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fairct

Harman Accentra Pellet Stove Problems

fairct
18 years ago

We purchased a Harman Accentra Pellet Stove last Oct 2004 from a dealer in Westport, CT. The dealer installed it in our family/great room which is approx 15 ft x 35 ft with a 15 foot cathedral ceiling.

After only a few weeks of use it started to drop pellets but not ignite. Dealer replaced the main motor (I really don't know what part but it was sort of the main part from what I recall.) After that it ran fine.

This season, however, it has been shutting off on us during the night and it is difficult to get started again in the morning. This has happened about ten times.

Dealer suggested we clean behind the back wall of the interior chamber. (My husband had cleaned the unit in the fall by following the instructions provided but hadn't cleaned behind that plate because there were no instructions for that.)

The dealer emailed instructions for that particular task and my husband did it this past Sunday.

Unfortunately the stove is still malfunctioning. We noticed that after a while of running fine the status light starts to blink and eventually the stove shuts itself down unless we turn it off and on again. Obviously this must be what is happening during the night.

This morning we woke up to, once again, the stove being off. It was 12 degrees outside and 35 degrees in our family room. Now the stove doesn't work at all. It will power on and all the lights are lit. But even tho the feeder light is on no pellets drop. The auger does not turn. It has been making a very loud clunking sound these past few weeks and I guess now it's just given up.

The dealer said when the status light blinks 5 times in succession, which ours is doing, it doesn't look good and they need to come out to service it. I left a message that the light was blinking like that but never heard back from him by end of day.

So I have some questions for anyone who can help:

(1) Do you know what the problem might be with this stove and should it be happening to such a 'new' stove (and can it be fixed??)

(2) Should this stove be able to heat the room I described above? It seems the end of the room where the stove is not located is always chilly and unfortunately that is where our dining room table is. The dealer sort of suggested that we would probably save on oil since the stove would help heat the rest of the house, but we have yet to see it be so efficient. Do you think maybe it just hasn't been functioning properly all along?

Sorry for such a long post. This is the main room that our kids and us use every day from breakfast til bedtime and its very frustrating not being able to even go into it due to the cold.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Comments (90)

  • sam48
    15 years ago

    Pwrup

    If you have the Accentra insert, Please read the above entry by dana-mark on Dec. 1st. The two 2 inch square tube exhaust ports (Fig 26 and 27 in the cleaning instructions are important to keep clean. If you do not have the cleaning instructions, I highly recommend that you download them. The web site is accentracleaninginstructions.pdf. Use your color printer as it makes the picture so much more vivid. I went to the hardware store and bought a three foot length of flexible clear vinyl tubing to add to my vacuum to probe the ports to get extra ash out after I use the wire brush that came with the stove. Use duct tape to build up the tube to fit inside your vacuum hose.
    If you were able to clean the stove good enough to get it to run one day, I am thinking that if you get the stove burning correctly the pitch problem will go away. Please let me know if this helped , or what you had to do to correct the problem.

  • ouscope
    15 years ago

    We installed a Harman Accentra in March, 2008. It has worked fine until now. The auger is overfeeding pellets which is causing the box not to ignite. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

  • unimogjohn
    15 years ago

    Decided to clean the stove for the fourth time this heating season as I noticed that I was really only getting heat out of the right side of the hot air vent. I ran the flex rod all the way through, but still it would not pull air when I turned on the combuston blower. So pulled the stove all the way out and pulled off the little inspection plate on the side of the combustion chamber. The tube for the exhaust, which is on the right side of the chamber was plugged with a black goo. The flex rod would not break through so used a long piece of flex tubing to push through it. Took about three hours to complete the cleaning, but finally have her done and is heating much better.

    Check those exhaust tubes. You can do this easily by removing the interior side plates, turning on your controls so the combustion blower is working, and feel in front of the exhaust tubes on the right and left. You should feel a strong vacuum from both sides. If not, one is plugged and you must unplug it.

    Good luck, hope that this help someone. Cold in VA, yesterday it was a minus 1. John

  • markcas
    15 years ago

    ouscope

    I have seen this on my new stove once. It was a result of Clinkers built up in the burn pot and also. Right below the burn put is a little door with a thumb screw on each side. You must make sure the stove is cool and unscrew the thumbscrews and vacum out the debris that gets in there and makes the starter, heating element waste heat.

