New Pellet Insert

[Salwasser]

We moved into a new house in September with two open fireplaces. We are looking at a pellet stove insert for our front room to heat our modestly sized 1700 sq ft house. Any suggestions on a pellet insert? We're leaning towards the Harman P35i as we've heard lots of good things about Harman, but also looking at Lopi and Quadrafire. Anyone have feedback for us?

Thanks!

 

[tsmith]

May want to go with the Harman Accentra 52 i insert, for more BTU's better to have more and not need it all than to not have enough.

 

[Peterfield]

I went through what you at about to and ended up picking the Harman Accentra 52i for its advanced features and having the horsepower when I really need it here in NH. You should get out there to a few dealers and check out the various models. The other important thing to keep in mind is dealer support and that cannot be understated. I picked a Harman dealer much further away than the closest dealer to me based on their attitude, enthusiasm and genuine interest in what I wanted to do.

 

[Salwasser]

I went through what you at about to and ended up picking the Harman Accentra 52i for its advanced features and having the horsepower when I really need it here in NH. You should get out there to a few dealers and check out the various models. The other important thing to keep in mind is dealer support and that cannot be understated. I picked a Harman dealer much further away than the closest dealer to me based on their attitude, enthusiasm and genuine interest in what I wanted to do.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. It sounds like you both feel the Accentra is worth the extra $1k for the extra BTU's.

 

[lagger]

can't say about the Harmans other than I have seen a lot of happy users here..I have A Lopi AGP, installed in my zero clearance fireplace last April .. I can personally recommend it at this point in time, it has a unique feed system hence the AGP designation (any grade pellet) I have mine set up with a relatively inexpensive thermostat that can be and has been programmed. I have to date, run NEWPs and Timber Heat pellets in it with out a hitch... my house is 1600 sq ft on the main floor (raised ranch or bi-level as it's known) with an open plan for LR DR and Kit. 3 bedrooms and one bath off the hallway and a BR in the master .. if the LR etc are at 70, the back bedroom stays at about 68, I have two doorway corner fans on order to assist at night in keeping the BR's even with the rest of the house

 

[NHcpa]

No complaints here on the 52i. Come home from work weekdays and flick a switch. Weekends I burn wood or do both.

 

[Peterfield]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. It sounds like you both feel the Accentra is worth the extra $1k for the extra BTU's.

Absolutely. I had the same concerns about buying too much stove but with the ESP technology and the way you can't set the temp and the stove will maintain it automatically, people who know,more about it than I do said it is not a concern.

 

[alternativeheat]

We moved into a new house in September with two open fireplaces. We are looking at a pellet stove insert for our front room to heat our modestly sized 1700 sq ft house. Any suggestions on a pellet insert? We're leaning towards the Harman P35i as we've heard lots of good things about Harman, but also looking at Lopi and Quadrafire. Anyone have feedback for us?

Thanks!

The 35i is a good stove, if your house is tight it should heat the 1700 sq ft well depending on layout and so forth. The 52i has more power, hotter and more blower and looks like a piece of art work. We nearly bought that but opted for a p61 for even more power and easy of cleaning. And we were used to having a stove on the hearth. But we had to think long and hard to come to that conclusion, the 52i is so beautiful to look at. Also a steel stove will radiate some heat. The 52i radiates next to nothing it's all convection, thus the strong blower.

 

[dlavigne7324]

The 35i is a good stove, if your house is tight it should heat the 1700 sq ft well depending on layout and so forth. The 52i has more power, hotter and more blower and looks like a piece of art work. We nearly bought that but opted for a p61 for even more power and easy of cleaning. And we were used to having a stove on the hearth. But we had to think long and hard to come to that conclusion, the 52i is so beautiful to look at. Also a steel stove will radiate some heat. The 52i radiates next to nothing it's all convection, thus the strong blower.

I have a p35i doesn't have a problem heating 2000sq ft colonial I was impressed when last year when we had -18 below keeping my house at a cozy 74 degrees

 

[fmsm]

The P35i is a powerful stove, the 52i is a work of art! If you are wanting a piece of art that will easily heat your house than get a 52i in chocolate brown (love that look), keep in mind that when throttled down the 52i will use more pellets and electricity. I happen to like the look of the 35i and love the functionality of it. My 35i easily heats my main areas at 74 degrees no matter how cold. I replaced my old Whitfield downstairs with another 35i to heat my basement level (family room,office, and laundry) and crawl space, they cruise through any type of weather easily.

