Pc45?

[logfarmer]

Hello all, I’m going to look at a Harman pc45 this wknd, I looked at a p43 last nite which was in good shape, needs a good cleaning inside and has a little bit of surface rust on the top but not bad! P43 price is $1200,8 yrs old and the pc45 he’s asking $500 and is 10yrs old but the igniter is bad! I haven’t seen it yet to see what shape it’s in other than a couple of pictures but looks fine on the outside that I can tell. What do you all think or recommend in either choice. New to pellet burning but my parents have a Harman insert that’s 10 yrs old with no problems yet. Thanks for any help.

 

[jzm2cc]

If the PC45 igniter is bad, odds are the air pump failed too. Air is pumped thru igniter and if pump fails igniter goes soon after. Pump and igniter is well over $300, whereas P43 igniter is $50 or less. Also look for auger erosion (burned hole) in bottom of auger tube, seen lots with that issue. P43 is better pellet burner in my opinion, but I've enjoyed a PC45 in the past. 45's are just more quirky in operation.

 

[logfarmer]

Thank you for the reply, does it still operate with a bad air pump? obviously it won’t auto start when it calls for heat And you would have to manually start the fire so it would run continuous am I right? I am leaning towards the p43 anyhow just wanted an honest opinion, thank you!

 

[jzm2cc]

Don't replace a bad pc45 igniter if the air pump is bad, it will burn up quickly without air flow.
Manually lighting the stove is easy and you can keep stove from turning off in room mode by selecting the Manual mode.

 

[logfarmer]

Yes I would not replace the igniter if the air was bad! Thank you very much for the info I guess I just need to make a decision after I look at it tomorrow.