p 68 question

[razor]

hi im new here. long time lurker first time poster. my stove was professionally installed mar. 06
the installer went over operation with me. i got into the habit of cleaning stove weekly. due to a cool spring i burned about a 1/2 ton of pellets. when i fired up the stove this fall things seemed slightly different (lower heat output,higher pellet usage) i was told by the installer to never remove the combustion blower cover,and to allow them to service stove every spring.
i was worried about using too many pellets this winter, so i bought a chimney brush and a magnehelic. before cleaning the stove yesterday, i wanted to check my draft high draft was 8.0,low draft was 5.8. after cleaning readings were 8.4 high 6.0 low. i was able to adjust low draft to about 4 (spec) but the high draft did not change. is this something i should worry about ?
after running the stove last night, the heat output seemed much better and had lower ash.
i also need to apologize i cant type for beans. thanks ray

 

[GVA]

Either it's a typo or you have the wrong magnehelic High draft normal range is -.50 to -.60 and low draft will be -.35 to -.45....
How much do they charge you for the spring cleaning? I looked over the manual and it's not all that different from other harmans as far as cleaning..... How is your venting set up, if it's a long run yeah maybe have a dealer clean the pipe..... as far as monthly maintainence you have to remove the comb blower cover to perform this! Lots of ash will accumulate in the beginning of the flue and around the comb blower and on the fins... hh:

 

[HarryBack]

record those readings Ray, write them in the owners' manual, so, if later you should have a problem, you cantake more readings and compare.....they will decrease over time, indicating a cleaning may be due.

 

[GVA]

i was told by the installer to never remove the combustion blower cover,and to allow them to service stove every spring.

But does this part make any sense to you Harry?

 

[razor]

i mentioned i cant type.my thoughts in my head dont translate to key board. h a ha(see no smiley)
gva: my post should have been marked negative. the gauge reads neg. pressure when using the low side nipple.i also did not understand him telling not to clean behind combustion blower, when harman clearly specifies to do so.

harry:my installation invoice was marked high 5.0 low 4.0. my only choice right now is to believe his readings. however my
yesterday reading was quite different. im wondering if spring to fall air is different? i will monitor my pressure probably once a month and continue with my weekly cleaning.

i read the manual draft will not cause a safety concern,only efficiency. my main concern was the high draft reading and if anything could be done to change it. i mainly have been running in room temp mode, but also tonite i feel a big performance increase.

thanks for the replies ray

 

[HarryBack]

there are actually 2 covers to the comb blower....one cheapo plastic one on the backside to keep fingers out of the fan, and a steel cover on the inside, held in place by a latch, behind the ash pan. Beware that after you pull the plate off you dont ram your shopvac end into the ESP probe...its pretty delicate. Other than a bid for future cleaning business for the dealer, I cant see why you wouldnt remove this cover. Certainly you arent gonna call them every month to clean it, are you? Once a month the cover should be removed, and cleaned behind it, also inspect the comb blower fan blades...sometimes they break loose.
Most likely their magnahelic "pegged out" at -.5, so this would be their highest "readable" reading. Mine pegs out there ay -.5 as well. The draft adjustment is really quite minimal, and wont make a huge difference...basically you vary the voltage to the fan slightly with a pot on the circuitboard.

 

[razor]

thanks harry!
this was my thinking to do a monthly good cleaning. i will be careful around the esp. it doesnt look all that easy to replace.
i bought a dwyer model 2001 magnehelic to be able to get an accurate reading.
the installer definately pointed to the combustion blower cover but harman wants consumer to clean.
i thought from what i read that the low draft was more important.

thanks again ray