# XXV airwash reducer



## chuckster (Jan 28, 2012)

The glass on my Harman XXV seems to cloud up pretty fast. Will removing the airwash reducer help any or just what is the purpose of it.
Chuck :-S


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## MikeG (Nov 4, 2012)

Hey Chuck! I have the same situation happening on the glass of my XXV. I actually just had my XXV installed on 10/23/2012, so it isn't even a month old yet. Last night I completely cleaned the whole fire box, as well as the glass inside and out, and had it looking really sharp. After I was done cleaning it, I fired it up and within 20 minutes, a 2-3" wide streak was already forming and getting darker. I get this nasty brown streak that is about 2-3" wide that goes from the lower right hand corner of the glass and proceeds diagonally up the glass to the top center. Then from that point it travel from the top center to the top left corner. Note, this streak does not travel or get longer as it is produced. The whole thing forms at once and just gets darker from a tan color to a dark brown after a few days. Unfortunately, I am not at home to take a picture of it, but I will attach a photo of it tomorrow. But I have attached a doctored up sketch from Harman's web site to show where my streak is and what it looks like. Also, I know junky pellets can cause dirty glass, but I am burning Turmans, and they are suppose to be a top notch pellet. Cleaner burn, and a really low ash content. So after 20 minutes of burning and already getting a tan streak, I don't think it is the brand of pellets. Also, I thought maybe it was the door gasket, I checked it out visually as well as doing the dollar bill test on it, and it all checks out fine. So that is why I started thinking it might be a malfunction in the airwash that is causing it, or maybe the airwash reducer. Did you remove your airwash reducer? Did that help at all with your problem?


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## MikeG (Nov 4, 2012)




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## MikeG (Nov 4, 2012)

Also, all the other areas of the glass remain crystal clear for at least a week if not longer which is what I am pretty sure all of the glass is suppose to do. On Harman's airwash design, does the air come down from the top, in back of the glass, or does it come up from the bottom, in back of the glass? Any help anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. I might be able to figure this out myself if I knew exactly how this airwash system worked.


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## MikeG (Nov 5, 2012)

Here are 2 pictures of what the actual streak looks like. Sorry the pictures are so poor. Very hard to take a picture of mirrored glass, in the dark, with a fire burning, without getting flash replection as well as a really poor photo. Any help anyone could give me on where to start to resolve this would be greatly appreciated. Like I said before, this streak starts to form within 20 minutes after cleaning the glass.


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## lbcynya (Nov 5, 2012)

Convert it to gas. 

A little water on a paper towel once a week...done.

Quality of pellets will have an impact as well, takes about a day and a half with Somersets.  Don't, sweat it, enjoy the heat and the savings!


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## MikeG (Nov 5, 2012)

Oh we are definitely enjoying the heat, just wish we could see the flames for longer then 20 minutes after a complete cleaning. I have no problem cleaning the glass once a week, but I am finding myself having to shut the stove down and cleaning the glass once a day which is a little too much in my opinion. The main reason we purchased this stove was for the heat, but we also liked the looks of the XXV and the esthetics of having a fire to view while relaxing at night. Its a little hard to enjoy the looks of it with a huge grey check mark across the window. But never the less, we do enjoy the heat at night while kicking back. I would compare it to a brand new car that had a big dent in the front, but runs flawlessly. It still serves its purpose to get you from point "A" to point "B", it just sucks to look at it or show off to your friends. 



I also have some friends that have pellet stoves that burn some really cheap and junky pellets, and their glass stays clean for at least a day or 2. I don't even get 25 minutes and I am burning Turmans! So who knows. I will call the dealer here soon and see if he can stop by and check it out. If he can't figure anything out, then I guess I am stuck dealing with it. Might as well replace the glass then with a peice of sheet metal with a fire painted on the front. Lol!


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## MikeG (Nov 5, 2012)

Since the whole glass is not being coated evenly or even around the perimeter like one would normally see, I would almost bet the farm that is has something to do with either air flow within the fire box or the air wash system not functioning properly. With it being such an irregular shaped pattern, it appears to me like something is either clogged and the air is not getting to certain areas across the glass, or that the air is being concentrated on a few points instead of the entire glass with something being miss aligned. But at this point, I still do not know how the air wash system works in the XXV to even try to diagnose this. If it comes down from the top of the glass or up from the bottom of the glass, and then how does the air get from the fan to the glass?? Hmmmm.


