p68 auto ignite issue

[utahdl]

Having a problem with auto ignite. The burnpot does not seem to be getting warm hence it does not ignite. Read the message boards and tried to ignite it with feed rate set at 1; still no luck. Cleaned out the area under the burn pot; still no luck. Left message with dealer. 2 questions: Is there anything else I can try? In the meantime, how can I light the stove manually? Not thrilled with using gas and have no gel. Read something about antibacterial gel?

Thanks!

 

[pkitfox]

How to start without the igniter in manual is in your owners manual. If you don't have the manual, it is available in .pdf on the Harman site under the support button, if I remember right..

Oh, by the way, in auto when you are trying to start, does the burn pot fill with pellets? If it does not, it is a draft issue. I have not tried hand sanitizer, but if it does not work, just dig the pellets out of the pot and throw them away. Nothing to loose by trying I suppose.


Make sure the door is shut, and ash pan latched (if P68 has separate ash door). You should also turn the control to off, unplug the stove for 10 seconds, then plug it back in and try it. Maybe the controls brains got scrambled.

 

[crausch]

utahdl:
If you have a propane torch (like used for plumbing) you can place the igniter in the "manual" position, fill the burn pot part way, and light them with the torch. Follow the instructions in your stove manual for this type of start. Once lit, with the igniter in the "manual" position, the stove will not go out and you should be good until you get it resolved or replaced.

 

[TomPajak]

other way to manual ignite is to buy fire starter gel at hardware store or pellet store..here is what the manual says..

1. Turn FEED ADJUSTER to desired feed rate. No. 4 is good for most pellets.4
2. Turn the Mode Selector to “OFF” and then to the desired mode. This will reset control
and start the combustion motor.
3. Turn the Tempmperature Dial to the desired setting.
4. Clean burn pot with scraper if necessary.5
5. Fill burn pot with pellets, only level with front edge. (Do Not Over Fill).
6. Add starting gel on top of the pellets. Stir gel into pellets for fast lighting.
7. Light starting gel with a match, and close the door. Operation will begin when the fire reaches the proper temperature.3
8. Fill hopper with pellets and remove ashes as required.

 

[utahdl]

I appreciate all the responses. I ended up buying gel and starting it the appropriate way. I did talk to the dealer and he is coming out next week to replace the ignitor. He did mention that he would have to charge me a $45 service charge even though I am under warranty. When I asked why he didnt charge me for the last service call he told me that its not him its Harman, and Harman just came out with this policy. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?

 

[GVA]

how far away is the dealer?.....
I know they don't pay for travel expenses.....

 

[TomPajak]

sounds like crap to me...
3yrs parts AND LABOR
(broken link removed to http://www.harmanstoves.com/warranty.asp?id=1)

 

[utahdl]

The dealer is about 45 miles away

 

[pkitfox]

The dealer we bought from is 60 miles. He told us that a warranty call was $75 dollars when we bought the stove. Sounds like your dealer charges are in the ballpark with ours. I think he told me that Harman does not pay travel expenses. He told me up front, so I accepted the charges as a condition of having warranty work done by him. It was good business for him to be upfront about the travel charges before the sale.

 

[Lousyweather]

There were ignitor issues in many of the Harman units, so, most likely the cost of the ignitor will not be charged to you....I think they retail for $70-$80. And yes, the Harman warrantee does not allow for travel time, so, I guess as long as your dealer told you that up front, its sensible. Heres a copy of the warrantee off a dealer website:

(broken link removed)

I think its fairly well spelled out under the "How To Make A Claim" section.

Ignitor replacement isnt too bad either....about a half hour of fairly easy work. If the ignitor gets removed, it can be checked for continuity with a meter. The older ignitors had about 40-44 ohms of resistance, while the newer series have 46-49 ohms. Most of the bad igniters have no continuity.

hope it helps.