I hate this Harmon

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Kenwheeler

New Member
Feb 7, 2012
4
Central PA
My Harmon P68 is a piece of junk! My first stove was an Englander, a cheap pellet stove purchased at Home Depot. The Englander worked great. My Dad got one after seeing mine, his works great. After using the Englander I "upgraded" to a Harmon P68, that was a mistake.

I saved up $3500, got rid of the Englander, ordered the Harmon P68 in Dec 2009, installed it in Jan 2010. After installation the feed motor needed replacing. So I couldn't use the stove for a week. Harmon sent the wrong part so I had to wait an additional week. The Dealer/installer was apologetic and not happy. I was starting to regret this stove swap. The stove worked great after that.

Fast forward to Feb 2012. The blower motor is making a thunking noise and occasionally screeches like a train whistle. The warranty has expired. Remember, I ordered it in Dec it was installed in Jan and it didn't start working until 2 weeks after installation. But it's a week and a half since its first firing and Harmon doesn't want to fix it.

The Dealer/Installer is an older guy that's been selling and installing stoves for 25 years. He's seems as upset about this as I am. He told me Harmon used to back their stoves with a longer warranty but another company purchased the name and now it's just 2 years. He also said he used to be proud of the Harmon stoves because they used to be built better. He said the original stoves used to go 5 years or longer before needing motors replaced. He told me that he's done with Harmon. Probably feels a little guilty that he didn't tell me this when I purchased my junk Harmon.

So I'm going to replace my blower motor, the 2nd stove motor in 2 years. And I'm going to start saving up for a new stove. Not sure which brand but it won't be a Harmon.

If you want to pay an extra $1000-$1500 for a name on a stove that might or might not work out of the box. That'll probably need expensive repairs and replacement parts soon after the warranty expires. Go ahead and buy the unreliable Harmon P68! It looks nice but it won't heat your house.
 
Sorry to hear your pain. Hope things work out OK for you. On the bright side, The P68 is a popular stove, So you should be able to sell it for a decent price if thats the best route for you.
 
I have had my P68 for four years, I can't say enough good things about it. It is a great stove.

Tom C.
 
Is a blower an electronic component? I thought they were covered for two years under warranty. And it's Harman. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.
 
Send a PM and a price...... If and when you want to sell it. Looking for a new stove (looking at true Multi-fuelers and Heavy ash burners) but I would "Settle" for a Honkin Huge Harman! Or Trade for a Quadrafire Classic Bay 1200? Great stove. Heated 2,200 sq ft for yrs on its lowest setting until temps get below 10° (all depends on houses insulation, windows, heat loss, where stove is located, etc)

The 68 is a Monster of a heater. Hope you get it fixed and come back with an awesome Revival Love Story ;-P But if not, Post it for sale here. I have bought a unit from a forum member here (Wood stove) Great experience. Also drove to Pa last year to pick up my $300 Englander in my Shop......

Someone is bound to want to look/buy it??? Lots of people looking at used stoves.
 
I also purchased mine Dec of 2010, it has 2 year warranty on ignition, electronic components including blowers, & glass. 3 years on firepots and burnpots, 5 years castings and baffles, etc..."Warranty coverage begins on the date of the install". hmm. I also had my auger feed motor replaced shortly after install. Sorry about your problems. Kind of wonder if the quality Did go down after Harman was purchased by HHT, which is a subsidiary of HNI. The dealer should call Harman and get it covered...
 
take a picture and frame it. you can hang it on the wall as expensive art work.. looks nice but doesnt heat the home
 
Harman!

Frankly, none of the parts you mentioned were not designed or made by Harman, but rather their 3rd party suppliers...maybe the best of the worst. Also, those 3rd party suppliers normally cover the part warranty for Harman, so replacing is is no sweat off Harman's back.. If you get a flat tire (Goodyear) on your Ford is your Ford junk?

Your dealer seems weak. Easy to cover his own weakness by commiserating with you about how Harman sucks, but his job is to be your advocate not to throw a pity party.

Harman has plenty of issues, but none out there are perfect. Law of averages caught up with you...that sucks, but don't run away because you need to replace a simple blower motor on a 3k plus stove. Burp and get over it, the track record of the stove is strong and it should serve you well in the long run.

