Harman Absolute 43 review

lostdrum · Nov 8, 2015

I have a cabin in the Sierra at 7500' and got a Harman Absolute43 installed to replace an old wood burning stove.
So far so good, the pellet stove work great, heats up the house in a hurry. The new display is convenient and offers a great deal of settings and information. The new burning pot fence works well, make beautiful flames and still allows the ashes to fall down.
This is a great stove, but in some ways I still prefer the Accentra that I have in my home because it is quieter.

Here is a list of features that could be improved upon on the Absolute:
- Wifi connectivity, the HW for that costs $15, they could have added that to remote debug an issue, do firmware updates and allow remote control of the stove (like heat up the cabin before you get there).
- Room fan, the minimum setting is off, this is great and very silent, but then the setting above is 10% and that's pretty strong already, making the stove too noisy.
- Burn rate, the minimum burn rate is 1 and is much higher than the Accentra 1, the stove heats up too much.
- Empty notification: The LED that lights up the pellets (great!) blinks when we need to add more fuel, but the level is wrong, the tank is half full, and there is no indication on the display.

All in all, this is still a great stove and I'm happy with it, I just wish they would fix some of the issues on the next firmware update.

Cheers!

rcook430 · Nov 8, 2015

I was just thinking the other day, I wish someone would write about the absolute 43. I haven't seen anything on these stoves. Thanks for the write up.

cooler · Nov 14, 2015

I just posted some notes about my Absolute43, figured I'd copy them here as well. RCook, if you are still online how has your stove worked out after a year and a half?

I did buy the absolute43. It is a very nice stove and I'm pretty happy with it. It does have a few glitches. The room sensor is useless. It is attached to the stove and goes over 90 degs quickly in a 70 deg space. They are supposed to be coming out with a wireless room sensor which would solve the problem. I run the stove on the other stove temp option.

The lowest temp setting is a little higher than I think it was on the Accentra I used to have, either that or this thing just makes heat better. It does well at that. On this stove I discovered you can get a lower heat output and quieter operation by actually turning the fan off through the menu and having it operate on convection only.

One reason I'm glad I stayed with Harmon is the Harmon feed from below. That just works so well I wouldn't want to change.

Anyway, by adding the wireless sensor it should be a very good stove. I've had it a month or so and am very happy so far.

JBC527 · Dec 16, 2015

Swapped my Accentra for the Absolute 43 about 2 months ago. Worst move I have ever made. To say the room sensor is useless is an understatement. Readout on stove says it is 76 degrees in the house, the thermostat for the furnace, which is 15 feet away, says it is 66. Stove is installed kitty corner in living room as was the Accentra, which heated the house beautifully. With the Absolute, that corner gets hotter than hell, but the rest of the house is cold. Other drawbacks-- The glass gets black within a day of cleaning where the Accentra stayed clean for quite awhile (yes, we're burning the same brand pellets) & the hopper isn't pitched steeply enough on the sides. The stove will go out as the bottom of the hopper is empty, but there are still 4 or 5 pounds of pellets on the sides that don't slide down to be burned. The Accentra is a better looking stove (you can get the expensive acrylic paint on the Absolute, but once it gets chipped there is no repairing it). I switched because I liked the increased BTU's on the Absolute and the ability to set timer to turn stove down during the day when the house is unoccupied. I like Harman, loved my Accentra, but I'd have to rate the Absolute 43 as a small step above junk (expensive junk, that is...).

cooler · Dec 16, 2015

I noticed same problem with room sensor. Until the wireless one comes out it is no good as it is. Dealer said there should be coiled up wire inside and you can move the senor away from stove. Haven't tried it yet. I like the stove in general however. Might need to add some Teflon to sides of hopper though???

rcook430 · Dec 16, 2015

cooler said:
I just posted some notes about my Absolute43, figured I'd copy them here as well. RCook, if you are still online how has your stove worked out after a year and a half?