    I beleive the problem is that with all that ash and debris built up in there, it blocks air flow from out of there, through the holes in the burn pot and doesn't provide as much oxygen for the starting and burning the pellets.

    The clinkers act just like a perfect insulator for the heat that the starter element creates to start the pellets.

    The heat should come from the electric element, heat up the burn pot and along with the oxygen from the air coming under the burn pot, start the pellets.

    In short, if you haven't yet, try reading the cleaning instructions and doing a thorough cleaning. If you got the stove in March and haven't cleaned it yet, you are asking for trouble.

    Hope this helps, this is the only thing I can think of. If that doesn't help, Call the stove dealer and have them come out and see if something is wrong with the igniter circuit and/or Element.

  • dan_toby
    15 years ago

    We replaced our wood burning stove with an Accentra-2 pellet stove last spring to heat the upstairs of our condo in the Sierras but didn't really need to use it until December. After reading some of the problems on this site, I guess we should feel lucky. Our stove heats well, and we'd be thrilled with it if it weren't for the loud noise it makes intermittently. Sounds sort of like giant popcorn being popped or like rain pelting a tin roof. We can't pin down exactly when it occurs: almost always on cool down but then sometimes when it's just running. Maybe itÂs temperature change? The one constant when the noise occurs seems to be the combustion motor running. Noise (along with reliability) was one of the prime considerations in our purchase. Our dealer has taken some of the front inside apart, tightened the back, all to no avail. We have a fairly small area and end up having to raise our voices to talk over the stoveÂs noise, blast the TV to hear well over it, and heaven forbid we leave the stove on at night and try to sleep in the loft open to the living room. Our dealer says Harman told him they haven't received any complaints like this on our model. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to quiet this stove?

  • kingofnez
    15 years ago

    I have been having a problem with my Accentra-2, the Ignitor Assembly is not heating up to start the pellets burning, my stove is 4 years old so it does not come under the warranty so I have to fix it myself. Has anybody replaced thier ignitor assembly and how much does the ignitor element cost?

  • tvarner
    15 years ago

    kingofnez,

    I have a 6 year old Accentra insert. My ignitor just went out also. It wasn't too bad to replace. The worst part was that the stove had to be pulled out. Since it was out, I just did my thorough cleaning. The 305 watt ignitor cost a little over $70.

  • dana-mark
    14 years ago

    About:We installed a Harman Accentra in March, 2008. It has worked fine until now. The auger is overfeeding pellets which is causing the box not to ignite. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!...

    Make sure you clean out the charcoal on the sides and bottom of the firebox. If there is a layer of charcoal/carbon across the bottom near the heating element it will never start. I use my fingers to feel for it, and a screwdriver/hammer to help remove the stuff. Put the screwdriver tip next to the carbon and lightly tap the screwdriver, think, cleaving a diamond. Don't go beating on things. Don't hit your auger. Take it easy as you get around the opening. Remember you may have to leave a little. Will come out next cleaning. Get a mirror and a toothpick and clean those air holes. There is a row very low down that you can't see or open them up without a mirror. This row is the one that get "carbon" over. Also, (from the cleaning instructions), take your cleaning tool and tap, tap, tap the top of the firebox to clean off the heating element inside the firebox. Open the front cover of the firebox via of the two thumb screws and remove the ash.

  • steblen22_hotmail_com
    13 years ago

    I have a 2005 Harmon Accentra Pellet stove. It has been outstanding since I bought it. Last season it began to make this clunking noise that previous people have talked about. It is not the cutting of the pellets. I have had service people out and they have replaced the motor, sanded the auger, and removed a blockage of pellet build up. It would quiet the stove for a couple hours and then clunk!

    I started the stove again this season and it started clunking again. It started off a couple times a day but then becomes much more frequent. The previous poster was right I can see the chain tighten in the back and everything in the back of the stove will raise up and then drop and CLUNK! Anyone have any ideas I have had my service people out 5 times and they can't seem to find the problem. Thanks in advance!!!

