Harman P68 or Vistaflame VF170 (decisions, decisions)

I have the vistaflame 170 and the pipe is 4 inches not 3 they changed it a few years ago,and i am on my third year,heating a 1800 square two story 1870's farm house and we love it. puts out tons of heat most of the time on settings 2 or 3. i hope this helps. By the way the furnace has not been on in the three years , i love these pellet stoves

I am contemplating the same thing. Which big stove to install come springtime. P61, P68, VF170, ECO-65, Euromax, or Hydroflex 60.

My 48K btu US Stove is topped out in our new house heating both floors of a raised ranch. I have to say it has held up better than I thought with no Dino juice yet. We'll see later this week with the single digits forecasted.

Just starting the serious research. Good luck with your decision!!

I have the Enviro Maxx. Great stove easy to clean puts out loads of heat, uses 4 inch pipe. I would buy again. Heats raised ranch with no issues. Can use off the shelf parts. Cost $3000 out the door

There's some used Harmans on Craig's list. A 61 and a 68. Both refurbished.

Found it. Don't know if it's still available.

Harman p68 pellet stove With trim package - $2900 (Hampton falls NH)

That's good to know about Hampton Falls. My father-in-law is looking for a stove and we were gonna take a ride down there.

waywardzombie said:

What sort of difference does the higher cfm fan make in the real world, besides being louder? Just push the hot air further?

Click to expand...

Faster whole house turn over and a couple of those stoves have the ability to use duct work to put the heat where you want it. ( useful to me as the stove will be in the lower level )

Hoot23 said:

Found it. Don't know if it's still available.

Harman p68 pellet stove With trim package - $2900 (Hampton falls NH)

Click to expand...

I'm surprised the seller actually believes this to be a good deal. Like the OP stated, for just slightly more money, you can purchase a brand new P68 with a full warranty. I would certainly consider purchasing a used Harman, but like everything else, the price MUST be right. Wayward...I can't comment on the VF170 you're asking about, because I don't know much about Vistaflame. I installed a P68 in October of this year, and couldn't be more pleased. As you know, we've already had some VERY cold days and nights in New England this Winter, and the P68 has had zero issue keeping up. I'm heating a home that is about 3200 square feet, and my furnace hasn't even been turned on (I shut it off when I moved into the house in August) yet this Winter, and I suspect that it won't be. As an FYI, I see that you're in NH. I purchased my P68 from Hearth Designs in Hooksett, NH and couldn't recommend them more. I dealt with John Labbe, who is the owner of the shop. Very nice guy who even came out to my house, before the sale, to decide what the optimal placement would be, given my floor plan. Good luck with your decision.

Not sure about the VF170 but the P68 will hold its value for years to come.
I also bought my P43 in Hooksett at hearth design and was going with the P61. I drew a floor layout of my 1800 sq. ft. Colonial home and he actually talked me into the less expensive P43 stove. And he was right It heats the whole place

waywardzombie said:

Unfortunately they're a ways away from me and there are some dealers closer, but I'll check them out. It's definitely been quite cold. What's your install like? I assume you've got a 2 (or 3) story house, how are you getting the heat to the upper floors? About what did it cost you?

Click to expand...

I live in a two story house (built 2005). The floor plan is fairly open, so the heat circulates well. My install was pretty straight-forward. The stove is sitting on a hearth pad in the corner of my family room, and the stove is vented directly from the back of the stove through the wall (not up high...right down on the stove...probably only about 3 feet of pipe) outside with an OAK. I really didn't want to see any pipe, so a nice, clean installation was a priority for me. The only way that I can see any pipe is if I actually go through the trouble of looking in back of my stove. I paid just under $5K for the P68, with the nickel trim kit, decorative tile, hearth pad, and the installation. I have the Harman OAK thimble, which I'm told is quite pricy. I believe for just that one part, it was several hundred dollars. Overall, I'm very pleased with the purchase. My Harman Accentra insert costs me almost as much money three years ago, and the P68 is a SIGNIFICANTLY more capable stove!

As for the temperatures, because my family room (where the stove is) is open to the staircase going to the second floor, the second level usually stays about 2 degrees warmer than the main floor. I do have 20 foot ceilings in the family room, so I keep my ceiling fan (I don't reverse the blades) on to force all that rising heat back down into the room and the first floor. Right now, it's 15 degrees outside. My first floor is 71 degrees and my second floor is 73 degrees. My son's room, which is down the hall...and around the corner on the second floor (furthest point from the stove) is always the coldest room in the house, and that room is 68 degrees right now. I currently have the stove set to "stove temp" mode and level 4 with a feed rate of about 3.5. Hope that helps.

John