# harman P43 pellet stove won't light



## smilkman

My Harman P43 won't light but continues to fill up the burner with pellets.  I've tried unplugging to reset but still no fire.  The stove is only 4 months old am I missing something?


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## subsailor

Probably your igniter. If you have a propane torch, you can at least light it with that and have the heat. Or you can wait until tomorrow and buy some starting gel to get it going. You would have to run the stove in stove temp mode to keep it running, though.


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## smilkman

We got it started with the propane torch.  It also seems to be feeding way to many pellets way to fast.  Even when it's set at 1.  Strange how it has run so great since we got it and now decide without warning to act up.   The starter should still be under warranty....Let's see how Harman is to deal with when it comes to a problem.

Thanks for your help and Think Spring!


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## Bigjim13

Have you cleaned the igniter?  Not sure how the P43 is set up, but with my P61 when it does what yours sounds like it is doing I have to clean my igniter.  Mine is right under the burnpot and there are 2 wing nuts holding the cover in place.  Pull that off, vaccum it out and starts working fine again.  If you havent done that yet since getting it, that would be my suggestion.  I would say its to soon for your igniter to need to be replaced if you only got if 4 months ago, unless you bought used.   But crazier things have happened!   


give that a shot and keep us posted!


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## Pelletfisky

Bigjim13 said:
			
		

> Have you cleaned the igniter?  Not sure how the P43 is set up, but with my P61 when it does what yours sounds like it is doing I have to clean my igniter.  Mine is right under the burnpot and there are 2 wing nuts holding the cover in place.  Pull that off, vaccum it out and starts working fine again.  If you havent done that yet since getting it, that would be my suggestion.  I would say its to soon for your igniter to need to be replaced if you only got if 4 months ago, unless you bought used.   But crazier things have happened!
> 
> 
> give that a shot and keep us posted!



Same set up as the P43 as the P61. I had the same issue at least three times with the igniter getting caked with ash and not allowing the pellets to light. So let stove off because even though the igniter is not lighting the pellets its still hot! take off the plate like explained above and clean out the ash well. Get up under the burn pot all along the igniter but be careful not to damage the igniter. Also use a toothpick to push the burn pot air holes and you will see ash fall out.


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## Swaybar

Pelletfisky said:
			
		

> Bigjim13 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have you cleaned the igniter?  Not sure how the P43 is set up, but with my P61 when it does what yours sounds like it is doing I have to clean my igniter.  Mine is right under the burnpot and there are 2 wing nuts holding the cover in place.  Pull that off, vaccum it out and starts working fine again.  If you havent done that yet since getting it, that would be my suggestion.  I would say its to soon for your igniter to need to be replaced if you only got if 4 months ago, unless you bought used.   But crazier things have happened!
> 
> 
> give that a shot and keep us posted!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Same set up as the P43 as the P61. I had the same issue at least three times with the igniter getting caked with ash and not allowing the pellets to light. So let stove off because even though the igniter is not lighting the pellets its still hot! take off the plate like explained above and clean out the ash well. Get up under the burn pot all along the igniter but be careful not to damage the igniter. Also use a toothpick to push the burn pot air holes and you will see ash fall out.
Click to expand...


What they said - mine did it yesterday clean out igniter started fine!


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## bcb1

Yep, my Advance was taking forever to ignite, and that's exactly what my problem was too - the ash and junk built up in the ignitor area.  It's amazing how quickly that ignitor area fills up!  Now it's on my regular cleaning routine, once a week I take the ignitor cover plate off and vacuum thoroughly in there.


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## SmokeyTheBear

The area around the igniter is critical on all stoves (not just Harmans)  that auto ignite, the stoves ignite the pellets via very hot air any crud around it interferes with the air flow, no air flow no fire.


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## Bank

I used to clean that area once a month, now I do it every weekend, takes all of an extra 3 minutes in the whole project and well worth the effort.