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## boosted3g (Nov 5, 2012)

My p61 glass get coated on the right side first and then the left.  It will then move across the top from the left to the right but this takes a week or so and it is still not as pronounced as your picture.  In my owners packet there are different tabs to hold my glass in that say they have an effect on air wash.  I have never tried them before but i wonder if this the the same with the XXV or even if they make a difference.


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## MikeG (Nov 5, 2012)

Thanks! I do not recall seeing any tabs or anything in my owners packet, but there is a good possibility that the installers might have threw them away on me, or took them with them. The only thing that they left for me was the owners manual and 2 hex bolts and the plastic bag. Not sure why I have 2 extra bolts though. Lol! But the other night when I was cleaning the inside of the glass, I saw the metal tabs that are fastened to the door that hold the glass in place, and I thought it was a possibility that they might be impeding within the air wash space. I will have to play with those and see if by loosening the screw, moving those tabs to the left a little or right a little and then tightening them back down fixes the problem at all. If I can't fix it though, I do plan to call the dealer and see what they have to say. Maybe they will bring the extra tabs back with them and put them on the stove. HAHAHAH


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## P38X2 (Nov 5, 2012)

Both my P38's have virtually the same signature dirty patterns on the glass. Takes about a week to get fugly looking on the top right corner. Maybe you're on to something with the glass clips.


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## XXV-AK (Nov 12, 2012)

My glass stains in the same pattern but it takes about two days before its very noticeable.


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## rickwai (Nov 12, 2012)

Difffernt pellets dirty glass faster than others. I just use a natural bristle paint brush once a day and you can do this w/ stove running


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## P38X2 (Nov 12, 2012)

I checked the tabs on my stoves. The older one has very low profile tabs while the newer one has smaller but chunkier tabs. The air comes through the tube on the left (P series anyway) and up from the bottom through the holes. I wonder if plugging some of the center holes would help keep the perimeter cleaner? I'm NOT suggesting doing this as the temperature variation could have a catastrophic affect on the glass.

In the interest of improving/modding the stove it is very tempting. I'll let you guys try it first  Remember, fire extinguisher for the fire, fan for the smoke.


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## Scott T. (Jan 18, 2013)

I've had my XXV since beginning of January 13 & still struggle to get the stove to work efficiently. I clean the glass & within 15 to 20 minutes of starting a fire on auto my glass is sooted up. After a hour or two it has about a 1/3 of the glass sooted up. I try to go by the 1" ash rule but with same results. I smell the stove outside sometimes & it has a different smell than my other stove ( Cumberland 3700). My best fires are at 2 1/2 of the feedrate & 70 on room temp auto. Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong? If I run on 4 like manual says I get hot coals being pushed into the ashpan. My pattern on the glass is very similar to the previous posts.


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## john193 (Jan 18, 2013)

I used to own an xxv and experienced the same thing. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. I noticed better pellets led to fainter initial marks, but after a week of non stop use it got to the point where you coodnt enjoy the look. I think what you are noticing is completely normal.


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## P38X2 (Jan 18, 2013)

Would like to hear HHT's response, although IMO it's just the nature of the beast for the most part.

As far as the clips go, on one hand, I'm thinkin why would Harman sell them if they're not effective? On the other hand, I think if they're effective, why doesn't Harman use them to begin with if it mitigates the problem.


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## gfreek (Jan 18, 2013)

Really, why have the glass if it won't stay reasonably clean.. Wow that much soot in that short of time, I also would not be happy.. Has to be a common reason for this... My P series takes at least a week to start at the corners.  I think if enough people complain Harman may listen...


