What is your harman feed rate setting?

[P38X2]

OK, here are a couple good examples...

1)You dump crappy pellets in your hopper. For whatever reason, they're not particularly flammable. You crank her up to flamethrower. The stove says feed feed feed!..but the pellets aren't burning well. The ESP says "I'm not hot enough, feed MORE pellets!" What happens? Unburned pellets in the ash pan. Lower the feed rate.

2) You dump extremely flammable pellets, but low BTU for whatever reason, into the hopper. Set it to flamethrower. The fire looks pretty good but the ESP is now saying, "I could be hotter, but my feed rate is only on 2! WTH, I'm better than this!" What happens? You get less output than your stove's capable of. Turn the feed rate up.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah, they put that knob there for a reason. A good thing.

 

[shtrdave]

OK, here are a couple good examples...

1)You dump crappy pellets in your hopper. For whatever reason, they're not particularly flammable. You crank her up to flamethrower. The stove says feed feed feed!..but the pellets aren't burning well. The ESP says "I'm not hot enough, feed MORE pellets!" What happens? Unburned pellets in the ash pan. Lower the feed rate.

2) You dump extremely flammable pellets, but low BTU for whatever reason, into the hopper. Set it to flamethrower. The fire looks pretty good but the ESP is now saying, "I could be hotter, but my feed rate is only on 2! WTH, I'm better than this!" What happens? You get less output than your stove's capable of. Turn the feed rate up.

But it only applies when you crank it to Flamethrower, settings at anything lower and it does not matter, just my understanding. I am new to this, still trying to get my remote stat to work the way i would like it to.

 

[P38X2]

That's correct. It's a user adjustable parameter for something the board can't figure out on its own.

 

[BrotherBart]

for something the board can't figure out on its own

Wish I had come with that knob on me.

 

[jslinger]

It doesn't....that's my point....just not articulating it well I guess.

I think the confusion stems from the fact that there are so many variables involved in burning pellets. I think most people understand it only limits the maximum feed rate. But with the computer making other adjustments, it is hard to know what else might be affected. Plus the fact that there is an option to turn the feed rate down in the first place.
I find that with my feed rate at 3.5, I don't have pellets falling into the ash pan. But the flame is so big, and far forward, it hits the glass. That certainly isn't a problem when it comes to heat production, but I wonder if that assists in dirtying the glass.
But it seems that this dirty glass is an XXV issue. I have seen many other pictures of XXV's with the same issue I am having, and it seems pretty common. I wish I would have known about this beforehand. I would have saved some money, and bought a P43.

 

[P38X2]

Wish I had come with that knob on me.

Same here. Getting tired of being asked, "Are you trying to grow a 3rd boob!?"

 

[Harman Lover 007]

That is where I copied it from.

(broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/XXV.pdf)

there we go....I was in the owners manual (rev 10/13), you found it in the install manual. Case closed.

(broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/XXV_O.pdf)

 

[Harman Lover 007]

All I'm trying to say is the feed rate, more than likely isn't the problem in the original post. Sounds like the XXVs have a dirty glass issue? As a Harman owner for going on 18 years I've got some "skin in the game".

 

[Enigma869]

My dealer told me that I should put the feed rate on 3 and leave it there, so that's where it is. I'm no expert, but I tend to agree with some of the comments that the dial is adjustable for a reason. To suggest that it should never be adjusted seems counter-intuitive, given that it is a very adjustable setting. If Harman didn't want it to be an adjustable setting to serve some purpose, I suspect the knob wouldn't be on the stove.

 

[P38X2]

My dealer told me that I should put the feed rate on 3 and leave it there, so that's where it is. I'm no expert, but I tend to agree with some of the comments that the dial is adjustable for a reason. To suggest that it should never be adjusted seems counter-intuitive, given that it is a very adjustable setting. If Harman didn't want it to be an adjustable setting to serve some purpose, I suspect the knob wouldn't be on the stove.

It is there for a purpose... as described in ibcynya's sticky, and numerous times in this thread

 

[P38X2]

I think the confusion stems from the fact that there are so many variables involved in burning pellets. I think most people understand it only limits the maximum feed rate. But with the computer making other adjustments, it is hard to know what else might be affected. Plus the fact that there is an option to turn the feed rate down in the first place.
I find that with my feed rate at 3.5, I don't have pellets falling into the ash pan. But the flame is so big, and far forward, it hits the glass. That certainly isn't a problem when it comes to heat production, but I wonder if that assists in dirtying the glass.
But it seems that this dirty glass is an XXV issue. I have seen many other pictures of XXV's with the same issue I am having, and it seems pretty common. I wish I would have known about this beforehand. I would have saved some money, and bought a P43.

All of the P series glass gets dirty sooner or later. The P68 has much larger glass and therefore more glass to get dirty. The air wash system on the 38 is slightly different than on the 68. Most likely an attempt to keep the velocities higher to "reach" up further on the glass. The glass on the XXV is HUGE. These stoves have been in production for a long time and if Harman could design a better air wash system, they would've done it by now, IMO. Notice the mirrored glass on your stove and the 68? That's there for a reason.

