lost in central MA

[Bassdogs wife]

hi there

looking for some good unbiased advice....We live in Central MA and are looking to upgrade from a traditional VT castings wood stove to a pellet stove. We have been to two local dealers, and looked at the Harman and the Mt Vernon AE. We like the reliabilityand top reputation of the Harman, but are concerned about their having been bought out....what is the future of their product line in terms of parts, service, etc???? The Mt Vernon AE appears to be more technology driven and geared for the next wave of pellet stoves...but is it really as good as they make it seem?

Our major concern is the dealer/installer. We were not at all impressed with the Quad dealer in Worcester. He knew his product but came thru with the used car salesman pitch and never returned our call when we wanted to discuss a purchase. Pluse they sub out their work. Would not disclose who they use for subs when asked, either. We then realized we cannot just buy a stove just anywhere and have ruled out that shop altogether, regardless of our decision of Harman vs Quad.

Does anyone know of a reputable dealer in central or western MA? Also, we received mixed messages on the need to line our exterior chimney. One dealer indicated the stove would not ignite properly without. The other stated that was not true and we did not need a liner. Your site has been very informative, any insight you can provide to us will be greatly appreciated. thank you!

 

[Flammam]

I know that Nash in Hatfield, Ma has a great reputation. I personally haven't dealt with them but I know a few people have and they have no complaints.

 

[flueinc]

Harman got bought by HHT (QUAD) What i read is they are keeping both stove lines . if you go to quadrafire.com put in your zip you can find other dealers near you that are better.

 

[MainePellethead]

Thats right.....my dealer told me the same thing. Harman was bought by the parent company of Quadra~Fire. HHT.

 

[CygnusX1]

You can try Royal Fireside in Uxbridge, MA. They are very knowledgeable and extemley helpful.

Royal Fireside helped me out when I was having problems with my stove. Considering that I didn't buy the stove from them and they went out of their way to help me, I would recommend them to anyone.

Stay away from Creative Fireplace in Oxford, I bought my stove there and they will not support you after the purchase. You'll be lucky if they return your phone calls.

 

[sparkydog00]

Alright
Now we get to trash all the local stove dealers....
I will not do that.
That said.
The Stove Shop in Worcester Shrewsbury are decent guys. I don't know about sub'ing out the work...but have been dealing with them for many years.
I have bought a stove from the Stove Place or shop (it eludes me right now) in Amherst NH.Have dealt with them for several years and found them to be reputable also.
Both shops are Harmen dealers.
The place in Worcester always seems to have multiple varieties of pellets...always a nice touch.
Hope this helps.

As for the liner in the chimney....I would suggest talking it over with a Chimney guy as opposed to a pellet stove installer. Installers always take the path of least resistance unless they are going to make money.

 

[gscreely]

In terms of Harman versus Quad I have owned both. I would say the Harman has the edge in the technology (very cool feed system, stove also monitors exhaust temp and adjusts the feed rate accordingly, so no matter what pellet you use the stove will compensate) and efficiency department. They are both quality stoves, the harman gives the user more control which is nice. The quad performs very well in shoulder seasons when only occasional heat is called for, but the stove runs for 5-10 before producing usable heat durring the start up cycle. The quad seems to exhaust more heat outside then the heat exchangers are pushing inside.

 

[Galroc]

I just purchased a Mt Vernon AE from Enchanted Fyreside in Worcester. I just dropped into the store yesterday and they are having a sale, about $400 cheaper then I paid in January. I suspect you are talking about them.

One of the salesmen looks like a used car dealer but the owners have been nice to me. It is a husband and wife who run the store. I did a self install. They sold me a 4" vent kit with the stove that lines the entire chimney. The kit was missing one thing, and their contracted installers don't use it. They connect a 4" to " adapter directly to the stove which hits the back of the stove. I used a short 3" pipe to move the adapter above the stove to clear the interference.

I haven't had the need for a service call yet, so I don't know how they will respond.

 

[beerwizza]

How close are you to Woonsocket RI? I bought my Harman from Fuel & Flame and I'm very happy. He had the best price we came across. He was doing a deal on buy some pellets get some free when we bought. They have a very pleasant sales lady and the owner was right there to answer questions. Best part was having it delivered I didn't have to pay sales tax. Setup was thru a local to me chimney company and so far they've been great. Good luck.