I did buy the absolute43. It is a very nice stove and I'm pretty happy with it. It does have a few glitches. The room sensor is useless. It is attached to the stove and goes over 90 degs quickly in a 70 deg space. They are supposed to be coming out with a wireless room sensor which would solve the problem. I run the stove on the other stove temp option.

The lowest temp setting is a little higher than I think it was on the Accentra I used to have, either that or this thing just makes heat better. It does well at that. On this stove I discovered you can get a lower heat output and quieter operation by actually turning the fan off through the menu and having it operate on convection only.

One reason I'm glad I stayed with Harmon is the Harmon feed from below. That just works so well I wouldn't want to change.

Anyway, by adding the wireless sensor it should be a very good stove. I've had it a month or so and am very happy so far.

I love my P43. It is set it and let it run and in a few weeks empty ashes and small cleaning and your good to go. But, a wirelees probe would be priceless as the way my stove and house is set up I only run mine in stove temp mode. A wireless probe would allow me to use room temp mode.

jackman · Dec 16, 2015

JBC527 said:
Swapped my Accentra for the Absolute 43 about 2 months ago. Worst move I have ever made. To say the room sensor is useless is an understatement. Readout on stove says it is 76 degrees in the house, the thermostat for the furnace, which is 15 feet away, says it is 66. Stove is installed kitty corner in living room as was the Accentra, which heated the house beautifully. With the Absolute, that corner gets hotter than hell, but the rest of the house is cold. Other drawbacks-- The glass gets black within a day of cleaning where the Accentra stayed clean for quite awhile (yes, we're burning the same brand pellets) & the hopper isn't pitched steeply enough on the sides. The stove will go out as the bottom of the hopper is empty, but there are still 4 or 5 pounds of pellets on the sides that don't slide down to be burned. The Accentra is a better looking stove (you can get the expensive acrylic paint on the Absolute, but once it gets chipped there is no repairing it). I switched because I liked the increased BTU's on the Absolute and the ability to set timer to turn stove down during the day when the house is unoccupied. I like Harman, loved my Accentra, but I'd have to rate the Absolute 43 as a small step above junk (expensive junk, that is...).

Thank you for the review. It convinced me to stay happy with my Accentra.

Tonyray · Dec 16, 2015

jackman said:
Thank you for the review. It convinced me to stay happy with my Accentra.

same here.. doesn't sound like I would be thrilled 100% with the 43... but, then again I'm used to a huge Ashpan and the heat beast that I use.

cooler · Dec 16, 2015

rcook, I haven't gotten to it yet but it might be worth trying to move the sensor away from the stove. I have to see if there really is wire coiled up inside

Harman Lover 007 · Dec 17, 2015

rcook430 said:
I love my P43. It is set it and let it run and in a few weeks empty ashes and small cleaning and your good to go. But, a wirelees probe would be priceless as the way my stove and house is set up I only run mine in stove temp mode. A wireless probe would allow me to use room temp mode.

These guys are swapping stories on the Absolute 43...different stove than the P43

alternativeheat · Dec 17, 2015

cooler said:
rcook, I haven't gotten to it yet but it might be worth trying to move the sensor away from the stove. I have to see if there really is wire coiled up inside

You can add on to a room probes wires and move the thing 50 ft away if you want to. Common thermostat wire will due unless they did something fancy in the Absolute that I don't know about. But for those trying to run in room mode with no room fan running and the probe is near the stove, then of course it's shutting down early and reading high, because it's hot near the stove .

Heatsource · Dec 17, 2015

we've been heating the whole showroom with our Absolute 43, run about 40 bags thru it and still haven't had to clean the glass.
everyone here loves it
great output and a great display model

alternativeheat · Dec 17, 2015

That Absolute is a beauty to look at though ! If I was looking for a stove that size it would be on my list. However , if I owned an Accentra or a P43 I can't imagine any reason why I would trade it in for the Absolute . I don't like it that much LOL.