  • ichismom_hotmail_com
    13 years ago

    we have been having an issue with the pellets not buring completely. we are going through a bag and half a day, emptying the ash pan(unburnt pellet pan) every day. this is costing us more than it would to use our fuel oil furnace. Any suggestions?

  • wsmorell_metrocast_net
    13 years ago

    I have used pellet stoves as my only heat source for 12yrs. I've used a harmon accentra for the past 7yrs.Love this stove, be prepaired to repair your own stove or don't buy one. #1 keep stove clean! Just replaced the combustion blower. The clunking noise you hear is the auger drive chain jumping on the missalligned chain gears. loosen the allen screw on auger moter gear and line up gears,loosen the tension adjuster, rotate to a fresh position and tighten bolt when correct tension is achieved. I've had my chain completely jump off the gears. The sound is not pellets breaking! Other parts replaced-auger motor,circulation blower. Stuff wears out when it gets used!

  • gmh_4lpi_com
    13 years ago

    I have an identical problem to the one posted by someone in December, but I didn't see a reply. I have 3 lights lit solid (not blinking): power, status and combustion fan. However, the stove is dead.. No sounds at all, no feed, no blowers. It's just ov two years old so I know it's under warranty, but our dealer and Harmon seem to be no help!! I'd appreciate any advice.

  • Mary_briarhollow_com
    13 years ago

    I've had my P68 Harmon Pellet Stove for 3 years and love it. I do have a problem that just started. It doesn't seem to be blowing out that much heat as in the past. Any suggestions as to what this might be? Thank you in advance.

  • forty869_comcast_net
    13 years ago

    pellet stove will not kick in and stay on. have to stop and start to keep it running. sometimes and can get it to kick in and run. have any ideas on what i should try? wife thinks it the controll panel.

  • kehlers639_sbcglobal_net
    13 years ago

    I have had my Accenttra stove for about 8 yrs now and love it. Last night for the first time ever it started a loud whistling noise everytime it feed pellets. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

  • ddd_1427_verizon_net
    13 years ago

    i have accentra pellet insert for about 2 yrs,last night open the door and the hinge snaped off.has anyone ever heard of such thing?

  • mgd1918
    13 years ago

    My stove is only feeding pellets right now, won't ignite. I have tried to clean it. I think the ignitor might be shot. Any help?

  • tely_man_hotmail_com
    13 years ago

    hi, iv'e read the problems with the eccenra model.i own the p38 model have no probems at all, it delivers a lot of heat, however, as far as pellets go iv'e tried a lot of brands hardwood always burns best, the best iv'e found sold at low's home impovement are green team the pellets are small in size and burn extemley hot.i can run my stove at a lower rate there in my opinion the best pellets.

  • tely_man_hotmail_com
    13 years ago

    hi,i bought the harmon pellet stove after researching pellet stoves, the harmon was to be the best on the market if not, what are the most reliable stoves on the market .

  • tristan_powell_yahoo_ca
    12 years ago

    I just bought a accentra free standing pellet stove used and tried it in the garage last night. The stove was empty so I filled the hopper and turned it on. From turn on to blowing heat was about 15 minutes...is this normal?? The area where the pellets ignites was empty when I started and I was worried it was overful before I finally got a flame. Is that just the way it is when you start an empty stove

  • dana-mark
    12 years ago

    "I just bought a accentra free standing pellet stove used and tried it in the garage last night. The stove was empty so I filled the hopper and turned it on. From turn on to blowing heat was about 15 minutes...is this normal?"

    Ah, are you crazy? Your post is June? Heat index is 104 here in Virginia.

    I have not timed it, but with and empty firebox it may take that. I have my feed set around 3.5 and the hopper can get rather full before it lights. Takes time to heat that metal too to get hot air. It seems like a long time in the cold morning turning the stove up if it has been shut off most of the night. During the day afterwards you don't notice the delay, and the stove is somewhat still hot.
    If you start to have trouble a mini cleaning of the firebox would help..
    Make sure you keep the carbon cleaned out of the firebox, carbon will stop the ignition, bang on the firebox with that metal tool lightly to get the dust off the heater under, inside the firebox, see cleaning instructions, and when you do clean, clean, it, open the small port on the front of the firebox and get that ash out, banging on it again while open to knock loose the dust ash.