 

[Bassdogs wife]

Thanks for all the replies. :coolsmile:

More are welcome and I certainly don't mind any "dealer bashing" (pm if need be)

We are located centrally near Worcester, so the dealer would need to be close. I am going to make a call to my chimney guy to get his opinion and price on the liner / install for comparison.

 

[The Patriot]

How close are you to Woonsocket RI? I bought my Harman from Fuel & Flame and I'm very happy.

Is it "Fuel and Flame" or "Fuel and Feather"? It was Fuel and Feather last year, not sure if they changed their name since.

 

[The Patriot]

hi there

We have been to two local dealers, and looked at the Harman and the Mt Vernon AE. We like the reliabilityand top reputation of the Harman, but are concerned about their having been bought out....what is the future of their product line in terms of parts, service, etc???? The Mt Vernon AE appears to be more technology driven and geared for the next wave of pellet stoves...but is it really as good as they make it seem?

I'm not going to tell you not to get a Mt Vernon AE, but I have read about a lot of problems with this stove, including a couple of dealers who stopped selling them because they kept having to come out for service calls. This includes one in Franklin, MA which I went to last year when looking for a stove. They told me face to face they aren't pushing them. Do some searches on the forums.

 

[The Patriot]

How close are you to Woonsocket RI? I bought my Harman from Fuel & Flame and I'm very happy.

Is it "Fuel and Flame" or "Fuel and Feather"? It was Fuel and Feather last year, not sure if they changed their name since.

Nevermind, I found it. The name has changed.

 

[The Patriot]

How close are you to Woonsocket RI? I bought my Harman from Fuel & Flame and I'm very happy. He had the best price we came across. He was doing a deal on buy some pellets get some free when we bought. They have a very pleasant sales lady and the owner was right there to answer questions. Best part was having it delivered I didn't have to pay sales tax. Setup was thru a local to me chimney company and so far they've been great. Good luck.

Ditto on the sales lady, the owner, and All Pro Chimney (I assume that's the company you are referring to). Very nice people all around. All Pro is a little disorganized as far as call backs, but they are easy to deal with. Tim, one of the owners (might be the only owner now), owns a P68. Nice to know that they are using the same product.

You in NA?

 

[tinkabranc]

Best part was having it delivered
and I didn't have to pay sales tax.

I do not know about RI, but there is no sales tax on pellets in MA.
Don't let em fool ya.

 

[The Patriot]

Best part was having it delivered
and I didn't have to pay sales tax.

I do not know about RI, but there is no sales tax on pellets in MA.
Don't let em fool ya.

I think he's talking about the stove, not the pellets. He bought it in RI and had it delivered to Mass. They didn't charge sales tax. They did the same thing with my Harman.

 

[tinkabranc]

Cool! Every little bit helps.

 

[The Patriot]

Especially when you're spending over $2500.

 

[beerwizza]

The tax savings were on the stove. I didn't know about there being no tax on the pellets though, that's cool. Yes it is All Pro chimney. I haven't met the owner only his son and another kid. They are very nice but I did just notice it took a while to get a call back from them. I'm in South Attleboro. Now that you mention it, it did show up as Fuel & Feather on my charge card.

 

[CygnusX1]

Alright
Now we get to trash all the local stove dealers....
I will not do that.
That said.
The Stove Shop in Worcester Shrewsbury are decent guys. I don't know about sub'ing out the work...but have been dealing with them for many years.
I have bought a stove from the Stove Place or shop (it eludes me right now) in Amherst NH.Have dealt with them for several years and found them to be reputable also.
Both shops are Harmen dealers.
The place in Worcester always seems to have multiple varieties of pellets...always a nice touch.
Hope this helps.

As for the liner in the chimney....I would suggest talking it over with a Chimney guy as opposed to a pellet stove installer. Installers always take the path of least resistance unless they are going to make money.

Sorry if I sounded like I was trashing any stove dealers. That was not my intent.

I was just relaying a bad experience that I had.

 

[The Patriot]

The tax savings were on the stove. I didn't know about there being no tax on the pellets though, that's cool. Yes it is All Pro chimney. I haven't met the owner only his son and another kid. They are very nice but I did just notice it took a while to get a call back from them. I'm in South Attleboro. Now that you mention it, it did show up as Fuel & Feather on my charge card.

I thought maybe the son, Tim I think the name is, might be the owner now. I believe it's his name on the answering machine.

I lived in South Attleboro until recently. I was on Robinson Ave.

