Question About Harman Manual Igniter Position

[Tonyray]

If you are in constant burn auto, the distribution fan always runs. If you turn down the temp down lower, there should be no change in auger cycle time, and the heat output should be the same. I keep my temp dial at 2, and regulate the heat output (auger cycle "on" time) with varying the feed rate from 1-2....

so why use room/auto compared to stove auto if the plan is to keep the dist blower going all the time.?

 

[Cory S]

so why use room/auto compared to stove auto if the plan is to keep the dist blower going all the time.?

Stove (constant mode) runs continuously, where auto uses the desired room temperature input.

 

[alternativeheat]

so why use room/auto compared to stove auto if the plan is to keep the dist blower going all the time.?

Room temp will vary with the weather if the stove even runs or not. Satisfy the temp setting ( which would not be 5 by the way, it would be about 76deg in Room Temp) and the stove goes into shut down till heat is called for again.. Stove Temp never shuts down.

I'm running in Stove Temp right now, it's 35 out and I have it set at Stove temp 3-1/2 feed rate 2 medium to high fan. It's warming the house nicely on a steady rise from overnight running at 70 in room temp Mode with a low fan ( was a bit cool upstairs that way). It would have to be pretty cold out to run in Stove Temp 5 or Room Temp 76 for that matter. Obviously the limiter is the feed rate, it just makes for a longer slower recovery.. Because you're not running a p61 anymore but maybe a P24 if they made such a thing.. And it's outputting constantly.

 

[Cory S]

Stove (constant burn) mode is epic..... It's like running a woodstove without the mess... Turn a dial up a little or down a little. Nothing but win... It takes at least 8-12 hours for a huge drop in outside temperature to affect the inside temperature in my home. Example: Temp was 67.5* inside yesterday from 8am to 7pm... Outside temp dropped to about 27* from 39* throughout the day/evening. Temp was 66* inside at 10pm, 65* at 2am, and 64.5* at 3:30am today. Had the wifey turn the feed rate dial up just 1/2 increment to 1.5 Stove will slowly bring temp back to about 66.5 within about 3 hours or so and hang there, as long as the temperature outside is between 20-30*. I keep the stove just lightly chugging along. Pellet consumption has been a mere 25-33lb/day range (when I run the stove) since the beginning of October. Started bag #21 yesterday. Tried Room temperature mode, and hated it. The flare ups and cool downs use more pellets period. Constant BTU output at bare minimum (if you want to keep pellet consumption fairly low) to maintain comfort and its smooth and steady.

 

[alternativeheat]

Stove (constant burn) mode is epic..... It's like running a woodstove without the mess... Turn a dial up a little or down a little. Nothing but win... It takes at least 8-12 hours for a huge drop in outside temperature to affect the inside temperature in my home. Example: Temp was 67.5* inside yesterday from 8am to 7pm... Outside temp dropped to about 27* from 39* throughout the day/evening. Temp was 66* inside at 10pm, 65* at 2am, and 64.5* at 3:30am today. Had the wifey turn the feed rate dial up just 1/2 increment to 1.5 Stove will slowly bring temp back to about 66.5 within about 3 hours or so and hang there, as long as the temperature outside is between 20-30*. I keep the stove just lightly chugging along. Pellet consumption has been a mere 25-33lb/day range (when I run the stove) since the beginning of October. Started bag #21 yesterday. Tried Room temperature mode, and hated it. The flare ups and cool downs use more pellets period. Constant BTU output at bare minimum (if you want to keep pellet consumption fairly low) to maintain comfort and its smooth and steady.

That's one way of looking at it. Another is , in room temp mode my living and dining room have been at 71-72 deg since last Wed day and night, 24/7 and would remain there all winter if I never touch the dial. And the oil burner kicked on exactly once because I did touch the dial and didn't quite set it back to where I keep it at. And another is , I don't care for a house wandering all over the place on temp and I don't like a 64 deg house either. I like steady temps. In the morning I like it a tad warmer as I get up and about.. I have a choice, play with Stove temp or turn up the temp dial for an hour or so. Right now I'm playing with stove temp because later in the winter I intend to run dual fuel and the only really successful way of doing that is in Stove Temp mode, so I'm getting more familiar with it..

 

[bogieb]

This entire discussion is full of win, showing how different people, with different houses, and different likes/dislikes can set a Harman the way that works best for them.

Cory's house looses heat slowly, mine loses heat quickly. At the same time Cory evidently can turn off his stove during the day if he wishes. I leave before 5am, and the sun doesn't start heating the place up until between 10 and noon (assuming the weather guessers haven't messed up the forecast and I know if the sun will be out). 5-7 hours of heat loss is way too much, especially if there is wind, so I can't turn the stove off before leaving for work. However, I do get good solar gain until 3 or 4, so don't need the stove going then and the place will get really hot, even at the lowest setting - which means I would be wasting pellets.

