Mark III Shaker Jammed

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dtraill27
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Mark III

Post by dtraill27 » Tue. Jan. 17, 2017 11:48 am

Hello,

New to burning coal. Moved into my new house back in Sept and the previous owner installed a Harman Mark III. I've been using it since about the end of October with mixed results. Took a while to learn best way to light and maintain it but now seem to have the hang of it as when I came back from Christmas vacation I had the last fire burning for two weeks (I know short compared to the months you guys are getting) until the grates jammed. Cleaned out stove removed the jam and restarted the fire and had it going for another week and its jammed itself again. Cleaned out the stove and I still cant get the shaker to move freely. It seems like the front grate is the one that is having the issue. It doesn't want to move in the two slots that it connects to below the fire brick. The grates don't look warped to me but I could be wrong. It doesn't look like there is a lot of clearance with the front grate and the sides of the stove. I can add pictures if they would be helpful. I tried contacting a local stove place but they are 2-3 weeks out for service calls and I don't want to run the electric baseboard heat while I wait. Any one have suggestions on what I can do to get this shaker working again?

As a side note it seems like I could definitely use new rope gaskets and some of my fire bricks are cracked, not sure how big of a deal those are though.

 
titleist1
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Post by titleist1 » Tue. Jan. 17, 2017 11:57 am

Welcome to the forum. Pics of the inside of the stove will be helpful. The firebrick being cracked, as long as they are in place, is not a big deal in itself. However if a piece of the cracked firebrick worked its way to where the grate sits and is why it is not free to move then ya got a bigger deal!

The rope gaskets around the doors should be changed when they fail the $1 bill test. Trap the bill by closing the door on it and see if it slides out from behind the door easily. If too easy then replace the gaskets. Loose gaskets will not allow you to control the air to the fire.

It's pretty easy to take out the firebrick to get to the grates if you haven't already done that. There is a bracket in the front that holds the firebrick in place. remove that and start taking out the brick from the front and work your way around the firebox. Firebrick is easy to come by and not big $$, TSC and most big box stores have them. Your local hardware store probably does also. When the firebrick is out you can remove the grates and get a better look to see if they are warped. Check the baffle over the firebox to make sure it is cleaned out of flyash while you are shut down as well as the cavity in the back by the exhaust port.

Hope this helps.

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Tue. Jan. 17, 2017 12:02 pm

Welcome to the forum!
When you said you removed the jam do you remember what caused it? Sometimes poor quality coal may have stones mixed in, or the coal itself is formed around stone that is not apparent until it's burned.
The grates should move freely back and forth. If they don't I'd suggest removing them for inspection.
As far as cracked firebrick, I've had a few in my Harman for quite a few years now. I've had the stove for 10 years, run 2+ ton a winter thru it.
Pictures please!

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Tue. Jan. 17, 2017 2:42 pm

Make a poker tool that you can reach the grates with from underneath to free up the jam.. ALSO, sometimes a coal jam will just burn itself out and it will move freely again on its own. You shouldn't have to shut down and clean out for a jam unless its a mechanical problem with the grates.


 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Tue. Jan. 17, 2017 3:02 pm

I had enough grief with broken firebrick that I decided my next appliance wouldn't have them. Unlike coal, ash and clinkers, a chunk of broken firebrick can take out a grate.

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Tue. Jan. 17, 2017 3:29 pm

Lightning wrote:Make a poker tool that you can reach the grates with from underneath to free up the jam.. ALSO, sometimes a coal jam will just burn itself out and it will move freely again on its own. You shouldn't have to shut down and clean out for a jam unless its a mechanical problem with the grates.
Correct!
However with the grate system on the Harman a stone can jam the grates solid. Try to push the lever further to clear the jam just dumps the coal bed into the ash pan. At that point there is no choice but to let it go out and empty the stove. I have been successful clearing a jam with a bent piece of wire but it's a real PIA.
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Harman Grates

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dtraill27
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Post by dtraill27 » Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 10:20 am

Well after some more digging (literally and figuratively) I found the issue. I was right in thinking there wasn't enough clearance at the sides for the front grate to move freely. I took the bricks out above the grates and then removed the grates and didn't see any warping. What I did find was an ash build up behind the metal pieces that the grates drop into which pushed them closer to the center of the stove and up against the grate. I don't think the previous owner ever did a full clean out of the stove. After a good cleaning the grates are moving better than they ever have and I have a fire going again. House is back up to 75 instead of 64 with the baseboard heat.

I do still need to replace a few broken bricks come spring and definitely gaskets and glass. When I start a wood fire to get the coal relighted I can see smoke coming in the room right below the Harman logo on the load door.

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 10:34 am

Glad you found the issue!


 
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Seagrave1963
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Post by Seagrave1963 » Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 12:07 pm

Wood'nCoal wrote:Glad you found the issue!
x2

Although we have a Harman TLC, I think they have very similar if not the same grate/shaker system. If so, when looking into the lower area of the stove, there is a small shelf on the left side where ash and "chunks/clinkers" can accumulate restricting movement of the grates when shaking. I usually run the poker across after each shakedown and have had less problems with the grates being difficult to move.

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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 12:09 pm

Nice post S!! :)

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 12:16 pm

Good detective work. It's always nice to hear it was nothing serious in a follow-up report with a happy ending. ;)

Paul

 
Al Czervik
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Post by Al Czervik » Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 3:11 pm

Also a newbie with a Mark III here.

I definitely had a learning experience when a piece of shale jammed my grates open. I figured it was just a piece of coal and would burn out and free the grates. So I loaded the stove up and went to bed. Well I woke up in the morning and the entire fire was in the ash pit! I didn't want to warp the grates so I decided to empty out the pit. Nothing like figuring out what to do w 40 lbs of burning coal at 445 AM before work!

Lesson here is if grates are stuck open a considerable amount let the fire die out and restart. Also the Harman likes short strokes on that handle. Too much and you dump coal amd risk getting the grates stuck.

 
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Post by Homesteader » Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 4:09 pm

When I start a wood fire to get the coal relighted I can see smoke coming in the room right below the Harman logo on the load door.
The Harman Mark series has an air wash around the glass of secondary air that is drawn in at the bottom and top of the glass because the glass is only gasketed on the sides which leaves a small gap between the glass and frame. This may be why you see that puff of smoke when you first start the wood fire. With that said I hope that you have CO detectors nearby and that your chimney is drawing good. You may be ok but I would do the smoking string test around the glass to see if the smoke is drawn into the stove when you have a good established coal fire. As for the grate arms on the lower side by the ash pan I also clean around them once a day on my Mark II as seagrave mentions.

J.L.

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