 

[beerwizza]

[quote author="The Patriot" date="1202968064

I thought maybe the son, Tim I think the name is, might be the owner now. I believe it's his name on the answering machine.

I lived in South Attleboro until recently. I was on Robinson Ave.[/quote]

I think he's Tim jr. He mentioned his father as the one who would call me back. Small world, I'm on Read st.

 

[sparkydog00]

Alright
Now we get to trash all the local stove dealers....
I will not do that.
That said.
The Stove Shop in Worcester Shrewsbury are decent guys. I don't know about sub'ing out the work...but have been dealing with them for many years.
I have bought a stove from the Stove Place or shop (it eludes me right now) in Amherst NH.Have dealt with them for several years and found them to be reputable also.
Both shops are Harmen dealers.
The place in Worcester always seems to have multiple varieties of pellets...always a nice touch.
Hope this helps.

As for the liner in the chimney....I would suggest talking it over with a Chimney guy as opposed to a pellet stove installer. Installers always take the path of least resistance unless they are going to make money.

Sorry if I sounded like I was trashing any stove dealers. That was not my intent.

I was just relaying a bad experience that I had.

No Problem....There are a million stories in the wicked Pellet City.
Just think that the forums time can be spent better constructively.
Now the place in Worcester is actually in Shrewsbury. It is called the Stove Place and it is at 95 Hartford Turnpike (Rt20).
A busy place but decent people...and they always have a boatload of pellets as well as a bunch of stoves.
The place in Amherst NH is called Stove Keepers. It is at 50 Rt 101A. No sales tax in NH When you are dealing in the big buck range 5% can mean alot.

 

[gscreely]

I was hoping to see some dialog on the comparison of quad vs harman, but we have move to dealership reviews (which may not be a bad idea for an entire section of the forum). I would be interested in hearing more about the actual stoves from others. I took a little shot at quads efficiency, do others feel that way?

 

[MainePellethead]

I was hoping to see some dialog on the comparison of quad vs harman, but we have move to dealership reviews (which may not be a bad idea for an entire section of the forum). I would be interested in hearing more about the actual stoves from others. I took a little shot at quads efficiency, do others feel that way?

Well....I cant say a huge amount of Harman. I have only owned a Quad Castille and before that an Ashley wood stove. But I cant say anything but good of the Quad. I researched 3 name brands for at least 6 months before we actually made the move to purchase. I looked at the Breckwell, Harman and the Castille. All were the smaller stoves able to cover up to 1500 sq. ft. with the range of 30,000-40,000 btu's. I eliminated the Breckwell fairly soon from our list (mainly for dealership woes). The Harman Accenta didnt appeal to me as we were looking for asthetics as well and you cant get the log set with the Accentra. Now as for efficiency....The exhaust pipes of both units(Harman and Quad) I didnt see any difference, thats was one of the first things I looked for when we were searching. I felt the same heat on each exhaust, and also felt comparable heat with the blowers. Now my Quad...when its on high I get more heat on the exhaust of course but it protrudes maybe through the wall to about the T but it fades as it gets to the T and on low and medium I get a warmness(not hot) by the time it gets to the T outside(which is about 3'). I dont feel its much to make a difference to much with my efficiency. I am happy with the heat I get. As I mentioned in another post...I have 1270 sq. ft. but I am heating full time approx. 770 sq. ft.(downstairs) and we can keep it pretty toasty with this stove. We open the upstairs when we need to occasionally and thats when we put it on high and let the heat distribute. We also put on high when the heat gets close to 0 but we dont meed it on for long on high. One thing I have done differently than some is...I have better luck with a corner door fan facing down on low to get that heat off the ceiling and down the hall...works well as opposed to putting one on the floor and bring the cold to the stove like some may do. But thats my take and experience. Very happy with the Quad. LOVE the simple "low" technology of low, medium and high on the fan/feed rate set up with the adjusting plate. Its really a stove thats basic and runs itself with an attractive look. Had lots and lots of comments on it. And we burn MAX. one bag of pellets a day. I set the remote thermostat at about 78 or 80 on 15-20 degree days outside and the temp. gets to about
just under that set amount in the hallway (75 ish)where the thermostat is. bedrooms are at about 70-73. But we scale it back at night. And thats all on the low setting. Its really been a $$ saver with oil. I estimate in 2 full seasons I will have the stove itself paid for with savings. The arabs can kiss my hiney