hi everyone, Nice site

backinblack said:

Hi. My name is MIke, I'm from PA. I recently built a new home, and am now finishing the basement. I just finished studding out Sunday. My wife and I are looking at buying a pellet stove for down there, and I have a few questions. 1. my location is in the corner, not near windows, the room size is 21'x33' split inot 2 rooms. I have poured walls, so for the vent do I go through the 8" poured concrete or above it? I only have about 8 inches of concrete between grade and where the concrete stops. 2. when I get outside how far up do I have to go generally? Thanx,

Mike

Click to expand...

Welcome Mike

You should follow the pellet stove manufacturer's recommendation's for exhaust.
That should not be a big deal for you since you have skills.

Good Luck

This will give you an Idea on piping
http://www.duravent.com/docs/instruct/L502_aug05.pdf
What stove are you looking at as they have certain aspects that need to be followed too, the use of outside air being one especially in a basement setup

As far as punching through the wall I'd go thru the concrete and then go up The location depends to on walkways etc outside I'd check with the locals on specifics to what you require for outside clearances but bring your manual and maybe the simpson guide above for suggestions.

A suggestion on framing
If you are splitting it into 2 rooms if you keep the header over the doorway as close to the ceiling as possible the heat at that level will flow into the other room a bit easier with less need for the door fans to get it pushed through the opening (the heat is usually trapped at the ceiling in the room with the stove)

Oooops
Welcome to the forum..

Harmans have a reputation as being good stoves, but all pellet stoves are more prone to having problems at some point than regular wood stoves. This is in the nature of the beast, you have more moving parts and things that can break on a pellet stove...

However be REALLY sure that you have a good dealer if you get a Harman - the company is noted for wanting all customer contact to go through the dealer, and many Harman dealers are only willing to support units that they have sold. There have been several discussions on the forums about Harman service, or lack thereof - it seems Harman doesn't compensate its dealers well for warrantee service, so it can be a problem to get service on a stove the dealer didn't sell, or if the dealer doesn't give good service....

Other brands may have this problem as well, but they seem a bit better about offering some level of support from the manufacturer if the dealer support isn't adequate.

I'm not saying don't buy Harman, just that you should be sure you have a good dealer before you do.

Gooserider

The dealer advice from Goose is a good one, irregardless of what you buy. There have been threads here before about this. Unless you are a good judge of character, it can be hard to pick a good dealer. The size of the dealership I dont think is a good indicator either....sometimes smaller IS better. A few idears:

1. Is the dealer attentive to your needs, or is he telling you what he thinks you want to hear?
2. Have they sold many of these units?
3. Have there been historically many problems?
4. Do they have in-house service people?
5. What is their typical in-season turnaround time for warrantee work?
6. While youre there, be attentive to how they deal with callers, other customers. Listen to what they say AFTER the phone gets hung up.
7. How are their prices? Too high? Too low?
8. Do you know anyone who has done bidness with them?
9. What are their hours of operation? Are they only open a few days a week? Are they open weekends at all?
10. Do they sell fuel, like pellets, or are you "own your own" with that?
11. Do they keep many parts in stock, or do they have to order any warrantee part that breaks?
12. Do they offer any warrantees over and above what the manufacturer allows?
13. Do they have a copy of the warrantee?
14. Do they stock the units?
15. How soon can it be delivered/installed?
16. Are their techs manufacturer-trained and certified?
17. Do they have pellet/wood/gas certified (by agency) techs? How many?
18. How long has the dealer been in bidness?
19. How long has the dealer been selling these units?
20. Are these units "coming up on sale" anytime soon, and if so, how much?

Theres a quick 20 questions. You also have the added advantage of being only 45 mins from a manufacturer....easily traversed if your dealer doesnt do the job. As Goose said, have a good dealer. I think its important irregardless of the unit you buy.
Good luck!