Mistake !

[obsessed penguin]

We had a Napoleon stove for about 20 years which threw out a lot of heat. We mainly need the warmth for the room it is located in, however, the main area in need of heat is 15 by 10 foot directly to the side of the stove. The stove was strong enough that with the help of a ceiling fan, it worked well. Having a mentally challenged family member. as well as ease of use, this past Fall 2020, we decided to try the harmon p68. To our dismay, it cannot produce nearly enough heat to satisfy our desires. Even with the fan on lower levels, the warm air coming down from the fan is not steady and toasty like the Napoleon. There are bursts of cool air. The clinking sound of the pellets is annoying and the fan is very loud. They produce different types of heat. I used to look forward to coming home on cold days. Invested $4500 into this stove and am sorry I ever bought it.
Am I alone in my whining and complaining or is there anyone else that's had a similar experience ? All input is welcome.
thanks

 

[bholler]

We had a Napoleon stove for about 20 years which threw out a lot of heat. We mainly need the warmth for the room it is located in, however, the main area in need of heat is 15 by 10 foot directly to the side of the stove. The stove was strong enough that with the help of a ceiling fan, it worked well. Having a mentally challenged family member. as well as ease of use, this past Fall 2020, we decided to try the harmon p68. To our dismay, it cannot produce nearly enough heat to satisfy our desires. Even with the fan on lower levels, the warm air coming down from the fan is not steady and toasty like the Napoleon. There are bursts of cool air. The clinking sound of the pellets is annoying and the fan is very loud. They produce different types of heat. I used to look forward to coming home on cold days. Invested $4500 into this stove and am sorry I ever bought it.
Am I alone in my whining and complaining or is there anyone else that's had a similar experience ? All input is welcome.
thanks

I personally can't stand pellets. The noise the maintenance the cost. I got rid of the one we had in our shop and switched to gas

 

[Highbeam]

We had a Napoleon stove for about 20 years which threw out a lot of heat. We mainly need the warmth for the room it is located in, however, the main area in need of heat is 15 by 10 foot directly to the side of the stove. The stove was strong enough that with the help of a ceiling fan, it worked well. Having a mentally challenged family member. as well as ease of use, this past Fall 2020, we decided to try the harmon p68. To our dismay, it cannot produce nearly enough heat to satisfy our desires. Even with the fan on lower levels, the warm air coming down from the fan is not steady and toasty like the Napoleon. There are bursts of cool air. The clinking sound of the pellets is annoying and the fan is very loud. They produce different types of heat. I used to look forward to coming home on cold days. Invested $4500 into this stove and am sorry I ever bought it.
Am I alone in my whining and complaining or is there anyone else that's had a similar experience ? All input is welcome.
thanks

That stove is supposed to pump out 68000 btu of constant heat. It will put just about any woodstove to shame. The noise and cost are unfortunate drawbacks of a pellet stove plus all of the maintenance that you haven't experienced yet but your P68 is almost certainly not working correctly if it isn't able to heat the room.

Is it just that the stove doesn't "feel" hot or is the room temperature actually lower than you want it to be?

Next we need to explore how many bags per day it is eating to see if you have it properly chooching. There is a wonky room temperature probe that controls this stove in one of the settings that will throttle the stove back if you haven't installed it properly.

 

[begreen]

Moving to the pellet forum for some Harman help.

 

[Washed-Up]

Welcome back obsessed Penguin....so what’s going on? It does t make sense that a P68 isn’t putting out enough heat...they’re beasts!
A bit more info and pics please

 

[Washed-Up]

Have you read this?

How Your Harman Works -what your manual doesn't tell you..

Thanks Mod for correcting the title! Now, let's have some fun and stay warm! How your stove works - The facts are pretty straightforward, but how you get people to properly interpret the facts is the hard part. It's your toy, run it the way you want as long as you understand what's going on...

www.hearth.com

 

[Mt Bob]

The P68 is a heat monster.As said before,it can put lots of wood stoves to shame.However,i think I know your problem,are you using"room temp" mode?Because it sounds like it.This runs the stove off the little sensor on the wires that plug into the back of the stove.Depending on the install,and size of the room,you may not be able to get the sensor far enough away.This stove puts out huge heat,fan and convection,so what happens is it never runs "high", temps constantly go up and down.I had heard about this,but actually experienced it last year,when i bought a P68,and installed it up at my sisters.Just not quite enough airflow within the room makes this happen.Easy fix,bought a cheap thermostat from hardware store,and mounted it in the next room.They are on their 2nd winter with it,love it,and rarely had to fire up their wood furnace last winter.The P68 replaced a St Croix Prescott,AND the wood furnace,at least for most of the time. Yes,hooking up a T/Stat to a Harman is easy.