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## New Hampshire Jim (Jan 19, 2013)

I have a Harman Advance and since day one the left glass will soot up faster than the other 2 glass windows. After trying all the usual tricks to keep It clean I asked the people I bought the stove from about It and was told It is a very common problem with all Harman stoves. On my stove If you watch what happens on a cold start you will see that the smoke is pulled out of the stove to the left of the fire box hence the left glass is seeing more of the exhaust go by It while running.It will dirty up faster If the stove runs for a long time on lo fire. I find I can reduce the amount of crud on the glass by running the stove for about an hour on high fire (Stove temp ) and can get about a week between glass cleaning P.S. I even tried RainX  That is used on automotive windows NO JOY
Jim


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## Hoot23 (Jan 19, 2013)

My glass never gets any worse than this. I can let it go for a month and its smoky in the same spots. Does your flame touch the glass when its burning high Mikeg?


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## Hoot23 (Jan 19, 2013)

Scott T. said:


> I've had my XXV since beginning of January 13 & still struggle to get the stove to work efficiently. I clean the glass & within 15 to 20 minutes of starting a fire on auto my glass is sooted up. After a hour or two it has about a 1/3 of the glass sooted up. I try to go by the 1" ash rule but with same results. I smell the stove outside sometimes & it has a different smell than my other stove ( Cumberland 3700). My best fires are at 2 1/2 of the feedrate & 70 on room temp auto. Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong? If I run on 4 like manual says I get hot coals being pushed into the ashpan. My pattern on the glass is very similar to the previous posts.



Turn the feed rate up. 2.5 is to low. What kind of pellets you burning? I started at 4 and dialed it down using the 1 inch rule. It's set at a little over 3.5 with the t-stat at 73.  

As far as the glass, I believe it's the brand of pellets you burn. Green teams did a black-out on my glass after 3 bags last year. Why pay 285 for that when I can get Vermonts, Northern, or Spruce Pointe for the same price and I can enjoy my fire.


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## Scott T. (Jan 19, 2013)

gfreek said:


> Really, why have the glass if it won't stay reasonably clean.. Wow that much soot in that short of time, I also would not be happy.. Has to be a common reason for this... My P series takes at least a week to start at the corners. I think if enough people complain Harman may listen...


 The main problem with Harman is trying to get a hold of them to talk with someone other than the dealer about problems. Very frustrating.


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## Scott T. (Jan 19, 2013)

gfreek said:


> Really, why have the glass if it won't stay reasonably clean.. Wow that much soot in that short of time, I also would not be happy.. Has to be a common reason for this... My P series takes at least a week to start at the corners. I think if enough people complain Harman may listen...


 I agree! That was one of the main reasons I bought the stove is the large viewing area!


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## Lousyweather (Jan 19, 2013)

the deposits on the glass are usually caused by a few things, most often the pellet quality, cleanliness OF THE WHOLE STOVE INCLUDING VENTING, and the rate of burn. The glass seems to stay cleaner with a higher burn (more airflow?).

As to modifying a UL listed stove, cant support that, as I dont think anyone here is qualified to substantiate this change as to the safety and engineering of the unit. I can tell you it almost certainly void your warranty if its still valid.

From what I have seen from the above pics (they are worth a thousand words!), the deposits arent atypical, and likely dont affect how the stove burns, but certainly have an aesthetic affect for the user. Cant comment on this, as we all have different levels of what we will tolerate.


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## Donn Fletcher (Jan 19, 2013)

MikeG said:


> Hey Chuck! I have the same situation happening on the glass of my XXV. I actually just had my XXV installed on 10/23/2012, so it isn't even a month old yet. Last night I completely cleaned the whole fire box, as well as the glass inside and out, and had it looking really sharp. After I was done cleaning it, I fired it up and within 20 minutes, a 2-3" wide streak was already forming and getting darker. I get this nasty brown streak that is about 2-3" wide that goes from the lower right hand corner of the glass and proceeds diagonally up the glass to the top center. Then from that point it travel from the top center to the top left corner. Note, this streak does not travel or get longer as it is produced. The whole thing forms at once and just gets darker from a tan color to a dark brown after a few days. Unfortunately, I am not at home to take a picture of it, but I will attach a photo of it tomorrow. But I have attached a doctored up sketch from Harman's web site to show where my streak is and what it looks like. Also, I know junky pellets can cause dirty glass, but I am burning Turmans, and they are suppose to be a top notch pellet. Cleaner burn, and a really low ash content. So after 20 minutes of burning and already getting a tan streak, I don't think it is the brand of pellets. Also, I thought maybe it was the door gasket, I checked it out visually as well as doing the dollar bill test on it, and it all checks out fine. So that is why I started thinking it might be a malfunction in the airwash that is causing it, or maybe the airwash reducer. Did you remove your airwash reducer? Did that help at all with your problem?


