Looking for advise in purchasing pellet insert

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02809bristol

New Member
Mar 9, 2014
67
Rhode Island
Hello,
First time on this forum , Great information !!
I presently have a Heat n Glo ZC fireplace (1989) . Looking to replace with a pellet insert. I like the look of Harman 52i . I have a couple of stupid questions
Q. Will I notice a big difference between the two?

Q. Other than Harman any other high quality inserts?

Q. Do Harman inserts have incentives in "off season" ?

Any other advise or help would be greatly appreciated ? I want to make sure I do all my homework
 
You can take a look at the quadrafire mt vernon or enviro m55 insert.

H&H which ownes harman and quadrafire typically does offer spring incentives. But this is certainly no guarantee.
 
Hi 02809 I'm a newbie too. Yes that junk LP Heat and Glow. Sure want to replace it. It was either Harmon or quadra fire have $100 off coupon right now. Trying to determine BTU needs. The calculator says 40k. Not cold here like back east. I have high ceilings and lots of windows. 1600 sf total but want to heat the main 1000. I want a quiet one and am hearing poor reviews for quiet with the Harmon Ascentra 52i. I sure like that insert. Love the enamel brown. Anyone have feedback on the noise please? Thanks
 
I have had the 52i for a few weeks now. The heat makes the house much more inviting without feeling like the burden of an oil bill. On the noises would say if you're running the fan above 1/2 setting on the fans, you're going to have a listening degradation. On the other side of the coin, the heat doesn't move as well to circulate without a good push. Noise schmoise.... The only surprise noise is my furnace kicking on when my kids jump in the shower etc. I love missing that sound. It's a beauty of a unit. Happy to have it.
 
Check out a Harman P35i. I have 2 of them and simply love them! My stove in the basement is sufficient to keep the entire house at 72 degrees on the days it has been around 30-35. It is a great workhorse while being slightly easier to maintain than the 52i from what I can tell as it has no separate baffles.
 
ranshe said:
Hi 02809 I'm a newbie too. Yes that junk LP Heat and Glow. Sure want to replace it. It was either Harmon or quadra fire have $100 off coupon right now. Trying to determine BTU needs. The calculator says 40k. Not cold here like back east. I have high ceilings and lots of windows. 1600 sf total but want to heat the main 1000. I want a quiet one and am hearing poor reviews for quiet with the Harmon Ascentra 52i. I sure like that insert. Love the enamel brown. Anyone have feedback on the noise please? Thanks
Click to expand...
The 52i in the sq ft of your house will not need to run over half blower I suspect. It's not all that noisy anyway but it blows some serious air on high fan with it's dual blowers. Rushing air makes some sound yes. The installer at my local dealer thinks Harman over did that high blower feature, you want to move air certainly but medium fan still moves a lot of air and the stove is rated for 2600 sq ft or so I think.

I suspect a 35i would heat your house depending on house specs of course.

Don't overlook Quadrafire, they make a nice insert too.
 
Use the search forum box in the upper right corner to find reviews on the M-55 insert by Enviro, which many people also praise here; overall, they seem very satisfied with the unit itself and with good customer service from the company. [whether your specific dealer is supportive or not is also worth trying to figure out regardless of stove you buy…again, a search on this forum re: dealers might equip you w/ some questions to ask about after-sale service and/or insight on this topic.]
 
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Yes! Looking into QuadraFire and Enviro. I will scrutinize your suggestions. We are very rural -- 2.5 hrs to any Costco, 1.5 to Home Depot. 3 local hardware stores. 2 sell Lignetics Pellets at $338/ton, another has Pacific Pellets at $249. Once we have a stove, will try each and see how it goes, I have used lignetics in a previous home with an old pellet stove. (which was terribly loud). Thinking of doing the 2.5 hr drive to a city with bigger stores and showrooms, and hit all 8 stores there to look and talk. Would buy locally but one discouraged doing anything with old ZC and wanted to add a separate LP stove below a window---not interested in that. They sell Regency, Lopi, Avalon and Hearthstone but I think would order any and install. They thought it was too expensive to remove the old heat and glow, which I want to do. Once I narrow down what we want I will contact them.
 
Stick with a Travis Industries (Avalon, Lopi) if you have to choose from that list! American made and a real stand up manufacturer to boot!
 
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I purchased a stand alone stove (Drolet Eco 65) and it resides in the basement and I have to admit that I was a little surprised at how loud it actually is. I'm sure that the more expensive inserts are quieter, but right now I'm glad I went the route I did instead of an insert.
 
Thanks for all your comments. After going to 3-4 dealers and getting 100 of opinions !!! I am leaning toward the Harman 52i . It feels like going to buy a car !!!

I do have a question regarding installing liner pipe.
I presently have a Heat N Glo EM42 ZC wood fireplace. One dealer told me I would have to remove it and purchase a Harman ZC cabinet etc.
Second dealer told me if I gut out the fireplace I can install Harman 52i inside it. Stating "you already have a ZC cabinet !"

