Restart after a power outage

[New Hampshire Jim]

I have installed a Harman Advance and have not yet fired It up (80 Deg. Inside all week). I have read the Instruction manual many times and have looked at the forum for an answer and cannot find one. I will be sitting In the living room In December with the stove on and feeling fat and happy when the power goes out. It is out for let's say 15 minutes. Not long enough to fire up the generator but long enough for the smoke to go up the 20 foot chimney (Hopefully). Now the question. How do I restart the stove ? Will there be unburned pellets in the burn pot that I have to take out. Thanks In advance for your help. I know its early in the season
Jim

 

[New Hampshire Jim]

This is the part I dont understand. As you stated the fire is out So do I just turn the stove on and BOOM the fire will light or do I have to clean out the burn pot and then restart? The manual says something about if you have too many pellets in the pot you may get a smoky start and avoid this
Jim

 

[tinkabranc]

No need to clean out the burnpot. No power= no blowers or feed.

In my experience, when power is lost, the fire does not go out right away. It continued
to burn what was left in the pot before going out completely.
Just turned off the stove and then back on when power resumed.

Depending on how long power was out, the pot was either still smoldering or still hot enough
that the stove fired right back up without the ignitor.

I now have a UPS on my stove for the short blips in the power.
It will keep the stove running for about 30-45 mins which gives me enough time to dig
out the generator if needed.

 

[New Hampshire Jim]

Thanks Tinkabranc:
I think that answers It. I am sure I will find out in the months to come.
I feel like a kid that got a sled for his birthday in july and has to wait for the
Snow to use It.
Jim

 

[Stentor]

Just to be sure - - - you do have a surge protector, I suppose? I've turned off the stove for the summer and pulled the plug, so I'm not worried about a thunder storm. If I lose power in the winter, I figure the surge protector will do the trick. (If anyone on this forum has experience to the contrary, please speak up!)

 

[amick780]

Hi, new to hearth, I am using a computer UPS Power strip with battery backup on my Harmen Stove. We loose power for short periods of time often. I have found I can run my stove for about 30 mins with it, and if the power does not come on quickly it gives me time to shut the stove down or hook up my generator. The stove will light easy with out cleaning the burn pot out though.

 

[New Hampshire Jim]

Yes I do have a surge protector installed and the plug is pulled for the summer
Jim

 

[imacman]

Jim, I'd just wait for the power to come back on, and start the stove. I don't think you'll have an issue. In the fall, if you have a little $$ available, maybe get a UPS for those short outages (or a small generator for the longer ones). The UPS kicks in pretty fast, so the stove should keep burning. It will probably go into start-up mode, if it runs anything like my Astoria, but won't stay in it long once it gets proof of fire.

 

[New Hampshire Jim]

Thanks Macman
I have a 6000 watt Generator ready to go I takes about 15 min to pull It out of the cellar add gas hook up the power cable to the transfer box and by then the power Is back on. Unless we have a Ice storm like last winter and were without power for 3 days. We have UPS at work .They come in and pick up our packages. I didnt know they will help you keep a pellet stove running. (Kidding)
JIm

 

[imacman]

Thanks Macman
I have a 6000 watt Generator ready to go I takes about 15 min to pull It out of the cellar add gas hook up the power cable to the transfer box .................... We have UPS at work .They come in and pick up our packages. I didnt know they will help you keep a pellet stove running. (Kidding)
JIm

I'd keep the gas tank full on the generator, and mix a little fuel stabilizer (Stabil) to the gas so it's good all winter, even if it doesn't get used.

Yep, I have the UPS here too, but I feel bad for the guy standing outside by the door 24/7 waiting to start the stove for me.....especially since he never goes home to change out of the little shorts they wear all summer.......he looks cold. (yes, yes, I DO let him use the bathroom in the basement once a week or so). :cheese:

I wonder if his wife knows where he is :lol:

 

[cncpro]

Yep, I have the UPS here too, but I feel bad for the guy standing outside by the door 24/7 waiting to start the stove for me.....especially since he never goes home to change out of the little shorts they wear all summer.......he looks cold. (yes, yes, I DO let him use the bathroom in the basement once a week or so). :cheese:

I wonder if his wife knows where he is :lol:

Ah the perils of drinking before posting... %-P

 

[flowercat]

I have a small inexpensive (a little over $100 Staples) PC UPS (Cyberpower) that will run my pellet stove (Englander) for enough time to shut the stove down properly or so I can see if the power comes on soon so that I can keep running. I also have a generator.

With my stove if the power shuts off the stove smoke might back up. When the UPS is running off the battery it sends out a loud alarm that there is a power issue. It also acts as a surge suppressor and will verify power quality to prevent problems with the electrical on the stove. If the UPS detects bad power it will run off the battery until the problem is resolved. Given the cost of the stoves today it is a wise investment.

When buying a UPS determine the power requirements of the stove and base the purchase on the apporximate time and power needs so that a good shutdown can occur at least. Cyberpower makes a good quality UPS at a resanable price.

I don't know the stove you have yet my stove Englander pellet stove allows me to run components of the stove (eg auger, starter, fans etc) without actually lighting the stove. I would think this would be a good idea before waiting to the fall to run it. It could determine problems before the stove is actually needed.

 

[New Hampshire Jim]

Wood Pellet user:
I looked at the Staples site and they have a few UPS by Cyberpower. Do you remember the model #
Jim

 

[flowercat]

1500AVR. Google cyberpower 1500AVR. Amazon has it for $149.00.

 

[New Hampshire Jim]

Thanks Will check It out
How many Watts does your stove draw when Its running?
Jim

 

[flowercat]

Cyberpower is good because the display tells you info about the use of the baterry including amount of watts being used, percentage of battery left and time remaining for use of the battery. My stove at full power uses a few hundred watts. If I am here when the UPS is being used I shut the heat fan and the auger down to there lowest levels to reduce use of the battery and increase the amount of time the UPS will run. The exhaust fan runs at the same speed regardless o the setting for heat. If it looks like a good outage I will start the shutdown. My UPS has enough power to allow for a shutdown with some power left so it gives me some options. I would start by contacting the vendor or reseller and ask what the power requirements are and then buy a UPS that will work with the normal power requirements. This USP works fine with my system. Different stoves have different power usage requirements though. I would buy a UPS that has a display so that the power can be more esaily managed. You can also ask if they sell a power backup option. The vendor options I looked at were expensive and this UPS is all that I needed and it was reasonable.