# harman status lights



## utahdl (Dec 8, 2007)

My stove (Harman p68) recently shut down and displayed a 6 blinking light status.  I looked at the manual, turned it off, then back on again.  The stove fired up and stayed on for another hour, only to turn off again.  Like before, Im getting a 6 blink status.  Im not sure why it is doing this or what to do?

Thanks, 
Dan


----------



## MrWinkey (Dec 8, 2007)

> 6 Blinks : Indicates that the control has calculated
> poor or incomplete combustion occurring for more
> than 50 minutes.
> A six blink status may be set if the stove is allowed
> ...



Also check to see if you have any restrictions in the pipe or air intake?

Did you open the 2 front wingnuts and clean out the front of the burn pot blockoff plate?


----------



## ilmbg (Dec 8, 2007)

Winkey- Is everything clean? No dust, no blocked feed, no full pipes?


----------



## utahdl (Dec 13, 2007)

Ok,

I ended up cleaning the burn pot, the slot underneath, and the blower underneath.  I went outside and looked at the pipe, I took off a cap at the bottom and nothing was in there.  Ever since then it was running fine, except tonight.  When I returned home from work, I switched from room temp to stove temp.  I set my feed rate at 4 and stove temp at 3.5.  After about 3 hours of burning, it turned off and gave me the 6 blink status.  I then took all the pellets out to see if there was a jam, no luck. After I turned it off and back on, it seems to be running fine again.  Is there any danger?  Should I be calling my dealer?  This is my first season with the stove.  What is incomplete combustion?

Thanks,
Dan


----------



## Xena (Dec 13, 2007)

utahdl said:
			
		

> Should I be calling my dealer?




I would have called him 4 days ago in addition to posting here.


----------



## utahdl (Dec 13, 2007)

Contacted my dealer.  He told me to unplug it and plug it back in- this should reset it.  He also said he would come out if it happens again?


----------



## tinkabranc (Dec 13, 2007)

keep us posted if this takes care of the issue or not.
Hopefully it does.


----------



## utahdl (Dec 15, 2007)

OK,

Now I feel like Im paranoia is kicking in. The flame at the base seems to look as though it has a greenish tint to it? I also feel as though the flame isnt as high as normal. For some reason I decided to crank up the stove, so on stove temp high, I set feed rate to 7 and stove temp to 7. I let it run for 20 minutes and I really thought the flame should have been higher. It is almost as high as when I have it on room temp 74 with the feed rate at 4. Also, the temperature in the room with the stove in only went up two degrees. Basically, I'll never feel as though the stove is running right until the dealer comes out. With the holiday nearby, hopefully he can get here before christmas. Thanks for everyone's help.

Dan


----------



## GVA (Dec 15, 2007)

My guess would be Bad ESP just a guess though


----------



## utahdl (Dec 15, 2007)

Soon after my last post, it did it again (Incomplete combustion).  So I turned the stove off, went to bed and this morning I cleaned it out.  It has been running fine for 3 hours.  I also contacted my dealer and he is coming out on Tuesday.  Figures, on the eve of the biggest snow storm of the season, my stove has to be on the fritz.


----------



## utahdl (Dec 17, 2007)

Dealer called me today and stated that he spoke with Harman.  Harman believes it to be an issue with the size of the pellets.  They think the pellets are too long, which jams the auger and disrupts the flow into the burnpot.  Has anyone had this experience? Does this sound like the correct diagnosis?  Over the last 24 hours the stove seems to be running fine.  Maybe one pellet was jammed in there and recently dislodged?

Dan


----------



## Dougsey (Dec 17, 2007)

I would think a larger pellet would leave more space for air flow.

Does it sound like the auger is having to cut pellets?


----------



## GVA (Dec 17, 2007)

ok here's the best way to see if that is the case.
When you get the 6 blink turn stove off then turn stove on.
Watch for the auger to start turning................  Are there pellets being pushed out within say 2-3 seconds?????????  Then it's not a bridged hopper.
Most people when they get the status 6 the first thing they do is stir the pellets in the hopper with thier hand...
and they always say "I could hear the pellets dropping, so it must have been a bridged hopper" when in actuality it was something else going on with the stove......
The slide plate when fully closed will still have a gap so stirring pellets you will most definitly hear them dropping into the auger.....

