My First Stove Is an XXV

[thedude110]

Earlier this year I created a thread about whether to buy an Accentra Insert:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/77495/

You folks gave me very helpful responses, and I became increasingly skeptical the more dealers tried to push the Accentra Insert. In the end, we had our fireplace checked, and the cost of the Accentra Insert would have been about 2K more than the cost of the XXV. So, we are now proud owners of the XXV (I'm told this is a good "starter" stove).

Thanks also to the advice on this forum, my first burn was a bag of Okanagans. To this point, the stove is heating the downstairs of our 3000 SF house nicely -- I don't think we'll need oil heat down here again. The upstairs not so much -- I'll have to try to figure out how to move the air!

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Good choice, nice looking.

Eric

 

[jtakeman]

Awesome!

Heck of a starter stove you have there. I like the XXV look. Certainly a pretty stove. Might be on the small side for whole house heating chores, But will offset the oil costs!

 

[Rokal]

Congratulations on your new stove. I purchased an XXV last year to heat my 2400 sf colonial and so far I have been very impressed. The stove is built like a tank and does a great job of heating the whole house. Nice looking too.

 

[PJPellet]

Great Choice and Looks Awesome! The XXV is no starter stove IMO. It's a work of art....okay maybe I am partial.

 

[smoke show]

nice! top of the line stove. IMO

 

[tinkabranc]

Nice choice! ;-)
Congrats and Enjoy the Heat

 

[thedude110]

What kind of setting do you folks use to maximize efficiency?

I started out using room temp at 75, but it dipped into the 60's in that room and the stove didn't kick on (flame had gone out). So I used stove temp 3 and was pleased with the results. Until the power went out, anyway!

 

[PA_Clinker]

Nice looking stove! I thought long and hard about getting one to replace our Earth Stove Traditions TP40, since it is a similar look, but dollars and cents got in the way...well mostly the dollars. %-P

I am curious as to why you did not go with a corner hearth install? Seems like you're almost there anyway.

 

[Rokal]

What kind of setting do you folks use to maximize efficiency?

I started out using room temp at 75, but it dipped into the 60's in that room and the stove didn't kick on (flame had gone out). So I used stove temp 3 and was pleased with the results. Until the power went out, anyway!

The room temp mode works very well. From your picture, it looks like your room sensor is on the floor. Mine is about 12-15 inches off the floor and a few feet from the stove. The room temp mode works MUCH better with this setup. This is likely your problem.

 

[thedude110]

Hard to believe this is the first time I've seen electricity -- and heat -- since the last time I posted in this thread (10/29!). Management at CL&P needs to be canned.

@Rokal: I'll try moving the room sensor off the floor and report back my findings!

 

[jtakeman]

Hard to believe this is the first time I've seen electricity -- and heat -- since the last time I posted in this thread (10/29!). Management at CL&P needs to be canned.

@Rokal: I'll try moving the room sensor off the floor and report back my findings!

Welcome back! I got mine back yesterday early AM. I think once things settle(everyones back on the grid) we will see some finger pointing. But doubt heads will roll. They will blame it on the fact that no one wanted the trees to be trimmed back.

IMHO, There is going to be a flood of firewood come next fall and CT will look a little less woodsy!

 

[johnnycomelately]

L.O.L. Starter stove? Who told you that the XXV is a starter stove?
You need to ask whoever told you that what the next stove up from the Harman XXV is. You got a great stove my friend, and I got a good chuckle.

Food for thought.... "Getting an XXV for a starter stove is like a highschool boy losing his virginity to Heidi Klum".......

 

[moog5]

The XXV is an excellent stove, it is definitely not a "starter" stove.

I am on my seventh season with it with it running almost 24/7 for 5 to 6 months of the year. It was a great investment. When I first bought the stove, if I were strong enough I probably would have tossed it out the window because I was one of the few unfortunate new model owners that had the buzzing sound (from the shroud vibration). It took Harman 4 to 5 months to recognize there was a problem and come up with a fix. Once the buzz was fixed, I have been EXTREMELY HAPPY ever since. The only investment I have had to make was buying a replacement igniter (after year 4).

I recently pulled the stove to tile over some old ugly blue painted brick with travertine (see photo). When I replaced the stove, I replaced the old wire clips that connect the thermostat wire to the stove. After I replaced those clips, I noticed the Room Temp seemed to be more accurate and sensitive to the actual temperature (probably due to a bit of oxidation in the connection). If any one has this problem, I suggest replacing the connectors and using an anti-oxidant compound to help maintain a good connection. I didn't use anti -oxidant when I first installed it.

 

[lbcynya]

What kind of setting do you folks use to maximize efficiency?

I started out using room temp at 75, but it dipped into the 60's in that room and the stove didn't kick on (flame had gone out). So I used stove temp 3 and was pleased with the results. Until the power went out, anyway!

Contrat's. XXV was my first pellet stove as well.

See my signature for a pretty extensive write up on Harman stove settings and a few observations.

Room temp with a Skytech thermostat is by far the best way to operate the stove, IMO. Currently running stove on 72 with a 1 degree swing, so heat at 71, maintenance burn at 73 (igniter switch to manual)

Here's that thread: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/82285/

 

[thedude110]

Nice looking stove! I thought long and hard about getting one to replace our Earth Stove Traditions TP40, since it is a similar look, but dollars and cents got in the way...well mostly the dollars. %-P

I am curious as to why you did not go with a corner hearth install? Seems like you're almost there anyway.

We didn't go corner install because we had to put the stove away from the center of the house and we wanted the air blowing as straight as possible at a doorway. I love the corner look, but so far this is working great.

FWIW, picking the thermostat wire up off the floor made all the difference in regulating temperature. Go figure!

 

[kykel]

Looks Great. High end stove IMHO. Considered buying it. Enjoy the heat

 

[Mnbrown]

The XXV is an excellent stove, it is definitely not a "starter" stove.

I am on my sixth season with it with it running almost 24/7 for 5 to 6 months of the year. It was a great investment. When I first bought the stove, if I were strong enough I probably would have tossed it out the window because I was one of the few unfortunate new model owners that had the buzzing sound (from the shroud vibration). It took Harman 4 to 5 months to recognize there was a problem and come up with a fix. Once the buzz was fixed, I have been EXTREMELY HAPPY ever since. The only investment I have had to make was buying a replacement igniter (after year 4).

I recently pulled the stove to tile over some old ugly blue painted brick with travertine (see photo). When I replaced the stove, I replaced the old wire clips that connect the thermostat wire to the stove. After I replaced those clips, I noticed the Room Temp seemed to be more accurate and sensitive to the actual temperature (probably due to a bit of oxidation in the connection). If any one has this problem, I suggest replacing the connectors and using an anti-oxidant compound to help maintain a good connection. I didn't use anti -oxidant when I first installed it.