P38 upgrade wiring question

[eddo]

Hello everyone. Old new guy here, looking for help. I'm upgrading a P38 to a P43 auto light. I bought a P43 control board; P43 wiring harness; but, I have found no instructions on how to make the connections with the existing components. I believe I need to change a few terminals. It seems the instructions came with the upgrade kit from Harman; but I didn't know that kit existed until I had purchased the stuff I'm using. I also replaced the burn pot, and added the igniter. Also, the combustion motor. I certainly don't want to fry anything. Thank you all for this forum. I learn something from here every day.

eddo

 

[rickwai]

Harman Stove Company P43 Manual

Here is a wiring diagram with wire colors

 

[eddo]

Thank you, Rick. I'm ashamed to say I didn't think of that. I was looking for something more difficult, I guess.

 

[rickwai]

Thank you, Rick. I'm ashamed to say I didn't think of that. I was looking for something more difficult, I guess.

I converted mine several years ago. look at the pin numbers to see which white goes to which location. All the whites are neutrals, but different wire lengths. the supply power white has the opposite wire from the end from the others I believe. It was actually a fun project.

 

[eddo]

Thanks again! I appreciate that. I'm looking forward to finishing it. It's in pretty good shape. Previous owner said it had a dead spot on the feed dial, I think. $200 for the stove (with hopper extension). Seemed like a good project to learn on.

 

[rickwai]

Thanks again! I appreciate that. I'm looking forward to finishing it. It's in pretty good shape. Previous owner said it had a dead spot on the feed dial, I think. $200 for the stove (with hopper extension). Seemed like a good project to learn on.

That is a steal! The hopper extension is over $100 I think. The auto ignition is great. I have mine in the basement. It keeps the room between 71-72 F.
I shut it down once a month when the ash pan is full. Other than that I just keep it full of pellets and do a quick scrape of the burnpot every 1-2 days on the fly with the fire burning. If it does not call for heat for a period of time it shuts down then relights when needed. I did make an extension for the room sensing probe and ran it behind the couch and put the probe end at about 4' off the floor in open air. It keeps the room more consistent since it is not getting the radiant heat from the stove.

 

[eddo]

One of the basic tenets I've learned from reading these forums is that you need to learn your stove, and experiment until you find what works best in your situation. That's a big reason I decided to take on this project. Doing this conversion would force me to learn how the stove operates. (At least, basically). We have a long ranch home on a crawl space. The stove sits at one end, in a family room converted from a garage by the previous owners. That space is about 650 sq ft, with only a single doorway going to the rest of the house. I currently have a Vornado fan that sets near the ceiling on an entertainment center, blowing towards that door. I'm not trying to heat the whole house. But, it's been fairly decent at keeping the living space comfortable. The bedrooms are at the opposite end. My current stove was a basic box that I cannot get parts for anymore. Harman seems well supported; and, that is important. I hope to have the stove finished, and running next week. Thank you for your help!

 

[eddo]

Finished it up Saturday. Did a test burn outside the shed. (With a VERY stiff NW wind). No problems. Install was straightforward, since I was just replacing the old one. A new P43 control board, burn pot, igniter, and combustion blower. New door gaskets; and some Stove Bright on the stove itself. (I didn't paint the hopper, or rear panels) It's much quieter than the old one. But, I believe the old one put out more heat. This is nice for what we use it for. My wife likes it. I'd still like to add another in the middle of the house. Perhaps, a P61.

 

[Ssyko]

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