So, at this point I prefer that the stove does it's own thing in room/auto. During the deep of winter, my house doesn't hold heat at all, so I will use some sort of constant heat method (room/manual or stove/auto) - actually my two stoves may not be in the same modes from the experimenting I have done.

This has been a very informative and thought inducing thread - thanks to everyone for participating and sharing their experiences! v

 

[F4jock]

If you are in constant burn auto, the distribution fan always runs. If you turn down the temp down lower, there should be no change in auger cycle time, and the heat output should be the same. I keep my temp dial at 2, and regulate the heat output (auger cycle "on" time) with varying the feed rate from 1-2....

That will do it but, a I said, I'm lazy and prefer to let the board do the work. I monitor room temp at the oil burner thermostat about 25 feet from the stove. It is 70 when the stove ramps down to off and 69 when it restarts. Perfect for the way the wife and I like it and the distribution blower ramps up and down to off accordingly. We like that as well because the thing can be annoying when it's on 24/7.

Last night it hit 21f. Stove still cycled off when it hit 70 inside. BTW what is the Constant Burn / Auto setting? Is that the equivalent of Stove Temp / Auto? My Accentra Insert is,about eight years old and doesn't have that cycle.

 

[alternativeheat]

BTW what is the Constant Burn / Auto setting? Is that the equivalent of Stove Temp / Auto? .

Yes it is.

 

[alternativeheat]

Cory's house looses heat slowly, mine loses heat quickly. At the same time Cory evidently can turn off his stove during the day if he wishes.

Now see when it comes to saving pellets there is no single setting or arrangement of settings that can possibly beat a stove that is shut off for a good portion of the day. .

 

[Tonyray]

Stove (constant mode) runs continuously, where auto uses the desired room temperature input.

that was dumb... sorry.. knew that.. duh..
bottom line is I know in my house of windows[yes they are double pane Insulated] my heat loss is still greater when the stove shuts off[room/auto]... fortunately we get great sun from the East [Naturally] so most daytimes I can get away with room/auto mode....
going into 3rd season now and it's looking more like I should have been using Stove or constant on those very cold days. more like alternativeheats settings in post above.
this thread I agree has been one of the most informative in some time for me..... 1st 2 seasons I Concentrated more on types of pellets and trying to find out how to use the least amount but I;m pretty savy about what to burn and know now what works best.. lotta help you people have been this past week on this thread..

 

[F4jock]

Thing I like about Room / Auto even in the coldest weather is that the heat from the double-pane South-facing window-wall in the great room (I personally think South is best in the winter as the Sun "retreats" to that heading.) warms the place to the point where the stove spends more off time than on. Gotta think that this saves me fuel over a constant-on setting. As well, it allows better temp control I'd say because even with the distribution blower off and the stove banked down I'd still be getting radiant heat when it was not needed.

 

[alternativeheat]

that was dumb... sorry.. knew that.. duh..
bottom line is I know in my house of windows[yes they are double pane Insulated] my heat loss is still greater when the stove shuts off[room/auto]... fortunately we get great sun from the East [Naturally] so most daytimes I can get away with room/auto mode....
going into 3rd season now and it's looking more like I should have been using Stove or constant on those very cold days. more like alternativeheats settings in post above.
this thread I agree has been one of the most informative in some time for me..... 1st 2 seasons I Concentrated more on types of pellets and trying to find out how to use the least amount but I;m pretty savy about what to burn and know now what works best.. lotta help you people have been this past week on this thread..

Tony, I mostly run in Room temp mode. Not sure what you read above. A big difference in my house is sun from late Jan on in the afternoon, it heats up the Achilles heal of this house, the south side. And the fan speed. If I want heat upstairs I have to go with high fan. But this year oil is fairly low in cost so I will mix fuels later on. That requires stove temp mode. Combining the two heats evens the house up and sips both fuels.

So happens today I've had it in Stove Temp all morning, I gave it a boost this morning and now cut it back to feed rate 2, temp 3 and fan high. The dining room is 72. It's almost 10:30 now and some sun peaking through, though it's rather weak in Nov/Dec I'll probably switch back to Room temp around 11oclock. But Stove Temp is not my normal running mode, Room temp much more likely here.. I'm experimenting !

 

[Golfeur]

My house is heated by electricity and a Harman P68
If I want my stove is heated the whole house but I work with 2 way heated together.
Let me explain my situation. The price of electricity works this way the first 30 kw / h are at a price of kw / h and the rest of consumption kw / h at a higher price. I try to take as many kw / h remaining at the bottom of 30kw / h because the price of electricity is less expensive than pellets. So in summary the heat requirement exceeded 30kw / h is filled by the stove. The stove is stove temp / automatic and the feed rate according to my needs and the distribution maximum fan

 

[Pete Zahria]

I've had my new stove (P68) running now for a couple of weeks.
This thread is making my head spin.....

