Harman SF260

[indianm/c]

Hi Folks! I'm excited about finding a site like this! I love wood heat.........
Any how, I just ordered a Harman SF 260 add on wood/coal to sit next to my oil burner to eliminate oil next season. I am currently feeding a Fisher Papa Bear in my living room but decided to upgrade to a boiler so I can just dial up my thermostat with the existing baseboard hot water heat. Any thoughts on my choice??
Jeff ;-)

 

[Eric Johnson]

Welcome to the Boiler Room, indianm/c.

I'm not familiar with the Harman, but maybe somebody around here can give you some feedback. In any event, we will be more than happy to help you get the most out of your new boiler.

Are you doing the installation yourself?

Any more details about your setup (chimney, wood supply, existing heating system, etc?)

 

[indianm/c]

Hi Eric, Yeah self installation, I'm an electrical contractor but I can handle little plumbing jobs.
My setup is a 1777 Cape, center beehive fireplaces (4) chimney setup, 3100 sq ft, oil heat/hot water baseboard, free wood supply (woodlot,scrounge).
My existing wood stove puts out the btu's but it is very uneven heating in the house and I'm convinced that a wood/coal add on boiler will actuayy save me wood and heat the whole house evenly?

 

[sparke]

I looked into a Harmon before I bought my Greenfire. It cost around $3800 if I remember correctly (small model). It is not a gasifier. I spoke to someone who had just bought one this year. He was happy with the heat output but said he could only get a 5 to 6 hour burn time... I got my Greenfire for a comparable price.

 

[VictorDavid]

Hey all. New to this site. We have a SF-260 (I think). I am at work and will check tomorrow, but I am 90% sure it is the 32-gallon version. Our house is a modified A-frame having eight-foot walls on the first floor and traditional A-frame the rest of the way up. It is a very open floor plan and not insulated very well. I think the home is about 2,750 square feet. We have a hydronic system. Anyway, we got the Harman more than five years ago and LOVE IT! We have a supply of firewood, so heat is pretty much free.

The burn time varies greatly depending on outside temperature and what we are burning. In the dead of winter when the temperature is in the teens, burning dried oak, we will get about six hours before the oil boiler kicks on to help out. When it gets a little warmer we go eight hours easy. So, it all depends.

The only complaint I have is the creosote build-up and the frequency for cleaning. I need to clean the chimney two or three times a burning season. To help I have permanently mounted a painted aluminum ladder on the roof. When you have a roof as steep as ours it pays. I highly recommend it.

In hindsight I think the outdoor boiler would be the way to go, but I don't want to invest that kind of money at this point. Our 260 was used and VERY reasonably priced. I doubt those deals are out there anymore with the price of oil.

Anyhow, thanks for listening. I found this site after searching how to use the boiler to heat our hot tub. Great site.