heard this noise. Again, just curious.
I’m sure I will have more questions as I get to better know the stove. So far, I am VERY impressed with the heat being thrown out. I haven’t had to have it above 4 on stove temp. I’m sure once I have more square footage to heat next winter that will change.
Sorry for the wall of text but any responses will be very much appreciated!
I knew my St. Croix inside and out due to those on this site who were able to post service manuals, it appears that is not an option on the Harman stoves however. I would like to know from P68 users some of the information below from my observations over the last 2 months. I have attempted to search the forums before posting.
1. Ash buildup in the burn pot – How long before you see the burn pot completely covered in ash? I’m sure due to the brand of pellets used, etc it will vary. I am just trying to see what others might see. I am using LG Premiums and see quite a bit of ash buildup after a few hours to the point where the flames bend towards the glass and get tall. They don’t get lazy, they just appear taller than when the pot is clean. I do scrape the pot twice a day to keep this from happening. I am used to the short, sharp flames of the St. Croix due to the versa grate constantly scraping the burn pot.
2. Beyond the normal fly ash, do you normally see chunks of burning pellets fly out of the burn pot? I thought this might have been due to too much air coming in the outside air tube, but I disconnected it this morning to see the same phenomenon. It is not all pellets, I just notice that 3-5 pellets will jump/fly out after new pellets are pushed into the pot. Some of these do fly into the ash pan. They appear to be burned for the most part, but again, just an observation.
3. Is it normal to hear a clanking/clunking noise from the auger every once and awhile? I know longer pellets would cause the St. Croix to clunk from time to time, but this noise is very different (different auger setup which is most likely the reason). Of course, I can never catch it on video to see what is happening or be able to show my dealer. This isn’t something that has shown up over time, this was from the get go. The dealer said they did the 4-6 hour burn on the stove prior to me picking it up, and I would have figured that they would have heard this noise. Again, just curious.
I’m sure I will have more questions as I get to better know the stove. So far, I am VERY impressed with the heat being thrown out. I haven’t had to have it above 4 on stove temp. I’m sure once I have more square footage to heat next winter that will change.
Sorry for the wall of text but any responses will be very much appreciated!