So for all of you, if you get the stat 6 and you see that you still have pellets in the hopper just turn it off then back on and see if they start coming out withinin a matter of seconds.

FWIW that gearmotor for the auger has something like 130" lbs of torque.... a pellet will not stop it, unless you have a chain drive (you will usually throw a chain) But you have direct drive..

These were some pellets that ran through mine last year with no issue..


----------



## utahdl (Dec 17, 2007)

I was told the pellets were jamming the feeder, not allowing them into the burnpot.  When I receieved the 6 blink status, I would turn the stove off and back on again.  It seemed to me that the pellets were feeding fine when I turned it back on.


----------



## utahdl (Dec 18, 2007)

Just received another 6 stat, turned it off and on again, burn pot filled with pellets.  I'm totally frustrated.


----------



## tinkabranc (Dec 18, 2007)

GVA said:
			
		

> So for all of you, if you get the stat 6 and you see that you still have pellets in the hopper just turn it off then back on and see if they start coming out withinin a matter of seconds.
> 
> FWIW that gearmotor for the auger has something like 130" lbs of torque.... a pellet will not stop it, unless you have a chain drive (you will usually throw a chain) But you have direct drive..



very good to know....I have not had this problem with my stove as of yet but will 
keep this in mind if I should run into the same issue.  Bridged pellets was my first
thought too...thanks


----------



## utahdl (Dec 18, 2007)

As this is my first experience with a stove, I have lots of questions- Thanks to all who have helped.  When I first began burning I noticed there was a large build up of ash, I posted about it.  Now Im getting the 6 stat. I'm wondering if the 2 are related.  If i had more airflow, maybe the amount of ash on my burnpot would be blown into the ashpan. It seems as though the ash is too heavy for the little holes on the burnpot to move.  If that is the case, maybe that same theory can be used for my 6 stat. If Im not getting enough air to sustain a consistent flame for 5 minutes, I get the error.  Will a draft test determine if that is true, am I reaching?  How do I know if I have outside air?


----------



## GVA (Dec 18, 2007)

If you burn a standard grade pellet you will get ALOT of ash in the burnpot, however it should look like swiss cheese (though not as tasty) This is the air flow blowing through the holes in the burnpot, if you don't see these holes in the ash then you are choking the airflow to the stove.
Reasons for lack of airflow:
outside air hookup blocked.
Intake flapper stuck or blocked
Excess ash under burnpot and or blocked holes in burnpot
weak comb blower
Dirty comb blower
dirty stove
dirty pipe
plugged termination cap
or it needs more voltage to the comb blower.
When it is burning what do the flames look like are they leaning towards the glass or being blown back against the heat exchangers?


----------



## utahdl (Dec 18, 2007)

When no ash is in the pan, the flame blow straight up and down.  As more ash accumulates, the flames blow toward the glass. Currently, there is not much ash in the burnpot and the flame on the left side(looking in) are lower than the right. Also, not sure if related but it seems that before every 6 stat I feel more air should be blowing out than actually is.


----------



## GVA (Dec 18, 2007)

utahdl said:
			
		

> When no ash is in the pan, the flame blow straight up and down.  As more ash accumulates, the flames blow toward the glass. Currently, there is not much ash in the burnpot and the flame on the left side(looking in) are lower than the right. Also, not sure if related but it seems that before every 6 stat I feel more air should be blowing out than actually is.


More air blowing from where?

Did the dealer draft test it when they installed it?
describe the venting # of elbows etc.....
how many bags have you burned in it so far?
When was it shut down and cleaned last?


----------



## utahdl (Dec 18, 2007)

To my knowledge, there was no draft test done. I asked him today and he stumbled around it. There is on elbow which is inside of the house. Once outside there is a T that is attached to a pipe that terminates about 3 ft up. I'm just finishing up my first ton since october. I clean the burnpot every other day. Once a week I shut it down and clean it with a vacuum. This includes the space under the burnpot and behind the ashpan. The air i am referring to as blowing is the warm air that comes out above the glass. The air that is controlled with the L & H knob.