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## Lousyweather

clean the igniter, as said above, and what the heck, clean the ESP too. If you havent done it in 4 months, its pretty overdue. Quite alot of info on how to clean the thing online......also, search function above. The ignitors are usually not "intermittant"....they have either failed or not. I beleive your stove, being only 4 months old, likely has the new 15 fin ignitor, which (so far) have proven to be very reliable in the field. I dont thik we have replaced one yet.


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## PJPellet

I clean the ignitor area once a week too.  Another benefit of keeping that area clean is the ignitor will last longer because it will ignite the pellets faster.  The faster the pellets light the shorter the ignitor stays on and the longer it will last.  Win win!


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## Bigjim13

PJPellet said:
			
		

> I clean the ignitor area once a week too.  Another benefit of keeping that area clean is the ignitor will last longer because it will ignite the pellets faster.  The faster the pellets light the shorter the ignitor stays on and the longer it will last.  Win win!



Very good point, I need to get back into the habit of a good weekly cleaning that includes the igniter.  Its easy to get lazy...


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## smilkman

Happy to say we are back in business and all because of your help!!  
We have been heating with pellets since the early 90's but never had the auto lighting.  Our first stove was a Whitfield and boy did that keep us warm.  The entire front of that stove was made of cast iron and there were some days we had more heat than we cared to have.  This Harman is the perfect stove to put in the living areas.  Our other stove is a big ugly New Englander that we have had for 5 years in our cellar and I really can't say anything bad about it.  It keeps our floors warm like radiant heat would. 

What a great resource you all are!

Thanks Again!

Sue


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## CD2011

We just ran into the same problem. This is our first pellet stove and the information I've gotten from this forum is awesome. I told my husband what "the guys on the boards" said about cleaning under the burn pot. He cleaned it all out and everything is great. 

I'm always telling him: the guys on the board said this, or that....he's not computer savvy so I do all the research.

I showed him a video of the leafblower trick, and he just might try it!

I'd be one of those "pellet savvy wives" but he won't let me near his new toy!!

Thanks again for all the great information!


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## mdunlap

My harman p43 is one year old. This year it will intermittently not light. It will run ok in room temp mode for 4-5 days, then the pellets pile up in the burn pot till it overfills but no ignition. If i empty the burn pot of the pellets and restart the stove it will then light.
The dealer came over and got readings of 5-6 on the air pressure gauge which he said were normal. The voltage to the blowers was fine. Ignitor had 47 ohm resistance. He then totally cleaned the stove, cleaned the venting pipes, took off the wire screen of the jet exhaust on the outside, spoke with the harman factory rep and told me the problem should be solved. I paid my $120 bill and stove ran based on the room temp settng of 65 degrees for 5 days. After this the same problem recurred.
On the second visit the rep did all the readings agan which were the same and all were  normal, spent one hour online with Harman factorey rep, replaced the circut board even though it did not show any issues. He then told me my voltage comng into the house was 127V and the stove was malfunctionng because of it. He wants me to call my utility and get the voltage adjusted down. I personally feel he has no clue and is BS me. ANY HELP appreciated Thanks.
.....I wish I had stuck wth my trusty old vermont castng woodstove......


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## subsailor

Is there a lot of ash in the burnpot when the stove is trying to light? That could cause the pellets not to get hot enough for ignition to occur.


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## Harman Lover 007

mdunlap said:


> My harman p43 is one year old. This year it will intermittently not light. It will run ok in room temp mode for 4-5 days, then the pellets pile up in the burn pot till it overfills but no ignition. If i empty the burn pot of the pellets and restart the stove it will then light.
> The dealer came over and got readings of 5-6 on the air pressure gauge which he said were normal. The voltage to the blowers was fine. Ignitor had 47 ohm resistance. He then totally cleaned the stove, cleaned the venting pipes, took off the wire screen of the jet exhaust on the outside, spoke with the harman factory rep and told me the problem should be solved. I paid my $120 bill and stove ran based on the room temp settng of 65 degrees for 5 days. After this the same problem recurred.
> On the second visit the rep did all the readings agan which were the same and all were normal, spent one hour online with Harman factorey rep, replaced the circut board even though it did not show any issues. He then told me my voltage comng into the house was 127V and the stove was malfunctionng because of it. He wants me to call my utility and get the voltage adjusted down. I personally feel he has no clue and is BS me. ANY HELP appreciated Thanks.
> .....I wish I had stuck wth my trusty old vermont castng woodstove......


