So frustrated!

[kipcat]

OK, I have a Harman P68 pellet stove, purchased and installed in December 2008. Worked like a champ the first year. Second year was a learning experience, but still working well after figuring things out. Second half of 3rd year we had igniter problems, but managed to figure those out as well, it was our fault that it wasn't working correctly. This year started out great - was working fine. Thought we'd finally figured out how this stove works best in our home. My house is about 1800 s/f, with the stove sited in our great room, which it keeps wonderfully warm, although the far part of the back rooms are chilly. We have a heat pump, which I generally keep on around 67 degrees to keep those back rooms from getting too cold. When the stove is running, the heat pump hardly ever kicks in, although the thermostat for the heat pump is located at the front of the master bedroom. I normally run the stove on these settings: room temp 70 (4) - feed rate 3 - auto ignite. Our igniter has stopped working, which isn't surprising, after reading many posts where people say the igniters in these models do not last long. I want to buy the improved igniter that Harman now makes, and would like to save the money of having the dealer come out by installing it myself. I can't find instructions on how to remove the existing igniter and put the new one in anywhere! In reading through a lot of posts on here, someone said that instructions on how to install a new igniter were on here somewhere, but I can't find them. If you have the url with these instructions, please post them on here? In the meantime - next problem: I'm trying to run the stove now on manual ignite, but it keeps going out. Pellets are being fed, everything seems to be working okay, but it will not stay lit. Totally new experience for us running on manual ignite, so any help would be appreciated! This stove cuts our electric bill in half in the winter, without it, we are going to be hit with a huge bill from BGE next month, so help!? PS - We have cleaned stove top to bottom these past few days. Thanks in advance!!

 

[subsailor]

Any chance your 3 year warranty hasn't expired yet?

 

[gfreek]

Try manual lighting with a lot of gel or torch or both, It takes practice to hand fire the Harman P series. If the exhaust blower is running and it goes out try again, you need a bigger, longer flame. You should be able too......

 

[kipcat]

No, it's just run out, the warranty that is. Figures!! I did use gel to start it, and it burned for a while, but never got to be a large flame. Then it just sort of petered out. Distribution fan never came on either. Thanks for the replies!

 

[subsailor]

It almost sounds like a pellet or air problem if the fire won't stay lit.

 

[kipcat]

I'm going to keep trying to get it working on manual. Any suggestions as to settings? I'm probably going to end up getting the dealer out here :/

 

[kipcat]

Does the distribution blower not come on at all when it's in stove temp mode instead of room temp mode?

 

[lightyear]

maybe it is going out because you have it set so low. 70 degrees is not that warm. Maybe you should crank it up a bit to see if that will help.

 

[gfreek]

Not sure but the distribution blower (room blower)won't come on till stove hits certain temp, I think.. Exhaust blower comes on immediately. I don't have a P68, but it may take afew manual tries to get it going.

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Replacing the ignitor is something like this:

Just remove the two igniter screws in front of the burner.

There is a bundle of wire in the back of the Stove that allows you to pull the ignitor out into the room to switch and unplug it and plug in the new one. Then fish the newly connected wires back through. Also you need to bend the tabs on the case to remove the actual ignitor. Then rebend the tabs to lock ignitor back in the case.

Hope this helps

 

[kipcat]

Sigh* I had it set on stove temp, and the dist. blower never came on, despite high flame and stove feeling very warm all around. I switched it to room temp, and the dist. blower came on immediately, but now the flame is dying again. Our great room is large and high ceilinged, the stove sits in one corner of it, so I need the dist. blower to disburse heat into it. Leaving it on stove temp is not an option, I guess. I'm at a loss as to what to try next. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Sigh* I had it set on stove temp, and the dist. blower never came on, despite high flame and stove feeling very warm all around. I switched it to room temp, and the dist. blower came on immediately, but now the flame is dying again. Our great room is large and high ceilinged, the stove sits in one corner of it, so I need the dist. blower to disburse heat into it. Leaving it on stove temp is not an option, I guess. I'm at a loss as to what to try next. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Where is your room probe? If that isn't calling for heat your stove is going to throttle back and perhaps head to shutdown state. Tell the folks here exactly how the controls are set.

 

[kipcat]

Well, I've been fiddling with the controls to see if I can find some way that it will work with the manual ignition and not go out. As I said earlier, I had it on stove temp, but dist. blower wouldn't come on. When I switched to room temp, the dist. blower did kick in, but then it slowly stopped burning altogether. I had feed set up to 4 (normally I have it on 3), and I had upped the room temp to 5 (75 degrees roughly). This room is NOT 75 degrees right now, but stove is not working. The sensor is hanging looped off to the rear right side (when facing it) of the stove, where it has always been since installation. This stove worked fine on auto mode with the sensor in that spot. I will be getting a new igniter, hopefully this coming week. I'm just trying to figure out how to make it work in manual mode without wasting a ton of pellets experimenting in what works best, and also find a way to keep it burning and distributing the heat. Thanks for the advice on installing the new igniter, I hope I will be able to do it on my own.

