From my recolection, even if he did take a draft reading....there is no way to adjust the draft on a P38. Am I wrong on this??? There is no dipswitch. Heck, there is not even a diagnostic tool port. What good would a draft reading be?
smwilliamson said:From my recolection, even if he did take a draft reading....there is no way to adjust the draft on a P38. Am I wrong on this??? There is no dipswitch. Heck, there is not even a diagnostic tool port. What good would a draft reading be?
Lousyweather said:smwilliamson said:From my recolection, even if he did take a draft reading....there is no way to adjust the draft on a P38. Am I wrong on this??? There is no dipswitch. Heck, there is not even a diagnostic tool port. What good would a draft reading be?
a draft reading will often tell you if there is an intake/ehaust obstructio, can also diagnose misbehaving parts (sometimes)........no, cant adjust the draft, correct, but thats not the main reason we test draft. It also gives us a baseline on the new stove.....write the reading down in the manual, so, if you have to go back later, a changed draft will often indicate issues, such as poor maintenance.
Stormy said:Hey, I wasn't going to defame anyone... I would simply make certain my woes made it to the top of the internet search sites- That way if other people go to research a p-38 they would have the opportunity to know that *sometimes* they aren't that easy to light. You will notice I have never uttered the dealer name or hinted at my location-other than Oregon. <G> And, I don't intend to be nasty or vindictive but I am a real hardworking person, this is a huge investment for me and I simply do not feel the dealer has provided much in the way of service.
I'll put it this way, when the stove was installed, I walked outside and looked at the exit pipe, whipped out my trusty tape and had to walk over and tell the installer that the pipe didn't exit far enough from the wall to meet our county code. Then, I asked the guy when he planned to bolt the stove down (also county code for a manufactured home)...hadn't done that either. By this time, I was suffering a loss of confidence in the process. Being that I am "just the woman" and this was manly work I didn't insist on a draft test because I was trying to stay out of the way and not be the pushy/picky woman that installers hate. Image my surprise when the guy loaded up and drove out my driveway when I fully expected him to come back to the house and do a test fire!
I honestly have to say my entire experience in trying to purchase and get this stove installed has been like some strange trip to the Twilight zone. Harman stoves are not a real common brand in the NW but there is a dealer network-of sorts. I spent the better part of a YEAR begging any dealer within 100 miles to come out and make a service/pre-install call to verify the stove could and would legally fit in only location within my house that it could be installed. And yes, I offered to pay for the call and yes, I had cash in hand to buy the stove.
The dealer I used would not have been my first choice but he at least sent someone out to look at our install location. They knew far less about the product than I did but they were a long time Quadrafire dealer and I figured they had to know something about stoves... The only thing I can figure in the end is that most people are not educated consumers. They purchase by "snap decision" and they just pay or do whatever the dealer invoice says and really don't care if the product works or not. For some, the thrill is in the purchase not the use and enjoyment of the product. Me, I am looking to be safe and warm.
As an update, I ventured out buying competing brands of stove pellets to try in the stove and the Golden Fire pellets I purchased lit MUCH easier than the pellets that came with the stove. The dealer offered a free ton of pellets with the stove purchase only offered a $135 discount if I didn't take them... The brand they delivered were not a brand I know much about and so I may have been better offer buying one of the local premier brands with a long time reputation for product quality.
So that is my story up to the minute.
Stormy
Stormy said:UPDATE....Or yes, it does get worse.
First, allow me just a moment of whining...We are just working folks and we have invested heart and soul and all our winter heating resources into a pellet stove. I am just brokenhearted and now I am cold because now my stove does not work at all.
Several days prior to the scheduled board replacement we were sitting round the old pellet stove when suddenly the fan "cut out" for a second or two and then resumed operation. This happened several times during the evening and by the next day I counted 10 times when it would stop for a second or two and then start back up. We alerted the dealer so the stove tech would be prepared when he arrived to deal with additional issues.
Stove tech pulls in late this afternoon and replaces board. Asks if we want to light a fire before he leaves... Duh! I pointed out the stove still does not operate in test mode as the manual clearly states it should...We proceed to light fire using the instruction manual and "door shut method" fire promptly goes out. I then pick up my 2.5 empty bottles of gelled alcohol and ask him if he wants to show me how it is done or if he would like me to start the stove. He tells me I really should get a bigger torch to heat up the pellets more...I respond I don't think I should have to smoke up my house to get the damned stove lit. He agrees.
I then proceeded to use the "door open" method I learned from you fine folks on this forum.---works like a charm. Nice cheery fire going, he admits there is something amiss with the stove and tries to tell us it is because nobody ever buys this model and Harman puts no effort in to the model...Yeah, yeah, yeah... We stand around watching the stove and he says he will talk to dealer about what our next step is in the process and he leaves...It was then I realized the stove wasn't augering any pellets. As soon as the pellets in the fire pot are depleted the stove goes out.
Praying it is just an anomaly, I cross myself and relight the stove. Now, it just simply doesn't auger pellets to feed the fire. It will auger pellets and go in to test mode *IF* and only if you turn it to full turbo. Otherwise it will occasionally run the test mode on another set but not consistently.
So, where do I go from here? I would appreciate advice on what is fair for both myself and the dealer. I think that I have been patent in dealing with a stove that has a problem for 30 days and that problem hasn't been resolved. I believe the dealer should bring me a replacement stove and hook it up at his expense. If, as the dealer says the Harman p-38 is an unsupported model, I am willing to pay the difference to get another model that is better supported but I do not feel I should be required to expend any further money beyond the cost difference of the stove I wanted (A working p38) and whatever model I would need to replace it with. Does that seem like a fair position for me to take?
Elise
3 tons a pellets and no stove
or this may have turned out to be
not such a great idea!
dave1959 said:Please tell me you all are kidding... Handsfull of pellets, starter gel, alchol...just to get it started...is that nornal ??
I have a 2 year old Lopi Leyden ( my first ) and all I do is turn it on and push the start button, 15 min later I have heat...
I have read on hear about the reputation and quality of Harmon but that sounds like and alfull lot of work just to get it started.
If I had one and had to that I'd go back to wood.
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