sure looks like a bad gasket / seal to me. is the stove panel itself warped? I would be concerned about a hopper fire if it is leaking there.
Fire behind the burn pot of a Harman Accentra FS...
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jackman does that burn pot look like yours in the hole pattern both on the main portion of the burn area and down by the beginning of the pot? My search skills seem to not work today.
ironpony that is where I was headed simply because of the colors I was seeing.
ironpony that is where I was headed simply because of the colors I was seeing.
I'm guessing you're referring to this earlier link: http://cdn3.volusion.com/2umyp.x9e76/v/vspfiles/photos/1-10-08736-6.jpg?1403191687
Yes my burn pot is exactly the same. The hole pattern is curious. It must be a Harman design feature.
So what I am getting is this may be 2 separate problems going on at the same time ?
The board and some type of gasket problem ??
The burn pot gasket was originally replaced end of last season late ( spring 2014) ... then this year when the fire outside of the pot continued the burn pot and the gasket was replaced (also week before that the door gasket was replaced even though it looked good ... just in case...)
so burn pot gasket replaced twice... of note when he took the burn pot out I did not see any burnt parts on the gasket..
burn pot replaced
esp replaced
ignitor replaced ( just because he was in there so why not change it then )
as it was 7 yrs old...
Tech said that the new burn pot made a tight fit/seal... watching him I did not notice any warping on the back wall ... but I was not doing the job myself...
I am still awaiting a return call from tech about this mornings problem...
already know he will have no answers because he told me that the burn pot was the only thing that could cause the fire outside the box.
to answer Jackmans ? on age the stove is 7 years old...
this burn pot that they put in looks different than the 1 they replaced ... but I double checked and it is the proper part # for the Harman Accentra -2 ... on 1 site I saw that chain driven Accentra's take a different burn pot but it only had a picture no part #... so not sure if it is different pot or just their marketing practices... here is the link to it if anyone is interested
(broken link removed to http://pellethead.com/product/1-10-08736-burn-pot-weldment-accentra-advance-xxv-old-style/)
Thanks everyone so much for all the help I really appreciate it
The board and some type of gasket problem ??
The burn pot gasket was originally replaced end of last season late ( spring 2014) ... then this year when the fire outside of the pot continued the burn pot and the gasket was replaced (also week before that the door gasket was replaced even though it looked good ... just in case...)
so burn pot gasket replaced twice... of note when he took the burn pot out I did not see any burnt parts on the gasket..
burn pot replaced
esp replaced
ignitor replaced ( just because he was in there so why not change it then )
as it was 7 yrs old...
Tech said that the new burn pot made a tight fit/seal... watching him I did not notice any warping on the back wall ... but I was not doing the job myself...
I am still awaiting a return call from tech about this mornings problem...
already know he will have no answers because he told me that the burn pot was the only thing that could cause the fire outside the box.
to answer Jackmans ? on age the stove is 7 years old...
this burn pot that they put in looks different than the 1 they replaced ... but I double checked and it is the proper part # for the Harman Accentra -2 ... on 1 site I saw that chain driven Accentra's take a different burn pot but it only had a picture no part #... so not sure if it is different pot or just their marketing practices... here is the link to it if anyone is interested
(broken link removed to http://pellethead.com/product/1-10-08736-burn-pot-weldment-accentra-advance-xxv-old-style/)
Thanks everyone so much for all the help I really appreciate it
Mine does the same thing. I just attribute it to creosote build up, which is what those pictures look like to me. Creosote fire just like in a chimney. If you do a search you might find creosote and Accentra go hand in hand. There were quite a few posts about problems with them years ago. It seems like once it starts you never get rid of it. I quit following the posts so I don't know if they ever found a solution. People were trying all kinds of modifications. I didn't. I just let it burn. It's contained to the firebox.
The more I think about it I recall there was a modification I believe some had success with. I don't recall all the details but they were drilling a hole and putting an air tube somewhere. Id try a search and maybe it will reveal itself. If you are feeling ambitious sometime you could give it a whirl. Im too lazy. Like I said I just let it burn.