 

[76brian]

Well, I've been fiddling with the controls to see if I can find some way that it will work with the manual ignition and not go out. As I said earlier, I had it on stove temp, but dist. blower wouldn't come on. When I switched to room temp, the dist. blower did kick in, but then it slowly stopped burning altogether. I had feed set up to 4 (normally I have it on 3), and I had upped the room temp to 5 (75 degrees roughly). This room is NOT 75 degrees right now, but stove is not working. The sensor is hanging looped off to the rear right side (when facing it) of the stove, where it has always been since installation. This stove worked fine on auto mode with the sensor in that spot. I will be getting a new igniter, hopefully this coming week. I'm just trying to figure out how to make it work in manual mode without wasting a ton of pellets experimenting in what works best, and also find a way to keep it burning and distributing the heat. Thanks for the advice on installing the new igniter, I hope I will be able to do it on my own.

The temp where the room probe is located is what matters.

The room might not be 75, but if the probe is right near the stove, and the stove has been running, there's a very good chance that it's 75 right by the stove.

Move the room sensor out into the room, where you want the temp to be 75. Room temp in manual mode should work just fine but not with the sensor that close to the stove. Even with the stove just on "idle" mode, chances are it's going to be more than 75 right there.

 

[kipcat]

It doesn't necessarily need to be 75 degrees in here, I put it up to that temp while experimenting. Usually it is set at 70-72 degrees. I will try setting the sensor further out into the room. I guess my big question is tho, how do I keep it burning along with the distribution blower going? On room temp the fire dies out, on stove temp the dist. blower doesn't come on. It may be as much as a week before I can get a new igniter put in, so really want to figure this out.

 

[76brian]

I said 75 because that was the example you used. At a lower temp setting the stove will obviously shut off easier when the probe is that close to the stove. If you don't have an OAK, some people put the probe just inside the combustion air intake. That way it's measuring the temperature of the air going into the stove. I didn't do that so don't know how effective it is. My room temp probe is in another room.

In stove temp, manual, the distribution blower won't come on till you turn the temp up past 4 or 5.

In stove temp, auto, the dist. blower is always on. Light it in manual if you have to, then flick it to auto once it's running. It shouldn't shut off in stove temp mode either way.

 

[lbcynya]

It doesn't necessarily need to be 75 degrees in here, I put it up to that temp while experimenting. Usually it is set at 70-72 degrees. I will try setting the sensor further out into the room. I guess my big question is tho, how do I keep it burning along with the distribution blower going? On room temp the fire dies out, on stove temp the dist. blower doesn't come on. It may be as much as a week before I can get a new igniter put in, so really want to figure this out.

stove temp + igniter switch to auto and the dist blower should operate normally. See my sig for more info.

 

[kipcat]

Again, thanks for all of the help and info! I will continue to experiment and hopefully get this figured out!

 

[kipcat]

OK - new igniter in hand - attempting to remove back panel to get to igniter wire plug-ins. ANY help/advice on replacing igniter would be much appreciated! Will be checking in for responses while working on stove! Thanks!!

 

[kipcat]

HELP! How on earth do you get the pink tips of the old igniter wires removed to put the new ones on!!?? They are stuck fast!!

 

[kipcat]

Well, we did it. I think. We got the new igniter in. Set stove to auto-feed 3-75 degrees. It's NOT sparking.

 

[kipcat]

It's working it's working! We did it!!

 

[THE ROOSTER]

One trick I have learned from lighting my Accentra is to use those starter logs, I will pinch of three small pieces to place in with a small handful of pellets, add my gel and light. I turn stove on with auto/manual switch in manual. I leave the door open slightly until I see the blue flame turn orange and the pellets in there to be black, shut the door and leave it alone until I hear the auger kick in; then I flip my switch to auto and then the dist. blower will kick in a few seconds later.
Oh, I always light the stove in "stove temp"...

Now that your igniter is fixed it might be a good time to practice a manual light...

 

[jmart]

[It's working it's working! We did it!! quote]

Congratulations Now enjoy your holidays!

 

[kipcat]

Thanks, Rooster! You're right, I need to learn how to start it in manual. One question - after you light it in stove temp, and it's running well, do you switch it to room temp?