need help finding pellet insert,too many brands

Hey Brew, welcome to the site. There are other manufacturers of inserts. Travis Industries makes some nice ones too:

www.avalonfirestyles.com/product_guide/pellet_inserts.aspx

brewmeister said:

Im new to pellet stoves ,Ive seen us stove company with a multi fuel insert,are these good stoves,how about englander or pelpro I only here about harmans,please help

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Not sure if I qualify for advice since I haven't fired them yet, but I have a Quadrafire Castile and Sante Fe inserts. They seem very well made, easy to clean, and relatively simple in construction and operation. The Sante Fe was also quite reasonable at $1599 on sale (without installation and piping). The Castile is pricier but prettier (to please the 'boss').... :zip:

harman accentra insert. do it. nothing better.

brewmeister said:

hey whats up,Im just worried in buying a piece of junk that im stuck with theres so many brands.

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Well, between this site and www.iburncorn.com, you should be able to find so much info on all the brands that it will totally confuse you. That's what I did, so if my stoves turn out to be no good, I can blame all these guys! Not sure my wife will support me on that though.....................

I do not have a pellet insert, I have a wood burning insert, but my first piece of advice is to measure your fireplace. If you have a small fireplace, as I do, it cuts down the choices considerably!

summit said:

harman accentra insert. do it. nothing better.

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I could not agree more Set the desired temp. and just walk away, until it needs pellets...

I have a Quad Mt Vernon Insert and it is great. I also really liked the Harman Accentra insert but felt more comfortable with the guys who sold me the Quad...that should be a factor in your decision, too.

THE ROOSTER said:

summit said:

harman accentra insert. do it. nothing better.

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I could not agree more Set the desired temp. and just walk away, until it needs pellets...

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As long as it fits in your fireplace....

fredarm said:

THE ROOSTER said:

summit said:

harman accentra insert. do it. nothing better.

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I could not agree more Set the desired temp. and just walk away, until it needs pellets...

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As long as it fits in your fireplace....

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I own a P61A Harman (not an insert). Love the thing But, someone mentioned about feeling better about the shop. I totally agree. Here's why.... Harman you can not contact direct (well you can but you won't get answers), you have to deal with the dealer. Make sure they have a great service departement and they meet the mark of a quality shop. If something goes wrong with a Harman, and the shop has poor service, it will be a long time till you get that stove running again. You can't go wrong with a Harman or a Quad-fire. Both are very nice stoves.

I have a Rumford Fireplace. Very big opening and verry shallow and narrow across the back. The Harman Accentra Insert fit fine and we love it. Can't go wrong if it will fit. Just measure opening and depth and width across bac, call a dealer and go from there.

I have a Quad Mount Vernon AE insert and considered the other Quad smaller inserts along with the Harmon Accentra insert. I've been very please with my Mount Vernon. Lase year it was extremely cold in the Northeast, and the Mount Vernon provided a lot of heat for our 1500 Sq foot first floor. I believe the other Quads would have struggled based on the lower BTU. My friend as the Accentra insert, and he wishes he had the progrommable thermostat the Quad has so their home would be heated when they get up in the AM, as well as when returning home from work. Both are great stoves, but the Mount Vernon AE has a lot of nice features others don't have if you're looking for a high end stove.

brewmeister said:

Im new to pellet stoves ,Ive seen us stove company with a multi fuel insert,are these good stoves,how about englander or pelpro I only here about harmans,please help

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i can tell you whatever you wish to know about englander , i build them. any and all of the brands posted by our members are great units as well. this is ours http://www.englanderstoves.com/25-ep_i.html

note our inserts are "pellet only" not multifuel rated

double post , please delete

stoveguy2esw said:

......this is ours http://www.englanderstoves.com/25-ep_i.html

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Mike, that 25-ep is a nice looking stove....adding the side glass really "updates" the looks too. Any major "mechanical" changes/improvements?

brewmeister said:

stoveguy2esw said:

brewmeister said:

Im new to pellet stoves ,Ive seen us stove company with a multi fuel insert,are these good stoves,how about englander or pelpro I only here about harmans,please help