I doubt there was anything wrong with your old pot. If you saved it take a straight edge anput it against the mounting surface. If there are no gaps then it is fine and you now have a spare.
The more I think about it I recall there was a modification I believe some had success with. I don't recall all the details but they were drilling a hole and putting an air tube somewhere. Id try a search and maybe it will reveal itself. If you are feeling ambitious sometime you could give it a whirl. Im too lazy. Like I said I just let it burn.
I doubt there was anything wrong with your old pot. If you saved it take a straight edge anput it against the mounting surface. If there are no gaps then it is fine and you now have a spare.
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Yep that's what I was referring to.
Low burn would take place just outside the end of the auger at the beginning of the burn pot over those small holes I think I am seeing in that picture HARMAN ACCENTR2 can you verify that as that other pot doesn't seem to have them and I vaguely recall something about them being mentioned in the past.
If those pots are no longer making clean contact along their wiper area, the stove can be going between low feed and high feed limits or between thinking the stove is at temperature and then not at temperature.
That could keep the esp and control circuits busy doing ramp up and ramp downs.
But basically any (gasket issues) lack of seal where they must be can also cause some of the same actions although muted (warped parts).
It will be interesting what the Harman tech once connected to home base does.
Low burn would take place just outside the end of the auger at the beginning of the burn pot over those small holes I think I am seeing in that picture HARMAN ACCENTR2 can you verify that as that other pot doesn't seem to have them and I vaguely recall something about them being mentioned in the past.
If those pots are no longer making clean contact along their wiper area, the stove can be going between low feed and high feed limits or between thinking the stove is at temperature and then not at temperature.
That could keep the esp and control circuits busy doing ramp up and ramp downs.
But basically any (gasket issues) lack of seal where they must be can also cause some of the same actions although muted (warped parts).
It will be interesting what the Harman tech once connected to home base does.
I think I got lost somewhere on the last post Smokey ...
What pot do you want me to verify ? The pot they removed ? the new pot that replaced it ? or the pot that I just gave a link to that stated it was for chain driven stove ?
with the old pot and the replacement pot I am still getting fire outside of pot on that shelf ...
the shelf area and the whole box around the burn pot was thoroughly cleaned of creosote build up before new pot was replaced ... that build up was from when the stove was throwing burning pellets out the back of the burn pot and that seems to have stopped with the new burn pot ( at least I do not see them falling on fire like I did before burn pot replacement ) but we are getting a fire outside the burn pot from somewhere ?
What gasket do you want me to look at of check ?
the tech had the stove hooked up to the draft reader machine 4 different times ...
all he says to me is everything seems to be operating like it should ( except we have a fire outside the burn pot
) whatever the temp is set at it maintained it etc.
sorry for not understanding what you are asking
also I do not see or have never seen any smoke in the hopper ...
when I voiced my concern of fire Tech said it has no way of going into the hopper ...
which I do not totally believe because I have heard of hopper fires and would have to wonder how they got started ...
What pot do you want me to verify ? The pot they removed ? the new pot that replaced it ? or the pot that I just gave a link to that stated it was for chain driven stove ?
with the old pot and the replacement pot I am still getting fire outside of pot on that shelf ...
the shelf area and the whole box around the burn pot was thoroughly cleaned of creosote build up before new pot was replaced ... that build up was from when the stove was throwing burning pellets out the back of the burn pot and that seems to have stopped with the new burn pot ( at least I do not see them falling on fire like I did before burn pot replacement ) but we are getting a fire outside the burn pot from somewhere ?
What gasket do you want me to look at of check ?
the tech had the stove hooked up to the draft reader machine 4 different times ...
all he says to me is everything seems to be operating like it should ( except we have a fire outside the burn pot
) whatever the temp is set at it maintained it etc. sorry for not understanding what you are asking
also I do not see or have never seen any smoke in the hopper ...
when I voiced my concern of fire Tech said it has no way of going into the hopper ...
which I do not totally believe because I have heard of hopper fires and would have to wonder how they got started ...
off topic question ?
why when I type my response do these emoticon come up when I hit post ... they are not there when I type my answer and they will not let me edit them to take them out...