  • dana-mark
    12 years ago

    Want to post another problem I fixed last winter and a question.
    I have an insert, the stove wasn't producing heat, acting fun. Took a vinyl tube connected it to a vacumn and slid it under the stove and with a lot of effort up the blower in the center of the stove that feeds the hot air tubes for the room. Jamming it up and down I noticed dirt falling out, I pulled the hose/tube out and with it, stuck to the hose, enough dog fur to make a squirrel. I got the hose to slide in the back part and more fur, back to the front and 3 packing peanut foam pieces came out, the cat plays with these. It seems this stove sucks up anything light in weight on the floor in front of it. I have cut some gutter leaf guards, flatten then, and slid them under the stove, this trapped most of our two Australian Shepherds fur and cat toys. If you are having heat problems it would be good to check this.

    Question: What is the best way to get to that blower? Can the insert be turned on its side? Should you remove the cast iron parts, ex. top hopper, doors? Can you get to it from the back? I can't see how you could. I need to pull the insert and clean the other motors, etc, check on the gasket for this winter's use. Would like to check this center motor/blower.

    Thanks..

  • larncar
    12 years ago

    I have a harman accentra, having trouble regulating the temperature. comes on 68dgr one time 70 the next then runs to 73 or more before shutting down. Temp sat a 70 on stove. what am I doing wrong. (put in new exhaust probe)

  • Howie216
    12 years ago

    I was just told that I have a BURN BACK condtion with my stove. Has anyone heard of this and what's it going to cost me to fix this. This all started with the six blinking lights

  • lamli150
    12 years ago

    This is a response to the post by dede66 on Sat, Nov 15, 08 at 10:35

    regarding the Harmon stove that won't shut off

    Post:
    This is my 3rd season with the stove. Had no problems until now. If I turn the stove/room temp. to off it use to take sabout 20 minutes or so to turn off. Now it won't turn off at all. The status light goes off but it will still feed a small amount of pellets about every 3 minutes just enough to keep running. The flame is low but won't shut down. The only way it turns off on it's own is when it runs out of pellets.

    Response:
    I had the same problem with my accentra insert this week. Turned out that the 2 square 2 inch exhaust tubes were blocked with ash in the back right corner where they tee into the vertical exhaust stack. A service technician explained to me that the stove could not cool it self off with the blockage and continued to run to prevent the flame back feeding into the hopper. I didn't realize how blocked they were until i removed the rectangle access hatch on the exhaust chamber stack (secured by 2 wing nuts) and looked down in there with a flashlight. I had to vacuum all of the ash out of each tube and now the stove works just fine. I was regularly cleaning these tube with the square brush supplied but I suspect instead of removing the ash, i was actually pushing it farther in and compacting it into that back corner. from now on i will use a 1 inch hose connected to my vacuum to suck all of the debris out of each square exhaust tube.

  • tinkerthinker
    12 years ago

    I have a Harmon xxv anniversary model. I have a problem that no one else seems to have. My power company recently installed smart meters that are read daily over the electric line between midnight and two am. Every night at the precise time the meters are read my stove shuts down and will not restart until it has been turned off, unplugged and allowed to cool of for at lest two hours. Then it can be turned on, restarted and it runs fine until the next night. The power company has changed the transformer serving my house and put in a different meter. So far nothing has helped, It is driving my crazy. Has anyone else had this problem

