Disgusted...Harman Super Mag Install

 
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SpurHntr
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Post by SpurHntr » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 6:21 pm

Harman super mag install today.
Install went well.
Started her up. Fine. Beautiful start...
Image
Baro damper workin well.
Draft good.
Combustion fan quietly running.
Firebox temp rose, circulating fan kicks in as expected.
Hear auger faintly feeding coal. Slow push begins off the grates.
Out of nowhere. POOOOOF. Dead in the water.
Control board dead.
Fuse(6 amp glass) on circuit board toasted.
3 stores and radio shack later. New 6a fuse.
Dedicated outlet. Surge power strip. Plug in. Poof.
Fuse blows and breaker trips.
Replace fuse now with slow-blow 6a. Plug in to DIFFERENT circuit in house. Breaker trips on plug in.
Try ANOTHER receptacle. Same thing. Breaker trips AND a totally unrelated breaker trips.
Meanwhile fire smoking in box with no exhaust. Smoke trickling through stove into house. Huge exhaust fan on to outside now.
Tech supp has me direct wire the combustion fan. Clears smoke in box then I push the fire on grates into ash pan and abandon ship.
Stove shop says best they can do is send a "mechanic Monday"
930-430 day wasted today.
I have a $4k+ piece of iron art now.
Work full time. Don't have time for repeated service calls on a new stove.
My buddy who is a licensed electrician feels I sufficiently excluded a house power issue and suspects a "dead short" in the stove or it's circuit board.
Totally disgusted.
Thx for listening...
Last edited by SpurHntr on Sun. Oct. 27, 2013 7:40 am, edited 1 time in total.


 
Rigar
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Post by Rigar » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 6:27 pm

that TOTALLY SUX!!

I agree with your friend.... it doesn't sound like house power problems

... the fact that it started ok leads me to believe something shorted out in the control box on the unit... most likely feed mechanism upon amperage draw..

... I feel your pain ... good luck!!

 
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captcaper
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Post by captcaper » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 6:42 pm

Hang in...These things happen. I just fired up my new Super Mag a week ago and it is so nice. I have a probe upstairs 35 ft away and it keeps the room within a degree. I used a manometer to fine tune it and it with some small adjustments. Run's so nice again. I wish I bought one back in the early 1980's when I first started with a Coal Chubby.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 6:51 pm

Things like this happen in the electronics age...hopefully your dealer is responsive and gets it fixed soon.

Any chance they have another stove in stock that they can steal parts from?

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 7:07 pm

Hope your stove tech is a good electrician.

Sounds like a thermo-switch was mis-wired at factory or...dealer was swapping parts for repair of another stove borrowing from yours and mis-wired. :roll:

 
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SpurHntr
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Post by SpurHntr » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 7:47 pm

My buddy from high school, we played ball together, was my installer.
I watched them unwrap the from the factory packaging so I don't think it was tinkered with.
He texted me tonite asking how its working after he got done work at 630p.
I briefly texted him my woes and even though its not his fault or problem and knowing the store already arranged for follow up on Monday with a "mechanic" he took the time to call me assured me he will talk to the guys Monday morn and make sure they come at least with a new control board and told me to rest easy, if I need a new stove a new stove I will get.
Nice to know someone who has worked for my dealer for 18 years.
I'm disappointed.
But really HOPE it's just a control board issue.
Otherwise I think finding the short will be miraculous.
I'm no electrician but my buddy who I trust my life with is and he wasn't pleased with what I told him.
Researched what stove and company I want to buy from over a year.
Can't win em all.
I just don't want a pus case.
I'm not one to usually demand much but with this costly item I don't think I'll allow too many repair attempts before requesting a new stove.
Thank for listening guys.
Man was I looking forward to some good heat tonite!
28 degrees forecast!

 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 7:49 pm

Sorry to hear that you're having troubles. I hope Monday brings a one time call & perfect cure.