----------



## GVA (Dec 18, 2007)

Check all the things in this link
http://www.harmanstoves.com/maintenance/p38&p61cleaninginstructions;.pdf
I would do this cleaning anywhere between 25-50 bags but the more frequent the higher the efficiency of the stove will be..


----------



## utahdl (Dec 18, 2007)

Last night before I went to bed I turned the stove down from 74 to 65 and it ran all night.


----------



## utahdl (Dec 18, 2007)

Dealer called me this morning, sending someone out.  What should I make sure he is testing?


----------



## GVA (Dec 18, 2007)

Draft...Which will reveal alot
ESP


----------



## utahdl (Dec 19, 2007)

After about an hour he determined that it was the ESP.  When he fired up the stove it the ignitor light came on 20 minutes into the burn.  When he looked at the computer board it was reading a temperature inside of 0, telling the stove that it wasn't lit.  He replaced the probe and has worked since.  Thanks for everyone's help.


----------



## Stilllife1 (Dec 19, 2007)

Hmmm, I have been following this post in hopes of curing my XXV.  It's brand new, only burned 4 bags so far.  It's been giving me 6 blinks since day one.  My dealer is contacting Harman 'cause he dosen't understand what's happening, though he hasn't come out yet.  Please post if your stove continues to work OK.  My symptoms sound very similar to yours, so maybe my ESP was junk from day one.


----------



## utahdl (Dec 19, 2007)

So far so good.  I also am not getting as much ash.  If the ESP was bad it may have been calling for more pellets than needed.  Now, I feel like I have to learn of the stoves little quirks all over again.  I had an idea of the size of the flame at different temps, I knew what temps certain rooms would be based on stove settings, etc.  Now, I feel like it is using less pellets and running more accurately as far as temperature.


----------



## Stilllife1 (Dec 20, 2007)

My stove (XXV) fires great and burns well until it reaches it's set temp.  Then it get's the 6 blink.  Happens in both Stove temp and Room temp modes.  It's like it reaches the temp I set it for then the probe malfunctions and send a bad reading or something.  I had it running for over 24 hour during the latest burn when I had everything set full (except feeder  = 3) and it ran great.  That's 'cause it never reached the set temp, which I guess would have been 90 degrees (set on 7 and in Stove temp mode).  As soon as I turned the temp dial down to less than room temp (about 70 or less) it would malfunction and I'd get the 6 blinks.  Did your stove do this?


----------



## GVA (Dec 20, 2007)

Again it could be a draft issue first.
When you are cranking along the stoves combustion blower is in high draft speed, when it reaches setpoint it then drops to low draft.....
Was it draft tested? Describe the venting setup, and was it a dealer install?


----------



## Stilllife1 (Dec 20, 2007)

I have it in the corner, so comes out the stove into a 45 then into a 2ft section through the wall to the outside into a tee then straight up about 6 or 7 ft.  I have outside air connected.  I've tried without outside air with same issue.  I did the install so it was not draft tested.  I have tried a bunch of different settings with the draft screw.  It came from the factory turned full clockwise.  I have 117.6 volts at the outlet.  I've been reading every post with similar 6 blinks problems that I could find and have tried almost all of the suggested fixes.  Dealer gave me suggestions, but nothing I hadn't already tried.  Still waiting to hear from him (only been a day though).


----------



## Stilllife1 (Dec 24, 2007)

Thought I'd update my situation.  I removed the ESP probe and cleaned it with a paper towel and windex.  Unpluged it from the curcuit board then made sure it was plugged in good.  Then made sure the connection was good where the wire disconnects from the probe side of the wire.  Fired it up and it's been running fine ever since (over 24 hours).  Shuts down, then fires back up (in room temp).  Seems fine.  Still not sure what the problem was.  I assume it was the probe somehow.  Since I've only burned about 8 bags (the unit it brand new) I can't believe it was dirty enough to mess it up.  I can only assume the was a bad connection somewhere.  Hopefully it's fixed.

Well, maybe not.  When I checked it this morning...6 blinks.  I'll mess with the probe again and see if it runs for awhile again.


----------