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i can tell you whatever you wish to know about englander , i build them. any and all of the brands posted by our members are great units as well. this is ours http://www.englanderstoves.com/25-ep_i.html

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how quiet is the englander is it a noisy unit and how hard is it to clean and remove for thourogh cleaning,how is the service dept for questions and parts,i herd harmen is terrible for parts and problems,my local dealer canceled bus.with harmen

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its pretty simple to clean , the ash drawer is actually the bottom of the burn area , no levers to pull or plates to remove , just slide it out ash and all heat exchanger access is fairly simple , the stove has a pull rod that wipes ash off the tubes , and the baffle is an easy lift out. all in all its one of the easiest to clean out stoves ive seen us build. as for the service department , your talking to it, i run it. if you run into a problem call us we will help diagnose it and get any pars if necessary shipped out that day (unless its like after UPS picks up in the evening so they would ship the following day) we do not offer "in home" service as we sell through the "DIY" market but i have a great staff , the stove is among the simplest to maintain and operate on the market and our "service" doesnt end when the warranty runs out , 10 years from now you could still call us and we will work with you just like you bought the stove yesterday. as for noise , its not going to be literally silent , no pellet stove is , but usually you can hear the pellets fall into the pot over the blowers unless running wide open even then its not what i'd call loud. most pellet stoves are similar in noise output , at least the ones ive seen.

macman said:

stoveguy2esw said:

......this is ours http://www.englanderstoves.com/25-ep_i.html

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Mike, that 25-ep is a nice looking stove....adding the side glass really "updates" the looks too. Any major "mechanical" changes/improvements?

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we have changed the setup for the t-stat to allow dual function in this unkit and the new PAH operators now will have the option of "high/low" or "on/off" stat functions. (this will not retro into older models however im afraid) hey , its a sharp looking stove , burns great, size wise its between the pdv and the pdvc but heats 2K sq ft i like the stove, but im thinking about putting in a PAH this fall instead 9wife likes the big (she wont have to fill it) hopper 8-/ she looked im busted lol

summit said:

harman accentra insert. do it. nothing better.

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Have to second that one...
Just wish Harmen was more customer friendly...
It is a pellet stove after alll...not a top secret defense project.

Daves said:

I have a Quad Mount Vernon AE insert and considered the other Quad smaller inserts along with the Harmon Accentra insert. I've been very please with my Mount Vernon. Lase year it was extremely cold in the Northeast, and the Mount Vernon provided a lot of heat for our 1500 Sq foot first floor. I believe the other Quads would have struggled based on the lower BTU. My friend as the Accentra insert, and he wishes he had the progrommable thermostat the Quad has so their home would be heated when they get up in the AM, as well as when returning home from work. Both are great stoves, but the Mount Vernon AE has a lot of nice features others don't have if you're looking for a high end stove.

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Ditto on what Daves writes.

Don't forget about the Enviro stoves.
I've had an Enviro Meridian insert for 6 years and have no troubles at all.

http://www.enviro.com/fireplace-products/pellet/fireplace-insert.html#Meridian

I've got a Harmon Accentra insert and couldn't be happier with it. I haven't owned any others so I can't compare, but can tell you that aside from the usual upkeep I haven't had to do a thing to it other than set the thermostat and keep it fed with pellets.

One thing to consider is how big is your house. How well is it insulated. How far north or how cold does it get where you live. Those are some of the things you need to consider. A pellet stove that is rated for 1500 sq ft may struggle in your home even though your home may be 1500 sq ft.

I have the QuadraFire Mt. Vernon AE insert and it is one fine pellet insert. All the blowers operate on 12 volts, so if would lose power and you had the battery cable adapter which they sell, you could run your unit with the battery power. It puts out a lot of heat, is programmable, is very well built and the list goes on. They did have problems when they first came out, but it is a much better unit now. Quadrafire even came out with a flush mount pellet insert which I don't think anyone else has something like that, so worth checking out. Best of luck picking one out.

CajunInMs said:

......They did have problems when they first came out, but it is a much better unit now......

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No offense, but could it have been due to the fact that Quads are made in CHINA? Buy an American made stove....Harman, Travis Industries, Englander, or Breckwell....