 

[danden]

The P35i is a powerful stove, the 52i is a work of art! If you are wanting a piece of art that will easily heat your house than get a 52i in chocolate brown (love that look), keep in mind that when throttled down the 52i will use more pellets and electricity. I happen to like the look of the 35i and love the functionality of it. My 35i easily heats my main areas at 74 degrees no matter how cold. I replaced my old Whitfield downstairs with another 35i to heat my basement level (family room,office, and laundry) and crawl space, they cruise through any type of weather easily.

I have a new insert - worked great for a couple of weeks - but now - it fills up with pellets - doesn't ignite - I clear it out - and try again - sometimes it takes 3 or 4 tries to get the pellets to ignite. What's up? Thanks.

 

[Peterfield]

I have a new insert - worked great for a couple of weeks - but now - it fills up with pellets - doesn't ignite - I clear it out - and try again - sometimes it takes 3 or 4 tries to get the pellets to ignite. What's up? Thanks.

Have you cleaned out under the burn pot. That is the number one reason why an igniter in a 52i won't ignite pellets. In two weeks of operation, that space will be full of ashes and will prevent the igniter from working. Loosen the two wing nut screws, slide off the plate and let us know what you find.

 

[alternativeheat]

I have a new insert - worked great for a couple of weeks - but now - it fills up with pellets - doesn't ignite - I clear it out - and try again - sometimes it takes 3 or 4 tries to get the pellets to ignite. What's up? Thanks.

I agree about the ash in the airway the igniter sits in. But also you should be doing a weekly or every 10 day or so stove cleaning , in which case you would clean that chamber anyway. You will want to be getting a routine down for cleaning your stove to keep it working efficiently. I do my P61 every two weeks and touch it up in between. Touch up is brush the ash down into the ash bin. At the two week interval i actually clean the stove as it should be cleaned ( depending on pellets and heating requirements). Between 1 and two tons burned I'll brush out the chimney liner. This is all routine stuff when you own a pellet stove.

 

[xSpecBx]

Biggest thing with any stove seems to be layout of your house, location of the stove and how efficient your house is (insulation, windows, drafts, etc.). I have a quadrafire CB 1200i heating 2400 sq ft without a problem, but the house is a mostly open floor plan, with a centrally located fireplace and is well insulated.

If you're unsure if a stove can handle the house, I would suggest going with a bigger stove if you can afford it. Like people said, its better to have too much than not enough. I was looking to supplement my heat when I bought my stove. Being able to heat the whole place was just a plus.

 

[Gaddy]

Last year I bought a Quadra Fire Mt. Vernon insert. I love it. Plenty of power, burns all brands of pellets (some are cleaner than others) and so far no issues.

 

[Randy Fischer]

We moved into a new house in September with two open fireplaces. We are looking at a pellet stove insert for our front room to heat our modestly sized 1700 sq ft house. Any suggestions on a pellet insert? We're leaning towards the Harman P35i as we've heard lots of good things about Harman, but also looking at Lopi and Quadrafire. Anyone have feedback for us?

Thanks!

We just installed a 52i with brown enamel 2 months ago as a zero clearance insert. Tad over $ 7K when all said and done, but seems to work well. As someone else stated on this thread, it does not radiate heat, thus we can sit right next to it (off to the side) and be very comfortable. Our biggest issue now is that it's in a great room with a 24ft ceiling so most of the heat is going straight up, but we predicted that. One note, the enamel on this stove does not take much abuse, already nicked it several time, but sure is nice to look at.

 

[Big papa]

We moved into a new house in September with two open fireplaces. We are looking at a pellet stove insert for our front room to heat our modestly sized 1700 sq ft house. Any suggestions on a pellet insert? We're leaning towards the Harman P35i as we've heard lots of good things about Harman, but also looking at Lopi and Quadrafire. Anyone have feedback for us?

Thanks!

I would go with the accentra as well having the extra btu is always good and it will maintain your set temp within one degree so no worries of overheating. We love our accentra so if you have any question feel free to PM me.

 

[dlavigne7324]

I would go with the accentra as well having the extra btu is always good and it will maintain your set temp within one degree so no worries of overheating. We love our accentra so if you have any question feel free to PM me.

I have a p35 and love it !! Has no problem heating 2000sq ft home . Even when it gets to -15 can keep house at 72 degrees . But if u can afford the extra $800 I would go for bigger one .