Well something doesn't sound quite right here. The 15 fin igniter (which replaced the older failure prone 13 fin) has not had many problems. I would definitely check with your utility company so you can rule that issue out. You are definitely still under warranty so that shouldn't be a problem.


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## silverfox103

First of all, once you get the stove running, take it off of automatic and put in on manual.  That will keep the stove running until you figure out the problem.  It won't be starting and stopping.  This time of year it should be run on manual anyways.

Tom C.


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## Melissa220

subsailor said:


> You would have to run the stove in stove temp mode to keep it running, though.


Actually, you could run it in room temp/manual and it would remain lit until you ran out of pellets as well.


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## kinsmanstoves

smilkman said:


> My Harman P43 won't light but continues to fill up the burner with pellets. I've tried unplugging to reset but still no fire. The stove is only 4 months old am I missing something?


 

Scrape the burn pot making sure the combustion holes are open.  is the burn pot warming up?  When is the last time you opened the front of the burn pot and cleaned the igniter?  At the extreme you might need the DIP switche settings adjusted.  I did not read the other posts. 

Eric


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## mdunlap

Thanks to all for suggestions
Subsailor. Since this happens every 5-7 days only I am not there to see how mucn ash is there in burn pot. Sounds logical though so how do  fix this? I do scrape the  burnpot after every bag is put in, currently one bag of barefoot pellets is lasting about 1-2 days depending on the outside temperature.

Milkman what is the DIP settng? The store tech ran multiple tests and did not mention this setting.

Silverfox if I keep runnng it in manual mode I am not sure how I can figure out what is going on since it happens intermttently.

Harmon Lover I know it is under warranty but the dealer does not know what to do and neither does the Harman Factory rep. After charging me $120 dollars they seem to be punting the problem. I dont know what other recourse I have? Any suggestions?


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## kinsmanstoves

The DIP switch is on the underside of the control panel.  The first three switches control the initial fuel feed.  If it is set to fast it will not allow combustion.  If set to slow the pellets will not reach the combustion holes.  The dealers DDM can detect this without removing the board.  If not take a peek but unplug the unit first.


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## Harman Lover 007

mdunlap said:


> Thanks to all for suggestions
> Subsailor. Since this happens every 5-7 days only I am not there to see how mucn ash is there in burn pot. Sounds logical though so how do fix this? I do scrape the burnpot after every bag is put in, currently one bag of barefoot pellets is lasting about 1-2 days depending on the outside temperature.
> 
> Milkman what is the DIP settng? The store tech ran multiple tests and did not mention this setting.
> 
> Silverfox if I keep runnng it in manual mode I am not sure how I can figure out what is going on since it happens intermttently.
> 
> Harmon Lover I know it is under warranty but the dealer does not know what to do and neither does the Harman Factory rep. After charging me $120 dollars they seem to be punting the problem. I dont know what other recourse I have? Any suggestions?


They shouldn't be charging you anything! I assume the $120 for for the cleaning??

Oh and by the way...it's HarmAn.....


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## kinsmanstoves

Harman Lover 007 said:


> They shouldn't be charging you anything! I assume the $120 for for the cleaning??
> 
> Oh and by the way...it's HarmAn.....


 

Service calls are not covered under the warranty.


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## Harman Lover 007

kinsmanstoves said:


> Service calls are not covered under the warranty.


Really?? If it turns out to be a warranty issue (not the cleaning) Harman doesn't reimburse the Stove Shop or Tech? Thats not the way it works here.


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## Lousyweather

Harman Lover 007 said:


> Really?? If it turns out to be a warranty issue (not the cleaning) Harman doesn't reimburse the Stove Shop or Tech? Thats not the way it works here.


 
no, not for the travel time. They do reimburse for warranted parts, and a small amount for labor ($50?). Harman contends that the original selling dealer should factor in possible warranty issues into the selling price to offset some of these costs. Therefore, if the dealer who is fixing the unit isnt the original selling dealer, its not uncommon to see then charge for a service call, even if the unit is under warranty. Harman will will reimburse for parts in that situation though.


