Harmen P43 or P68

2600 sq ft is a real stretch for the P43. That`s 200 sq ft more than mine and I can`t do it with my P38 (basically same stove) when it gets 20 degrees or lower unless I run it full blast and 2+ bags a day. You don`t want to have to run it wide open all the time.
Step up to something bigger but have a plan to get the excess heat out of the room it`s in especially if you put the stove in lowest level..

Your a far piece father North (Canada, where?) than I am and when it stays cold for extended time you will run the guts out of the stove unless you supplement with propain or maybe another nice pellet stove. I have a PC45 and its great till you stay below zero F for a period of time which this season has been over 40 days and Duluth broke record of 50 days and still predicting at least another week coming. The extra $$$ will be easily offset if you have to run the dino burner for 50 days. Crude oil is over $102 now and propain likely to have same issues if still piping Bakken oil south.

AZ23 said:

Hi, we have a split entry style home approx 2600 square feet. It's your typical layout, you walk in, either go up or down and the family room is downstairs on the left it's got an opening in the wall, so heat will flow up to the entry area and to the living room which is off to the right when you go upstairs. It's pretty open with only railings, No walls etc.

I have had a p43 quoted and they say it is a good size for my home. I realize that there is no way to know how much heat will move and every home is different but do you think based on my house style that the p43 is all I need. I don't know how much more money the p68 is, but i am wondering if it is worth it or will it be too much for the space. The family room is 23 x 12-

any advice would be good.

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I think your layout may be difficult to get all areas heated. It could be that the installers are thinking that this heat will greatly help supplement the central heat. And if that's the case then the P43 makes sense.

In a more open floor plan a P61 would do up your space nicely. But a hot P61 may have the ability but not if the heat is making lots of bends and back hall entrances to other rooms. Just saying if, not that this actually is the case.

Also, supplementing can go a real long ways to taking the curse off the annual heating bill. I get a little apprehensive when people say split houses that the heat can really make it everywhere. Especially when I don't know the full layout and the house is good sized.

Well, since you live in the tropical climes of Nova Scotia...I'd say the P68 is the way to go. I would never suggest that the 43 could heat 2600 sq ft around my area, and you're northish of me by a few miles.

A 61 would do ok and probably heat the downstairs and your kitchen, dining, and living room.

Hoot23 said:

A 61 would do ok and probably heat the downstairs and your kitchen, dining, and living room.

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Hey Hoot23, how are you making out with those LG pellets ?

go big or go Home...cold thats being said all I needed was a XXV

DOLLARBILL said:

go big or go Home...cold thats being said all I needed was a XXV

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XXV is a nice looking stove and quiet too !! 50,000 BTU, it would have worked in my house but I wanted a touch of that radiant heat and the P61 is giving me that. But ya, the XXV is a beauty. The other day they had one cranked up at the shop and it was putting out some great heat !

alternativeheat said:

Hey Hoot23, how are you making out with those LG pellets ?

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They burned great. I burned them when I first got my stove but I couldn't compare them because they were the first. A little more ashy than the Cretes, but they held up the minus temps just fine.

Hoot23 said:

They burned great. I burned them when I first got my stove but I couldn't compare them because they were the first. A little more ashy than the Cretes, but they held up the minus temps just fine.

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Yes, I have both Cretes and LG now , as well as Energex hardwood. I like all of those pellets in my P61. I'm taking a liking to the hardwood pellets in the P61, late to the game on those but the P61 handles them very well.

Anyway, not to take away from the OP's subject here but was curious what you thought ultimately. Could have PM-ed you I suppose.

I think a 61 or 68 will do the OP just fine. The back bedrooms might need a little help with sub-zero temps.

Is Harmen Plural for Harman??

AZ23 said:

You don't Think the 61 would make the room way too warm and unbearable

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I think the heat will disperse nicely up the stairs. I'm heating a 2000 sq ft colonial with my stove in the living room, corner install pointing towards the stairs. Stove is set at 72. The downstairs stays at 72-73 and upstairs is 70-71.