PS - what kind of surge supressor are you using? ;-)
 
Thanks for a little laugh guys! I am reading and see ppl who own the HarmAn stove and even post sites but still take away the a and ad the o. 😔
Sorry about your stove and just like every other thing in this world sometimes you get bad luck. My Harman has treated me well for a year and I'm hoping for many more.
 
Sorry to hear of the problems your having. I installed a P43 in Dec 2010 also, no problems yet. Don't know who told you the warranty is expired, but they are wrong. Pull out your manual and check for yourself, 1 year for all parts, 2 years for igniters, electronics, and factory installed blowers.
The dealer should handle all warranty work, so call him again, and everyday till its fixed right.
Check for incomimg PM.
 
I love my p68, and have had some parts go bad also, my org. dealer wasn't so good, so I went and called a gold issued HarmAn dealer and have been quite happy ever since. They can get warranty work approved even if I'm past my dates (burnpot, augar) they just have to want to stick there neck out for you. Your stove is a beast and once you change that blower out you should let her rip so that you can see what it is that you have in your house,that sucker can heat your home way better than your org. stove, just have to get the kinks out.
 
Hi,

my name is Ken, however if you always called me Can
I would not work for you either


Harman not Harmon
 
Why are the Harman owners so touchy about Harman? Harman-Harmon-Harmen. Close enough! We know what he meant!

As I run away to hide again~ :cheese: hehe
 
Kenwheeler said:
My Harmon P68 is a piece of junk! My first stove was an Englander, a cheap pellet stove purchased at Home Depot. The Englander worked great. My Dad got one after seeing mine, his works great. After using the Englander I "upgraded" to a Harmon P68, that was a mistake.

I saved up $3500, got rid of the Englander, ordered the Harmon P68 in Dec 2009, installed it in Jan 2010. After installation the feed motor needed replacing. So I couldn't use the stove for a week. Harmon sent the wrong part so I had to wait an additional week. The Dealer/installer was apologetic and not happy. I was starting to regret this stove swap. The stove worked great after that.

Fast forward to Feb 2012. The blower motor is making a thunking noise and occasionally screeches like a train whistle. The warranty has expired. Remember, I ordered it in Dec it was installed in Jan and it didn't start working until 2 weeks after installation. But it's a week and a half since its first firing and Harmon doesn't want to fix it.

The Dealer/Installer is an older guy that's been selling and installing stoves for 25 years. He's seems as upset about this as I am. He told me Harmon used to back their stoves with a longer warranty but another company purchased the name and now it's just 2 years. He also said he used to be proud of the Harmon stoves because they used to be built better. He said the original stoves used to go 5 years or longer before needing motors replaced. He told me that he's done with Harmon. Probably feels a little guilty that he didn't tell me this when I purchased my junk Harmon.

So I'm going to replace my blower motor, the 2nd stove motor in 2 years. And I'm going to start saving up for a new stove. Not sure which brand but it won't be a Harmon.

If you want to pay an extra $1000-$1500 for a name on a stove that might or might not work out of the box. That'll probably need expensive repairs and replacement parts soon after the warranty expires. Go ahead and buy the unreliable Harmon P68! It looks nice but it won't heat your house.


I got my stove in 2009 (was ordered direct from factory) also and the feed motor went within 4 weeks, then the replacement motor went 4 weeks after that. We (the dealer and I) checked out the lot number of the motors and I'll be damned if the motors all came from the same production lot. We called the shop on speaker phone in my dealers office and asked it we could get a new motor from a different purchase lot. We did and has worked flawless since. The blower motor to me is a S&!^ happens after just over 10,000 run hours and it needs replacing but your first motor I think there was a bad batch of motors and they got out and by the time Harmon realized it they were in the field and there was little to no way of knowing who got what and since they failed quickly under warranty (400 hours) and they were replaced on an as needed basis.

No different than how anyone out there would deal with the situation. I bet you got one of those motors.
 
mrjohneel said:
Is a blower an electronic component? I thought they were covered for two years under warranty. And it's Harman. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

greg13 said:
Check the Harmon site for warranty. http://www.harmanstoves.com/Customer-Care/~/media/Files/Site Downloads/Warranty_Policy.ashx

I think the dealer is trying to pull a fast one on you.

dw06 said:
Sorry to hear of the problems your having. I installed a P43 in Dec 2010 also, no problems yet. Don't know who told you the warranty is expired, but they are wrong. Pull out your manual and check for yourself, 1 year for all parts, 2 years for igniters, electronics, and factory installed blowers.
The dealer should handle all warranty work, so call him again, and everyday till its fixed right.
Check for incomimg PM.

