Harman XXV Questions

John62 said:

I am a fairly new XXV user (second season), An I have a couple of questions for the pro's here on the forum.
1. What brand of pellets have you found to burn best in THIS stove? So far I have burned NEWP and Ligentics.
The Ligs produce more heat. I have read that different stoves like different pellets.
2. My flame always starts from the left hand side of the burn pot and moves right. Is this normal?

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1. I dont have a "favorite" brand...maximize the BTU's/lb, minimize ash, and you should be good.

2. I dont think this is anything to worry about.

I also have the XXV. What is considered "the best pellet for this stove" will be different depending on criteria.
Cost, availability, BTU output, ash, fines, and clinkers all play a role, but each end user may have a different opinion on what criteria is most important for their heating needs.

For me, I'm finding that the "super premium" softwoods are readily available, comparable in cost, burn super hot and have low fines and ash content. Depending on location, other users have commented that Barefoot and Hamer are just as good or better in the hardwood variety, but neither pellet is stocked local to me.

Your best bet is to see what is reasonably local to you, and test burn the brands that have high marks on the forum. Only you can decide what the best pellet is for your heating conditions.

John62 said:

1. What brand of pellets have you found to burn best in THIS stove? So far I have burned NEWP and Ligentics.
The Ligs produce more heat. I have read that different stoves like different pellets.
2. My flame always starts from the left hand side of the burn pot and moves right. Is this normal?

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Burn whatever brand gives the most heat and is in your budget.

As for the flame, is the ignitor also on the left side of the burn pot? If so, that would account for the left to right flame pattern. My Englander is the same way. No big deal anyway.

John62 said:

Thanks for the prompt replies. I will try a few bags of the higher rated pellets. Haven't tried any softwood yet but plan to do so soon. One last question. Do you run your in room temp or in stove mode? I have been using room temp as the manual says that's what most people use.

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yup- Im in room temp as well

Another room temp user here....

1. My XXV is not picky at all about what pellets I have put though it. I am the picky one ;-)
I like the highest heat & lowest ash pellets I can find. The hotter the burn, the lower
the stove settings which in turn means I use less pellets.
The lower the ash, the cleaner the burn, which stretches the time I can go between cleanings.

2. Sounds normal to me. Mine does the same thing. If it did not eventually move into the middle of
the burnpot, the holes are probably plugged and need to be scraped clean.

3. Shoulder seasons, I run the stove in room temp. Mid season I run it on stove temp.
Home feels warmer with the consistant heat.

tinkabranc said:

I am the picky one ;-)
I like the highest heat & lowest ash pellets I can find. .

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tink,

I like the way you think! Its the affording that gets me lately!

jay

jtakeman said:

tinkabranc said:

I am the picky one ;-)
I like the highest heat & lowest ash pellets I can find. .

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tink,

I like the way you think! Its the affording that gets me lately!

jay

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This is very true. Obviously cost is a huge factor that influences my loyalty to a certain brand.

When I find a favorite brand I do tend to stick with them each year as long as their
pricing stays somewhat competitive with other reputable brands.

This year I have been burning a bunch of different brands (which I hate) looking for that
new favorite for next season. I have high hopes that I may have finally found them
but we will see.. ;-)

I've had my XXV almost 2 months now. Burned a ton of Lignetics, wasn't overly impressed @ 280/ton. I'm thinking this stove will burn just about anything you throw at it ( I plan on trying some industrial grade pellets in the future ). Burned the Curran premium (185/ton) fine. I really liked the looks of the Michigan pellets so far. They burned bright orange to almost white in color, the ashes are so fluffy light they have no problems at all with clumping up the burn pot.

I just run on auto, room mode, room temp on high, temp I switch between #3 and just over 65* ( i keep the probe about 2 inches from the floor ).
I have the feed set @2, though I'm not sure this matters in room temp.