pellets over filling burnpot...again!

[wally1234]

I have a harmon p52i. There is an OAK installed as well... its a pellet insert to be exact.

Right before the cold season started, I did a thorough cleaning (burnpot, vacuumed near igniter, heat exchanger, etc). Stove turned on fine the past 5 uses and just now I turned it on and the burn pot overfilled with pellets and did not ignite.

This started happening at the end of last winter and now its seems to be happening again. Yes I do clean my stove during the winter every so often but to start acting up again after 5 uses is crazy.

When the pellets spill over the burnpot, yes they are hot. Does that mean my igniter is NOT the problem or can it still be the problem?

Yes I do poke the holes in the burnpot as well. What else can I adjust/look into?

*sometimes when I first turn the stove on, I get a light burn smell. Does my door gasket need to be replaced and could that affect the stove turning on?

 

[jackman]

Yes, the igniter could still be a problem. I would replace it. In the mean time I would start the stove manually using a propane torch and see if it runs well. Leave the switch set to manual and it will keep the flame burning at low.

 

[wally1234]

Is it hard to replace the igniter? Should the dealer do it or is it something that is simple?

I never used my stove on manual before, I will have to read my manual.

*I added this comment above as well ..

*sometimes when I first turn the stove on, I get a light burn smell. Does my door gasket need to be replaced and could that affect the stove turning on?

 

[Peterfield]

I had that happen to my 52i last winter. It either didn’t light at all or there would be a lot of smoke before the pellets ignited, sometimes explosively. In my case, even though I scrape the burn pot, I noticed a very thin deposit of carbon at the bottom of the ski jump. I used a sharp chisel to gradually chip it away. Then, I took extra care to make sure all the holes were clear(they weren’t) and recleaned the area under the burn pot. Since doing that, my startup ignitions are back to normal.

 

[wally1234]

I had that happen to my 52i last winter. It either didn’t light at all or there would be a lot of smoke before the pellets ignited, sometimes explosively. In my case, even though I scrape the burn pot, I noticed a very thin deposit of carbon at the bottom of the ski jump. I used a sharp chisel to gradually chip it away. Then, I took extra care to make sure all the holes were clear(they weren’t) and recleaned the area under the burn pot. Since doing that, my startup ignitions are back to normal.

Sometimes I noticed produces a lot of smoke before flame kicks in.

1. Why is that?
2. Is that bad?

 

[Peterfield]

Sometimes I noticed produces a lot of smoke before flame kicks in.

1. Why is that?
2. Is that bad?

This was more than usual. When the pellets ignited, they all lit at once it seemed. When functioning normally, a small section will start burning and the flame gradually spreads out to ignite the rest of the pellets. Although I haven’t read of this happening with a Harman, a poster wrote the other day that the glass on his stove was blown out by an explosive ignition of pellets.

 

[acowherd]

I had some damp pellets that I went ahead and mixed with some dry ones and let the stove light on it’s own.... it was really smoky lighting and then...Boom!! Sounded like cherry bomb in my stove. Made me nervous the next couple lights, but also only dry pellets for light up now on!!

 

[acowherd]

I’ve also experience the pushing of the pellets off the front.... clean the pot and holes really well, also the igniter. I take the cover off, and brush it off with my fingers. If that doesn’t fix it, throw a new igniter in it. It’s taken to long to start, and the stove keeps feeding pellets to it.

 

[UpStateNY]

There are YouTube videos on how to replace the igniter. Its not easy but it’s not that hard either. You will need access to both the back and front of the stove. The hard part is feeding the wires to the back. I tied a string or strong fish line to the wires in the back before pulling the old igniter out. That made it easier to pull the new igniter wires from front to back.