 
Xwoodburner
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Post by Xwoodburner » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 8:08 pm

I'm not sure what your mechanical ability is
But I would put a temporary resettable fuse,and try to run the system and
Disconnect one load at a time and see if you can tell which load is tripping the fuse

Could be a pinched wire,or something silly

 
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SpurHntr
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Post by SpurHntr » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 8:29 pm

Xwoodburner wrote:I'm not sure what your mechanical ability is
But I would put a temporary resettable fuse,and try to run the system and
Disconnect one load at a time and see if you can tell which load is tripping the fuse

Could be a pinched wire,or something silly
Well,
I thought of that.
But don't want to take any chance of voiding my warranty.

 
Xwoodburner
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Post by Xwoodburner » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 8:42 pm

Understand

U can at least visually inspect wires and connections

I know it stinks when you pay out money and something like this happens ,
I do a lot of HVAC warranty service calls...... They ll fix u up
No worries
A cup of coffee and a warm welcome goes a long way
Lol

 
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SpurHntr
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Post by SpurHntr » Sat. Oct. 26, 2013 9:09 pm

Xwoodburner wrote:Understand

U can at least visually inspect wires and connections

I know it stinks when you pay out money and something like this happens ,
I do a lot of HVAC warranty service calls...... They ll fix u up
No worries
A cup of coffee and a warm welcome goes a long way
Lol
Absolutely
I do just that
Not their fault
My patience just isn't what it used to be

 
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DennisH
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Post by DennisH » Sun. Oct. 27, 2013 5:58 am

Rob R. wrote:Things like this happen in the electronics age...hopefully your dealer is responsive and gets it fixed soon.
Before I moved to the U.P. of Michigan from the Lower, this happened several times with the pellet stove insert I had in our fireplace. If it wasn't a circuit board it was augers that wouldn't work, fan motors, etc. I got really good at troubleshooting and fixing my own problems. When I decided to go with wood-coal I spent months researching as much as possible. I finally went with a hand-fired wood-coal forced air furnace. I knew if power went out for any length of time, we'd at least have heat through convection, since it's in the basement. Fan motor is only other moving part, and that I know how to replace.

 
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Post by McGiever » Sun. Oct. 27, 2013 6:40 am

To trip that house breaker it is something at a dead short. The reason I said thermo switch is because they will let the stove start cold and then when temp of set point is reached...BAM!
When stove is cold/cooler it would begin to operate again till that switch reaches temp. :)

 
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Post by dcrane » Sun. Oct. 27, 2013 6:45 am

you have to admit... its a perrrty lookin' $4,500 piece of metal all those NON-AMERICAN workers make :mad3: This is what happens when quality control, good service and American craftsmanship get tossed out the window! You have not even seen the worst part yet... (wait till you need to obtain & pay for spare parts on that thing!.... its coming because its a coal stoker and by virtue of that your going to have to maintain it! ;) ) .... get out now before you start seeing your next round of frustration because as sure as Leisure Line is sitting with their heads in their hands saying "why, why, why do people not see the light"... your further frustrations are yet to come... new grates at $115.00 per pop :shock: that combustion fan poops out a few more times and your gonna see that grate twist like a pretzel Harman Mag Stoker Grates , replacing such intricate electronics & fans on this thing will also have you saying "maybe oil is cheaper".

My opinion is "simpler is better", "less is more" when it comes to coal stokers (don't be dazzled by tinsel, pretty reindeer and roll top desk ashpans, built in digital clocks & CD players on your coal stove :lol: )

Mod or poster should add the the words "Harmon Stoker" into title for future ref.

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Sun. Oct. 27, 2013 7:23 am

I graduated from a Quadrafire (total POS) to a Harman pellet stove P38+ (even worse) to a DVC (learning to deal but nervous). I suspect the circuitry is the same and there never had been a serious attempt at QC or redesign. There was a yanche post about voltages in thermocouples and how difficult it was to control things that way (sorry I can't find it). Thank God we buy pretty baubles or else Detroit would have done South 50 years earlier. My LL stoves with coal trols are all bulletproof. I wish I could more positive but the unvarnished truth belongs here, heating is too serious a topic. So HNI abandoned coal fires it's about time. They need to concentrate on Chinese office furniture.


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