Interesting news Wil. I also have the same problem as you with the new ignition system and the bubble issue. The bubble appears to be a little further down inside the burnpot than before but still within the area of the holes.
I know from previous posts that you burn your PB105 all year long. I can't do that so I bought a urethane electric HW tank so I didn't need to use my oiler for the summer months. I plumbed the HWT in after the PB105 so that in the summer (6 months) the domestic coil warms the cold water to room temp before it hits the HWT and in the late fall, winter and early spring months I shut the electric off and use it as a storage tank. I don't get the temp fluations anymore either! So my summer electric bill went up $30 bucks a month which totals to $180 a year which is a ton less than the oiler would have cost. I only mention this cause you might appreciate not having to fill the hopper in the summer plus the wear and tear and cleaning to the boiler not to mention that pellets are typically $5 bucks a bag which adds up. Just a thought.

John

Thanks for the update Wil. One would think that with the air moving up thru the burnpot it would help cool the SS metal. I would think that is why Harman is concerned about keeping the holes clear of ash etc. It is impossible to keep the holes clear though, while the burning pellets move over the top of the burnpot. What if this process is acting more like a bellows, causing the stainless steel to become super heated much like a black smith heating metal to soften it? I know the pro burnpot has been around for quite awhile so maybe I am way off base, I don't know. Obviously making the stainless thicker didn't resolve the issue so maybe a higher Ph is the answer Wil. What about a cast iron burnpot surface plate? Now that the igniter is no longer inside the burnpot, a cast iron plate of a decent thickness could be welded to the stainless steel assembly. Cast iron has always held up nicely in stoves and boilers forever. Of course, what do I know and even though Harman has been supplying replacement burnpots, I am getting tired of changing them out Thanks again for the update Wil.

Thanks again Wil, maybe something to look forward to.

Thanks for the info and pictures Will. Can't tell for sure but will this burnpot support the older igniter that mounted in the burnpot? I am looking forward for your updates.

You may be right Farmer. You would think though that the draft fan would create enough of a draft to pull the gases out of the box. I wonder if the folks that have a through the wall exhaust chimney experience this problem. I don't think chimneys rely on a natural draft. At least Harman added the relief port on the fire box so the boiler doesn't jump around during the gas explosions that other folks had complained about. Hopefully you will find a solution.

John

Thanks for the info Wil. It is very welcomed because most of the dealers are apparently oblivious that there is even a problem based on their lack of a response.
I wonder if the newly designed burnpot is to be used in conjunction with the new ignition system? It is my understanding that those components are over a $1000.00 dollars. That's a lot more than I care to spend on a problem that came with my boiler! FYI, a replacement burnpot after the warranty is roughly $200 dollars. Also something that I don't want to replace twice a year! I do hope that this will not be the case and the problem will be resolved before the warranty expires. I believe that the boiler as a whole is a high quality product from a very responsible company. I guess time will tell. Thanks again Wil and we all look forward to future, hopefully positive updates.

John

I seem to remember reading posts that indicated that if the gaskets are leaking air it can cause gas explosions during the ignition process. You may want to search on that Farmer. I check mine every year with a dollar bill just to make sure all the gaskets are tight.

John

Thanks Farmer, I appreciate that info! Hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the mean time I turned the combustion blower voltage up all the way.

John

Yes and some pellets are worst than others. They can take a beating in transport and the loading/off-loading process. Those fines, in great quantity can cause feed/auger issues so screening them is a good idea. I built a screener where I drop the pellets right from the bag into the screener which also has a vacuum attachment which removes all the airborne dust. I have pictures if you are interested.

I tried to reply to Wil from an old post but couldn't see where I could REPLY so I'm starting new post for an old issue.
I talked to my Harman dealer last week and asked if there has been any new updates regarding the burnpot bubble issue. He told me that this really hasn't been an issue with his customers accept for me and that he thought that the boiler was too large for my home. That really doesn't make sense to me! If my boiler was short cycling then maybe but that is not the case. So, just to prove a point I turned my DHW tank back on and stopped pulling water thru the boiler. Time will tell if that will help or not. It is just my wife and I so there isn't a lot of water used except for weekly laundry, showers, dishes....normal stuff.
I got a feeling that Harman is not going to resolve this problem and when the warranty has expired I will have to buy them for around the tune of $200.00 and I need to change yearly.
Is anyone aware of changes that my dealer is not aware of? Does anyone that has this problem feel that their unit is short cycling? I appreciate your input.

Thanks in advance.

John

Nice to see the site back up John. Why was it down.....money issues? I missed not seeing the posts! Let us know what you need.

Will,
It will be interesting to know if Harman is ready to declare the new burnpot design that you have as "the fix" for the bubble issue. If so, is Harman ready to replace the current burnpot and a $900.00 dollar pressure ignition under warranty. (I think I read somewhere on the Hearth forum that the pressurized ignition system was $900.00). I think I will persue this with my dealer and see what happens and report back to the group.

I don't have the Hydroflex boiler but I have had the PB105 for 3 years now and I love it. The only real problem has been the burn pot and I'm confident that it will be resolved eventually. I was interested in the Hydro initially but was afraid that it would be too small to properly heat my home. I think for the most part most folks are happy with their Harman as they make a high quality product. I'm sure that in 3 years you will still be proud of your Hydroflex.

Tengger, I also use a generator and I was concerned about the same issue so I purchased a Tripp-lite LC1200 Line conditioner. Before I tried it with my Harman boiler I read the owners manual only to find out that it is not to be used with a generator but did not explain why. If you are considering a particular product please ask questions before you by. If you find one that is recommended for use with a generator please let us all know.

Brutus, does this start before or after the fire is
established?

Thanks for the info guys. I guess it's back to the drawing board for Harman. As much as this burnpot issue has been a nuisance, I'm feeling real good about the money I saved this winter by not burning oil and I still have 10 ton in the basement for next winter. I have faith that Harman will get this right.

Thanks Farmer, I'll check mine this weekend when I give it a good
cleaning.

Thanks Farmer, I appreciate you checking this out for me. Just the fact that the pellets ignite faster sounds like a positive direction toward increasing the life of the igniter. Hopefully it is also key to resolving the burnpot bubble as well.

Farmer, would you mind measuring the new hole size for me the next time you scrape it down?
Even if you just slip a drill bit in the hole and tell me the size that way. Also, have all the holes been enlarged?
I wonder if Wil has noticed any malformation yet with this burnpot style?
Regards

I also received a new burn pot to replace the one in my PB105, which has the bubble. The actual burn surface is SS. Must be that this is what they are providing. I didn't notice larger holes though so maybe this is one of the first attemps using SS. I was amazed though that my last one was steel and lasted almost a full year before the bubble appeared.