 

[Tonyray]

We had a Napoleon stove for about 20 years which threw out a lot of heat. We mainly need the warmth for the room it is located in, however, the main area in need of heat is 15 by 10 foot directly to the side of the stove. The stove was strong enough that with the help of a ceiling fan, it worked well. Having a mentally challenged family member. as well as ease of use, this past Fall 2020, we decided to try the harmon p68. To our dismay, it cannot produce nearly enough heat to satisfy our desires. Even with the fan on lower levels, the warm air coming down from the fan is not steady and toasty like the Napoleon. There are bursts of cool air. The clinking sound of the pellets is annoying and the fan is very loud. They produce different types of heat. I used to look forward to coming home on cold days. Invested $4500 into this stove and am sorry I ever bought it.
Am I alone in my whining and complaining or is there anyone else that's had a similar experience ? All input is welcome.
thanks

Something is not right. We have the harnanP61A and heating 1200sq. ,( 2 story house)... we burn 24/7... actually, the p61 is sort of overkill for us as we never have had it cranked up to the max.. anyways, we need more info on how u are running it . Settings, feed rate. Cant just say its not doing the job without some investigation here. 99% of anyone who has the big P series harmans give it a big thumbs as heat monsters. Harmans have 3 modes. Room auto, room manual and stove or constant mode which should melt your walls if cranked to the max.. hang in there as people here know the harman Pseries inside out and will get your stove on the right track.

 

[minux]

We had a Napoleon stove for about 20 years which threw out a lot of heat. We mainly need the warmth for the room it is located in, however, the main area in need of heat is 15 by 10 foot directly to the side of the stove. The stove was strong enough that with the help of a ceiling fan, it worked well. Having a mentally challenged family member. as well as ease of use, this past Fall 2020, we decided to try the harmon p68. To our dismay, it cannot produce nearly enough heat to satisfy our desires. Even with the fan on lower levels, the warm air coming down from the fan is not steady and toasty like the Napoleon. There are bursts of cool air. The clinking sound of the pellets is annoying and the fan is very loud. They produce different types of heat. I used to look forward to coming home on cold days. Invested $4500 into this stove and am sorry I ever bought it.
Am I alone in my whining and complaining or is there anyone else that's had a similar experience ? All input is welcome.
thanks

I need you to do this -

1) Set Room Temp Mode to 75

2) Take the probe and tape it high up on the wall near the ceiling

3) Put feed rate to 4

4) Turn on, setting fans to max - more heat = higher running fans = more noise

Your house should be plenty hot. Depending on a variety of other condition, you may have to set Room Temp mode to 80 or, possibly, less.

I agree with a lot of the criticisms of pellet stoves. Frankly, Harmans are and are not worth the money. The good news is you can sell them, like Toyota Tacomas, basically, right near what you paid for them. However, for $5K you have other options, including HE mini-splits.

However, what is done and done and your stove is paid for and installed, so let's get it working

 

[minux]

I personally can't stand pellets. The noise the maintenance the cost. I got rid of the one we had in our shop and switched to gas

Pretty much - when tons were $125, we could argue price per BTU. Cheapest in my area is what I paid: 880 for four tons delivered.

The "X" factor when so many paid big bucks for Harmans was the price for electric. In my area, electirc is at all time lows. The "Z" factor is HE electric heat pumps.

 

[Mt Bob]

OK,I am done laughing.Explain this?
""2) Take the probe and tape it high up on the wall near the ceiling ""

 

[Tonyray]

Harman suggests coiling the wire up and taping to back of hopper.. ours is just peaking out above the hopper lid. Ours is located there and wall thermometer matches temperature we have the harman set at.if i set the stove at 75 then that is what shows up eventually. It is cooler in back of the stove so we dont get a "room is warm enough" false reading.

 

[minux]

OK,I am done laughing.Explain this?
""2) Take the probe and tape it high up on the wall near the ceiling ""

Hey, Chuckles

You do not run a Air Sensor Thermostat Probe?

How is the accuracy treating you right by your exhaust?

 

[minux]

Harman suggests coiling the wire up and taping to back of hopper.. ours is just peaking out above the hopper lid. Ours is located there and wall thermometer matches temperature we have the harman set at.if i set the stove at 75 then that is what shows up eventually.

OP is saying he has no heat...

 

[minux]

Harman suggests coiling the wire up and taping to back of hopper.. ours is just peaking out above the hopper lid. Ours is located there and wall thermometer matches temperature we have the harman set at.if i set the stove at 75 then that is what shows up eventually. It is cooler in back of the stove so we dont get a "room is warm enough" false reading.

Hold on for a second: Are you running a thermostat or thermostat probe? IMO, the OP is not getting heat, because his calls are off. Moving the probe fixes his problem or adds to my diagnosis. Ciao.

 

[minux]

Harman suggests coiling the wire up and taping to back of hopper.. ours is just peaking out above the hopper lid. Ours is located there and wall thermometer matches temperature we have the harman set at.if i set the stove at 75 then that is what shows up eventually. It is cooler in back of the stove so we dont get a "room is warm enough" false reading.