My question I plan on using the present double wall air cooled chimney pipe as a chase.
Can I install stainless flex liner pipe directly from insert to roof cap? I was told by one person that I would need solid pipe from insert to existing pipe. which amounts to about 12" of pipe????

On the stainless liner are some better than others????

I'm sure I will have a couple more questions

Do Harman stoves ever have coupons more than $250 off sugg. retail ???
 
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Get a package deal from your dealer. Stove, install, pipe, rail kit, plus half ton pellet, I paid $4600. No sales tax here in NH...
 
02809bristol said:
I take it you live in NH? What store and what exactly did you get? Black or Brown porcelain
Click to expand...
Black.
Brookline NH, volume dealer. not sure if it is polite to mention dealer names - you can find. Another competitor is in Hooksett.
 
NHcpa said:
Black.
Brookline NH, volume dealer. not sure if it is polite to mention dealer names - you can find. Another competitor is in Hooksett.
Click to expand...
did you get your stove?
 
Not yet , busy weekend . I guess I'm not in great rush since spring is around corner. my parents are also now interested in a pellet stove/insert ! Maybe I can get a 2 for 1 sale !!
 
02809bristol said:
Just about to order the Harman 52i in Majolica Brown Porcelain . I think I got a good deal @$3600
I will be getting a liner kit in a month or two, don't plan on installing till end of summer. I will install myself
Click to expand...
$400 off is the max 20% discount - so good price. I paid about $1k for the 25' liner and install, so any savings here is all good. just one note, warranty starts the clock once you pick it up. you will love the stove. I'm in the dirty Jersey this w/end and miss the stove already!

10% off x $4k Msrp.
 
Last edited:
NHcpa said:
$400 off is the max 20% discount - so good price. I paid about $1k for the 25' liner and install, so any savings here is all good. just one note, warranty starts the clock once you pick it up. you will love the stove. I'm in the dirty Jersey this w/end and miss the stove already!
Click to expand...

1K for liner kit and install is the norm, I will save another $500 by installing myself . I forgot to get Log kit option??
 
02809bristol said:
1K for liner kit and install is the norm, I will save another $500 by installing myself . I forgot to get Log kit option??
Click to expand...
Me
02809bristol said:
1K for liner kit and install is the norm, I will save another $500 by installing myself . I forgot to get Log kit option??
Click to expand...
I was advised to not get the log kit as they have to be removed for cleaning and are prone to crack. This said, I now wonder if the kit would block some of the blow torch light given off the flame? The only other item I got was the rail stand as I have a raised hearth.
 
NHcpa said:
Me

I was advised to not get the log kit as they have to be removed for cleaning and are prone to crack. This said, I now wonder if the kit would block some of the blow torch light given off the flame? The only other item I got was the rail stand as I have a raised hearth.
Click to expand...

I believe log kit is in two parts log & bracket and you are referring to scissor type part under bottom front of unit? I believe both sell for around $100 give or take
Now looking for pre buy of pellets
 
02809bristol said:
I believe log kit is in two parts log & bracket and you are referring to scissor type part under bottom front of unit? I believe both sell for around $100 give or take
Now looking for pre buy of pellets
Click to expand...
The dealer said "it had to be removed" and didn't really sell it up and I passed on it. I got 25 Ambiance pellet delivered from the dealer and they burned very good with little ash. I scrambled to get addl pellets and ended up with some Green Supreme and Green Team Platinums. The GS was very ashy and filled the ash pan just after 4 bags. The GT burn better but has a very dense ash in the burn pot I would scrape after a bag or two. The Accentra will burn anything but there may be more work in regards to cleaning. I'm going to get a pre buy price on the Ambiance when available.
 
I caution you on the brown. The black touches up SUPER easy with stove spray paint. The brown...once that finish is damaged by anything (including the install)...kiss the perfect finish goodbye forever.
 
My Jotul Fireside I believe is black enamel. Once polished, it looks brand new. The new Harman insert is satin black and comes with a spray can for touch up... What was touched up at install to my surprise was bare metal. I don't think the Harman had any primer... Anyway, touches up easily but I am thinking touch up will be regular maintenance with this unit.

Also too a follow up with the GS pellet.... True it is ashy as I experienced but at the time, I had the auger set at 2, which I now believe encouraged excess ash in the burn pot. I now keep the auger setting no less than 3 and the ash in the burn pot is a bit more acceptable. the ash pan however is still filling rather soon as u previously noted. The ambiance pellet early buy is quoted from my dealer at $259 per ton and $264 in June? up about $5 and $10 per ton plus delivery.
 
02809bristol said:
1K for liner kit and install is the norm, I will save another $500 by installing myself . I forgot to get Log kit option??
Click to expand...
SKIP THE LOGS!!!! Waste of money. Everyone will tell you that you'll put them in for the summer to look pretty but after your first cleaning, you'll put them back in the box. Total waste of money!
 
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