How are those Turmans burning? I have a Harman XXV this is my second season wit it. I tried the Turmans last year and my stove hated them. I came downstairs one morning & my stove had shut down. It was the pellets. They were way to long and formed a bridge blocking pellets to feed causing it to shut down. The Turmans got great reviews but they don't do well in my stove. The heat was nothing great. I've tried a bunch of brands that supposedly throw a bunch of heat. The only ones that make a difference has been Barefoots. My XXV loves them. As far as your glass my stove does the same thing. It doesn't matter what pellets you burn. Most stoves have a way to mess with the air intake. Harmans don't. Set in factory.


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## kinsmanstoves (Jan 19, 2013)

Scott T. said:


> The main problem with Harman is trying to get a hold of them to talk with someone other than the dealer about problems. Very frustrating.


 

Harman does not have a customer service.  The person you talk to is your dealer.

Eric


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## kinsmanstoves (Jan 19, 2013)

P38X2 said:


> Would like to hear HHT's response, although IMO it's just the nature of the beast for the most part.
> 
> As far as the clips go, on one hand, I'm thinkin why would Harman sell them if they're not effective? On the other hand, I think if they're effective, why doesn't Harman use them to begin with if it mitigates the problem.


 

The response would be to clean the glass daily.

Eric


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## Chevy2011 (Jan 19, 2013)

I have the same issue, as long as it keeps throwing the great heat the glass does not bother me.  I wouldnt mind having a clean glass all the time.  I know with the Somersets I'm burning now has been the worst the glass has been.  If you look at the pic in my profile you can see a little bit of the ash on the glass.  I was burning OMalleys than and that was taken three days after I cleaned it. I think the biggest issue is the type of pellets ur burning.


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## Chevy2011 (Jan 19, 2013)

I'll take a pic of my glass tomorrow when I clean it.


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## P38X2 (Jan 19, 2013)

kinsmanstoves said:


> The response would be to clean the glass daily.
> 
> Eric



Well that would certainly solve the issue  

Eric, have you any experience with the elusive "improved" clips? Mine never gets dirty enough to bother me much between cleanings, but I feel for the other posters. If I had an XXV I'd definitely be looking at it more than my mini workhorse.


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## Scott T. (Jan 19, 2013)

kinsmanstoves said:


> The response would be to clean the glass daily.
> 
> Eric


I paid very high price for the XXV & the large glass was one of the features I liked. I could have gotten a Brown enameled Quadrafire Mt. Vernon AE for $800 less like my XXV.  At the store the display XXV glass was clean even though the dealer said it had run for about 4 days. If I would have known of this issue I would have purchased the Quadrafire that I went to buy but I liked the feed/burn system of the Harman better. Very disappointing after paying premium price for the stove. No issues with heat output & looks of the stove.


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## gfreek (Jan 19, 2013)

Harman has a Facebook page.... as Eric says  Harman wants you to go to your dealer...1st....... I understand that the glass is no big deal to some but to others and for the price of the stove, I'd like to see the flame..


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## smwilliamson (Jan 20, 2013)

From what I have been able to gather, the air reducer as you call it is NOT what it seems. The air for the air wash comes from the left side of the stove and if you take the rake out, the air comes out stronger through the left side holes. The rake diffuses the air allowing it to come out evenly across the horizontal section and up straight as apposed to a sharper angle as you are seeing with your pics


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## smwilliamson (Jan 20, 2013)

Check your hopper lid and your fines collection bax and make sure you are getting a tight seal. Ever get a 6 blink error code? If air is escaping in from places it shoulndn't, the air wash will not be as strong as it should leading to your issue.


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## Chevy2011 (Jan 20, 2013)

So here are some pictures I took before cleaning my stove today. The first picture is of the glass, I been burning Somersets all week. The second picture is the burn pot and the third is the ash pan.


