Cubex in a Harman - Waste of $$$?

subsailor said:

It's supposed to be below 0 here the next few nights so I picked up a few bags of Cubex to help deal with the cold. Afterward I got thinking about it and began to wonder if I wasted my money. Because Harmans run based on temp and not to a fixed feed rate, the stove will be putting out the same temp no matter if I'm burning Cubex or Greene Team of Pennington. The only savings I'll see is less pellet usage and probably less ash with the Cubex. So in the log run, it probably would have been more cost effective to run a decent pellet rather than a super premium pellet.

Click to expand...

Hotter pellet will run longer in a Harman, so you'll still get the benefits. Just make sure your feed rate is set closer to 4 to insure Max heat output.

cubex will get the stove up to temp faster, and the stove will drop it's feed rate accordingly = less pellets burned.

Nah, not a waste at all. As the others have stated, they'll give you great heat and LOW ash. I burned mostly Green Team last year, and had no complaints. I got a good deal on Oakies this past summer and that has been our primary pellet, and other than some dust I really like them. I picked up a few bags of Cubex a week or two ago to try sense I've heard good things and a dealer closer to home has them, and they were excellent!

I found that in my Accentra insert, the Cubex have produced the most ash as compared to Barefoot and Lignetics. I was not particularly impressed with Cubex.

i just switched from mwp to oakies because it's gonna be cold tonight..
i had to to turn down the stove temp because it was getting to warm in here..unreal..
yeah they cost more but much hotter fire and a lot less cleaning than mpw...
so if you pay a couple hundred more for the year probably worth it in the long run, then again i might not use as many pellets.......

Been running cubex in one of my stoves since December,Just have to adjust my heat output accordingly. It's nights like these that I really like them (14*) outside and getting colder.

subsailor said:

It's supposed to be below 0 here the next few nights so I picked up a few bags of Cubex to help deal with the cold. Afterward I got thinking about it and began to wonder if I wasted my money. Because Harmans run based on temp and not to a fixed feed rate, the stove will be putting out the same temp no matter if I'm burning Cubex or Greene Team of Pennington. The only savings I'll see is less pellet usage and probably less ash with the Cubex. So in the log run, it probably would have been more cost effective to run a decent pellet rather than a super premium pellet.

Click to expand...

I agree. An example I look at is:
If super premium pellet X is $6/bag and has 9000 BTU/pound thats 60,000 BTU/$
If premium pellet Y is $4.50/bag and has 8000 BTU/pound thats 71,111 BTU/$
From my limited experience so far the super premium pellets are not worth it to me. I clean regularly enough that the ash doesn't make too much of a difference to me. I've been happy with my Lowes & HD pellets thus far.

mepellet said:

subsailor said:

It's supposed to be below 0 here the next few nights so I picked up a few bags of Cubex to help deal with the cold. Afterward I got thinking about it and began to wonder if I wasted my money. Because Harmans run based on temp and not to a fixed feed rate, the stove will be putting out the same temp no matter if I'm burning Cubex or Greene Team of Pennington. The only savings I'll see is less pellet usage and probably less ash with the Cubex. So in the log run, it probably would have been more cost effective to run a decent pellet rather than a super premium pellet.

Click to expand...

I agree. An example I look at is:
If super premium pellet X is $6/bag and has 9000 BTU/pound thats 60,000 BTU/$
If premium pellet Y is $4.50/bag and has 8000 BTU/pound thats 71,111 BTU/$
From my limited experience so far the super premium pellets are not worth it to me. I clean regularly enough that the ash doesn't make too much of a difference to me. I've been happy with my Lowes & HD pellets thus far.

Click to expand...

That math works if you have plenty of stove to cover the cold. Some one that's right on the edge will benefit from the good stuff. Its like adding another heat setting to your stove. I still buy at least 1 of the brands that has max heat so I can keep my stove on medium, I have always hated over working my stove. Plus in the cold the super stuff is usually cleaner, So I can run longer between cleanings in general. Which is even bigger when the stove duty is at its peak.

We all have our theories, Do what's best for your wallet and install. ;-)

j-takeman said:

That math works if you have plenty of stove to cover the cold. Some one that's right on the edge will benefit from the good stuff. Its like adding another heat setting to your stove. I still buy at least 1 of the brands that has max heat so I can keep my stove on medium, I have always hated over working my stove. Plus in the cold the super stuff is usually cleaner, So I can run longer between cleanings in general. Which is even bigger when the stove duty is at its peak.

We all have our theories, Do what's best for your wallet and install. ;-)

Click to expand...

True for non-Harman stoves that don't have a temp probe.

