Newbie with a Harman question

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Ernest Smith

New Member
May 9, 2012
18
South of Boston, MA
I’m a new, soon-to-be pellet stove owner. I burned coal years ago and found it a great way to heat a home. I had to keep a window open most of the time, even in the dead of winter, because it really cooked. I found a Harman dealer that gave me 20 percent off a new Harman stove. I gave them 50 percent as a down payment with the balance due when the stove is shipped from the factory in September. I checked with eight other dealers in the southern New England area and no one else was able to offer the same deal. In fact, my dealer was lower on the initial stove price before the 20% off. I ordered a P43. I’m trying to decide if I should bump it up to an Accentra. Funds are limited so I’d like the forum’s opinion if I would gain much by spending an extra $500.00 plus for the Accentra. It appears that the internal workings are the same so I should expect the same performance. The stove will be placed in a narrow room so the Accentra’s smaller foot print would be a plus. I’m heating a 1,400 sq ft ranch that will shrink down to 1,200 when two rooms are closed off. I’ll do the install myself. If I switch to the Accentra, I might have to eat baloney for a few months to recoup the extra money. Fortunately I can go into the nearest 7-11 and get mustard packs. Realizing that I still have to pay for vent pipe and pellets, I am considering purchasing at least one ton from Home Depot. They have People Choice brand in stock for $219.00. I know they are probably not the best but I plan on buying a ton of Turmans or Okies or similar for the deep freezes. I’d like to purchase all Trumans or Okies but will have to resort to cat food. I don’t want to do that because I’d have too much trouble deciding on canned fancy feast or bagged Purina cat chow. Anybody have success burning Peoples Choice in a Harman? Thanks to the forum for all the great information and help to us newbies.
 
IMO i would stay with the P-43 it puts out more heat and the top gets hot so you can steam water on it :) As far as the pellets being in the west i have never seen ether of them but i have run some very crappy pellets through the harmans over the years :) and I have found they will eat any pellets (And we even ran some rocks through a demo here once to see if it would make it to the ask pan and it did >>)


Shawn
 
A Harman will burn anything. I don't worry about the high heat, super premium pellets at a high price. I burned a lot of Greene Team when Lowe's up here had them at a decent price. I would recommend them in a minute if you can get them at a decent price. A little ashy, but they put out a lot of heat.
 
I also burned coal for years. I used a small Harman stove, it would almost blast me out of the house at times with out the blower on. The first thing you will notice is the heat is different from a pellet stove. Not as intense or hot as coal. Like its been said here they are more of a room heater, although some people have heated most of their houses with them. Looking at the Accentra its rated at 40,000 BTU the P43 will do 43,000BTU, so my choice would be the P43. I have a P38, same as P43 but without auto ignite and room temp/ control board. The Harman will burn anything, you'll see a difference in ash color, ash buildup, heat output, etc.. Try afew bags of different brands and see...
 
From a maintenance standpoint, the P43 is easier. There is nothing to remove from inside the firebox, the Accentra has two side baffles and a lower combustion motor shroud in the fire box. The P43 is more BTUS too. That said, if you are investing in a hearth pad for the P43 that may cost 4 or 5 hundred, the Accentra has one built in. Personally I would stay with the P43 if all of the clearances can be met.
 
1st Off....... Welcome to the Forums. Wealth of knowledge here.

Secondly - Thats some of the funniest $#it I heard in awhile (bologna, cat food, etc !! ) I have a feeling you are gonna fit in well around here ;)


If you want better looks and a Hearth Pad built in (have to $$ for it), then Accentra.

But I would stay with the P-43. Only heating 1,200 sq ft (rooms closed off), shouldn't be a problem for it.

Again, Welcome.... And keep the humor coming. Looking forward to pics (in awhile).
 
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1st Off....... Welcome to the Forums. Wealth of knowledge here.

Secondly - Thats some of the funniest $#it I heard in awhile (bologna, cat food, etc !! ) I have a feeling you are gonna fit in well around here ;)


If you want better looks and a Hearth Pad built in (have to $$ for it), then Accentra.

But I would stay with the P-43. Only heating 1,200 sq ft (rooms closed off), shouldn't be a problem for it.

Again, Welcome.... And keep the humor coming. Looking forward to pics (in awhile).
Welcome also, I am a Harman man and will be glad to answer any ?'s. You are at the right place as Mad Dog puts it. We will help you, but you might have to sift thru some bologna:cool:
 
Another Harman user here. I would hold off buying a large quantity of pellets, Buy a few of different brands and see what works the best. You should only burn around a bag a day with the area you are heating. Where I buy my pellets, the price is per bag so there is no quantity price and they carry a few different brands. I have not noticed much of a difference in heat, but there is a difference in ash quantity.
 
Thanks to all for the advice. I'll stick with the P43. I'm glad to learn it will add a little more BTUs and is easier to clean than the Accentra. The suggestions for the pellets is also helpful. I guess I won't have to eat cat food which is too bad because one pet food claims it will improve the felines coat. I could use a little help on top.
 
Thanks to all for the advice. I'll stick with the P43. I'm glad to learn it will add a little more BTUs and is easier to clean than the Accentra. The suggestions for the pellets is also helpful. I guess I won't have to eat cat food which is too bad because one pet food claims it will improve the felines coat. I could use a little help on top.

Oh yeah....you will fit in just fine here. I have 2 Harmans and wouldn't trade either one for anything. Take your time on the pellets. A Harman will burn anything but there's no reason to buy junk. I've never heard of People's Choice.
 
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