local dealer carries harman and for my size home he is recommending the harman oakleaf. it looks like a great stove and i love the idea of grilling steaks inside during winter. i have not found alot of reviews on this model yet. anyone using one? also how good does the grill cook, i mean does it get hot like a good bed of charcoal like on a grill? thanks.
harman oakleaf
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Todd
Minister of Fire
I think the Oak leaf is similar to the Oakwood. Look in the review section on this site and also do a search for down draft stoves. I hear they can be finicky and have an expensive refactory replacement in a few years.
smaller version of the oakwood, relatively new model. that combustion design has been around for some time, so nothing really "new" going on. the stove is only as good as the user. I know some who love theirs and some who've had to replace their afterburner/combustion package (either clogged it with creosote from green wood, or smashed it in trying to clean it) and dislike that processes.
I had looked into the Oakwood but ultimately decided to go a different direction due to the complains of some users here who had to replace the combustion chamber every few years. I decided to stick with something more safe, ending up with a Fireview. But I would have bought a Jotul F500 Oslo or a big QuadraFire had I come across one.
If you want to deal with the longer learning curve and the finicky nature of these stoves, as well as the potential additional maintenance, you will find that the food you cook on the grill is absolutely the best you can experience. It has a smokiness that is even better than charcoal, and of course far superior to gas grilling.
I wouldn't let all the criticisms of the Oakwood (and I have many myself!) be an absolute deal-breaker, but you definitely want to know going in what you might have to deal with, and that using this stove can be a bit tricky to perfect. By all means you want to make sure your wood is FULLY seasoned (a year split and stacked) and you have a decently-drafting 6" flue, or you may have an unpleasant experience. Once you are burning with good dry wood, yes, the stove may offer some challenges, but also offers the reward of great grilling in the middle of winter!
I wouldn't let all the criticisms of the Oakwood (and I have many myself!) be an absolute deal-breaker, but you definitely want to know going in what you might have to deal with, and that using this stove can be a bit tricky to perfect. By all means you want to make sure your wood is FULLY seasoned (a year split and stacked) and you have a decently-drafting 6" flue, or you may have an unpleasant experience. Once you are burning with good dry wood, yes, the stove may offer some challenges, but also offers the reward of great grilling in the middle of winter!
thanks for the help guys, did some research on the oakwood. the last time i had a stove was over 20yrs ago growing up, so these new ones have more features than i ever thought possible compared to the the ones we had(some homemade). i know growing up we never let our wood season for 12-18months like the newer stoves seem to really need. guess it will be another learning curve, but i am really leaning to this oakleaf and being able to cook with it as well as heat my home.
pulled the trigger on the oakleaf. the grill got me. the wood i have oak and hickory has been split and stacked for about 6months. i had no idea how long it takes to get it properly seasoned. i know that is not desirable, but do you think i will have too many problems burning that this winter? next winter will have wood split and stacked for 12+ months. i realize i am in for a learning curve, and appreciate the help you give.
Oak takes a couple year to season if it is stacked where it has good air circulation. Take a few of your splits and resplit them in half. Place the fresh face of the split against your cheek. If it feels cool and damp, the wood is not ready. FWIW, I have some late winter split poplar that I just checked this way. It is still quite damp inside.
Punchy, you will enjoy the Oakleaf. The Harman's have more of a learning curve but the payoff of longer burns is worth it. Put your thermometer on the back-side of the stove near the damper handle, that is where the stove is hottest when to the combustion package is working. It is also easier to know when the combustion package has lit with the thermometer there. By the way, temps of 800 are normal at that part of the stove, so don't freak out.
Also, when you get a good coal bed and need to reload, make a slight valley in the coals so the new logs have an airspace underneath the center all the way back to the combustion package. I have found this to be a great way to keep the Oakwood burning strong. After two winters of steady burning in my Oakwood, my combustion package is still good as new. It is made to burn hot, so let it do its thing.
Also, when you get a good coal bed and need to reload, make a slight valley in the coals so the new logs have an airspace underneath the center all the way back to the combustion package. I have found this to be a great way to keep the Oakwood burning strong. After two winters of steady burning in my Oakwood, my combustion package is still good as new. It is made to burn hot, so let it do its thing.
punchy said:
If the wood is not fully seasoned it might be a good idea to split some (re-split if needed) on the smaller side - the small pieces will dry faster, and will also burn better with more surface area exposed in each stove load. With the wood you have, I'd try to supplement it with a bit of smaller, drier wood, too (lumber scraps, pallets, dead branch wood - and softwoods like pine are fine for that purpose).
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