Help me select 1st stove: Harman p43 or p68

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gvmelbrty

Member
Apr 15, 2013
35
NM
This will be my first pellet stove, so I'm not sure what to expect.

p68 specs: 68,000 BTUs — heats 1,500 to 3,900 sqft, 76 lb hopper, $3900
p43 specs: 43,000 BTUs — heats 800 to 2,400 sqft, 50 lb hopper, $2900

I would love to save $1000 and get the p43, which would help pay for the hearth pad and installation costs. But, I don't want to get a stove that's too small for the job. I'm just not sure what these stoves can do. I went to our local Harman dealer, but they only had the p43 hooked-up and running in the showroom - with a bunch of others gas stoves, etc. running - so it was already a very warm place.

The house is approx 2000 sq ft, but using a heavy curtain, we can close off the family room (560 sqft), a room we don't use all the time. This room is also up a small flight of stairs, so presumably, when we do want to heat it, the warm air will have an easier time getting there (vs having to move down). Another major factor to consider are the cathedral ceilings, starting at 8ft and going up to 12ft in all rooms (except Mstr Bdrm).

The proposed stove location (marked 1) offers the easiest installation location (straight out the wall for the exhaust pipes). Plus, it allows the Mstr Bath to heat up quickly ... note the wall separating the Mstr BA and Sitting Rm is open at the top - so, along with the cathedral ceilings, this is a large room to try and heat quickly when you want to take a shower. And note further, we can close the french doors in this room to really speed up heating for showers.

I marked an alternative stove location (marked 2), but things to consider for this location: 1. cathedral ceiling above will need 12 ft of pipe to reach the ceiling, plus the additional pipe above the roof = more expense for pipe, more pipe to clean, harder to reach and a roof penetration hole (potential leaks). 2. The nearby bedroom and bath/laundry are the warmest rooms in the house, so they don't require the heat source to be closer. 3. Mstr Bath will take much longer to heat.

I've included the floor plan and pics.

Thxs for your help.

PS#1: Should I get the outside air kit (OAK)? One installer I spoke to said it was not necessary. What do you'all think?

PS#2: At stove location #1, how many feet of vertical exhaust pipe should extend up the outside wall? Is it necessary to go beyond the roof eve (approx 10ft)?

9z44.jpg


Proposed stove location #1 on far green wall:

73xk.jpg


Stairs leading to infrequently used Family Rm (note: curtain shown on floor plans not installed yet):

r5ut.jpg
 
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How bout a P61A? I'd recommend the Harman OAK thimble.
 
I'm a newbie, so I'm not capable of giving you "excellent advice" (as many others here CAN).
I will say... You have a beautiful home! It's good you're getting a Harman. They're a great looking stove, and your house deserves one!
I like the tile work above the top step.
I almost bought a Harman just because they look SO much nicer than the EcoChoice, but I figure I'll get something "pretty" after I build the second floor on my house.
Enjoy!
 
How bout a P61A? I'd recommend the Harman OAK thimble.

Thxs for the reply.

I considered the P61A, and still am, but it's only $300 less than the P68, so it seemed the P68 was a better deal. But if I really don't need the capacity of the P68 and the P43 is too small, then saving $300 with the P61A would be a good thing.
 
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I'm a newbie, so I'm not capable of giving you "excellent advice" (as many others here CAN).
I will say... You have a beautiful home! It's good you're getting a Harman. They're a great looking stove, and your house deserves one!
I like the tile work above the top step. I almost bought a Harman just because they look SO much nicer than the EcoChoice, but I figure I'll get something "pretty" after I build the second floor on my house. Enjoy!

Thanks for the home compliments. I'm sure they will make my wife's day!
 
I see you're in NM. Depending on how cold your winters are, you may be fine with the 43. I used a P38 to heat a 2400' 2 story colonial. It chugged along just fine and only came up short during a 2 day -15 degree spell last year. I have to assume NH winters are colder than NM, but maybe not.

Do you have any ceiling fans to help circulate the warm air?

Also, the prices you mentioned...are those the actual sale prices, or retail?
 
Your a lot farther south than most of us. Hard to make a judgement as to how much heat you need. I was in Albuquerque during a major storm of below zero and shopping carts were being clocked at 30mph. Go farther up and it gets even colder but usually not the stuff we see here for weeks on end.
 
I see you're in NM. Depending on how cold your winters are, you may be fine with the 43. I used a P38 to heat a 2400' 2 story colonial. It chugged along just fine and only came up short during a 2 day -15 degree spell last year. I have to assume NH winters are colder than NM, but maybe not.

Do you have any ceiling fans to help circulate the warm air?

Also, the prices you mentioned...are those the actual sale prices, or retail?

