Harman PF 120

[shawby1]

Hi everyone this is a great site and full of info. I've been trying to soak it all in but this is going to take awhile! This may be the wrong forum for this Idk but here goes, I did a search for issues or problems in both this and the boiler room forums with no luck. I would like to know more about this unit and its reliability. I bought a US Stove 8500 and have had problems from day one. US Stove and Owen have been awesome but I'm looking at possible options at this point. I'm heating Approx 2200 sq ft in a two story farmhouse in the middle of the prairie. Winds and sub zero temps are the norm here which is why i went with the furnace as opposed to a stove. First winter in the house was 13/14 ! wow that broke me in !! I am new to pellet heating so be gentle !

 

[Bioburner]

Better make up your mind pretty quick on getting a Harman boiler-furnace as they are trimming the line.

 

[shawby1]

i read that just my luck!

 

[shawby1]

should a concern for parts etc later on keep a person looking in other places?

 

[moey]

There are several folks you have Fahrenheit pellet furnaces on here and always had good things to say about them http://www.fahrenheittech.com/ they are in Michigan so there may be a dealer around you.

 

[shawby1]

ok thanks! ....looks like nearest dealer is 2.5 hrs away

 

[elevenMracing]

I have PF120 and love it. Granted I've only had it for this season, but it's been my only source of heat and has given me zero trouble through the 6 tons I've burned so far. I heat a house a little bit larger than yours located in a similar setting (wide open farm fields on all sides) with no problem. I was shocked to hear Harman was discontinuing it, but do not regret purchasing it. It keeps my house a lot warmer and at a more consistent temp than my lp furnace ever did. Cleaning it is a breeze also.

 

[shawby1]

thanks guys ! both furnaces sound great. the fahrenheit sounds a bit small @50,000 since house is drafty presently( thats where next money will be spent) just looking for something that can be dialed in and little woman can feed and forget so to speak when I'm away.

 

[SidecarFlip]

50K btu is about what a moderate sized stove puts out. I don't believe thats enough to heat an entire home....

 

[shawby1]

that was my concern as well. trying to get more info/research

 

[mithesaint]

I'll second Flip. If you want the furnace to heat your home 100% of the time, you'll probably need at least 70K BTU. I have a 45K BTU St. Croix furnace, and it loses the battle around 5-10 degrees, sooner if it's windy. I have a decently insulated, poorly air sealed 2400 sq ft colonial out in the prairie of NW OH where the winds howl. Look at a Trager GBU 070 furnace. A little cheaper than the harman, but not automatic.

 

[shawby1]

ok thanks I'll look in to them. this was originally why i went with the ussc 8500 and its 105,000 BTU's

 

[dvpf120]

I bought a PF120 for the 2014/15 heating season. Installed in November. I heat appx 2800 sq ft, including an unfrinished basement. I live on the east shore of a small lake and the wind howls through here at a pretty good clip all year round. I used slightly more than 7 tons of pellets from November through now(april/may). All pellets were premium/super premium softwood, Lacrete, Blazers, Okie Platinums, Northern Idaho, Vermont.... some in small quantities just to try them. Settings were left at the recommended levels. Getting ready to buy for next season soon.I'm interested in anyoones thoughts on the quantity of pellets I used this past year, and on brands to buy for next season(i'm thinkink abuut the Lacrete, Blazer or Okie DFs). We clean the PF120 regularly, basicallly following the manufaturers specs but late in the season I noticed more buildup of debris in the burnpot. Harman reps have not responded on aan email I sent them about this. Anyone else seeign this as well? Thanks. . .One more note, use existing ductwork that I installed years ago when I bought a Jensen wood furnace. With the PF120 the heat is way more consistent and I can use the furnace on days when the temp is moderate outside like now where before I was shutting the Jensen down completely. Haven't used my electric heat at all this winter.

 

[skidadil]

This is an old thread, but I'm curious if you're still getting the buildup late in the season? I've been getting a lot more early on this year than the past two years. I burn Lignetics. I think I'm going to turn the feed rate down a bit and see if that helps. I'm currently at about a 3.75 feed rate. BTW, this is in regard to the PF120