Power Failure

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samler17
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Post by samler17 » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 11:44 am

I was just reading the owners manual for my Harman Mark III, and it said that the blower needs to be on all the time to prevent the stove from over firing. What do you guys do to prevent this from happening when the power is out? :?

 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 11:51 am

Did it really say that? I never noticed.

I have to disagree with that ... even if the manual says so. I don't use the blower for the first month of use, usually because the house is too hot. The only thing that happens there is the top surface will get hotter than it does with the fan on - that's about it. It's built of 1/4" steel, so if your over firing it you'll smoke the grates first. :)

*Just to clarify for those unfamiliar with this stove: the blower just passes air through channels inside the stove (separate from firebox) & blows hot air out the front to maximize efficiency.

 
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lowfog01
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Post by lowfog01 » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 12:50 pm

samler17 wrote:I was just reading the owners manual for my Harman Mark III, and it said that the blower needs to be on all the time to prevent the stove from over firing. What do you guys do to prevent this from happening when the power is out? :?
I agree with Smitty - I don't think the fan has a whole lot of anything to do with preventing the stove from overheating. Overfiring is caused by having too much air being drawn in to the stove. I don' t use our fan but at night because it makes the room too hot for anyone to be in. But if the stove started to overheat because the electricty was off I'd treat it just like I'd treat any other coal stove. The first thing I'd do is throw some new coal on the fire to cool it down and then I'd reduce the air coming into the stove keep it cool. Lisa

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 12:52 pm

Same here when it is warm I just shut off the blower...
That cuts the heat output...
The blower has nothing to do with combustion...
It just moves room air in the stove plenum...


 
rouxzy
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Post by rouxzy » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 5:11 pm

I lost power last year for three days and kept my Mark III going without the fan and had no issues at all. The top did get a little hotter than normal but you could feel a natural convection of air coming out of the vents.
Tom

 
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Post by Pete69 » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 5:26 pm

I have to be the odd man out here, as usual. I agree with the manufacturer. It's not a matter of over firing the stove per say. The worry is overheating the inside of the stove and warping the firebox in the area that has a double wall for the heat exchanger. The air moving through the heat exchanger is what cools the inside plate. On a single plated radiant stove the heat radiates to the room air without having to pass through two layers of plate steel, insulated by a less conductive air space between the layers.
I know a lot of people run there blower stoves with the blower off without damage. I would only add a word of caution, to run the stove at a lower temp when not using the blower.

 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 5:41 pm

The Mark III has no double wall -- just two tubes in which the air flows through. It makes no difference whether or not the tubes have air passing through, as they are 1/4" steel like the rest of the firebox. Just above the firebrick is 1/4" steel just the same, & it is less than a couple inches from the blazing coal.

The Mark I has a double wall, if I remember correctly. But still, it's the same 1/4" thick steel that is right above & behind the firebrick.

 
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Post by Pete69 » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 6:19 pm

1/4" steel will still warp if it overheats by taking on more heat than it can dissipate. I see how the mark III would trap less heat in the exchanger the way it is styled.


 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 7:20 pm

samler17 wrote:I was just reading the owners manual for my Harman Mark III, and it said that the blower needs to be on all the time to prevent the stove from over firing.
Ridiculous advice. A generic Mk I / Mk II / Mk III manual came with my stove, and it doesn't say that. It just says don't let the stove pipe exceed 500 degrees right where it exits the stove.

They probably saved money on the new manual by having it written in China and then translated to Italian by a Frenchman and from there to English by a Japanese exchange student.

If your electricity goes off, just open the air a bit more to make the stove hotter so you can stay warm.

 
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Post by Pete69 » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 7:45 pm

Can't say I remember what the manual says, but I do recall it being explained to me in Pennsylvanian English, by the owner of the company, not to run my Baker with the blower off. For the reasons I specified.

 
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EasyRay
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Post by EasyRay » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 8:54 pm

On my TLC 2000 the blower is an extra option. I didn't buy my blower until almost a month later.

 
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Post by dsteinel » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 8:58 pm

My Gibraltar insert has two blowers. The manual says that if I experience a power failure, I should remove the blowers to protect them. I think the blowers cool themselves when they are on and if there is a power failure, they are heated up by the fire and I bet this can cook the bearings in the blower.

 
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samler17
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Post by samler17 » Wed. Nov. 18, 2009 9:48 pm

Ok, Sorry about this guys but I just realized I down loaded the wrong manual. :oops: The one I downloaded was for the Magnifire coal insert not the free standing stove. But it was still a question that I had and was wondering so thanks for the info. This will be my first full season so bear with me I bought the stove with the house and no directions. :roll: :D

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