Yes, northern NM, near Albuquerque, at 6850 feet. But I'm sure your winters are more severe in NH!

Ceiling fans - yes. You will see them depicted on the floor plans attached above.

Those are the retail prices posted on Harman's web site and they match the prices I was quoted by our Harman dealer. ... Are other people paying less?
 
Your a lot farther south than most of us. Hard to make a judgement as to how much heat you need. I was in Albuquerque during a major storm of below zero and shopping carts were being clocked at 30mph. Go farther up and it gets even colder but usually not the stuff we see here for weeks on end.

This is our first winter at our new house, but I've lived in the area for a few years. At this elevation we can expect several snow storms and temps staying in the single digits and teens at night, rising to 20's/30's during the day. Our winter will last from now until March.
 
I would just get the p68. I just bought the p61a and my house is 1950 sq feet. Now I'm kicking myself for not getting the p68. A couple of hundred extra bucks is nothing when you're spending that kind of money. Better to have the extra heating power on reserve than having the oil burner kicking in to cover the shortfall. Just my opinion though.
 
I would just get the p68. I just bought the p61a and my house is 1950 sq feet. Now I'm kicking myself for not getting the p68. A couple of hundred extra bucks is nothing when you're spending that kind of money. Better to have the extra heating power on reserve than having the oil burner kicking in to cover the shortfall. Just my opinion though.

Thxs for the reply. I am leaning P68, but it's pricey.. Are you trying to heat all 1950 sqft? Do you have high ceilings? Open floor plan?
 
Ah, I see the ceiling fans now. Phone screen is small ;) Those will help a lot with whatever you choose. Hopefully others with a better idea of your climate will chime in. The P38/43's really crank out the heat, though. Just keep in mind, it's better to buy a stove that's oversized, than under.

My dealers prices are considerably lower than retail, but that's prob due to their sales volume.
 
Ah, I see the ceiling fans now. Phone screen is small ;) Those will help a lot with whatever you choose. Hopefully others with a better idea of your climate will chime in. The P38/43's really crank out the heat, though. Just keep in mind, it's better to buy a stove that's oversized, than under.

My dealers prices are considerably lower than retail, but that's prob due to their sales volume.

You're lucky. Lower prices would make this whole process much easier on me. ... I spoke to one of the three independent installers that the local Harman dealer recommends and he said he installs one Harman for every ten stoves he installs. So, yes, we must have low Harman volume here.
 
If you're fairly handy, you may want to try a DIY install. Prob save yourself $300-400.
 
This is my first winter with it. I do have a ceiling fan right above it. After doing some research there are two things I'm going to try. 1 is putting that ceiling fan in reverse so it pulls the hot air up and disperses the air better and the other is to put a fan on the floor at the end of the hall to blow the cooler air back to the stove. I'm told this creates a convection and brings the warmer air back down the hall to the fan along the ceiling. I'm sure you'll enjoy it either way. I haven't had mine very long but I absolutely love it. I actually hope for chilly nights now to give me a reason to turn it on. Good luck on whichever you choose.
 
$350 install, not including materials, so you're very close to the possible DIY savings. .. But, I'm gonna have to leave this one to a pro. I don't want to destroy our new house :confused:.
 
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Whats your curent heat source...and how many btu's is it?.
 
I would say go with the Harman P-68. It is a lot easier to turn the stove down then to listen to somebody asking you how come we are still cold and the stove is on high. The 350.00 extra is only 35.00 a year figuring 10 year life. The resale on a P-68 will be better then a smaller stove too.
You can easily make your own hearthpad and do the install yourself. I coached a young lady who made her own hearthpad plus did the install with the help of a couple friends. If you can read directions and have a few tools it is a straight forward simple project. It looks a little daunting until you watch someone else do it.
 
You'll be fine with the smaller stove... I heat my 2200 sq ft two story with a 40K St. Croix and I seldom run it higher than #3 out of five.

Installers are lazy and uninformed... you need an OAK.
 
Echoing others - It's hard to make a small stove bigger.

I bought too small. My Cumberland is 40k btu and should meet my needs in a well insulated 1500sqft ranch, but it doesn't. I'll see how I make out with a second stove that I'm adding soon (basement), but the likely hood of upgrading is very real.

It sounds like you have very real winters.
 
I was under the impression that the home was newer. By all means go larger. Home construction has changed a lot since yours was built.
 
I would do a 2 stove setup for that house.

The 1st stove in your location marked 1 and the second stove in the family room. 2 - P43s would work or better 2 - P61a-2 stoves which is what I went with for my 2,200 sqft home.
 
Think of it this way

How long are you going to have it?
It the heat or the $1,000 worth more?
Do you need 68,000 BTU's?
Will you have regrets with an under sized stove in January?
Do you want to put your shorts away for the winter?
 
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