Wow, 6 bucks a bag for pellets...I can't imagine. My $3.50 bags of Somersets are spectacular.

lbcynya said:

j-takeman said:

That math works if you have plenty of stove to cover the cold. Some one that's right on the edge will benefit from the good stuff. Its like adding another heat setting to your stove. I still buy at least 1 of the brands that has max heat so I can keep my stove on medium, I have always hated over working my stove. Plus in the cold the super stuff is usually cleaner, So I can run longer between cleanings in general. Which is even bigger when the stove duty is at its peak.

We all have our theories, Do what's best for your wallet and install. ;-)

Click to expand...

True for non-Harman stoves that don't have a temp probe.

Wow, 6 bucks a bag for pellets...I can't imagine. My $3.50 bags of Somersets are spectacular.

Click to expand...

A hotter pellet will still have an effect. Your stove will not need to work as hard. I'd be eating only Somersets at that price by the way! Heck of a pellet IMHO. I love them, But never seem to find any in my area. The travel kills the deal

j-takeman said:

mepellet said:

subsailor said:

It's supposed to be below 0 here the next few nights so I picked up a few bags of Cubex to help deal with the cold. Afterward I got thinking about it and began to wonder if I wasted my money. Because Harmans run based on temp and not to a fixed feed rate, the stove will be putting out the same temp no matter if I'm burning Cubex or Greene Team of Pennington. The only savings I'll see is less pellet usage and probably less ash with the Cubex. So in the log run, it probably would have been more cost effective to run a decent pellet rather than a super premium pellet.

Click to expand...

I agree. An example I look at is:
If super premium pellet X is $6/bag and has 9000 BTU/pound thats 60,000 BTU/$
If premium pellet Y is $4.50/bag and has 8000 BTU/pound thats 71,111 BTU/$
From my limited experience so far the super premium pellets are not worth it to me. I clean regularly enough that the ash doesn't make too much of a difference to me. I've been happy with my Lowes & HD pellets thus far.

Click to expand...

That math works if you have plenty of stove to cover the cold. Some one that's right on the edge will benefit from the good stuff. Its like adding another heat setting to your stove. I still buy at least 1 of the brands that has max heat so I can keep my stove on medium, I have always hated over working my stove. Plus in the cold the super stuff is usually cleaner, So I can run longer between cleanings in general. Which is even bigger when the stove duty is at its peak.

We all have our theories, Do what's best for your wallet and install. ;-)

Click to expand...

If I run my stove for more than a couple hours on stove temp setting 4 (out of 7) I would be opening windows so I guess I have plenty of stove capacity. I have been running only in room temp for the past few weeks and last night I used about 2/3 of a bag while I was asleep for about 8 hours. That's about 3.3 pounds per hour average. That's less than half of the stoves available capacity.

lbcynya said:

j-takeman said:

That math works if you have plenty of stove to cover the cold. Some one that's right on the edge will benefit from the good stuff. Its like adding another heat setting to your stove. I still buy at least 1 of the brands that has max heat so I can keep my stove on medium, I have always hated over working my stove. Plus in the cold the super stuff is usually cleaner, So I can run longer between cleanings in general. Which is even bigger when the stove duty is at its peak.

We all have our theories, Do what's best for your wallet and install. ;-)

Click to expand...

True for non-Harman stoves that don't have a temp probe.

Wow, 6 bucks a bag for pellets...I can't imagine. My $3.50 bags of Somersets are spectacular.

Click to expand...

I used $6 a bag just because the local pellet supply place has Oakies at $305/ton. I honestly haven't looked up any other super premiums because I have been happy with Greene Team, Maine's Choice, Green Supreme and Stove Chow. These have averaged $3.80 a bag for me so far.... I haven't had to think about the quality stuff yet.

mepellet said:

j-takeman said:

mepellet said:

subsailor said:

It's supposed to be below 0 here the next few nights so I picked up a few bags of Cubex to help deal with the cold. Afterward I got thinking about it and began to wonder if I wasted my money. Because Harmans run based on temp and not to a fixed feed rate, the stove will be putting out the same temp no matter if I'm burning Cubex or Greene Team of Pennington. The only savings I'll see is less pellet usage and probably less ash with the Cubex. So in the log run, it probably would have been more cost effective to run a decent pellet rather than a super premium pellet.

Click to expand...

I agree. An example I look at is:
If super premium pellet X is $6/bag and has 9000 BTU/pound thats 60,000 BTU/$
If premium pellet Y is $4.50/bag and has 8000 BTU/pound thats 71,111 BTU/$
From my limited experience so far the super premium pellets are not worth it to me. I clean regularly enough that the ash doesn't make too much of a difference to me. I've been happy with my Lowes & HD pellets thus far.

Click to expand...