Tonyray · Dec 17, 2015

alternativeheat said:
That Absolute is a beauty to look at though ! If I was looking for a stove that size it would be on my list. However , if I owned an Accentra or a P43 I can't imagine any reason why I would trade it in for the Absolute . I don't like it that much LOL.

you would trade it in for the bells/whistles of the Absolute which would not be a practical reason since the Only end result is to do what yours already does.
provide heat.

JBC527 · Dec 29, 2015

JBC527 said:
Swapped my Accentra for the Absolute 43 about 2 months ago. Worst move I have ever made. To say the room sensor is useless is an understatement. Readout on stove says it is 76 degrees in the house, the thermostat for the furnace, which is 15 feet away, says it is 66. Stove is installed kitty corner in living room as was the Accentra, which heated the house beautifully. With the Absolute, that corner gets hotter than hell, but the rest of the house is cold. Other drawbacks-- The glass gets black within a day of cleaning where the Accentra stayed clean for quite awhile (yes, we're burning the same brand pellets) & the hopper isn't pitched steeply enough on the sides. The stove will go out as the bottom of the hopper is empty, but there are still 4 or 5 pounds of pellets on the sides that don't slide down to be burned. The Accentra is a better looking stove (you can get the expensive acrylic paint on the Absolute, but once it gets chipped there is no repairing it). I switched because I liked the increased BTU's on the Absolute and the ability to set timer to turn stove down during the day when the house is unoccupied. I like Harman, loved my Accentra, but I'd have to rate the Absolute 43 as a small step above junk (expensive junk, that is...).

As a follow up to this, dealer came and replaced control panel the day after I posted my intitial review. After he was done I set the thermostat to 74 and went back to work. Arrived home to find it 66 in the house. I have been in contact with Harman to voice my displeasure and find out when (or if) a remote sensor will be available. So far all I have gotten (and its been 2 weeks) is them telling me how deeply they value their customers and somebody will be in touch. Stove was advertised as having a self regulating, automatic thermostat. It does not. I have a $4500 stove with a fancy digital touch that I have to run manually, on stove temp. I am going to give Harman until the new year to reply (that will make 3 weeks) and then I am going to start pursuing other avenues (better business bureau, small claims court, etc). I had my Accentra for 7 years and they never heard a peep out of me. All I want is a stove that does what they advertise.

fmsm · Jan 19, 2016

Update?

JBC527 · Jan 19, 2016

JBC527 said:
As a follow up to this, dealer came and replaced control panel the day after I posted my intitial review. After he was done I set the thermostat to 74 and went back to work. Arrived home to find it 66 in the house. I have been in contact with Harman to voice my displeasure and find out when (or if) a remote sensor will be available. So far all I have gotten (and its been 2 weeks) is them telling me how deeply they value their customers and somebody will be in touch. Stove was advertised as having a self regulating, automatic thermostat. It does not. I have a $4500 stove with a fancy digital touch that I have to run manually, on stove temp. I am going to give Harman until the new year to reply (that will make 3 weeks) and then I am going to start pursuing other avenues (better business bureau, small claims court, etc). I had my Accentra for 7 years and they never heard a peep out of me. All I want is a stove that does what they advertise.[/QU

JBC527 said:
As a follow up to this, dealer came and replaced control panel the day after I posted my intitial review. After he was done I set the thermostat to 74 and went back to work. Arrived home to find it 66 in the house. I have been in contact with Harman to voice my displeasure and find out when (or if) a remote sensor will be available. So far all I have gotten (and its been 2 weeks) is them telling me how deeply they value their customers and somebody will be in touch. Stove was advertised as having a self regulating, automatic thermostat. It does not. I have a $4500 stove with a fancy digital touch that I have to run manually, on stove temp. I am going to give Harman until the new year to reply (that will make 3 weeks) and then I am going to start pursuing other avenues (better business bureau, small claims court, etc). I had my Accentra for 7 years and they never heard a peep out of me. All I want is a stove that does what they advertise.

