First Pellet Stove

[corkman]

how much are you paying for the cb1200 by itself without install

 

[saladdin]

I pull the cleaning rod everyday, vacuum out the stove once a week, and do the full clean after about a ton of pellets. I'm very happy with it and yes I would buy it again.

Ditto.

3rd year with the cab50.

 

[jjk454ss]

how much are you paying for the cb1200 by itself without install

I'm curious too, this is what I'm leaning towards at the moment. Not installed, I'm at $2769 with no hearthpad, just stove and pipes. Plus tax on top of this.

 

[stovelark]

Hi JJ- I know at Preston the CB1200 FS with black door and grills is around $2500 and Quadrafire still has the 100 coupon on their website. Good luck.

 

[jjk454ss]

Hi JJ- I know at Preston the CB1200 FS with black door and grills is around $2500 and Quadrafire still has the 100 coupon on their website. Good luck.

Thanks, that's the same price this place is giving me. The other place didn't seem to want to give me a stove only price on the p43, but I called today and he quoted my 2750 for just the stove. Seems like the Harmon is worth the extra 350 bucks.

Something else I need to start figuring out is a hearthplace or something to set it on. What's a good idea for that? And where's the best place to purchase the piping?

 

[P38X2]

Do you NEED auto ignite? The P38 is the same stove minus auto ignite. Bet you could find one in the low $2200 range.

 

[jjk454ss]

Do you NEED auto ignite? The P38 is the same stove minus auto ignite. Bet you could find one in the low $2200 range.

I don't know, it seems like I would WANT it, but is it not a big deal? I thought something else was different too, thermostat maybe?

 

[kellyrnh]

I second those who mention the Cumberland MF3800. We were new to pellet stoves last year and this is an awesome one to learn with. Really easy to use and maintain, puts out some good heat. Good luck!

 

[stovelark]

Good deal on the prices, you also can't go wrong with a Harman... Pellet venting is avail at hearth stores and big box stores for the DIYer, if not, an installer can provide venting too.

 

[jjk454ss]

Good deal on the prices, you also can't go wrong with a Harman... Pellet venting is avail at hearth stores and big box stores for the DIYer, if not, an installer can provide venting too.

Thanks. And sorry OP, I mistakenly started responding in your thread instead of mine, didn't mean to threadjack here, but I appreciate the info.

 

[P38X2]

I don't know, it seems like I would WANT it, but is it not a big deal? I thought something else was different too, thermostat maybe?

I'm 99% sure those stoves are identical with the exception of auto ignite. They both have Room and Stove temp modes with the temp probe wire. I believe they're dimensionally identical, and have the same heat output.

Do you WANT auto ignite?... I don't know, do you? Lol. If you want it because you're intimidated by lighting it manually, or are lazy, don't be. It really is stupid easy to manually light a Harman...as long as you DON'T follow the instructions in the manual. You'll be saving a good chunk of cash up front by going with the P38. During heating season I highly doubt you're gonna be shutting that stove off for anything but cleaning.

BUT........

Auto ignite does have its benefits. At the beginning and ends of the heating season when outside temps tend to be all over the place, it can save you from shooting over your target temps. Once your target temp is reached,th e P38 will continue to run on "idle" mode, meaning the minimum amount of fuel input to reliably maintain a flame. It will not shut itself down. The idle mode is approx 7000 BTU's. Here's an example....its a crisp 50 degrees outside and its gonna drop to 35 at night. Your inside temp is at 70 with the stove on. You go to bed nice and toasty, wake up still nice and toasty and leave for work. The forecast for that day is 70 degrees and you have a decent amount of solar gain and a tight, well insulated house. When you come home, you will likely find your house temp has gone up to 75+-. You now have a few options. You can live with the temp swings and let the stove continue to run, open a window or two and let the stove continue to run in anticipation of another cool night, shut the stove down til later and open some windows, etc. In reality, it's much less troublesome to deal with than it sounds and it's a common "problem" with heating a house with a space heater. From a savings standpoint, are you saving money on pellets by shutting it down on those days? Of course. The trade off is you'll be lighting the stove a bit more frequently during those times of the year. With auto ignite those temp swings are gone, but that comes with a relatively hefty price. Lets say you take the lazy route and just let the stove run."Wasting" $450 in pellets (the price diff between the 38 and 43) leaving your stove on in idle mode is gonna take a loooooooong time. Likely many years worth of burning. In that time with an auto ignite stove cycling on and off, you're gonna have an igniter failure which is $80 DIY, more if you need the dealer to do it for you.

That's my $.03 on the issue. Both stoves have their pros and cons BUT considering saving money is the #1 reason for choosing a pellet stove, spending $450 on that option isn't the best choice IMO. Don't get me wrong, there have been several times I've said "crap, I gotta light the stove"...but with a propane torch or starter gel, 45 seconds later it's lit. Hardly an inconvenience IMO. I would absolutely NOT hesitate to buy a stove that didn't have auto ignite.

 

[jjk454ss]

I'm 99% sure those stoves are identical with the exception of auto ignite. They both have Room and Stove temp modes with the temp probe wire. I believe they're dimensionally identical, and have the same heat output.

Do you WANT auto ignite?... I don't know, do you? Lol. If you want it because you're intimidated by lighting it manually, or are lazy, don't be. It really is stupid easy to manually light a Harman...as long as you DON'T follow the instructions in the manual. You'll be saving a good chunk of cash up front by going with the P38. During heating season I highly doubt you're gonna be shutting that stove off for anything but cleaning.

BUT........

Auto ignite does have its benefits. At the beginning and ends of the heating season when outside temps tend to be all over the place, it can save you from shooting over your target temps. Once your target temp is reached,th e P38 will continue to run on "idle" mode, meaning the minimum amount of fuel input to reliably maintain a flame. It will not shut itself down. The idle mode is approx 7000 BTU's. Here's an example....its a crisp 50 degrees outside and its gonna drop to 35 at night. Your inside temp is at 70 with the stove on. You go to bed nice and toasty, wake up still nice and toasty and leave for work. The forecast for that day is 70 degrees and you have a decent amount of solar gain and a tight, well insulated house. When you come home, you will likely find your house temp has gone up to 75+-. You now have a few options. You can live with the temp swings and let the stove continue to run, open a window or two and let the stove continue to run in anticipation of another cool night, shut the stove down til later and open some windows, etc. In reality, it's much less troublesome to deal with than it sounds and it's a common "problem" with heating a house with a space heater. From a savings standpoint, are you saving money on pellets by shutting it down on those days? Of course. The trade off is you'll be lighting the stove a bit more frequently during those times of the year. With auto ignite those temp swings are gone, but that comes with a relatively hefty price. Lets say you take the lazy route and just let the stove run."Wasting" $450 in pellets (the price diff between the 38 and 43) leaving your stove on in idle mode is gonna take a loooooooong time. Likely many years worth of burning. In that time with an auto ignite stove cycling on and off, you're gonna have an igniter failure which is $80 DIY, more if you need the dealer to do it for you.

That's my $.03 on the issue. Both stoves have their pros and cons BUT considering saving money is the #1 reason for choosing a pellet stove, spending $450 on that option isn't the best choice IMO. Don't get me wrong, there have been several times I've said "crap, I gotta light the stove"...but with a propane torch or starter gel, 45 seconds later it's lit. Hardly an inconvenience IMO. I would absolutely NOT hesitate to buy a stove that didn't have auto ignite.

Great info, thank you. I love the idea of saving money and getting the same quality stove.