That math works if you have plenty of stove to cover the cold. Some one that's right on the edge will benefit from the good stuff. Its like adding another heat setting to your stove. I still buy at least 1 of the brands that has max heat so I can keep my stove on medium, I have always hated over working my stove. Plus in the cold the super stuff is usually cleaner, So I can run longer between cleanings in general. Which is even bigger when the stove duty is at its peak.

We all have our theories, Do what's best for your wallet and install. ;-)

Click to expand...

If I run my stove for more than a couple hours on stove temp setting 4 (out of 7) I would be opening windows so I guess I have plenty of stove capacity. I have been running only in room temp for the past few weeks and last night I used about 2/3 of a bag while I was asleep for about 8 hours. That's about 3.3 pounds per hour average. That's less than half of the stoves available capacity.

Click to expand...

Your stove has enough legs, So the cheap stuff is dandy for you. Usually when the cold sets in we see many on this forum complaining about the stove not being enough to stay warm. I had to put this out there. Many dealers think a stove that is just enough is fine. So many get the unit that is just barely sized to the install. As my buddy bear says, Sizing the needed BTU figure at its middle firing rate gives the stove owner just what you have. A struggling stove will need all the help it can get! ;-)

All this chatter about the Cubex made me hit my stash a bit early. I still have 4 bags of Lignetics green label and 20 Greene Teams left. But I just to see what I have in this batch. 10ºF hotter than any other pellet I have in my stash! Smell like Oak and Not a pellet in the bag longer than an inch. Glad I saved them for the cold. Don't really need them just yet, So I'll go back to the others once these 2 bags get done. But when the zero and below come. I'm ready! ;-)

Greene Teams Burning at 260ºF
Lignetics burning at 262ºF
Cubex burning at 272ºF

j-takeman said:

All this chatter about the Cubex made me hit my stash a bit early. I still have 4 bags of Lignetics green label and 20 Greene Teams left. But I just to see what I have in this batch. 10ºF hotter than any other pellet I have in my stash! Smell like Oak and Not a pellet in the bag longer than an inch. Glad I saved them for the cold. Don't really need them just yet, So I'll go back to the others once these 2 bags get done. But when the zero and below come. I'm ready! ;-)

Greene Teams Burning at 260ºF
Lignetics burning at 262ºF
Cubex burning at 272ºF

Click to expand...

What are you doing with your stove settings when you run your heat tests? I like to do the same with a couple of different brands but not sure on how to get the most accurate results. I'm running Cubex right now and it's a noticeable difference but it would be interesting to know how much hotter they're actually burning.

jumpedtopells said:

j-takeman said:

All this chatter about the Cubex made me hit my stash a bit early. I still have 4 bags of Lignetics green label and 20 Greene Teams left. But I just to see what I have in this batch. 10ºF hotter than any other pellet I have in my stash! Smell like Oak and Not a pellet in the bag longer than an inch. Glad I saved them for the cold. Don't really need them just yet, So I'll go back to the others once these 2 bags get done. But when the zero and below come. I'm ready! ;-)

Greene Teams Burning at 260ºF
Lignetics burning at 262ºF
Cubex burning at 272ºF

Click to expand...

What are you doing with your stove settings when you run your heat tests? I like to do the same with a couple of different brands but not sure on how to get the most accurate results. I'm running Cubex right now and it's a noticeable difference but it would be interesting to know how much hotter they're actually burning.

Click to expand...

Whatever you do consistency is key. I think with the harman control boards this may be difficult due to the infinite positions on the dial. Or am I wrong about that?

I set my stove on medium heat setting #3. Damper is set so the flame is consistent with no fluctuating. I measure the air temp off the convection with a digital gauge and thermocouple. My box test has the info on my setup.

See link.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/42511/P176/#513152

mepellet said:

jumpedtopells said:

j-takeman said:

All this chatter about the Cubex made me hit my stash a bit early. I still have 4 bags of Lignetics green label and 20 Greene Teams left. But I just to see what I have in this batch. 10ºF hotter than any other pellet I have in my stash! Smell like Oak and Not a pellet in the bag longer than an inch. Glad I saved them for the cold. Don't really need them just yet, So I'll go back to the others once these 2 bags get done. But when the zero and below come. I'm ready! ;-)

Greene Teams Burning at 260ºF
Lignetics burning at 262ºF
Cubex burning at 272ºF

Click to expand...

What are you doing with your stove settings when you run your heat tests? I like to do the same with a couple of different brands but not sure on how to get the most accurate results. I'm running Cubex right now and it's a noticeable difference but it would be interesting to know how much hotter they're actually burning.

Click to expand...

Whatever you do consistency is key. I think with the harman control boards this may be difficult due to the infinite positions on the dial. Or am I wrong about that?

Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I've been struggling with. I've been thinking about cranking up the temp setting (7) so the fan is pushing good air (automatically) and then taking a reading??? Not sure how else it can be done.

jumpedtopells said:

mepellet said:

jumpedtopells said:

j-takeman said:

All this chatter about the Cubex made me hit my stash a bit early. I still have 4 bags of Lignetics green label and 20 Greene Teams left. But I just to see what I have in this batch. 10ºF hotter than any other pellet I have in my stash! Smell like Oak and Not a pellet in the bag longer than an inch. Glad I saved them for the cold. Don't really need them just yet, So I'll go back to the others once these 2 bags get done. But when the zero and below come. I'm ready! ;-)

Greene Teams Burning at 260ºF
Lignetics burning at 262ºF
Cubex burning at 272ºF

Click to expand...

What are you doing with your stove settings when you run your heat tests? I like to do the same with a couple of different brands but not sure on how to get the most accurate results. I'm running Cubex right now and it's a noticeable difference but it would be interesting to know how much hotter they're actually burning.

Click to expand...

Whatever you do consistency is key. I think with the harman control boards this may be difficult due to the infinite positions on the dial. Or am I wrong about that?

Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I've been struggling with. I've been thinking about cranking up the temp setting (7) so the fan is pushing good air (automatically) and then taking a reading??? Not sure how else it can be done.

Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking also but I think leaving it in stove temp setting 7 for about half an hour and then take readings for about 30 mins or so? I just don't like the idea of leaving it on the highest setting for a long time.

I'd check it where you normally run it. How often do you crank it to the max? I never do, I normally run right where I have been checking mine. If It gets colder the heat should be linear. So if I crank it the hotter pellet will still be hotter than the others.

j-takeman said:

I'd check it where you normally run it. How often do you crank it to the max? I never do, I normally run right where I have been checking mine. If It gets colder the heat should be linear. So if I crank it the hotter pellet will still be hotter than the others.

Click to expand...

Thanks J...never had it cranked, not even close, as there's no need. Usually run on 2-3 during this type of cold weather. Because these things feed based on stove/room temp, I'm just not sure how accurate the reading would be. Maybe wait until it gets a pellet feed, starts burning higher, then take a reading. I guess for what I'm doing, I don't need to make it a science project.

j-takeman said:

I'd check it where you normally run it. How often do you crank it to the max? I never do, I normally run right where I have been checking mine. If It gets colder the heat should be linear. So if I crank it the hotter pellet will still be hotter than the others.

Click to expand...

With the Harman control boards they are dials. I think getting the same exact dial position would be difficult. We could "eyeball it" but it isn't like other stoves that has 3 exact settings. Know what I mean? I never use the highest setting. Usually at or under half capacity on average.

mepellet said:

j-takeman said:

I'd check it where you normally run it. How often do you crank it to the max? I never do, I normally run right where I have been checking mine. If It gets colder the heat should be linear. So if I crank it the hotter pellet will still be hotter than the others.

Click to expand...

With the Harman control boards they are dials. I think getting the same exact dial position would be difficult. We could "eyeball it" but it isn't like other stoves that has 3 exact settings. Know what I mean? I never use the highest setting. Usually at or under half capacity on average.

Click to expand...

Understandable, I don't own a Harman. Many others do. Maybe someone has a workaround? But I would think if you left the dial alone while checking heat with the different brands it should be close enough to call it. My damper is the variable I have to worry about. I set it for each pellet.

I suppose to get the most akurate reading I should set the stove with my magnahelic gauge and leave it for all the different pellets. But I think by tweaking the air, I give each brand a fighting change. That's what I would do normally for whatever I burn.

mepellet said:

j-takeman said:

I'd check it where you normally run it. How often do you crank it to the max? I never do, I normally run right where I have been checking mine. If It gets colder the heat should be linear. So if I crank it the hotter pellet will still be hotter than the others.

Click to expand...

With the Harman control boards they are dials. I think getting the same exact dial position would be difficult. We could "eyeball it" but it isn't like other stoves that has 3 exact settings. Know what mean? I never use the highest setting. Usually at or under half capacity on average.

Click to expand...

Guys, the only way you can test pellets in a Harman is based on time, not temperature. Problem is, if you go by bag (40 lbs) the long period it would take to burn introduce too many variables to which will marginalize the effort. If you have to tinker, then it would be best if you set the stove to stove temp and feed rate, then drop in 3 pounds of a particular brand and measure the time it takes to consume all the pellets. Don't change any settings and repeat with a different brand. You can then extrapolate the differences and determine whether the extra cost gives sufficient extra time.

Or, you can simply take J-Takemans reviews and buy what seems to make sense to you from his hard efforts.