a

JBC527 said:
As a follow up to this, dealer came and replaced control panel the day after I posted my intitial review. After he was done I set the thermostat to 74 and went back to work. Arrived home to find it 66 in the house. I have been in contact with Harman to voice my displeasure and find out when (or if) a remote sensor will be available. So far all I have gotten (and its been 2 weeks) is them telling me how deeply they value their customers and somebody will be in touch. Stove was advertised as having a self regulating, automatic thermostat. It does not. I have a $4500 stove with a fancy digital touch that I have to run manually, on stove temp. I am going to give Harman until the new year to reply (that will make 3 weeks) and then I am going to start pursuing other avenues (better business bureau, small claims court, etc). I had my Accentra for 7 years and they never heard a peep out of me. All I want is a stove that does what they advertise.

Finally got in touch with an engineer from Harman. I couldn't have been happier with the amount of time he spent trying to address my issues with this stove. He never said as much, but I got the idea that he was of the opinion that the company should not have rolled the stove out before the wireless sensor was also ready to go. It's a bad look for a good company. Anyways, he sent me a prototype of the wireless sensor. 2 minute firmware update later, problem solved. Had to go through 2 months of either being cold or running the furnace to get here, though. Again, whatever bigwig forced the release of the stove before the sensor was ready made a really, really bad call.

fmsm · Jan 20, 2016

Thanks for the update. Can you share the capabilities of the wireless sensor? Can you connect to it remotely?

Don2222 · Jan 21, 2016

fmsm said:
Thanks for the update. Can you share the capabilities of the wireless sensor? Can you connect to it remotely?

X2

Also, can you put a Wi-Fi T-Stat on the wireless room probe like the wired probe to turn the stove off and on with a Smartphone?

JBC527 · Jan 22, 2016

fmsm said:
Thanks for the update. Can you share the capabilities of the wireless sensor? Can you connect to it remotely?

Wireless t-stat is a rather simple device, perhaps the one they sent me is just a really crude prototype to get me off their backs. Wireless is good up 30 feet, thermostat itself is very accurate (at least according to my main T-stat). Other than that, I have found no added features such as remote connectivity, nor are any mentioned in the instructions sent by Harman. The firmware update that needs to be done before the remote sensor can be used (they sent it on a thumb drive with the sensor) has some cool features such as a more accurate fuel supply gauge & available temperature history (I'm sure there are others that I have not discovered yet). So far so good.

fmsm · Jan 22, 2016

JBC527 said:
Wireless t-stat is a rather simple device, perhaps the one they sent me is just a really crude prototype to get me off their backs. Wireless is good up 30 feet, thermostat itself is very accurate (at least according to my main T-stat). Other than that, I have found no added features such as remote connectivity, nor are any mentioned in the instructions sent by Harman. The firmware update that needs to be done before the remote sensor can be used (they sent it on a thumb drive with the sensor) has some cool features such as a more accurate fuel supply gauge & available temperature history (I'm sure there are others that I have not discovered yet). So far so good.

Thank you!

richfow · Jan 26, 2016

My Absolute 43 is supposed to have a 52 lb hopper. Whether I refill it when it is empty or refilled when it is half empty, the display always notes 40 lb. when reset. Anyone notice this issue?

fmsm · Jan 26, 2016

richfow said:
My Absolute 43 is supposed to have a 52 lb hopper. Whether I refill it when it is empty or refilled when it is half empty, the display always notes 40 lb. when reset. Anyone notice this issue?

Same with mine but it does hold 52lbs

richfow · Jan 27, 2016

Minister of Fire moniker. What's up with that?

richfow · Jan 30, 2016

Heatsource said:
we've been heating the whole showroom with our Absolute 43, run about 40 bags thru it and still haven't had to clean the glass.
everyone here loves it
great output and a great display model

I had read somewhere that if you burn this model unit on high all the time, this reduces the chance of glass fogging. Do you use the unit temp or room temp and do you use the unit on auto or manual? Also, what feed rate are you using? Have you seen any recent info from Harman on the wireless T-stat this unit is supposed to support. JBC527 has noted his T-stat issues with his purchase of the Absolute 43.

Harman Absolute 43 review

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