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## shtrdave

I had an issue with mine the other day same thing, I did call my dealer she told me to take the plate of and clean out where the ignitor is, I had done that right before new years day when I cleaned the stove. I borrowed a customer inspection camera and took the plate off and found it looked clean, but tapped the pot to know anything loose out and then discovered I had a lot of ash laying on the lip towards the back of the pot where the air comes into it, I cleaned a lot of ash from this area and it relit and no problems.

As for my dealer she is at least 35 minutes away, and said she could send someone out or I could bring the old ignitor in and she would give me a new one, same with my distribution blower, which ,makes noise on the high end.

I am very happy with my stove and even the dealer so far.

I did pick up the hand sanitizer that someone on here mentioned for getting it started manually.


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## kinsmanstoves

Harman Lover 007 said:


> Really?? If it turns out to be a warranty issue (not the cleaning) Harman doesn't reimburse the Stove Shop or Tech? Thats not the way it works here.


 
Harman pays for labor but not a service call.


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## mepellet

silverfox103 said:


> First of all, once you get the stove running, take it off of automatic and put in on manual.



You don't have to wait for the stove to get running to flip it to manual. After the igniter light illuminates you can flip it to manual.


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## Lerxst

Got a problem, happened right when i switched pellet brands. Early this season  i was burning leftover "Platinum Pellets" from last year, did so for a month. The stove works perfect. This year i ordered "Blazers" which the pellet company states "Blazers / now Packsaddle" Douglas Fir pellets. Started burning them with the old brand still in the hopper, so it ignited the old brand, new brand came in burned fine.

Problem is the new brand will not ignite. it has a shiny finish on the pellets. Everything is clean clean, tried everything in this thread. Any suggestions getting a difficult pellet to ignite.

Loaded 3 tons of these in my basement, and do not want to return them.


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## railfanron

Make sure the latch assembly on the pellet hopper lid is tight. There is a small nut on the inside on the bottom of it that sometimes will loosen over time and causes the hopper to leak air and mess up the suction through the burnpot. That can cause funny/ no light situations. Sounds stupid but believe me it gave me quite a headache before I found it.
Ron


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## Lake Girl

Lerxst said:


> Got a problem, happened right when i switched pellet brands. Early this season  i was burning leftover "Platinum Pellets" from last year, did so for a month. The stove works perfect. This year i ordered "Blazers" which the pellet company states "Blazers / now Packsaddle" Douglas Fir pellets. Started burning them with the old brand still in the hopper, so it ignited the old brand, new brand came in burned fine.
> 
> Problem is the new brand will not ignite. it has a shiny finish on the pellets. Everything is clean clean, tried everything in this thread. Any suggestions getting a difficult pellet to ignite.
> 
> Loaded 3 tons of these in my basement, and do not want to return them.



Blazers went out of business so not to sure Packsaddle is anywhere near the same pellet but may be made at the former blazers mill. 

Your supplier told you that?


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## Lerxst

I ordered online, that's what the website said.
I'm starting to think its not the pellets.
They are lighting up intermittently.
I got them to light by cleaning the stoves compartment that you get to by going in the bottom right hand side, and loosening the wing nut, and taking that door out.
But after a few burns, its back to not lighting.


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## Lake Girl

Take the time to do a real deep clean on the stove.  You've checked the ESP to make sure it is clean, pulled the exhaust blower to clean that pathway and replaced gasket, cleaned around the igniter behind the plate?  I'm not 100% sure of the exhaust pathway set up but use brushes and a flexible house on mine to get to all recessed exhaust pathways.

Exhaust blower making any usual noises?  Igniter is glowing as it should?  Checked gaskets on doors (hopper too if it is gasketted) by dollar bill test?