No, per P68 manual, Harman suggests putting the probe where you want to feel your desired temperature -

E. Room Sensor Installation

The room sensor is a small temperature sensor on the end of a 60" wire. This sensor is installed much like a standard wall thermostat. There is a remote room sensor port on the rear of the unit for easy external connection. Use standard 18-2 thermostat wire to extend the sensor to the desired location (50' maximum). The room sensor should be installed in the location where you want to control the temperature.NOTE: Distances of more than 25 feet from the unit or in another room are not recommended. The room sensor is essential for the P-Series excellent efficiency.NOTE: It is recommended that the room sensor be installed, even if only installed on the rear of the unit as a return air sensor.

 

[Mt Bob]

Hey Tony,nice to see ya,hope all is well.But,no,the recommended position for the sensor,if behind stove is down near the return air.Yes,I know Harmans pictures show different,but gotta read the words.



room Sensor installation

The room sensor is a small temperature sensor on the

end of a 60" wire. This sensor is installed much like a

standard wall thermostat. Because it is so small, it can

be hidden along the trim of a doorway or even up the

leg of a coffee table. There is a remote room sensor port

on the rear of the unit for easy external connection. Use

standard 18-2 thermostat wire to extend the distance to

the desired location (50' maximum). The room sensor

should be installed in the location where you want to

control the temperature.

In most installations locating the room sensor behind

the stove near the distribution fan works well because

the sensor monitors the room air being drawn into the

distribution fan.

NOTE: Distances of more than 25 feet from the unit or in

another room are not recommended. The room sensor

is essential for the P68's excellent efficiency.

NOTE: it is recommended that the room sensor be

installed, even if only installed on the rear of the unit

as a return air sensor

 

[minux]

Hey Tony,nice to see ya,hope all is well.But,no,the recommended position for the sensor,if behind stove is down near the return air.Yes,I know Harmans pictures show different,but gotta read the words.



room Sensor installation

The room sensor is a small temperature sensor on the

end of a 60" wire. This sensor is installed much like a

standard wall thermostat. Because it is so small, it can

be hidden along the trim of a doorway or even up the

leg of a coffee table. There is a remote room sensor port

on the rear of the unit for easy external connection. Use

standard 18-2 thermostat wire to extend the distance to

the desired location (50' maximum). The room sensor

should be installed in the location where you want to

control the temperature.

In most installations locating the room sensor behind

the stove near the distribution fan works well because

the sensor monitors the room air being drawn into the

distribution fan.

NOTE: Distances of more than 25 feet from the unit or in

another room are not recommended. The room sensor

is essential for the P68's excellent efficiency.

NOTE: it is recommended that the room sensor be

installed, even if only installed on the rear of the unit

as a return air sensor

Would never put it "behind stove is down near the return air." You are making your life way too complicated nor reaping any benefits of a thermostat.

 

[Washed-Up]

Mine is coiled up behind my stove and keeps my place within 5 degrees of what it’s set on the dial

 

[minux]

Mine is coiled up behind my stove and keeps my place within 5 degrees of what it’s set on the dial

IRT what location of your house? OP has stove in basement. 0 chance you getting +/-5 upstairs with your probe pinned to your stove. Impossible.

 

[Washed-Up]

Mine is in the main floor...OP is talking about needing the heat in the 15x10 room next to the stove, this is why I commented.

 

[minux]

Mine is in the main floor...OP is talking about needing the heat in the 15x10 room next to the stove, this is why I commented.

Same difference - pinned to your stove, Room A won't get hot enough for Room B. Ya got 60" of wire, use it! This is why pellet stoves are jokingly called "room heaters." The fix is to move put a thermostat in the room in question and fish wire or trick the probe by setting higher in the room, away from the stove.

 

[Tonyray]

Would never put it "behind stove is down near the return air." You are making your life way too complicated nor reaping any benefits of a thermostat.

The wire is coiled up behind the stove. The sensor( probe tip) is above the hopper lid far right 'out of picture.'.. I have an OAK so outside air is coming in well below the probe via round black duct tube not affecting the probe.. corner install, it has worked for 7 yrs now and can't see any reason to change it..

 

[Mt Bob]

Well,scooter,the higher the probe is,the sooner the temp is cut back in the stove,generally leaving the room cold.Seems you do not understand the Harman programming,and it has been out there probably longer than you have been alive.Many hundreds of thousands them functioning just fine.Lets take a quiz,
how many pellet stoves have you installed?
how many have you repaired?
how many Harmans have you repaired?how many installs with air flow complaints have you diagnosed and repaired?
Probably not many,living in a warm state.

 

[Tonyray]

Last thought on this debate - https://ahtt.mit.edu/

Just keep buying and burnin them pellets, son! How many bags a day you up to?

on very cold windy days, bag/half softies. normally bag a day..24/7