Did room/auto... seemed to start up a little late,
and flame was like "wow" when it did..
Right now in room/manual..
Cold night, will try stove/auto..
Dan

 

[alternativeheat]

I have to say about running in Stove temp Auto with a low feed rate of 2 and output of about 3-1/2. I'm getting light fluffy ash with just average pellets, so I'd say it's a pretty complete burn.

Right now, this minute it's 32 out. the house is almost 74 in this setting. I've been running it like this this evening, so maybe a couple of hours now.

 

[Tonyray]

I have to say about running in Stove temp Auto with a low feed rate of 2 and output of about 3-1/2. I'm getting light fluffy ash with just average pellets, so I'd say it's a pretty complete burn.

Right now, this minute it's 32 out. the house is almost 74 in this setting. I've been running it like this this evening, so maybe a couple of hours now.

thought I read where u use stove mode at times [but not exclusive].. but, splitting hairs at this point.
well, had it on Stove auto since this morning when I left at 8am.
feed rate 2/ #5 temps/low fan... stopped home to let the dog out and it was close to 80 degrees at the stove room thermostat around 15 feet away..
low 40's outside most of the day... deff alot warmer than I wanted but good to see that steady fan whether room or stove mode has some teeth as they say..
now for tomorrow I need to make it less warm.. might just use room/auto since we're still a distance from full bore heat days.

 

[alternativeheat]

thought I read where u use stove mode at times [but not exclusive].. but, splitting hairs at this point.
well, had it on Stove auto since this morning when I left at 8am.
feed rate 2/ #5 temps/low fan... stopped home to let the dog out and it was close to 80 degrees at the stove room thermostat around 15 feet away..
low 40's outside most of the day... deff alot warmer than I wanted but good to see that steady fan whether room or stove mode has some teeth as they say..
now for tomorrow I need to make it less warm.. might just use room/auto since we're still a distance from full bore heat days.

Ya I mess with it from time to time. Seems I give it a shot each shoulder season. Plus it's kind of nostalgic, the first overnight fire was in stove Temp mode with this stove.

 

[Tonyray]

Ya I mess with it from time to time. Seems I give it a shot each shoulder season. Plus it's kind of nostalgic, the first overnight fire was in stove Temp mode with this stove.

well, I have shyed away from stove mode 1st 2 pellet seasons but it is going to be a serious contender this winter.
I really need steady blowing heat in my house at 30 degrees or lower days/nites unless I parlay with oil also.. too much heat loss when stove idles with No blower..

 

[Pete Zahria]

I have to say about running in Stove temp Auto with a low feed rate of 2 and output of about 3-1/2. I'm getting light fluffy ash with just average pellets, so I'd say it's a pretty complete burn.

What does your flame look like compared to your avatar?

 

[F4jock]

I have to say about running in Stove temp Auto with a low feed rate of 2 and output of about 3-1/2. I'm getting light fluffy ash with just average pellets, so I'd say it's a pretty complete burn.

Right now, this minute it's 32 out. the house is almost 74 in this setting. I've been running it like this this evening, so maybe a couple of hours now.

Curious. What is the difference between Stove /Auto and Stove / Manual? The way I understood stove temp was that it essentially maintained the stove at a certain temperature no matter what, in other words regardless of any outside influence, so I can't see where Auto or Manual would make a difference in Stove mode.

 

[Pete Zahria]

I really need steady blowing heat in my house at 30 degrees or lower days/nites..
too much heat loss when stove idles with No blower..

1895 house here... I hear that!

Dan

 

[Pete Zahria]

F4... I thought I read where in manual, the fan will not run below a #4 or 5 setting..
it will run on auto...
No experience with it personally..... yet..

Dan

 

[F4jock]

thought I read where u use stove mode at times [but not exclusive].. but, splitting hairs at this point.
well, had it on Stove auto since this morning when I left at 8am.
feed rate 2/ #5 temps/low fan... stopped home to let the dog out and it was close to 80 degrees at the stove room thermostat around 15 feet away..
low 40's outside most of the day... deff alot warmer than I wanted but good to see that steady fan whether room or stove mode has some teeth as they say..
now for tomorrow I need to make it less warm.. might just use room/auto since we're still a distance from full bore heat days.

So apparently Stove / Auto is no different from Stove / Manual.

 

[Tonyray]

1895 house here... I hear that!

Dan

when we cut a hole in the wall here for the stove exhaust, [1917 house],
there was no insulation in the exterior wall..with all the windows I have there is almost less wall than glass so any insulation there even blow-in would not
make any signigcant difference... someone built this house when it was either using coal ot oil was 7 cents/gal.

 

[alternativeheat]

What does your flame look like compared to your avatar?

My flame is different than my avatar anyway Pete. I trimmed back the combustion blower last year because I was getting a bit too lively a flame, it had white peaks. I rather thought the stove was over drafting a bit. So I trimmed it so it's a little more even over the width of the burn pot. Less than 1/4 turn of the screw. Been running great ( shoots himself in foot !!)