The heat should rise up and push the cold air back to the stove.

Hoot23 said:

I think the heat will disperse nicely up the stairs. I'm heating a 2000 sq ft colonial with my stove in the living room, corner install pointing towards the stairs. Stove is set at 72. The downstairs stays at 72-73 and upstairs is 70-71.

The heat should rise up and push the cold air back to the stove.

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Yes, this is true. I know that my upstairs is quite comfy. I haven't mentioned this because my situation is flipped a bit from his, in that my downstairs is the larger space and where the outer corners need the help. It's not that there isn't enough heat, there is more than enough in the P61, it's getting it where you need it. But upstairs is not a concern for me either. One stairway that is about 20-22 ft away from the stove. The heat must go through a doorway and up the stairs, it's fine up there with no assist. In fact I have a fan trying to direct heat out to the kitchen before the stairway, it's still fine up there..

AZ23 said:

Hi, we have a split entry style home approx 2600 square feet. It's your typical layout, you walk in, either go up or down and the family room is downstairs on the left it's got an opening in the wall, so heat will flow up to the entry area and to the living room which is off to the right when you go upstairs. It's pretty open with only railings, No walls etc.

I have had a p43 quoted and they say it is a good size for my home. I realize that there is no way to know how much heat will move and every home is different but do you think based on my house style that the p43 is all I need. I don't know how much more money the p68 is, but i am wondering if it is worth it or will it be too much for the space. The family room is 23 x 12-

any advice would be good.

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I think actual installers looking at your home will have a better sense of what is or isn't big enough. Personally, based upon the info given, I think the P43 is plenty. As usual, the problem is usually not heat production but moving the heat to where you want it.

No two heating situations are the same, but I have a large house, with an open lofted great room 26 ft high. If I were to calculate the equivalent amount of volume that needs to be heated, it's about 3000sq ft with 10' ceilings. I've also got a wall of 5'x5' windows. I can heat it fine with a 47k btu rated stove, but I have 4 ceiling fans to help move the heat around.

Go with the 68 and just turn down the thermostat if it gets too hot and don't look back!

The Grintch said:

Go with the 68 and just turn down the thermostat if it gets too hot and don't look back!

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I agree go with the 68 you dont want to regret not having enough POWER

I had a 40K BTU Quad 1200 and it didn't get the job done, switched to a 60K BTU P61A and it was night and day. My suggestion would be to rule out the P43 and go with the P61A at a minimum; a Harman stove can modulate down so it won't cook you out of the house, and P61 or preferably P68 will have the horsepower when it is needed. These stoves are very well built: simple, rugged and their bottom feed design can easily handle poor-quality pellets or corn. they aren't necessarily the best-looking stoves, but I wanted it to heat the house, not win a beauty contest.

AZ23 said:

Right, so either the p43 sometimes cranking it up high to move the heat or the p68 and always having it low? That's the q

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I would buy the P61 ( 61,000 btu) personally or a 50,000 btu unit. I know the installers say the P43 ( 43.000 btu) will do your sq ft but they aren't living with it if it doesn't. You will be. You don't want to be cold on some -20 deg night. That's a lot of cold sinking into your house over a few days time that needs to be driven out. If you are well insulated that's all the better.

AZ23 said:

Right, so either the p43 sometimes cranking it up high to move the heat or the p68 and always having it low? That's the q

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The P61a is in between. It offers nearly 20,000 btu of insurance over the P43. In Sep,Oct,Nov,March and April the P43 all the way. Dec, Jan,Feb you don't want to come up short on BTu. But in that shoulder season of fall and spring you probably will be wondering why you needed a P68. Here on Cape Cod last night was mid 30's, yesterday in the 40's, the P61 just dialed back. In that bitter cold I know it never ramped up to full power cause I didn't have the feed set over 4.25. My house a kind of loose 1800 sq ft.