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## Lousyweather (Jan 20, 2013)

all fairly typical for the useage....needs cleaning, but nothing untoward here (the pics)


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## Chevy2011 (Jan 20, 2013)

Chevy2011 said:


> So here are some pictures I took before cleaning my stove today. The first picture is of the glass, I been burning Somersets all week. The second picture is the burn pot and the third is the ash pan.
> View attachment 90108
> View attachment 90110
> View attachment 90111


I feel the Somersets are burning way to dirty.  I have the feed set at 4 and the temp set at 70 on room temp auto.


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## kinsmanstoves (Jan 20, 2013)

wire your glass and scrap your burn pot daily.  I have yet to scrape or wipe my glass in three weeks on my Mt Vernon and I made a post yesterday about that.

Eric


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## Chevy2011 (Jan 20, 2013)

I scrap my burn pot every morning except today due to weekly cleaning.  It's overkill to me to clean the glass every day


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## Scott T. (Jan 20, 2013)

Hoot23 said:


> Turn the feed rate up. 2.5 is to low. What kind of pellets you burning? I started at 4 and dialed it down using the 1 inch rule. It's set at a little over 3.5 with the t-stat at 73.
> 
> As far as the glass, I believe it's the brand of pellets you burn. Green teams did a black-out on my glass after 3 bags last year. Why pay 285 for that when I can get Vermonts, Northern, or Spruce Pointe for the same price and I can enjoy my fire.


Well I did the Harman test for 1" of ash...Started with 4 on feed, Stove Temp mode, High fan setting, Heat setting on 7...30 minutes later over the edge with hot coals, continued going down in feed every 30 minutes & not until I got to 2.5 on feed rate did I get a ash line about 1". Using Magic Spark pellets from Menards.


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## Scott T. (Jan 20, 2013)

Chevy2011 said:


> I feel the Somersets are burning way to dirty. I have the feed set at 4 and the temp set at 70 on room temp auto.


 It's funny because last year in our area (Michigan) Somersets were the best I'd burned. This year I got a ton when Menards had them & I burned a few broken bags & didn't think they burned as well as last year. Could have been the open bags I burned  absorbed some moisture but will find out when the ton of Magic Sparks run out & I get into the Somersets. Wish we had a better choice of pellets especially those made from Pine, which you would think in Michigan we would have an abundance!


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## TheMightyMoe (Jan 20, 2013)

My glass clouds up identical to Chevys, and I have seen numerous posts with the same pattern. I think it is pretty much what to expect with a Harman.

I don't know if it is related, but if you notice on the inside of the stove above the glass/door, there is a lip that catches a lot of ash, possibly cleaning that often, might lessen the build up on the window.

/shrug


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## Justin M (Jan 20, 2013)

TheMightyMoe said:


> I think it is pretty much what to expect with a Harman.
> 
> /shrug


Not all Harmans.  The glass on my Accentra insert can go for a 2-3 weeks before it needs a cleaning.


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## TheMightyMoe (Jan 20, 2013)

Justin M said:


> Not all Harmans. The glass on my Accentra insert can go for a 2-3 weeks before it needs a cleaning.


 
P series / XXV, my bad =)


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## mfglickman (Jan 20, 2013)

Donn Fletcher said:


> How are those Turmans burning? I have a Harman XXV this is my second season wit it. I tried the Turmans last year and my stove hated them. I came downstairs one morning & my stove had shut down. It was the pellets. They were way to long and formed a bridge blocking pellets to feed causing it to shut down. The Turmans got great reviews but they don't do well in my stove. The heat was nothing great. I've tried a bunch of brands that supposedly throw a bunch of heat. The only ones that make a difference has been Barefoots. My XXV loves them. As far as your glass my stove does the same thing. It doesn't matter what pellets you burn. Most stoves have a way to mess with the air intake. Harmans don't. Set in factory.



My stove loves barefoots too and has a big crush on Maine Woods (softwoods right now but also like hardwoods). However, we clean the stove, ignitor, glass, etc every week, and the glass gets sooty just like the OP's within an hour or so. I don't want to clean the glass every day.