He said it was installed in Jan 2010, which would mean technically the blower warranty just ran out.
 
j-takeman said:
Why are the Harman owners so touchy about Harman? Harman-Harmon-Harmen. Close enough! We know what he meant!

As I run away to hide again~ :cheese: hehe



J, come out come out wher ever you are
its not the fact he is spelling Harman wrong
my thoughts are
if he is not spelling his brand correctly what other little things
might he be missing that is causing the problem
just the way my brain works................

ex; people selling Kabota tractors or John Dear
how would someone even find the listing???
 
ironpony said:
j-takeman said:
Why are the Harman owners so touchy about Harman? Harman-Harmon-Harmen. Close enough! We know what he meant!

As I run away to hide again~ :cheese: hehe



J, come out come out wher ever you are
its not the fact he is spelling Harman wrong
my thoughts are
if he is not spelling his brand correctly what other little things
might he be missing that is causing the problem
just the way my brain works................

ex; people selling Kabota tractors or John Dear
how would someone even find the listing???

You'll never find me! ha-hah! :cheese: (I'm in OMV's pellet stash! shhhh!)

Funny, When you do an eBay search you get almost as many hits with Harmon as when you spell it correctly! hehe
 
j-takeman said:
ironpony said:
j-takeman said:
Why are the Harman owners so touchy about Harman? Harman-Harmon-Harmen. Close enough! We know what he meant!

As I run away to hide again~ :cheese: hehe



J, come out come out wher ever you are
its not the fact he is spelling Harman wrong
my thoughts are
if he is not spelling his brand correctly what other little things
might he be missing that is causing the problem
just the way my brain works................

ex; people selling Kabota tractors or John Dear
how would someone even find the listing???

You'll never find me! ha-hah! :cheese: (I'm in OMV's pellet stash! shhhh!)

Funny, When you do an eBay search you get almost as many hits with Harmon as when you spell it correctly! hehe





proves my point
all the people selling them can not spell
 
ironpony said:
j-takeman said:
Why are the Harman owners so touchy about Harman? Harman-Harmon-Harmen. Close enough! We know what he meant!

As I run away to hide again~ :cheese: hehe



J, come out come out wher ever you are
its not the fact he is spelling Harman wrong
my thoughts are
if he is not spelling his brand correctly what other little things
might he be missing that is causing the problem
just the way my brain works................

ex; people selling Kabota tractors or John Dear
how would someone even find the listing???

+1000

Whether it's 6000 word paragraphs, no punctuation, ALL CAPS, masspeled werds, hitting enter after every 3rd word, odd~little~symbols~for~no~reason, lack of details, just plain ignorance or naivete...

In forums, we have nothing other than what they write to get a feel for who's on the other end of the line. Fortunately, we all come from different backgrounds and contribute accordingly so no one is left out. :)

I guess when they don't spell Hormone right, it just takes our eye off the ball unnecessarily. ;-)
 
dtaylor said:
mrjohneel said:
Is a blower an electronic component? I thought they were covered for two years under warranty. And it's Harman. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

greg13 said:
Check the Harmon site for warranty. http://www.harmanstoves.com/Customer-Care/~/media/Files/Site Downloads/Warranty_Policy.ashx

I think the dealer is trying to pull a fast one on you.

dw06 said:
Sorry to hear of the problems your having. I installed a P43 in Dec 2010 also, no problems yet. Don't know who told you the warranty is expired, but they are wrong. Pull out your manual and check for yourself, 1 year for all parts, 2 years for igniters, electronics, and factory installed blowers.
The dealer should handle all warranty work, so call him again, and everyday till its fixed right.
Check for incomimg PM.

He said it was installed in Jan 2010, which would mean technically the blower warranty just ran out.

You are right, I had it in my head Dec 2010. Witch is my install time. :red:
Still being within such a short time frame since warranty running out, don't hurt to ask about them replacing it even at reduced cost. I know my dealer would fight for it. Just hope something can be worked out for stove owner.
 
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