  • wjwdotcom
    12 years ago

    I have a 6 yr. old Harman Accentra pellet stove which has behaved well up until the last year or so. It starts rather slowly and then the flame eventually dies out and I get the 5-blink status. During this startup I noticed the ignitor light never goes out and then the feed light stops turning on which causes the flame to die. I was able to fix this problem entirely and am hoping this will help someone else having the same issue. First of all I changed the foam weatherstrip gasket on the hopper lid because I noticed when I pushed down on the lid the flame changed shape and size so I knew there was a leak. It's critical for a good start and burn to have a good seal there to maintain negative pressure inside the combustion area. I bought 1/2" wide x 3/8" thick weatherstripping, you'll need about 3' long. The hopper lid should close firmly and make a noticable impression on the surface of the weatherstripping. The second issue is the feed motor binding up and not running at full speed. Watch the little white plastic fan blades, if they're barely turning or you can easily stop it with you finger, then you need to remove the motor and clean it and put a little 3-in-1 oil on the brass bushing. The fan blade should spin freely and not feel bound up. You might have to adjust the tightness of the motor mounting screws as they can distort the bushing alignment also. Be sure to unplug the unit before working on it. Also it's a good idea to clean the ESP sensor on the flue pipe. Remove the screw and carefully pull it out and clean it with a wet paper towel. I wouldn't recommend any cleaners or abrasives. The stove now starts in 5 minutes and there is a nice big crown shaped flame which now turns off the ignitor and gets the distribution fan running quickly. Be sure to clean the burn pot every week and use good premium pellets. I like Warm Front and Maine Woods. Hope this helps someone.

  • wjwdotcom
    12 years ago

    Be sure to use a rubber foam heat-resistant weatherstripping or just buy the Harman OEM hopper lid gasket.

  • glis674
    12 years ago

    Hope someone can help me . I have a Harman Advance Pellet stove and last year it worked flawlessly . However this year it began having issues . The problem is the flame will die down , the feed light is on but the auger motor does not operate unless I put my hand over the fresh air intake . Then it works for a few minutes and the issue starts all over again . Ive cleaned the stove completely 100% and ive also replaced the low pressure switch . Has anyone else had this issue ? Thanx . Greg

  • wjwdotcom
    12 years ago

    Greg, sounds like there's an air leak somewhere, either the hopper lid gasket, the rope gasket around the ash pan or front view door. By putting your hand over the air intake you're helping to create the necessary vacuum to run the stove. It's a little strange that the feed light is on though. I've heard of temporarily bypassing the low pressure switch as a test to see if the feed motor works. Hope you can fix it. Bill

  • glis674
    12 years ago

    thanx for the info Bill ,I used a incense stick to try and locate a leak and did not find one , spoke to someone today who said the same thing . Bypassed the low pressure switch and it runs great ! I was told its because my combustion blower is failing and needs replacement . Its not creating the necessary vacuum and this is a common issue and specified this is only a temporary fix ! He stated this would get me by until I can pick up a new blower this week .

  • wjwdotcom
    12 years ago

    Greg, that makes sense if the combustion blower is weak. You might try and take it apart and clean it and blow it out with compressed air and then oil the bearings with 3-in-1 oil rather than put up the money for new one. I was able to fix my feed motor by doing that. These pellet stoves collect alot of very fine pellet dust that eventually binds up any dry precision bearings in the vicinity. Good luck with it and Happy New Year! Let us know how you make out.

  • glis674
    12 years ago

    Well replaced the combustion blower and fan .. had the same issue so i dragged it out to the garage and cleaned the heck out of it again . Needless to say im very familiar with this stove now !Hooked it up to a leftover stainless pipe i had and it worked great ! Turns out the chimney I had plumbed it into (removed a old wood stove from this chimney) was totally clogged up ! Hit my local Lowes and purchased a brush and 40 feet of extentions . Ended up with 12 to 14 gallons of soot in my wet/dry vac ! lesson learned I guess and my Harman Advance is working like a charm :-) Thanx for everyones help ! And just a fyi , during the night before I cleaned the chimney my carbon monoxide detector went off due to the clogged chimney ! Scared the heck outa me and the family but also saved our lives im sure . Worth every penny and Im glad we have them !

  • glis674
    12 years ago

    My Harman Accentra flame guide keeps getting pushed out of its "cradle" anyone have a fix for this ? It does look worn out , would a replacement correct this ?

    Thanx!

