Help me choose a pellet stove...PLEEEASE

[Easygo]

I did the search on the stoves on this site and on the WWW as well, but there wasn't enough info to make a decision. I'm looking at the smaller models of Quadra-Fire and Harman pellet stoves and would like to ask for your opinion. My wife would like to get one that is very quiet so that instantly ruled out the ones sold at Home-Depot. We went to stove shops and naturally no dealer of one brand carries the other and they all claim not to know too much about each other's products. So. Could you tell me about the experiences you may have had with either of these brands? We heat with oil and also have an old cook stove in the kitchen we use to supplement the heat and now we are hoping to cut down on the oil use even farther. Please give me some pointers.
Easygo [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

[conarctic]

Check out article in last issue of BackHome Magazine.

[egon]

I would like to try but the pellet stove I'm familiar with resides in the Local Pub just across the steet.

But I can suggest go quality with a reputable dealer and ensure a pellet stock is available.

There will be many different makes but you will find [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] the better ones are all very simililar. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Easygo]

Thanks for the input. I was just wondering if anyone out there have experience with the above mentioned brands. The Quadrafire is about mid-price and the Harmon is among the highest priced ones. They both seem quality and that is when it get harder to make a decision.
I will check the article.
easygo

[egon]

I have no experience with pellet stoves. All i was saying was a sorta generic statement. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[MRB]

We have a Harman P61-2 that we have been burning for four years now. This is a high quality stove and you will pay more for it than you will for a cheaper version at the local box store, you get what you pay for. Spend the dollars on a higher quality stove, it will be less expensive over the long run. We are happy with it, by our figuring we saved over $1000 last heating season alone. A lot depends on the price of the pellets. Last year they were $220 per ton, this year they are $185 a ton. We burn 4-5 tons per year depending on the winter. All pellets are not created equal, some have ground plastic as a filler and use a soft grade wood sawdust. Again watch what you buy in the in the chain stores, these are not the best quality pellets you can buy. Pellets that are too long will jamb up in the hopper. We use an Oak pellet from a sawmill out of Kentucky and they are a good quality pellet with a good BTU output. Yes I would go with the Harman again parts are available and the service is real good.

[Easygo]

MRB,
Thank you for the reply. We have been leaning toward the Harman Accent for the reasons of: best warrante , very quiet, knowledgeable dealer, decorative looks and most people say they are happy with the stoves. We plan to put it into our living room, so looks and quiet are important factors, because we will have to spend a lot of time looking at it. The dealer we think about buying from has been in business for 15 years and they are NOT a big box. They have several different brands and there is a Harman in the shop that provides the heat. We have an oil furnace and also burn regular old firewood, but this seems like would save us about 20-30% of the oil and even at that rate the VERY EXPENSIVE stove would pay for itself in about 5-6 years. Thank you for the advice about the pellets. It costs about $220-250/ton around here, depending on hard or soft wood. After doing some more research I'm pretty certain that we will take your advice and go with the time tested brand.
Easygo [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[Pat]

The human ear/brain can't remember absolutes about sounds to allow yo to compare different stoves at different locations. You can get a sound meter for way less than $100 (probably around $50), especially analog ones. Use the "A" weighted scale at a fixed distance from an operating stove. Say for example use 10 ft and circle the stove slowly at 10 feet and note the noise levels. Repeat this test for another stove at a different location. This removes subjectivity and gives a decent result. You will have to discount jumps the meter's needle makes from slamming doors, children shouting etc. and go for the average.

Later you can use it for balancing your stereo or surround sound system, defending against noise violation tickets, comparing the noise levels of other stuff, and so forth.

I only considered stoves with electric ignition and thermostatic control of the auger as well as a high volume pellet bin... and then bought 3 direct vent propane gas log parlor stoves.

Pat

[ericinok]

Like MRB above, we have a Harman P-61 2 also. We just moved in last fall, so I only have one winter of use with it, but it worked great. We inherited it with the house, but if the previous owner put it in, they are good quality. The guy only bought quality stuff for his home. In fact, we have two Harman stoves - one in the game room above our garage and one in the den. Both worked so well that we did not need our central heat at all last year.

Things I learned:
1. Close up the top of the stove pipe on the house with chicken wire or something to stop the birds. We started it up and got a real bad smell. I checked the pipe under the stove, and it was like a bird graveyard down there - pulled out at least 10 skeletons.

2. Don't try and burn straight corn. I had heard that you can burn corn instead of pellets in these stoves, so I mixed it together and burned some. It worked pretty good. Then I tried it with a majority corn, and it started a very pretty fire in the front of the stove and smoke filled the room. Now, I just burn wood pellets.


I have nothing to base my opinion against, but the Harmans have worked great for us. Good Luck.

[Easygo]

Hi All!

Once again, thank you for the input!!! We finally made up our minds and put a down payment on a Harman Accenta. No. I did not get a noise meter, because my $100 stereo was beyond help the day I got it and I only listen to National Public Radio anyway. So. The adventure and hopefully oil bill savings will begin in a few weeks.
Best regards
Easygo [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]