Pellet stoves offer a wonderful, efficient and cost-effective warming method for your home. If you are familiar with how to operate them, these stoves can also be easy to use and fairly safe. If you find that you need to reset your pellet stove for some reason, you can do this in one of several ways, ranging from letting it run out of pellets to turning it off and then back on again.
Important Safety Considerations
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When trying to troubleshoot a situation where your pellet stove won't turn on, be sure you are following important safety considerations. Never make changes to the appliance if children or pets are nearby and are not secured away from the unit.
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In addition, don't touch the stove if it is hot or has been on recently. Give the stove plenty of time to cool before you begin the reset process.
The Pellet Stove Reset Button
Many pellet stoves do not have a pellet stove reset button. Instead, you can reset them by letting the pellets run out. This way, you don't have to try to move pellets out of the stove when you are not sure if it is hot. Once the stove runs out of pellets, it will no longer be able to heat. In this way, you have effectively reset it.
Alternatively, you can reset your pellet stove by turning it off, waiting a few seconds, and then turning it back on again. Your stove should have an easily identifiable on/off button, but refer to your unit's owner's manual for specifics. Harman pellet stoves have a series of indicator lights that will let you know if something is wrong that warrants a reset, such as combustion issues. Harman stoves do not have a specific reset option, however.
Some brands, like New Englander, have a specific reset process. According to some users of the Englander, you can reset the stove by first turning it on, then pressing the "low fuel" option. Next, choose "6" for the blower speed option. For low air burn, choose "4," and for air on temperature, choose "1" to reset the stove.
Troubleshooting a Pellet Stove
If your pellet stove is experiencing combustion issues, due either to lack of maintenance or other internal issues, it may shut down on its own. This is a built-in safety precaution on many units, so be sure to keep an eye out for this during Harman pellet stove troubleshooting.
The status light on your Harman pellet stove will flash six times if there is a combustion issue. You may also see some pellets that are partially, but not completely, burned. This means you'll need to reset the stove by clearing the valves, flue and chambers to fix the combustion problem. An updated FAQ page from Harman notes that each model they produce is slightly different and that you should contact them with specific questions about indicator lights.
If you follow these reset steps and are unable to get your stove working, you should contact the manufacturer for assistance. They can dispatch a qualified repair technician who will be able to advise you as to the exact problem and repair your stove with the correct parts.