Year 4 with a DVC-500 not off to a good start.... Help!

Hi folks

This is my 4th year with a Harmon DVC-500. Fantastic unit. In the off season I did an extensive cleaning but nothing unusual had to be replaced or repaired. Two things I did this year that I had never doine on the past:

- remove the grates and recemented them in place so I can do a better job of cleaning out that chamber. I placed a bead of correct adhesive around the perimeter plus at the joint where the two grates meet. none of the holes are plugged.
- removed the feeder motor from the back with the pusher block since I felt it was grinding too much of the coal and producing an abnormal amount of fines but that all went back together as it came out.

Putting the unit in TEST MODE, all lights go on and all familar sounds are evident. Air is coming out of the rear vent, the top where the heat pumps out. However, I cant get it lit this season. I use the expensive coal mice which have never failed me in the past. They are new and light just fine. What I think is NOT happaning is the correct amount of air coming up thru the grates. I opened the bottom cleanout cover and air is definetly being pumped in that chamber but unlike in the past, when I turn on the unit the coal mice would burst into a firey glow and get super hot with the intro of all that air. Not the case this time.

Any thoughts?

Hmmmm, maybe try a couple cups of wood pellets like the manual describes. This has never failed to start a fire for me.

Thx but I'm convinced its not my starting method. I pulled the grates off and resealed them last night . I believe there's not enough air coming up thru thr grates. Ill try again tonight

Thx

Of course you have thought of this but I will ask it anyway. You did empty the fines draw - yes? I guess the final gotcha would be the chimney vent. Is the outlet and inlet unblocked, it is tough to clean back there at the elbow? That caught me out at year four.

Did you use anything to clear each hole for the air to get thru the grates? Squirrel cage turning at full r.p.m.? Do you have any energetic sons that want to learn coal burning principles,is so could G.I. Joe be left in the air flow to the grates? Mike

Make sure your combustion air fan is fully seated. That got my cousin last year. He couldn't get the darn thing to start.

Maybe check to see that the combustion fan is slide all the way in.
On the Verti-flow Feeder (same as in my VF3000) it slides back and fourth, and can be slide back far enough where it fails to supply the air into the hole leading to the underside of the grates. Also check your fans intake and reducer plate. Is the entire grate covered when the fan is on, if not it may seem as though the air is reduced since the air will seek the least resistance when exiting the grate, and not blow through the Coal, instead by passing it through the uncovered holes in the grate.

coalnewbie
Yep, Fines tray and chamber are empty. O ya, major pain in the butt to clean and check this thing when it’s positioned in a corner. Checking the in/out vent ways is on my list next.

stovepipemike
yep, I made sure a toothpick freely passed thru all the holes after I re-re cemented in the grates. No young kids to jamb something in there. I’m not sure the fan it spinning properly or not. The thing is very fussy about air pressure and temp control and has a number of error code type warnings and nothings blinking. But I suspect something’s a foul with the combustion fan here.....

coalkirk
Since that fan is my suspicion I will pay attention to it. However I didn’t touch any mounting points during my end of season clean-a-thon.

Coalbrokdale
Verti-Flow Feeder? Perhaps thats the pusher block? If so that’s interesting since I disassembled the pusher block assembly at the end of last season. I didn’t think there was more than one way to put it back though.
Fan Intake and Reducer plate? I’ll have to check the manual to ID these parts/areas. I take your point about the pressure from the grate holes when all are exposed. My point of reference is for the past 3 years, I light that pesky coal mouse with nothing on. I turn the unit on which starts the combustion fan and the thing rapidly ignites and coal is burning within 5 mins. No so this year. They are dying out on the grate thus my suspicion about the fan.

Thank again guys. I’ll check into some of your suggestions. Otherwise I’ll have to have the dealer in.

did you check the fins on the combustion blower. they become clogged with hair and dust after a while. i clean mine with an old toothbrush atleast once a year.

The Verti-flow™ Stoker Control is the entire Feeder assembly on Harman Stoker Stoves and boilers.

Here is a diagram of my boiler which uses the same Stoker\ Verti-flow system.
http://www.hearthnhome.com/downloads/in ... VF3000.pdf

The "Restrictor Plate" can be seen on page 16, as you may already know, it rotates on one of the screws to control the combustion air.

Otherwise I’ll have to have the dealer in.

Never ever give money to a Harman dealer - it's a matter of pride. Let's work this through. In/out vents clear or not? If you have money to fritter way try the Salvation Army or one of the many good manufacturers here. Then there is the Charles Manson memorial fund and finally throwing dollar bills into the ocean. All these options come before giving anything to Harman or it's dealers.

Fishhunter beat me to it. I was going to suggest the fins of the squirrel cage blower might be clogged with dust. It doesn't take much to really slow the air down.

Freddy wrote:Fishhunter beat me to it. I was going to suggest the fins of the squirrel cage blower might be clogged with dust. It doesn't take much to really slow the air down.

I thought of that too, but the DVC500 gets its combustion air from the outside. Supposedly, it is dust and lint free when it gets to the fan.
Now on the other hand, the Distribution fan DOES get clogged with dust and lint, but that would not prevent the coal from being lit.

The DRAFT fan can be checked from going thru the ash pan compartment. That fills up with fly ash very quickly. You gotta get in there with a toothbrush and vacuum, and that will eventually lead to the exhaust port which will also fill up with fly ash.

coalnewbie wrote:

Otherwise I’ll have to have the dealer in.

Never ever give money to a Harman dealer - it's a matter of pride. Let's work this through. In/out vents clear or not? If you have money to fritter way try the Salvation Army or one of the many good manufacturers here. Then there is the Charles Manson memorial fund and finally throwing dollar bills into the ocean. All these options come before giving anything to Harman or it's dealers.

I can appreciate this in a way. My dealer is the only one on Long Island and they know it but they serve a purpose. Im a " if someone else can do, so can I" kind of guy.....unless we're talking about surgery so trust me I dont want to have to call them in.

The combustion fan is clean. It is making a high pitch rotational type of noise from time to time, this is new. I question whether its thus not spinning at the right speed? Worn out?

Im going to double check the venting tonight.

Im fixated on the feeder assembly as I took the whole thing apart last season. I didnt realize it possibly controlled airflow in this unit. It looked like it bolted back in only one way. It seemed odd to me the limited travel of the pusher block though. Perhpas Ill post a picture of what I have back there tonight.

Thank guys for the support...

DVC500 at last wrote:

Freddy wrote:Fishhunter beat me to it. I was going to suggest the fins of the squirrel cage blower might be clogged with dust. It doesn't take much to really slow the air down.

I thought of that too, but the DVC500 gets its combustion air from the outside. Supposedly, it is dust and lint free when it gets to the fan.
Now on the other hand, the Distribution fan DOES get clogged with dust and lint, but that would not prevent the coal from being lit.

The DRAFT fan can be checked from going thru the ash pan compartment. That fills up with fly ash very quickly. You gotta get in there with a toothbrush and vacuum, and that will eventually lead to the exhaust port which will also fill up with fly ash.

Im with you on this one. I removed the grates last year (first time in 3 years) to make sure I cleaned out that whole pan. I removed them again last night, checked and no blockages I could see/feel.