I think you'll find when you start running your stove harder, the glass will take a bit longer to get dirty, and it will get less dirty. To expect it to stay clean is unrealistic, it's just the nature of the beast. If you try the daily dry paper towel wiping, you may be happy, but you gotta catch it early and keep on it. And ,again, different pellets WILL make a difference in skank up time.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

My dealer told me that I should put the feed rate on 3 and leave it there, so that's where it is. I'm no expert, but I tend to agree with some of the comments that the dial is adjustable for a reason. To suggest that it should never be adjusted seems counter-intuitive, given that it is a very adjustable setting. If Harman didn't want it to be an adjustable setting to serve some purpose, I suspect the knob wouldn't be on the stove.

Have you ever performed the feed rate setting procedure described in the Harman sticky at the top of the main page?

 

[P38X2]

Just reread your first post where you mentioned changing pellets and noticed a difference. There you go. Ash levels don't always coincide with glass crud. Oakies and VWP, while both softwood pellets, don't have the same wood in them. I'd be willing to bet of you found a couple bags of Oakie DF's you'd be even more impressed.

The fact you're farlirly "green" to pellet stoves (I think) probably means you didn't know what to expect from pellet changes or your particular stove, and the glass issue caught you a bit off guard, making you think something is wrong. Just get used to the glass not being perfectly clear and enjoy that purely stove, the heat, and the $$$$ you're saving.

Rutland makes glass cleaner with silicone in it. The silicone additive is probably snake oil and immediately gets burned off, but my glass seems to feel more buttery after cleaning, and therefore MAY aid in daily wipings. Like someone else posted, I'll only wipe it between cleanings if I have guests over. Stove vanity

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

After buying 3 ton of VT wood pellets, I decided to try a few bags of okies. I noticed that with the okies, my glass wasn't getting nearly as dirty as with the VTWP.
I have always left the feed rate knob at 3.5, even though the manual suggests leaving it at 4.
After doing some research, it seemed that my stove might be running a little rich. So I decided to turn the knob down to 2.75.
Success! At 3.5 1/3 of the glass would be dark brown within 1/2 day. Now, at 2.75, there is very light graying in the same amount of time.
At first I thought I would have to switch to okanagan, but with a little tweaking, I am very happy that I can continue to buy local.
I was wondering what everyone else uses for a feed rate setting, with your respective pellets?
Since all pellets are different. They should theoretically require different settings.
I thought this might help some of the newbies out there, who might be frustrated with the performance of their stove.

I've got an Accentra Insert and a P-43. Both are set at 4.

 

[MCPO]

All of the P series glass gets dirty sooner or later.


It`s much later with my P-38 . I can usually go 3 weeks before I see a brownish film near the top of the glass. I`ve never seen the glass get real dirty. My stove must be burning optimal because even the lousy pellets I`ve burned in the past never seemed to have an adverse effect on getting the glass dirty. Most of the glass always stays clean .

 

[P38X2]

Out of curiosity, what is your venting setup?

 

[Enigma869]

Have you ever performed the feed rate setting procedure described in the Harman sticky at the top of the main page?

I have not. I simply left it on 3 where the dealer set it. It seems to be working fine for me. We finally have daily temperatures barely getting to 40 degrees here in New England and I still only have my stove temp set on number 1. Even on the lowest setting, my first floor is 71 degrees and my second floor is 71 degrees. Even though I loathe Winter, I'm looking forward to a really cold day, so I can at least challenge this heat monster! So far this season, I think I've only turned my dial past the number one, twice.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

I have not. I simply left it on 3 where the dealer set it. It seems to be working fine for me. We finally have daily temperatures barely getting to 40 degrees here in New England and I still only have my stove temp set on number 1. Even on the lowest setting, my first floor is 71 degrees and my second floor is 71 degrees. Even though I loathe Winter, I'm looking forward to a really cold day, so I can at least challenge this heat monster! So far this season, I think I've only turned my dial past the number one, twice.

Hopefully (or not) the day will come soon when you can unleash that beast! The setting on 3 will probably hold you back from getting the full potential out of your XXV but you won't know that until the time comes.

 

[nayslayer]

I did the calibration one night while drinking one night. Having used the AWF premium wood pellets I figured it was around 4.5, but have turned it back to around 4.25.

 

[P38X2]

Don't rush it guys. The days of 2 bags a day are coming. And cleaner glass too

 

[MCPO]

Out of curiosity, what is your venting setup?

If that question was for me regarding my P38 glass staying clean for weeks , I`m vented into a 7" SS chimney that comes thru the ceiling right above my stove.

 

[P38X2]

If that question was for me regarding my P38 glass staying clean for weeks , I`m vented into a 7" SS chimney that comes thru the ceiling right above my stove.

Yes, MCPO. Maybe natural draft plays a big role in the time it takes the glass to get dirty.

I have a straight out setup, but lately have been thinking about adding a vertical section outside. My P38 wasn't bad at all but this 68 coughs a bit more smoke than I'd like during quick burn pot scrapings. I generally have no problem with my glass being dirty, but wonder if it would improve as a "bonus" byproduct of adding additional draft.

 

[jslinger]

Well thanks for the help everyone. I hadn't planned on a feed rate debate, since I know this issue has been beaten to death.
I will gladly take the advice of the veterans here (harman lover, p38x2). Take a hotter stove, and deal with the dirty glass.

 

[P38X2]

Did you notice it getting dirty more slowly in the past few days? Been unseasonably cold here. My glass was cleaner this AM than it was yesterday. The higher burning actually burned some of the crud off.