Just wondering if they automatically pop up when you type a certain word ? lol !
why when I type my response do these emoticon come up when I hit post ... they are not there when I type my answer and they will not let me edit them to take them out...
Just wondering if they automatically pop up when you type a certain word ? lol !
I think I got lost somewhere on the last post Smokey ...
What pot do you want me to verify ? The pot they removed ? the new pot that replaced it ? or the pot that I just gave a link to that stated it was for chain driven stove ?
with the old pot and the replacement pot I am still getting fire outside of pot on that shelf ...
the shelf area and the whole box around the burn pot was thoroughly cleaned of creosote build up before new pot was replaced ... that build up was from when the stove was throwing burning pellets out the back of the burn pot and that seems to have stopped with the new burn pot ( at least I do not see them falling on fire like I did before burn pot replacement ) but we are getting a fire outside the burn pot from somewhere ?
What gasket do you want me to look at of check ?
the tech had the stove hooked up to the draft reader machine 4 different times ...
all he says to me is everything seems to be operating like it should ( except we have a fire outside the burn pot
sorry for not understanding what you are asking
also I do not see or have never seen any smoke in the hopper ...
when I voiced my concern of fire Tech said it has no way of going into the hopper ...
which I do not totally believe because I have heard of hopper fires and would have to wonder how they got started ...
I don't need you to check any particular gasket but where ever there is one you should check for warpage.
The exsistance of the holes at the begining of the burn pot your picture seems to show some while this (broken link removed to http://pellethead.com/product/1-10-08736-burn-pot-weldment-accentra-advance-xxv-old-style/) doesn't.
.
Ohhh I see there are only 5 rows of holes vs 8 in the old style pot ...
wonder which pot is better... could this be causing the burn /air issue?
Wonder how the tech decided on what pot to order ?
Thanks for that info I will not use multiple ! any more Lol . I could not figure out why they were popping up I thought I was losing my mind !
I let the tech take the pot because once he removed it we saw the flame guide was sitting over a 1/4" too low which theoretically was causing the pellets to get behind it and cause the fire behind it..
He definitely thought this burn pot and flame guide would do the trick...
Unfortunately it is not...
will research more with words you suggested ( creosote build up & Accentra ) Hopefully will get to the bottom of this somehow
as we use this pellet stove as our only heating source and at this point I am afraid to leave the house for more than a few minutes...
That modification 3650 was talking about was a fix for the gummy stove syndrome.
ETA: And why I asked about any signs of smoke in the hopper.
ETA: And why I asked about any signs of smoke in the hopper.
Thanks for saving me some researching steps looking for that ;-)
So is that modification only IF I would get Smoke in the hopper at a future time
or should I look into it NOW because of the fire outside of the burn pot ?
So is that modification only IF I would get Smoke in the hopper at a future time
or should I look into it NOW because of the fire outside of the burn pot ?
I think I got lost somewhere on the last post Smokey ...
What pot do you want me to verify ? The pot they removed ? the new pot that replaced it ? or the pot that I just gave a link to that stated it was for chain driven stove ?
with the old pot and the replacement pot I am still getting fire outside of pot on that shelf ...
the shelf area and the whole box around the burn pot was thoroughly cleaned of creosote build up before new pot was replaced ... that build up was from when the stove was throwing burning pellets out the back of the burn pot and that seems to have stopped with the new burn pot ( at least I do not see them falling on fire like I did before burn pot replacement ) but we are getting a fire outside the burn pot from somewhere ?
What gasket do you want me to look at of check ?
the tech had the stove hooked up to the draft reader machine 4 different times ...
all he says to me is everything seems to be operating like it should ( except we have a fire outside the burn pot
sorry for not understanding what you are asking
also I do not see or have never seen any smoke in the hopper ...
when I voiced my concern of fire Tech said it has no way of going into the hopper ...
which I do not totally believe because I have heard of hopper fires and would have to wonder how they got started ...