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## Scott T. (Jan 24, 2013)

I cleaned the XXV again this Weds. and had a full ash pan again for a weeks burning. I have to set my feed around 2 or the burning pellets just push off the edge. It has been this way with all pellets I've tried with only a change of from 2 to 2.5 on feed rate. I I did try starting on Stove temp mode at a high range & the glass stayed clean for about 2 hours! At least improvement! By the patterns I see on the glass I'm just about positive it is a air wash problem with too little air getting to the dirty spots on the glass. Extended my room probe by 10' with some 18-2 thermostat wire & put into next room near Fuel Oil furnace t-stat.& that helps when running in Room temp mode.


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## kinsmanstoves (Jan 24, 2013)

another thing to look at is what is the setting on the combustion blower?  You need a DDM to know.  I had a PF100 that we adjusted the combustion blower turning down it's voltage.  The customer reported that at feed rate #3 it was pushing unburnt pellets off the burn pot.  He scaled the feed rate to 2.2 or so and it took care of the issue.


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## mfglickman (Jan 24, 2013)

Scott T. said:


> I cleaned the XXV again this Weds. and had a full ash pan again for a weeks burning. I have to set my feed around 2 or the burning pellets just push off the edge. It has been this way with all pellets I've tried with only a change of from 2 to 2.5 on feed rate. I I did try starting on Stove temp mode at a high range & the glass stayed clean for about 2 hours! At least improvement! By the patterns I see on the glass I'm just about positive it is a air wash problem with too little air getting to the dirty spots on the glass. Extended my room probe by 10' with some 18-2 thermostat wire & put into next room near Fuel Oil furnace t-stat.& that helps when running in Room temp mode.


 
I had a problem with burning/unburnt pellets getting pushed off when the stove was fairly new. I researched here and the manual and decided to clean out behind the plate below the burnpot where the ignitors are - worked perfectly and I added that to my weekly routine, no more panicking pellets.


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## Scott T. (Jan 24, 2013)

I clean out the area where the ignitor is too but no difference. A lot of people on here say that's not right my feed rate is so low but I've come to the conclusion its OK or why do they have 1-6 range! Learning curve but still appreciate the input from everyone.


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## keep-in warm (Jan 24, 2013)

I also have an XXV and found that I needed to replace the door gasket at the beginning of year 3.  A tight door has a big impact on the dirty glass pattern.....I failed the dollar bill test....but didn't recognize until we lost power and really saw where the leaks were.


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## Chevy2011 (Jan 24, 2013)

My stove has been in operation since October, I hope I don't have to replace my door gasket already but it would not surprise me.  I'm going to do the dollar test on it this weekend.


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## keep-in warm (Jan 24, 2013)

Chevy2011 said:


> My stove has been in operation since October, I hope I don't have to replace my door gasket already but it would not surprise me. I'm going to do the dollar test on it this weekend.


 
You should be fine (hope so on a new stove) but when you do....the kit from lowes is inexpensive and not difficult.


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## MarkD (Apr 22, 2013)

I bought my Harman XXV on 2-16-13 and from day one have had the same smoke pattern on the glass. The dealer has been out several times to try to repair this problem by replacing the door gasket, ash pan door gaskets, removed the air wash inset, and adjusted the air wash but the problem has not gotten any better. I burn Bear Mountain pellets and get very little ash and the stove heat good but the glass soots up in about 1 hr. has anyone had any luck finding an answer?


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## MikeG (Apr 22, 2013)

MarkD said:


> I bought my Harman XXV on 2-16-13 and from day one have had the same smoke pattern on the glass. The dealer has been out several times to try to repair this problem by replacing the door gasket, ash pan door gaskets, removed the air wash inset, and adjusted the air wash but the problem has not gotten any better. I burn Bear Mountain pellets and get very little ash and the stove heat good but the glass soots up in about 1 hr. has anyone had any luck finding an answer?


 
No answer yet on my end either. Still have the same problem and if anything, it has seemed to get even a little worse as the winter progressed meaning that it is appearing almost instantaneous (within 5 minutes) as soon as I fire up the stove after a complete cleaning which includes brushing the whole pipe. I am dumb founded. Besides though always having dirty glass, the stove is amazing and the heat is tremendous. Just stinks to pay that much money for the esthetics of the XXV with a larger then normal viewing glass to have dirty glass all the time. Hopefully one day someone figures out this problem.