  • austyncm72
    12 years ago

    I have a Harman Accentra (free standing) that is about 6 years old. Last year towards the end of the heating season, it started to make creosote on the inside of the front door. This year it has constantly been making creosote to the point of shutting it down and giving it a very thorough cleaning including the pipes going outside and replacing the front door gasket because it is stuck to the stove and pulled out of the door. I have been using Eureka pellets since purchased new. I was advised by a local Harman tech/service man that I should clean it again and try a different pellet to eliminate the pellet as an issue. I did the cleaning on Super Bowl Sunday and fired it up at kickoff time and started the burn and watch process for creosote build-up on the door using Ambiance pellets. Less than 24 hours and three bags later same outcome of creosote. I have the temp set at 85 and a feed rate of 3 1/2 - everything seems to function like it did in prior years but the cresote problem is on-going. Last night I was out of the house at a meeting and the stove running. My wife heard a loud pop from the stove and discovered that the cast iron piece that covers the burn box was physically moved off the burn box and the flame completely engulfed the inside of the burn area.

    The Harman.com site won't respond at all and very unfriendly to users that have their product. My stove supplier never heard of the creosote problems so offer little to no advice as to curing the issue. I have read in previous comments on this site of the buildup on the auger and related problems to the auger's operation and some of the cures for eliminating the "sticky" stuff on the auger such as drilling holes and adding a tube but I am not sure if this is a cure for creosote on the front door. I was also asked if I have outside air plumbed into the vent in the back of the stove - I don't. Need to ask for help from fellow Harman users since no-one other than the owners know how to solve these issues when they are identified. I am frustrated to a point of taking the stove out of operation and going back to coal. Does anyone have a cure for this????

    Thanks in advance,

    Bob

  • wjwdotcom
    12 years ago

    Hi Bob, I too have a 6yr. old Harman Accentra. I've been researching different brands of pellets for quite a few years and this is the first time I've ever heard of either Eureka or Ambiance. I'm a little skeptical of both brands because I don't think either one is endorsed by the Pellet Fuels Institute, just going by the pictures online of the bags I didn't see the PFI logo. I've had good luck with New England, Maine Woods, and Inferno. Just my opinion but I would stick with PFI pellets so you know what your getting. Also I'm amazed you can set your stove temp to 85, that seems awful high, maybe those pellets are not very efficient or don't burn hot enough which would be the reason for the creosote.

  • austyncm72
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the insight on pellets and what to look for. I stayed with Eureka because that was the pellet of choice locally and in good supply when I purchased the stove. They are from Montana and I will be switching to Maine Woods or Vermont Woods for next years batch. Didn't have a whole lot of success with New England pellets when I briefly tried them several years ago.

    Come to find out the repair to make the creosote problem go away is the same cure as the "sticky" auger solution listed in the previous blogs. I drilled the two holes (1 in the bottom of the hopper and 1 in the cold air duct)and installed the plastic tube in the holes. Supposedly this is called "burn back" and has been known by Harman for several years but not communicated to their distributors as to the problem or the cure. I was informed of this yesterday afternoon by a dealer and tech guy of Harman stoves in New Hampshire and further told that all their new pellet stoves comes with this vent tube or a variation of resolve installed in them from the factory. As of this writing the stove is burning clean - but I am not running it 24/7 until I get more run time from 3pm to 11pm when I am home to watch and observe. I am hoping if it continues with no tell tale of creosote that this weekend it will be put back on the 24/7 routine and my oil burner can take a rest.

    I put the stove at 85degrees in hopes that it will burn hotter to not allow the build up of creosote - my own creative thoughts put into play that didn't work. Typically, I run the stove at 75+ degrees because my house is a big 3600 square foot log home with all cathedral ceilings. This stove does a remarkable job at heating the whole house with the help of some directional fans and naturally ceiling fans in every room to move the heat around. Thanks for your info - always good to share the good and the bad with others.

    Bob

  • austyncm72
    12 years ago

    Further update on my Accentra free standing pellet stove. I did a 3-4 hour burn Wednesday night and an 8 hour burn Thursday night after doing the "tube modification" to the cold air duct and the hopper for the creosote on the inside of the front door. After the 8 hour burn last night I shut the stove off and opened the door to check for creosote - back again on the front door. Not happy and I thought I had it licked by previous recommendations of the tube mod. I also noticed small wisps of fire from around the back of the burn pot. I figure that gasket got blown or fractured with the pop Tuesday night of the cast iron deflector on the burn pot.