Confusing yes. The potentiometers (the knobs) on the control board are sometimes abbreviated to "pots". Potentiometers have a wiper that slides on a wire to change the resistance/voltage of the circuit. Eventually it wears out. It's not to be confused with the burn pot.
I don't believe your problem has anything to do with the burn pot, gaskets, or seals. The reason you're seeing so much flame around the burn pot is because the stove is over firing. You simply have too much flame because the auger is pushing too many pellets into the burn pot. I suspect the control board is wacky. Does the stove shut down okay? If the stove keeps running even though the control knob is set to off that's a sure clue the problem is the control board.
While I'm no expert or a pellet stove tech or dealer I do have the exact same stove as you. It's likely our stoves were manufactured about the same time. Hopefully my experience is helpful.
Only a certain serial number range was supposed to be affected on certain stove models. I don't have that information.
RKS130
Minister of Fire
I briefly had a similar issue with my Accentra FS. Freaked me out when I came down one morning to flames all over the place - left of the burn pot, under it, to the right. I cranked my feed rate way down - set it on 2 - and it solved the problem.
Ends up the pellets I was burning at the time were quite small - about 1/4 inch long, so way too much fuel was being delivered with each crank of the auger. Pellet size is about the only thing I adjust the fed rate for, but it did make a difference and I have not had the problem since.
Ends up the pellets I was burning at the time were quite small - about 1/4 inch long, so way too much fuel was being delivered with each crank of the auger. Pellet size is about the only thing I adjust the fed rate for, but it did make a difference and I have not had the problem since.
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Thank you for that clarification 
Now I understand better.
I thought the stove was taking longer to shut down than it used to But again Harman tech said oh no they can take hours to shut down ...
my stove was purchased 10/5/07 ( just pulled out the paperwork ...
I do not have any blinking lights and the stove does not shut off itself like I am currently in the middle of reading about sticky stove syndrome issues ... I am awaiting for the links to go back online to show me what a sticky stove looks like but they are currently telling me they are unavailable....
Now I understand better.
I thought the stove was taking longer to shut down than it used to But again Harman tech said oh no they can take hours to shut down ...
my stove was purchased 10/5/07 ( just pulled out the paperwork ...
I do not have any blinking lights and the stove does not shut off itself like I am currently in the middle of reading about sticky stove syndrome issues ... I am awaiting for the links to go back online to show me what a sticky stove looks like but they are currently telling me they are unavailable....
A couple new questions...
Could this fire outside the burn pot be creosote catching fire & burning off ? perhaps there was residue left and at higher temps when the stove is really burning a larger / hotter fire it ignites ?
Read all about gummy stoves opened the back of mine and see a clear tube on the right hand side of the stove ( looking at it from the back )
is this the modification or is there another clear tube back there for something else... it is in the general vicinity of the pic showing the modification but not exactly so hence the question...
Thanks again as you can tell this has really got me crazy...
Could this fire outside the burn pot be creosote catching fire & burning off ? perhaps there was residue left and at higher temps when the stove is really burning a larger / hotter fire it ignites ?
Read all about gummy stoves opened the back of mine and see a clear tube on the right hand side of the stove ( looking at it from the back )
is this the modification or is there another clear tube back there for something else... it is in the general vicinity of the pic showing the modification but not exactly so hence the question...
Thanks again as you can tell this has really got me crazy...
Thank you Your assumption is correct I just looked it up with the name you supplied
Have a great night
Thanks so do I
Other than the fire outside the burn pot ( and that is a huge other than ) it is heating the house fine
Other than the fire outside the burn pot ( and that is a huge other than ) it is heating the house fine
3650 Just wondering if you have seen pellets that had just ignited falling behind & then to the sides of the flame guide...
I don't mean off the sides of the burn pot I mean actually behind the flame guide then they fall on that metal shelf under the burn pot ... in all the posts I have read about flames outside of the burn pot none have mentioned where they originated from... so I am curious... may be a clue as to what process is taking place ???
probably grasping at straws but the more info the better in my mind...
will update as we work through this
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