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## Scott T. (Apr 22, 2013)

MikeG said:


> No answer yet on my end either. Still have the same problem and if anything, it has seemed to get even a little worse as the winter progressed meaning that it is appearing almost instantaneous (within 5 minutes) as soon as I fire up the stove after a complete cleaning which includes brushing the whole pipe. I am dumb founded. Besides though always having dirty glass, the stove is amazing and the heat is tremendous. Just stinks to pay that much money for the esthetics of the XXV with a larger then normal viewing glass to have dirty glass all the time. Hopefully one day someone figures out this problem.


 
I finally found out what part of my problem was. I had installed my vent system & outside air supply for a Cumberland stove that took a 2" flex hose for the outside air intake. I got thinking that the soot on the glass was improper combustion as I had my feed rate turned to 2 for all pellets burned. So I thought it must be it isn't getting enough air into the stove so I wanted to check the air intake damper where the air intake goes into the stove so when the stove had just started back up I pulled out the outside air intake out of the stove & immediately heard & saw that the flame was burning a lot hotter. After the stove cycled & shut down I cleaned the stove & glass & restarted this time you could see the flame was very different & the glass didn't soot up immediately. It did get some soot after a few hours but you can enjoy the flame now where before it was behind the soot. It still gets some soot but nothing like before & I can go till my weekly cleaning to clean the glass & still see the flame where before we couldn't. I also had to put my feed rate up to 4 where Harman recommends & life is good! I was told by the dealer while going through this that the air wash reducer was added later to get the effieciency up to pass some federal ratings. He said the stove will burn a bit better with the air wash reducer installed but can be run without it. I just left mine in after getting the air it needed to the firepot. Hope this helps!


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## Scott T. (Apr 22, 2013)

Scott T. said:


> I finally found out what part of my problem was. I had installed my vent system & outside air supply for a Cumberland stove that took a 2" flex hose for the outside air intake. I got thinking that the soot on the glass was improper combustion as I had my feed rate turned to 2 for all pellets burned. So I thought it must be it isn't getting enough air into the stove so I wanted to check the air intake damper where the air intake goes into the stove so when the stove had just started back up I pulled out the outside air intake out of the stove & immediately heard & saw that the flame was burning a lot hotter. After the stove cycled & shut down I cleaned the stove & glass & restarted this time you could see the flame was very different & the glass didn't soot up immediately. It did get some soot after a few hours but you can enjoy the flame now where before it was behind the soot. It still gets some soot but nothing like before & I can go till my weekly cleaning to clean the glass & still see the flame where before we couldn't. I also had to put my feed rate up to 4 where Harman recommends & life is good! I was told by the dealer while going through this that the air wash reducer was added later to get the effieciency up to pass some federal ratings. He said the stove will burn a bit better with the air wash reducer installed but can be run without it. I just left mine in after getting the air it needed to the firepot. Hope this helps!


 
Also I have not installed a bigger (2  7/8" id 3" od) Harman outside air kit because the dealer said I shouldn't have any problems without it. I've read also that they are not needed unless you have a very tight house & have draft problems. What I didn't mention was I bought a 3' piece of Harman flex pipe before to mate the 2" flex to the stove for air intake & slipped it over my existing 2" air intake & sealed the end where it went through the wall with duct sealing tape. Apparently the Harman needs the bigger air intake to run right so I just put the end of the flex hose on the outside of the hole on the back shield going to the air intake port & not into the port giving it a several inches to draw room air with while still drawing some outside air. I think I will remove the outside air intake system this summer & just draw inside air for combustion.


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## kinsmanstoves (Apr 22, 2013)

MarkD said:


> I bought my Harman XXV on 2-16-13 and from day one have had the same smoke pattern on the glass. The dealer has been out several times to try to repair this problem by replacing the door gasket, ash pan door gaskets, removed the air wash inset, and adjusted the air wash but the problem has not gotten any better. I burn Bear Mountain pellets and get very little ash and the stove heat good but the glass soots up in about 1 hr. has anyone had any luck finding an answer?


 

Where in the house is the stove located and what does the venting consist of (list each part and diameter of pipe)?

Eric


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## Lousyweather (Apr 23, 2013)

glad you solved the problem, Scott.......minimize the outside air and you'll have less airflow across the glass, and cause more sooty deposits on it


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