Another harman question. digging deep on control board

So being a technical/electrical driven guy I need to understand the depth of this harman board. I understand in stove temp everything is driven by the esp and how the stove ramps up and down to satisfy esp. Now my question would be, how does your feed rate play into this? For instance if my rate was set on feed#2 and there wasnt enough fuel to satisfy the esp would it go beyond my feed setting to satisfy? This is what im imagining! And if it does this what is the point of having feed control?. Im just talking stove temp mode. I could be missing something so figured I would ask the seasoned harman owners here

 

set it on 4 and it will always work. the only time there is an issue is when you run it on high stove temp and it feeds to many pellets pushing unburned pellets into the ash tray. then you need to back it down a little. the manual should explain this. run it on high, set feed rate to feed pellets and maintain an inch of ash at the edge of the burn pot. also if it feeds to many pellets a lot of the time the esp is dirty

 

The feed rate setting is the "max" it will feed. Each number on the dial represents 10 seconds, so on feed rate 3, the stove will run the auger 30 seconds every minute (at most). 4 it will run 40 seconds every minute, and so forth. If you set it at 2 and that results in it being unable to satisfy the configured temp, then it will not feed any faster and the stove will simply run starved of fuel, continuously feeding for 20 seconds of every minute. You've basically got the stove running with a governor on the throttle. I keep mine at feed rate 3 because at that setting, when the stove is at max heat demand, the stove body gets up to ~600 degrees and it starts to smell funny, like it's too hot / overheating. Current manufacturer recommendation says 4 is the optimal "set it and forget it" feed rate setting I believe, but it's too much in my experience. Everyone's situation is different, so play around with it and see what works best for you.

 

Like Ironpony said, run the feed rate it on 4. That is what Harman recommends. If you set it lower than that and turn the stove up, it will NOT exceed the feed rate of 2 and you may not get the heat out of the stove that you are seeking.

 

I don't have the issue with an odor like you do. I also don't get anywhere near 600 degree temp on the stove, either. Not sure I've ever seen my stove that hot.

 

Good info.. so what im taking away from this is. In stove temp no matter if it satisfys the esp or not it wont go above your max feed setting. Good to know

 

It's the same for room temp mode too. The stove will not exceed the configured feed rate, regardless which mode you are in.

 

In stove temp it doesn't really ramp up and down that much , at start up you get a big flame , but as the temp starts coming up the flame goes down levels off and stays pretty much the same height . That's how it works for me .

In room temp you will see ramping up and down also the distribution fan speed will vary too.

 

Think of the feed rate as a limiter. If higher heat is needed it will allow it to happen to quickly get to the desired set point. If the feed rate is on the low side things will be on the turtle speed or not be able to reach desired temps. Having it on #4 doesn't change fuel usage but more for getting to temp quicker. You can adjust the feed rate for 1" of ash at the end of the burnpot and forget about it like everyone says. You might have to readjust the feed rate when using different brand of pellets, just a heads up

 

Ivanhoe nice to hear from you again

 

I wouldn't recommend using the lower feed settings with pellets. Ive had many folks thing that by running it lean, say, at 1 or 2, they conserve pellets. What really happens is the fire burns deep in the pot, and can erode the auger and feeder weldment.....they be expensive to fix......run it at 4.

 

Thank you Harman says set it 4 for a reason that's what works best , just my 2 cents

 

I feel like a rebel, going against the grain and running it at feed rate 3!

 

Mines a Ch under 4

 

That is also where I leave mine and with really good results. My stove just hums right along and keeps us warm.

 

No worries TT I'm a bigger Rebel don't run an OAK and don't run in room temp house is warm and my Honey is happy it's all good for me .

 

Lousyweather has a good point on the lower feed rate problems down the road
Yes Will, I'm slowly coming back online as the weather will be turning around any time soon

 

heck, we are happy to rebuild stoves....but a new weldment, auger, labor is pretty high, and time consuming. People don't like to be without their stoves while they wait for us to free up time

 

It is SO refreshing to have so many Harman owners who know what they are talking about when it comes to feed rate. It is clearly the most misunderstood feature of a Harman stove.

 

I thought Hormoans are bullet proof? What is this parts replacement you speak of?