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## Lerxst

ESP and exhaust is very clean, I used my ash vac attachment that is really thin and has the brush at the end. I clean the igniter behind the plate weekly.
Gasket behind the igniter plate? Which igniter plate? In front the plate with 2 wing nuts has no gasket (never has never thought it was supposed to.)
Door and hopper gasket I will check.
How do you tell if the igniter is glowing. I mean I can't see it. The pellets show signs of charring. So it's doing something.


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## Lake Girl

Harman usually have a test mode to ensure all components are working ... check the manual.  If you don't haveone, it can be downloaded off their website under owner resources section.


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## Bioburner

Lerxst, how old of stove? Trying to get idea as to what will contribute to your hard starting. If three years I would lay odds on door gaskets not as tight as they need to be. I forgot how many watts the stove has to pull to have a properly operating igniter. That's where a Kill o watt devise can tell you what the draw is to help diagnose things like bad igniters and motors failing. Good luck


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## Lerxst

Bioburner said:


> Lerxst, how old of stove? Trying to get idea as to what will contribute to your hard starting. If three years I would lay odds on door gaskets not as tight as they need to be. I forgot how many watts the stove has to pull to have a properly operating igniter. That's where a Kill o watt devise can tell you what the draw is to help diagnose things like bad igniters and motors failing. Good luck




This is the stove's 3rd season at my house. When i purchased it, it was a floor model, at the stove store. 
Never did a gasket before......easy?


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## Bioburner

Pretty easy. Usually the first thing I do to a stove that I get used. Graphite impregnated rope gasket is great. A drill operated wire brush for about $5 to help route out the old adhesive and the rope kit with adhesive should be around $15 or less. 3/8 inch I believe. Less than half hour project for the main door and about the same for the ash bin door.


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## Lerxst

Graphite impregnated rope gasket,  got it....allready got a wire wheel and drill.

Who sells Graphite impregnated rope gasket?
like a boiler supply house?


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## Lerxst

Nevermind, amazon, ebay multiple others offer it.

Any particular brand you suggest?


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## Bioburner




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## Bioburner

I get from a home improvement store and or farm supply


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## bogieb

shtrdave said:


> I had an issue with mine the other day same thing, I did call my dealer she told me to take the plate of and clean out where the ignitor is, I had done that right before new years day when I cleaned the stove. I borrowed a customer inspection camera and took the plate off and found it looked clean, but tapped the pot to know anything loose out and then discovered I had a lot of ash laying on the lip towards the back of the pot where the air comes into it, I cleaned a lot of ash from this area and it relit and no problems.



This is probably it, or at least real close.

My money is on that there is some sort of obstruction to the air flow to below the pot. If your hand's are skinny enough, reach way back there under the pot. If you feel a mound of ash (which can be left even after a vacuum), clear that out with your fingers. Also, check your OAK (if you have one) and where the flapper is to the stove air intake. There may be something holding the flapper from opening properly, or something got into the OAK line.

Another thing to check is the igniter. You may have cleaned under the igniter, but bang on the pot with the scrapper while you have the cover off. More than likely you will see a whole bunch of ash come out. Bang on the pot until you no longer have that puff-cloud.


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## Lerxst

Thanks BioB

bogieb at work right now, when I get home I'm checking way under my pot for any mounds of ash. I removed my OAK in my process of chasing down this problem, so access should be easy, I will check out the whole OAK line.
Did not mention before, but I removed my igniter (carefully) and cleaned it (never did it before). 2 or 3 fins were partially obstructed.
This morning the stove started up, slower than usual.
Thanks for the help everyone.


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## Lerxst

Update for everyone. Had the igniter replaced, I got the stove as  a floor model, so the igniter that was in there was aftermarket. I now have the correct one in, working just fine for the past 2 1/2 months.


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## Lake Girl

Lerxst said:


> Update for everyone. Had the igniter replaced, I got the stove as  a floor model, so the igniter that was in there was aftermarket. I now have the correct one in, working just fine for the past 2 1/2 months.


Weird that it was an aftermarket ignitor on a stove shop floor model...   Great to hear it is working as it should!  Glad you followed up.


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