Pellet Burn Rate & Ashes???

[larryz]

I just bought my first pellet stove, a Harman P68. I followed the instructions about setting the controls for a 1" ash width in the burn pot. After 1/2 hour there was no ash bed at all. So I let it run for another 1/2 hour and there was hardly any ash bed again. The Harman manual says that it is not a problem if you can't obtain a 1" or less ash bed. It says that, "The 1" ash bed is only a maximum burn rate and at most normal settings the ash bed will be larger." This is confusing to me.

I turned the stove temp down to 4 and the feed rate at 4. It seems like it takes my stove about 18-24 hours to even get close to a 1" ash bed.

It is a ranch home, with an uninsulated basement. The stove is vented via an existing masonry chimney as per page 11, Fig. 10 in the Harman manual and I am using Simpson Duravent 4" pipe and burning Energex Premium Hardwood Pellets.

I am running the P68 in stove mode, because it is in my basement. I have the cellar door open and it really brings the heat up the stairway and works its way through the house. I am going to install some floor registers throughout the house.

Tonight I turned the stove temp on about 4.5 and a feed rate of two. I noticed that there are embers flying out of the burn pot and landing in the ash pan still glowing. The embers are not being pushed over the edge of the burn pot by a quick feed rate, they are flying straight up and then landing in the ash pan.

Is it normal to see embers being blown out of the burn pot and still glowing in the ash pan?
How much of an ash bed is normal?

Thanks,
Larry

P.S. - Sorry if this question is all over the place?
Here is the Harman Manual link: (broken link removed)

 

[GVA]

I just bought my first pellet stove, a Harman P68. I followed the instructions about setting the controls for a 1" ash width in the burn pot. After 1/2 hour there was no ash bed at all. So I let it run for another 1/2 hour and there was hardly any ash bed again. The Harman manual says that it is not a problem if you can't obtain a 1" or less ash bed. It says that, "The 1" ash bed is only a maximum burn rate and at most normal settings the ash bed will be larger." This is confusing to me.

I turned the stove temp down to 4 and the feed rate at 4. It seems like it takes my stove about 18-24 hours to even get close to a 1" ash bed.

It is a ranch home, with an uninsulated basement. The stove is vented via an existing masonry chimney as per page 11, Fig. 10 in the Harman manual and I am using Simpson Duravent 4" pipe and burning Energex Premium Hardwood Pellets.


I am running the P68 in stove mode, because it is in my basement. I have the cellar door open and it really brings the heat up the stairway and works its way through the house. I am going to install some floor registers throughout the house.

Tonight I turned the stove temp on about 4.5 and a feed rate of two. I noticed that there are embers flying out of the burn pot and landing in the ash pan still glowing. The embers are not being pushed over the edge of the burn pot by a quick feed rate, they are flying straight up and then landing in the ash pan.

Is it normal to see embers being blown out of the burn pot and still glowing in the ash pan?
How much of an ash bed is normal?

Thanks,
Larry

P.S. - Sorry if this question is all over the place?
Here is the Harman Manual link: (broken link removed to http://www.harmanstoves.com/doc/p68m.pdf)

By saying theres hardly an ash bed do you mean you have hot coals right up to the edge? if so keep turning down the feed rate till you get close to the one inch bed width

 

[HarryBack]

first of all, I beleive Energex Premiums are softwood pellets, not hardwood. The "embers" you are seeing are the fines in your pellets igniting and becoming airborn. It takes a few days to establish an ashbed, and it'll never be optimal....uneven, maybe burning way back in the burnpot, etc...dont lose sleep over that either.