Update on Harman PP38 pellet stove-advice still needed.

[Agrippina65]

Hi,
I got some good advice with my last post but I'm still having difficulties. I got the cover off of the back of the stove, used the wing nut to open the feeder box and as expected, it was full of pellet dust. After I cleaned it out completely I put pellets and starter in the hopper and tried to start it again. I noticed real differences: when I turned on the blower knob I could hear the blower moving, there was more air coming through, and when I opened and closed the hopper lid the change in air made a difference in the flame. But I still had the same problem. The pellets got burning very well but when they burned down, that was the end of the fire. It still is not feeding for some reason. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ARC]

It still is not feeding for some reason.

Does the auger feed pellets at any time? Start up?

If you turn the feed dial to test does the auger feed pellets for approximately 1 minute?

If auger does feed pellets:

Have you ever cleaned the esp probe? When fire starts it must reach a certain temperature in a set time period for the auger to start feeding. The esp probe is what senses that temperature if dirty or broken the stove will not sense temperature and will not feed additional pellets.

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[jackman]

If the auger is turning and you're not feeding any pellets I would suspect the feed tube is clogged. You'll need to remove the auger to clean it out.

 

[Agrippina65]

Does the auger feed pellets at any time? Start up?

If you turn the feed dial to test does the auger feed pellets for approximately 1 minute?

If auger does feed pellets:

Have you ever cleaned the esp probe? When fire starts it must reach a certain temperature in a set time period for the auger to start feeding. The esp probe is what senses that temperature if dirty or broken the stove will not sense temperature and will not feed additional pellets.

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Thank you for the advice. I've been looking at the manual but I still don't quite understand where the ESP probe is. Is it in the front or the back? My feed dial doesn't seem to have a Test setting. It's labeled 1 through 5 and then turbo. I've had it up to 3 or 4 and it doesn't seem to feed pellets.

 

[ARC]

where the ESP probe is. Is it in the front or the back?

In the back the above video shows were.

It's labeled 1 through 5 and then turbo.

Ok so you have the older style board. What I am trying to figure out is if the auger turns at all? Does it feed pellets or can you hear it try to turn?

 

[bogieb]

The ESP runs thru the exhaust pipe portion that is within the stove. If you remove the ashpan, then the plate that is in front of the exhaust fan, about 6-8" into the exhaust pathway itself you can see a pin-type thing that does not quite go all the way across the pathway. It will be towards the top of the pathway. I believe it accessible for removal from the left, back of the stove (I have never removed either of mine, so I could be mistaken).

 

[Agrippina65]

Does the auger feed pellets at any time? Start up?

If you turn the feed dial to test does the auger feed pellets for approximately 1 minute?

If auger does feed pellets:

Have you ever cleaned the esp probe? When fire starts it must reach a certain temperature in a set time period for the auger to start feeding. The esp probe is what senses that temperature if dirty or broken the stove will not sense temperature and will not feed additional pellets.

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If the auger is turning and you're not feeding any pellets I would suspect the feed tube is clogged. You'll need to remove the auger to clean it out.

In the back the above video shows were.


Ok so you have the older style board. What I am trying to figure out is if the auger turns at all? Does it feed pellets or can you hear it try to turn?

I don't think I'm hearing it turn. It's definitely not feeding pellets. I think you're right, I'll have to take it apart and clean out the auger area. It looks a bit daunting in the manual because there are so many parts, and I'm definitely at a disadvantage in this area (I have one of the lowest mechanical aptitude scores ever recorded in my state).

 

[ARC]

bit daunting in the manual because there are so many parts

That is where uTube comes in handy, if you can download the video Go one step at a time you can play it over and over again until your sure of your next step.

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[ARC]

I would first try to run the motor by unplugging the stove, unplug the two wires that go to the motor should be a connection at about 6+ inches of wire, using a old lamp cord attach to motor leads and plug/power cord directly into the electric socket. See if auger runs or tries to run. You do not have to take motor off stove to test it but it is convenient if you do.

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[johneh]

I had a boss once who told me there are no big jobs just little ones strung together
Do one at a time and before you know it you're finished I will bet your mechanical
aptitude is way above what you think. Don't stress it one step at a time there are
many people here who can help with many years of experience

 

[MarkF48]

Have you checked the exhaust vent pipe to ensure it's clear not blocked up with something (bird nest, bees nest, or similar)?
There are a few threads on this forum mentioning starting the stove on the 'Turbo' feed setting and then backing it down once started. It doesn't sound like you've tried this and it may be worth a try to see if it will feed pellets in this mode. From those posts it sounds like you have an older control on the stove with just two controls(?). Maybe post an image of the control and the settings you might typically use.
Typically when a Harman stove is plugged in the motors will run for a short bit. Not sure if this is true of yours, but if it does do this, take the back panel off and while plugging it in watch the area around the feed motor and see (or hear) if anything is moving.

 

[doneill127]

On most Harman stoves the draft pressure switch is wired in series to the feeder motor and the igniter. So if the switch is bad or there’s insufficient airflow the igniter wont come on and the feeder motor will not run . Not sure if this applies to your stove

 

[bogieb]

Last night I thought of something that might cause non-feeding. Do you have a little rod that sticks up thru the hopper and gets pushed down by the lid when you close it?

If so, make sure there isn't a small piece of pellet beside it that might cause the rod not to push all the way down.

Also, it could be the case that a connection to that rod got shake loose, so the stove no longer recognizes that the hopper door is shut. IDK any more than that so can't help with checking.

I just thought about those things when I filled the P61a hopper yesterday and had to sweep pellet pieces off the rim of the hopper - one got stuck beside that rod