    Now looking for more assistance for possibly the 1/4" hole mod to the auger housing and physical location of this 1/4" hole and ask the question does the auger need to be removed and cleaned thoroughly and what is entailed in the removal process of the auger and replacement of the burnpot gasket? Very discouraged at this point.

    Bob

  • wjwdotcom
    12 years ago

    Hi Bob, I get occasional "small wisps of fire" around the burn pot and sometimes it looks like a shiny black coating in that area but it seems to have cleared up since I stopped burning the NE pellets. The Inferno seem to burn hotter. The front door has a dry flaky black crust at times below the glass but not a lot and I just hit it with the vacuum every other week. How does your glass look, do you have to clean it often. Mine gets a little residue around the outer and upper edges but wipes off with wet paper towel. Have you tried a bag of different pellets, might be worth a try. I think the auger removal is just unbolting it from the back. There's an exploded part diagram in your owner's manual, also a .PDF file from the Harman website. I'm guessing the pop was a mechanical issue, either the auger sticking or the chain/sprocket, I don't think a gasket leak would cause that. On mine I had to solid mount the auger motor, the factory rubber grommets were flexing to the point where the 2 sprockets were not only misaligned but also not in the same plane with each other and the chain actually jumped off one time. I simply replaced the grommets with washers on each side and it works flawless and quiet now.

  • candl_2009
    12 years ago

    The auger feed tube is plugged and I have no idea how to unplug it,if I push pellets in at bottom of hopper by hand it works ok,it is a Harman Accentra I bought new in 2002. Can someone offer me some help? Thanks Chuck Ps. my serviceman told me to burn it as hpy as possible and maybe it would fall loose "no luck>

  • Cold_Toes
    12 years ago

    I love my stove but it is driving me nuts. It will run long enough to get hot, then it idles with a very low flame for a while, then goes out. The Feed Motor light comes on sometimes with no associated auger movement. Service guy has been out multiple times. He replaced the room temp sensor and most recently the vacuum switch. Non of the controls seem to work correctly... the auger runs at the same speed regardless of where the feed rate switch is set. Also the temp setting does not affect anything. THOUGHTS???

  • wjwdotcom
    12 years ago

    Sounds like what's been happening to a lot of these Accentra's that are 5 or 6 yrs. old, check to see if the small electric motor that turns the gearbox/sprocket unit is running. It has a small white plastic cooling fan that should be spinning freely when the feed motor light comes on. If it's barely turning and you can stop it easily with your fingers, then you need to take the motor off the gearbox and clean and lubricate it. If you have a newer stove, then you don't have the sprocket/chain setup and I can't help you because I'm not that familiar with it. Also make sure the foam gasket beneath the hopper lid is making a good seal, this ensures a slight vacuum inside the combustion area for proper ignition and burning.

  • Bobt1221
    11 years ago

    My 4 year old accentra is inoperative. My repair guy says its the circuit board as the auger will not operate and the first repair guy said it was the circuit board not the auger motor. I find it impossible to get any decent repair people for Harman stoves so I am on my own.
    Any suggestions

  • Tim-14
    11 years ago

    I installed a Harman Accentra Insert 2 months ago. The draft setting, how important is this. The stove has good heat, a bag a day. The dealer wants 150.00 to test the draft but dont feel like paying this if I probably won't see a difference. The factory setting is on high, the little white screw only turns 180 deg. Any thoughts??

  • wauwinet
    11 years ago

    I have a 2006 harman accentra. had to replace the blower fan/
    the wiring diagram has changed so i wired it to the new diagram. the fan now only blows intermittently. Any ideas on how to fix?
    Thanks

  • mjcantwe
    10 years ago

    I know this is an old thread, but here is something I found that may help...

    "VOLTAGE / POLARITY - The voltage and polarity at the outlet the stove is plugged into is critical. They should be verified at each installation. Voltage should be constant and 115-122 VAC. Low voltage can cause increased ignition times. Polarity can be checked with either a plug in polarity tester or a voltmeter. Incorrect polarity will confuse the control board and cause erratic operation."

