Harmon SF2500 Issues

Just drill a small hole in the flue pipe if the stove has no manometer port on it somewhere. He should get a manometer installed permanently, its a very valuable tool for using any coal burning appliance, even more so for a hand fed natural draft situation.

Like this one.

http://www.partsguy.com/cgi-bin/PartsGuy/13-3001.html

So is a barometric or manual damper better with this application?

Whoa that's pricey lol. I use a Dwyer Mark 2 model 25. They run about $25-35.

As long as yours can accurately measure hundredths of an inch of water column, yer good.

Sorry its sideways lol

I paid a guy like 50.00 for it. Works great.

That's an ongoing difference of opinion ... I'm a barometric guy. I find that a coal fire enjoys a smooth consistent draft pressure for most efficient burning.

BennyLumpkin wrote:So is a barometric or manual damper better with this application?

now that's a question that will cause of shytstorm of controversy :box:

I will only say what I would do... id get a 12" black pipe added horizontally to that reducer and id install a simple $10.00 MPD right in the middle of it prior to installing it! at that point... you now have a MPD & Mana and you can now control her manually and as lightning says "check the primary draft controls, lower door and/or any possible cracks (another method with "dollar bill test" is to get a good fire going, open MPD, close everything else including primary knobs, then take a smoking candle or whatever and slowly run it around the lower portions of the stove and look for areas that it sucks in the smoke or causes the flame to reach into it). with all this info you can now better make a determination about the install & use of a Baro (even if using a Baro it will be good to have that MPD their anyways!) I will also add... Harman is clueless so DO NOT listen to their instruction that forbids use of a Baro (Lightning is right... if you can benefit from one than by all means you should use one!), Harman would do well to know as much as half the coal folks on this forum

@ Lightning... "Excellent post J F Graham.."... what about me

It's the other way around, Harman advises against a MPD and suggests a baro. Also I'm quite confident that either device will take care of the problem, especially when employed in conjunction with a permanently mounted mano. Just to give an idea Harman recommends .06 for my boiler. Now when I run with MPD wide open I can get .16 & sometimes higher reading on the mano. That's about 3 times higher than recommended!!! Three times the coal!!! It's no wonder that beast is devouring coal. The cost of necessary attachments will pay for themselves in a week, at that rate. Also most of the time I run with MPD closed all the way and still read .06. Another option available, after you get running properly, is a "firebox reducer". Running properly that unit should heat MACEYS You shouldn't need all that horsepower to heat 1800 sq ft.
Jim

Stove good for 3200 sq ft
House is 1800 sq ft
Uses too much coal
Hasn't any damper

Add a damper and might reduce size of firebox with several bricks and/ or steel plate.
No baro is for incase wood is burned... It it dual fuel.

McGiever wrote:Stove good for 3200 sq ft
House is 1800 sq ft
Uses too much coal
Hasn't any damper

Add a damper and might reduce size of firebox with several bricks and/ or steel plate.
No baro is for incase wood is burned... It it dual fuel.

I agree.. Put a manual pipe damper on it, tweak pressure to -.04 to -.06. You can add a barometric damper later if you feel the need to control the draft better and if you choose not to burn any wood other than for lighting coal fires.

dcrane wrote:what about me

Sorry.. I missed it, I was posting from my phone.. Dam little screen...

McGiever wrote:Stove good for 3200 sq ft
House is 1800 sq ft
Uses too much coal
Hasn't any damper

Add a damper and might reduce size of firebox with several bricks and/ or steel plate.
No baro is for incase wood is burned... It it dual fuel.

must have been all my bitching... they changed the manual to not reflect baro use at all and not forbid MPD use coal cracker/Harman must be learning from us by now ....https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/coal-stove-da ... ts.115322/ :<<<<<(prior to their learning curve)

Some of the best coal burners Ive ever met use a MPD as well as a Baro

dcrane wrote:
must have been all my bitching... they changed the manual to not reflect baro use at all and not forbid MPD use coal cracker/Harman must be learning from us by now ....https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/coal-stove-da ... ts.115322/ :<<<<<(prior to their learning curve)

Some of the best coal burners Ive ever met use a MPD as well as a Baro

Doug,
I think he needs a spray of this.

Paul

There is a limit switch on the side that determines when the fan kicks on. What is the best high/low temp settings to run it at? Sealed up the flue pipe and added a manual damper and it's holding .04-.06 negative draft. Things seem a bit better so far

Benny, I have the low port tapped into the flue pipe between exhaust and the MPD. And it should read pretty close to .06. As far as high/low settings, sorry I can't help as my unit is a boiler. But I'm sure there are some savvy guys here that can help you out.
Jim

BennyLumpkin wrote:There is a limit switch on the side that determines when the fan kicks on. What is the best high/low temp settings to run it at? Sealed up the flue pipe and added a manual damper and it's holding .04-.06 negative draft. Things seem a bit better so far

That could take some trial and error.. It should run most or all of the time when its cold and you are running a hot fire then cycle on and off more often when its warmer outside and you are running a cooler fire.. Please pardon the brilliance with that.. That's the best I can do..