P68 Flame

[Ed P]

This past summer I bought a used P68. I opened it all up, cleaned it out completely and gave it a new paint job. I don't think it is burning right. The flame doesn't look correct. It almost looks as if it's curling from the back of the burn pot over the pellets to the front of the burn pot. Could I have the door too tight? That's really the only thing I did was adjust the door. I have it vented up about 4 1/2 feet of 4" pellet pipe then 90 into a chimney. I don't seem to get a lot of heat out of it either. I'm burning turmans. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Micmann]

does it have the intake crossover tube in the back? It goes from the fresh air intake to the feeder chamber.

 

[Ed P]

I'm not sure what that is. It has the 1 1/2" pipe on the left side of the burn pot with all the holes in it.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

This past summer I bought a used P68. I opened it all up, cleaned it out completely and gave it a new paint job. I don't think it is burning right. The flame doesn't look correct. It almost looks as if it's curling from the back of the burn pot over the pellets to the front of the burn pot. Could I have the door too tight? That's really the only thing I did was adjust the door. I have it vented up about 4 1/2 feet of 4" pellet pipe then 90 into a chimney. I don't seem to get a lot of heat out of it either. I'm burning turmans. Any suggestions? Thanks.

First off, welcome to Harman ownership. It sounds like the stove isn't functioning right. The type of flame you describe happens on my P61A when it is in very low burn. Can you tell us what types of settings you are using such as feed rate, which mode you are using (room temp or stove temp), can you get the fan to go high and low, and are you using a temp probe. Also, have you read the sticky above or the link in my sig to know how to get the most out of your Harman?
Let us know and we can help you out.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

I'm not sure what that is. It has the 1 1/2" pipe on the left side of the burn pot with all the holes in it.

That is for the airwash system to help keep the glass clean.

 

[Bioburner]

I'm not sure what that is. It has the 1 1/2" pipe on the left side of the burn pot with all the holes in it.

That's supposed to be fresh air wash for glass and not to have holes in it!? Picture from PC45

 

[Harman Lover 007]

I think he meant the burnpot had all the holes in it.....

 

[Bioburner]

I think he meant the burnpot had all the holes in it.....

He got a used stove with all of its last users possible attempts at improving. I've a improved burn tray that doesn't work very well from a used stove.

 

[Micmann]

I'm not sure what that is. It has the 1 1/2" pipe on the left side of the burn pot with all the holes in it.

What i mean is a tube in the back of the stove that runs from the from the fresh air chamber to the feeder unit. Something like this.


This will not be exactly what you have as i installed this myself, but you may have similar if it's a stove made in the past few years.

The reason I ask this i because I just installed this bypass on mine and have noticed a similar effect on the burn that you have stated. My burn changed from before the bypass install to after. If you are used to seeing a flame on stoves without the bypass it will be different on stoves with the bypass - you may be noticing this difference. The bypass allows some air into the augur chamber to stop the back up of gasses causing other problems. This air in the augur seems to be allowing the pellets to start burning farther down the burn pot than previous models of the stoves. The air coming out of the augur chamber flows over the low down burning pellets and carries the flame with it and "over" the front pellets. Mine used to do this like Harman Lover's only during a real low burn. Now it does it all the time. This is a result of the intake by pass tube. Is it ok? Don't really know. But since the stoves come from factory with it now it must be alright - i hope. I do find pellets burn at the end of the augur tube on low burn which i don't like, they should only burn in the burn pot IMHO. But the trade off is no hopper smoke.

That said another cause may be a leak in the hopper - the top seal, seam silicone, silicone where the hopper sits on the feeder unit, etc. An air leak from the hopper will do the same thing as the intake bypass and allow air into the augur chamber and then carry the low burning pellets flame over the front pellets in the burn pot.

 

[Ed P]

Ok, let me catch up with you guys. I thought there were holes in that pipe...... but there are none in there. The stove worked fine when I first fired it so I didn't get someone else's problems. The stove was in room mode with the feed rate at 4, blower at half way and temp around 75. The flame was not standing (if that makes sense). It was rolling over the pellets from the back to the front (small fire). If I put the stove in stove mode it has a good flame. I hear the auger turn and pellets falling, all the blowers are working. It just seems like the fire isn't right.

 

[Ed P]

Ok, let me catch up with you guys. I thought there were holes in that pipe...... but there are none in there. The stove worked fine when I first fired it so I didn't get someone else's problems. The stove was in room mode with the feed rate at 4, blower at half way and temp around 75. The flame was not standing (if that makes sense). It was rolling over the pellets from the back to the front (small fire). If I put the stove in stove mode it has a good flame. I hear the auger turn and pellets falling, all the blowers are working. It just seems like the fire isn't right.

Micmann ... there is no pipe in the back

 

[Micmann]

Micmann ... there is no pipe in the back

Ok, then you have an older model. Rules out the intake air. Your last post states it's ok when in stove mode but not room mode, correct? Then it's not a hopper leak, rules that out. What happens if you crank the room mode temp. It should ramp up the stove and give you the flame you see in stove mode. If the room mode is set at 75 and the room is 75 then the stove is satisfied and not calling for heat. It will then go to a low burn and give you your description of flame until it calls for heat. Is this possibly what you are seeing? The flame will only be standing on a moderate burn or ramp up. On a low burn it will mostly glow with little flame.

 

[Ed P]

I did just that... cranked up the room mode about 15 minutes ago....... going to check it out. Thanks.

 

[Ed P]

Ok, it's roaring... guess It was just satisfying the temperature and just on a low burn.

 

[Bioburner]

New owner jitters

 

[Harman Lover 007]

Ok, it's roaring... guess It was just satisfying the temperature and just on a low burn.

You do have a room temp probe, correct? Where is it located?

 

[Ed P]

The room temp probe is only a few feet away. I'm going to hook up a thermostat.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

The room temp probe is only a few feet away. I'm going to hook up a thermostat.

Now you're talking!!

 

[kinsmanstoves]

FYI if you have an air leak in a working pellet stove the flame will be pulled away from it. The stove works on negative pressure so air is PULLED in through an air leak.

Eric

 

[Micmann]

Ok, it's roaring... guess It was just satisfying the temperature and just on a low burn.

Glad to hear. Enjoy the stove!