Hello. My first post. I was hoping to find info on my problem in the threads attached to the harmon pellet stoves but responses seemed a little off from my issue.
Here it is:
The Harmon pellet stove I have installed in my 93yr old mother-in-law's basement has, until recently, been running like a champ. I had it installed by the dealer 01/31/12. I have been the person taking care of the maintenance / cleaning ever since. We only use the stove from October thru May. We live in Vermont.
Until this year I have only ever cleaned the exhaust pipes, fire box, burn pot igniter area combustion fan blades. Also brushed the entire surface inside to remove as much ash as possible. The ash collected in the ash pan and fire retardant vacuum is great in the garden. This year I was a little slow in getting to the stove to clean. The first hints were the scent of smoke in the air upstairs. When I found smoldering pellets in the burn pot with combustion blower off and smoke leaking out around the viewing door gasket and hopper lid I knew I needed to perform an overdue cleaning. I cleaned the usual items: exhaust pipes, ash pan floor, burn pot, igniter area, scraped the burn pot and brushed clean the interior walls. I did find a clog in the exhaust path that I was sure was the source of my problem. I was greatly disapppointed when one day I returned to find the basement heavy with pellet smoke and leaking heavily around all gaskets. I traced the source to unburned and smoldering pellets in the ash pan. My next attempt at cleaning was discovering I overlooked the holes in the burn pot. I carefully cleaned those out - all six rows and every one I could find with a mechanic's mirror. I also found the auger area packed full of fines and even some unburnt pellets. Now I was sure the fix was done. I am happy to say the fire starts good in Auto and the fire seems to regulate well in Room Temp. However, the fire seems to go out every night - regardless if the igniter is set to Auto (where we had set it for the previous five seasons) or Manual. I would find six blinking lights and the hopper full of pellets. Each time I would reclean the stove and gently clean the ESP with the soft bristle brush used for the flue. I would run the stove in Test Mode and both combustion and distribution motors would turn on, plus the auger would send out its allotment of pellets. All seemed well, indeed. I would then flip the igniter to Auto, turn the Mode selection to Room Temp (near High fan speed) and watch the fire show. All was wonderful in pellet heating land until I heard the fire went out over night with six blinking lights and a full belly of pellets. What likely area or part is likely to blame for the stove shutting down. It refuses to stay on when in Room Temp Auto or Manual. While cleaning inside the motor area I noticed the tubing for the vacuum / pressure safety switch was tan colored. I did not think much of this at the time but could that be discoloration due to ash build up? If so, could that be the source of my woes? Could the ports at either end of the tubing be clogged enough to stop the stove from either starting back up or continuing to burn? Can I test the safety switch by jumpering the wires? How about the flapper on the air intake side? I seem to have plenty of draft when the stove is first started and running. I cannot have the stove not running while I wait for a repairman to arrive - which has been two weeks since I made a call for help. The outside temps have been -15F.
Here it is:
The Harmon pellet stove I have installed in my 93yr old mother-in-law's basement has, until recently, been running like a champ. I had it installed by the dealer 01/31/12. I have been the person taking care of the maintenance / cleaning ever since. We only use the stove from October thru May. We live in Vermont.
Until this year I have only ever cleaned the exhaust pipes, fire box, burn pot igniter area combustion fan blades. Also brushed the entire surface inside to remove as much ash as possible. The ash collected in the ash pan and fire retardant vacuum is great in the garden. This year I was a little slow in getting to the stove to clean. The first hints were the scent of smoke in the air upstairs. When I found smoldering pellets in the burn pot with combustion blower off and smoke leaking out around the viewing door gasket and hopper lid I knew I needed to perform an overdue cleaning. I cleaned the usual items: exhaust pipes, ash pan floor, burn pot, igniter area, scraped the burn pot and brushed clean the interior walls. I did find a clog in the exhaust path that I was sure was the source of my problem. I was greatly disapppointed when one day I returned to find the basement heavy with pellet smoke and leaking heavily around all gaskets. I traced the source to unburned and smoldering pellets in the ash pan. My next attempt at cleaning was discovering I overlooked the holes in the burn pot. I carefully cleaned those out - all six rows and every one I could find with a mechanic's mirror. I also found the auger area packed full of fines and even some unburnt pellets. Now I was sure the fix was done. I am happy to say the fire starts good in Auto and the fire seems to regulate well in Room Temp. However, the fire seems to go out every night - regardless if the igniter is set to Auto (where we had set it for the previous five seasons) or Manual. I would find six blinking lights and the hopper full of pellets. Each time I would reclean the stove and gently clean the ESP with the soft bristle brush used for the flue. I would run the stove in Test Mode and both combustion and distribution motors would turn on, plus the auger would send out its allotment of pellets. All seemed well, indeed. I would then flip the igniter to Auto, turn the Mode selection to Room Temp (near High fan speed) and watch the fire show. All was wonderful in pellet heating land until I heard the fire went out over night with six blinking lights and a full belly of pellets. What likely area or part is likely to blame for the stove shutting down. It refuses to stay on when in Room Temp Auto or Manual. While cleaning inside the motor area I noticed the tubing for the vacuum / pressure safety switch was tan colored. I did not think much of this at the time but could that be discoloration due to ash build up? If so, could that be the source of my woes? Could the ports at either end of the tubing be clogged enough to stop the stove from either starting back up or continuing to burn? Can I test the safety switch by jumpering the wires? How about the flapper on the air intake side? I seem to have plenty of draft when the stove is first started and running. I cannot have the stove not running while I wait for a repairman to arrive - which has been two weeks since I made a call for help. The outside temps have been -15F.
