P43 Harman, igniters, run styles, need info

[Bugera333]

Hi, I have a harman P43 pellet stove it's in a real small cottage in the woods (drafty but insulated pretty good). My issue is, the igniter keeps going bad, it's usually ran with a thermostat on the wall at 68-70 degrees. Set on auto/room temp, it would kick on and off as needed, worked great for the past couple years now it's eating igniters, I'm now running it on manual/room temp, feed at 3, so it still goes by the thermostat, and goes to a low burn so stay on (don't want it shutting off, igniter bad) once the temp in the room drops below the thermostat set point it kicks up to keep the set temp. My issue is the house stays at 70 with the low burn rate, room blower will not turn on because it doesn't drop below 70 to kick a bigger fire to kick on, this makes the stove real hot making ambient heat keeping the house at 70, now with this run style it makes alot of ash build up and heat, with the room blower off most of the time and the fire at the back of the pot most of the day I'm worried about too much heat internally and damage occuring. Can anyone steer me in a better direction? Or is this okay?

 

[JamesObrien]

It sounds like you're in a bit of a tricky spot with your P43! Running it on manual/room temp is a good workaround for the igniter issue, but you're right to be concerned about the excess heat and ash buildup. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Check the Room Temp Probe Placement: Make sure the thermostat probe is placed in a spot where it accurately reflects the room's temperature. If it's too close to the stove, it might think the room is warmer than it actually is, preventing the stove from kicking up the fire.
Adjust the Feed Rate: You might try lowering the feed rate slightly (maybe to 2.5) to reduce the amount of fuel being burned during the low burn phase. This could help with ash buildup and excessive heat.
Clean the Stove Thoroughly: Excess ash can cause inefficiencies and heat buildup. Make sure the stove, including the heat exchanger and exhaust pathways, is cleaned regularly.
Consider a New Igniter: If igniters are failing frequently, it might be worth checking if you're using the correct replacement part or if there's an underlying issue (like voltage fluctuations or a bad connection) causing them to fail prematurely.
If you're still unsure, it might be worth consulting a professional to ensure the stove is running safely and efficiently. Better safe than sorry! 😊

 

[shtrdave]

Once it gets cold and stays cold my 43 burns 24/7 gets shut down about once a month to do a quick clean and empty the ash pan. I run mine off a Skytech 3301 thermostat, with 2° offset. I think when it gets cold it is probably more efficient to run it constantly. If I allow it to cycle on and off as I am not hat it has warmed some, many time it will no run through the complete shut down before it is ramping back up due to the temp dropping .

 

[bogieb]

Way to bring back a 4.5 year old post from someone who never came back

 

[Whitenuckler]

Once it gets cold and stays cold my 43 burns 24/7 gets shut down about once a month to do a quick clean and empty the ash pan. I run mine off a Skytech 3301 thermostat, with 2° offset. I think when it gets cold it is probably more efficient to run it constantly. If I allow it to cycle on and off as I am not hat it has warmed some, many time it will no run through the complete shut down before it is ramping back up due to the temp dropping .

Mine is in the basement and I am just at the end of my first heating season. For me, I have been able to run it in stove mode 24/7 at the lowest setting possible (temp minimum, feed almost to test mode) Generally my room stays near 22C max. If you are going to use room mode, auto, make sure you clean your igniter compartment all the time or it will fill up, insulate the igniter and fail to light. When it gets warmer, I may shut it off in the morning, not sure yet. I don't spend much time down there in the day, and have heat pumps up stairs which are way more efficient when the outside temp is above zero C.

 

[shtrdave]

I didn't even see that, it was at the top of the messages.

 

[Whitenuckler]

I didn't even see that, it was at the top of the messages.

I actually responded to the you and not to the original post ! Oh well It's all good