Explosive ignition on p43

BTW.. if I'm saying something or posting something you already know, please say so.


Chaz

 

Back of the board

 

Your board is 5886E as evidenced by the tag in the left.

Everything I see leads me back to the same dip switch positions as previously posted.

You stated your switches are on/off/off this indicates the programmed feed time +21 seconds.

Try turning the switches to off/off/off, the default program and see how that goes.
Otherwise I'd try going down to off/off/on which is default -21 seconds.

You stated your pot was overflowing, which is why I would advise this.

Once again, plz remember that I am NOT a pellet stove expert.
Take all precautions, up to and including ignoring my "expert" advice.

Also note from the image above.. down is off for the switches.

 

Also note that I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

Yup your right. I have messed with them before. I put it back to the stock one and way to many pellets and now I have it at off,off,on like I had it before and lit pretty good. Just don’t get it.

 

I'd like to say that I'm not one to 'split hairs', but that would be untrue.
You say...

And so now I am confused as to the original position of the switches vs the current position of the switches.

I just hope your stove is working properly, but if someone else with the same problem should come across this, they may be confused as well.

Mistakes happen all the time, but as I said, don't want someone to wander onto this thread and change things without knowing what the consequences may be.

 

Spring is coming.

 

The on,off,off is the stock position for the switches. That’s how the board comes oem from what I found. So I switched it to where I had it before off,off,on.

 

I have the same stove as D-Mac with the same revision board (rev E). Just checked the dip switch settings, which are as configured from the factory; never tinkered with.

The settings are: On, Off, Off, Off, On, On, Off, On (see picture below)

Understanding only the first 3 matter for the purpose of this discussion. Based on the chart for this board, this means "program +21 sec". I think it can be confusing that the chart reference Off, Off, Off as being "program default". When I think "program default" I take that to mean "how it came from the factory" but clearly that is not the case here. In fact per the chart, only two stoves come configured like that - the PB105 and HF60. I suppose it really just means default timing for the board in general, and based on the specific stove you have, Harman adjusts it from the default program, so for the P43, they determined the ideal default setting to be "default + 21 sec".

D-Mac, is this how yours is configured now?

 

Thx ttdberg that helps a LOT.

Yeah, stating a "default" switch position usually means that's how it's shipped from the factory.

With my extremely limited knowledge when it comes to pellet stoves I had no idea what position the switches are set.

 

One has to remember that these units come set as default from the factory FOR THE STOVE THAT THEY ARE IN. The same circuitboard is in many units, and these settings are often different for each different unit that they reside in. All of the switches mean something, but the first 3 dictate how long the feeder feeds in the ignition cycle. I kind of wince when people mess with these settings, as often a user will not tend to mention to the stove tech that they changed settings, and a less than savvy stove tech might assume that the board is set to factory settings. SO, when I see these "change yer switch setting" posts in an attempt to make the stove run what you think is correctly, I imagine people who have no clue what they are doing totally messing them up.....or, not unplugging the unit beforehand and shocking themselves, or zotting out the board, etc.

FWIW, and Ive said this before, delayed ignition is near ALWAYS a cleaning issue. If I open the door in the morning, look in the mud and see hoofprints, I am looking for the horse that made them, not zebras. It COULD be an escaped zebra from a zoo, but lets face it, its most likely a escaped horse from the barn down the road.

 

I have pretty much cleaned all I can clean though. That’s what I don’t get. Cleaned all the piping, the chimney, took and put a new fan blade on the combustion blower, put a new igniter in along with a new burn pot and 2 gaskets (since you told me to try 2 because the back of the stove is warped). Replaced the exhaust gasket and the ash pan gasket. Cleaned the back of the knobs on the board (forgot what they at called). I have pretty much done everything I can besides taking the auger out. Idk what else I can do? Only thing I can possibly thing of is the cover over the combustion blower might not be sitting in the grove very well because of the stove being warped but I wouldn’t think that would make a difference. Went through and resiliconed every connection and elbow so I wouldn’t get any air leaks.

 

Don't remember, but has the comb. blower MOTOR been check for proper speed? How old is it? Is it a ball bearing unit, or have oil ports? Putting a new fan blade on a motor that isn't running at the correct speed is a waste of time & $$.

 

I did a draft test like a month ago but maybe it will be different with the new fan. It seemed a little heavier. It’s maybe 3 years old and doesn’t have any oil ports. I replaced it with an oem Harman one

 

Here's my 2 cents pop like that is wood gases . If it's warmer outside check drafting ..you should hear 36 inch x 54 inch outdoor boiler firebox burning slabs . When draft fans kick on after a long off cycle . It puts out a good boom. Not a destructive boom but enough for to get your attention.

Heat550

Sent from my LG-H900 using Tapatalk

 

I believe I said the stove MAY be warped......theres no way I can tell if it IS warped from sitting here a thousand miles away. Thats one of the problems with diagnosing issues over the phone, or, for that matter, in a forum. Not everything can be fixed without seeing it or putting hands on it, seeing draft, or putting a wrench to it. Are you missing something? I don't know.
Leaks beyond the stove (pipe) wont affect the way the stove burns.
I find it interesting that when you totally get it clean, it lights like a charm, but on the second go-around, it wont light until its second cycle. Still sounds like a cleaning thing to me. When you cleaned, did you clean out the vac line to the vac switch? Did you check and clean the air box behind the damper? Did you check the damper? I know this sounds like splitting hairs kinda things, but if you haven't done this, you haven't done everything.
The last thing, and please don't take offense, because it isn't meant.......are you being a bit nitpicky here? So, the 5 year old stove doesn't ignite on the first feed cycle, it lights on the second? So what? The unit is designed to feed a second time and try to light itself a second time. Does it light on the second try of the stove? Someone here, I don't recall who, said a while ago that you were paying way too much attention to the minutiae of the stove lighting. Again, not trying to be a bastid here, but the stove isn't a precision robotic machine, with no variables in operation and utilization.

 

Disconnect the tube from the vac switch and blow it out as lowsey sujjested and while you have it off hit that stove with the leaf blower trick and report back

 

Air box behind the damper? You talking the flapper damper on the back of the stove? I made a little hose to side in there and clean out the dust and stuff. I can’t get the actual fresh air flap/damper off. I blew out the lines to the vacuum switch able a month ago. Sucked out the fines box while the hopper was empty to make sure I got all the fines out. I’ll try blowing out the vacuum hoses again.

 

I took and cleaned the hoses and did a draft test. I adjusted to specific settings for low draft.

 

Went through the whole ignition cycle and some pellets were black like they burned part way by never fully ignited.