    The above is from:
    http://www.squierlumber.com/pdfs/troubleshooting-guide_operation-principles.pdf

  • dana-mark
    9 years ago

    Anyone replace their auger on a Harman Pellet stove Accentra auger and know the procedure? Mine never really looked right from the start, it look liked you took a file and filed it thin on both sides about 11-15 mm on the end, looked flat spoonish on the end. You coud see the metal curl over time and sure enough the tip has broken off. I am not sure if it hurts performs having the tip of the auger missing but at some point I would like to replace it. Anyone have instructions on doing this.

    About Harman, this is a love/hate relationship:
    Couple of things I dislike about Harman and something to keep in mind, Harman Company itself will not help you, if you do get replies they are vague to the point of useless, usually referencing you to a local dealer as the main point. What local dealer? I had to drive 3 hours to the nearest retailer to buy the stove. Many Harman dealers will give you the cold shoulder if they know how far away you are from them. They see less interested in selling you a part and instructions wanting to install it, having one of their people work on it.

    With my old sheet metal Breckwell that rattled like a tank, Breckwell listed each part number in the manual, if you were the orginial owner and could prove it they would sell you the part at a huge discount, give you instructions. Most of the motors in a Breckwell are standard stuff and working on a Breckwell is like working on a lawn mower.

    Breckwell seem to understand local dealers come and go, not located in every city, people move with their stoves, aka move away from dealers, and that these things are long term investments. I like the auto running model of the Harman over the Breckwell but if I were located in Alaska I would take a Russian like built Breckwell over a Harman any day.

    I gave away my old Breckwell, it was a 1990 model, it is on its fourth owner. Gee.

  • dana-mark
    9 years ago

    Interesting thing to look out for:

    If you stove starts starts to act funny, like the control system just isn't getting things right, the problem could be that bottom fan located under the stove.

    Our Accentra Inset is installed in a fireplace that is flush to the floor. It sucks in the dog hair, along with those plastic peanuts that may get loose if you happen to drop one, and other junk. Well our cat will play with the peanut(s) and if she gets near the stove it gets sucked up. I think this is a squirrel cage type fan.

    Questions to Harmen customers support was as bad as ever, if they answer, it is always "see a dealer", nearly ignoring their dealers are few and far between, ours is 3 hours away. My main question was "was it OK to tilt the stove over to get to that fan, if not, how to you get to the fan to clean it?". As I say, it fell on deaf ears.

    I am not saying you should do this, it may damage the fan,you have been warned, but I duck taped a 3/4 inch hose to a vacuum and forced it under and up. It pulled out enough fur to make 2 furry animals, 2-3 shipping peanuts, some light weight cat toys, and a few wire ties.

    What the stove was doing was cutting back on the flame, cycling weirdly, burning badly, oily black stuff in stove. My guess is the small circuit isn't wired or programmed to handle this odd condition and tries to adjust for it.

    Anywho, I installed some wire gutter leaf guard material under the front. Bent it to slide in. It catches a lot of dog hair, 2 Australian Shepherds produce a lot of fur, I have to clean it once a week. If your stove is staved for air, you may get erroneous light blinking and this fan problem is a good thing to check.

    If anyone knows an easy way to inspect and clean this fan, please post it.

  • HU-799316696
    3 years ago

    Pellet stoves in general are junk. A regular simple wood stove is much more reliable.....


  • HU-751905042
    3 years ago

    we purchased a Harman Accentra in 2009, we kept up on the cleaning and made sure that the exhaust ports had been cleaned and vacumned on a monthly schedule. we only use it for about three months out of the year , this year 2021 my wife and i noticed smoke in the house. so i decided to clean it again only one week after i had just cleaned it thinking that this would fix my problem in doing so i noticed small pin holes in the angle plates which is the heat exchanger part of the pellet stove so i inspected it a little closer only to find the the left side was paper thin, i could push through the angled plates with my fingers, not good and very dangerous the right side looked as though it was brand new and was solid , is this a factory defect as the metal on the left side was paper thin , which makes me think the material used is of very poor quality?

    the dealer said there is no fix and would need to not use the pellet stove anymore?????

    i am not stupid but after paying such a high price for a pellet stove i would think that it should last longer than the warnanty?


    we have a stove we use full time made by my father 35 years ago and yes it is a pellet stove and we heat our hole house with every day with no problems

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