Newbie here....looking for an insert and wanted to see if anyone had thoughts/ideas on the new......

[jimmylucas]

Harman 300i insert. I spoke to a dealer this weekend and he said they are new this year and really couldn't tell me much about them. Anyone here have any experience/knowledge on these?



Harman 300i


Features
„„FireDome Combustion System
„„8-17 hour burn times
„„Very steady heat output
„„Large 3 cu. ft. capacity firebox
„„Up to 20 inch logs
„„Harman quality, fit & finish
„„(2)120 cfm blowers, standard

 

[Delta-T]

well, the insert is based on the TL300 free stander, and that was based on the TL200 that they made for a long time. The TL300 fs is a good unit, big. aside from the fancy "firedome" its a pretty straight forward machine. dont have the insert in the shop yet, but i expect it to be well constructed....and heavy, lol.

 

[jimmylucas]

So the TL 300 is a decent stove. I see both advertise the "8-17 hr burn time"; that's a huge range. What's a realistic burn time with seasoned oak on this stove?

 

[branchburner]

Welcome to the forums! My stove has a similar design and requires a bit more of a learning curve than some. My concern would be that this technology is better suited to a freestanding stove than an insert.

I would ask the dealer these questions:
- Does the Firedome need periodic cleaning/maintenance, and is it easily accessible?
- What is the expected lifespan and replacement cost of the Firedome?
- Does the secondary combustion take place behind the firebox, as it does with the freestanding Harmans, making use of a blower more important than with some other stoves?
- Is secondary combustion quick to begin when starting with a cold stove, or does it require some babysitting?

I expect this thing will put out some serious heat - how many sq ft are you heating?

 

[jimmylucas]

Thanks for the reply BB.......

Seems the dealers I've spoken to don't really have many answers on the stove. They all have to cal the reps to get any answers. I'll definitely ask these.

I'm in a 2,500sf very open floor plan and pretty well insulated house.....center fireplace.

 

[branchburner]

So the TL 300 is a decent stove. I see both advertise the "8-17 hr burn time"; that's a huge range. What's a realistic burn time with seasoned oak on this stove?

I would guess 10-12 hours. I doubt 17. An important factor is draft. If your venting has a very strong draft, or weather conditions enhance the draft excessively, the stove will burn through the wood a bit faster.

On the other hand, if your draft is poor, you will have a hard time sustaining secondary combustion. Likewise if your oak is not truly seasoned - I'd suggest two years cut and split.

 

[branchburner]

I'm in a 2,500sf very open floor plan and pretty well insulated house.....center fireplace.

It should do the job, assuming those blowers do the job.

 

[Todd]

It's a nice looking insert but imho I'd stay away from any downdraft tpye stove, just heard too many problems the last few years.

 

[Delta-T]

It's a nice looking insert but imho I'd stay away from any downdraft tpye stove, just heard too many problems the last few years.

this is a pretty tested design, at least from Harman, so I wouldn't worry about it being "new" and prone to unusual behavior. I think most of the concerns one would have about how the unit burns and the level of maintenance are so dependent on the user that its hard to get "real world" answers. I know people who've run the TL200 for a decade and some with TL300 for a couple years now, and even the Oakwood (which is very very similar) and its a very broad spectrum of responses by the owners. The afterburner is not easily cleaned through force...it just crumbles if you scrape it, but if you fire up hot and get the afterburner going its sort of "self cleaning"...green wood is the mortal enemy of the afterburner, oh sorry, they call it the firedome now. I've seen 2 failures of the firedome, 1 was from renters try to burn "cut that day" pine (pine is not the problem, the literally cut that day wood is), and the other failure was from smashing the fiedome with some metal tool that was pipe like (denied by user, but there were multple circular wounds apparent on the top of the afterburner). Aside from that, the firedome system doesn't allow for a very active "flame" like you'd get from a fireplace, and I agree that 17 hours is a stretch.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

WHen getting opinions on any stove it might be better to get some from those that actually own and use the particular stove in question,that said i own and use a TL-300 the free standing cousin of the 300i. I might be bias cuz of owning the 300-TL,but IMO the 300i is a very very nice looking stove, and the specs are identical to the TL-300.
AS far as burn time those times are easily achieved i regularly go from 6pm till 9 am between reloads and while the stove top is no longer 400deg at 15 hours its may be 300.
I have examined the 300i and found it to be identical to the 300TL with a few exceptions ,of course theres no ash pan ,you have to scoop the wood ashes out the front door and no top loading door like the TL ,nor can you roast a chicken in the insert like you can with the TL.
But you CAN OPEN THE LARGE FRONT DOOR and USE IT LIKE AN OPEN FIRE (FIREPLACE MODE)WITH AN OPTIONAL SCREEN THAT POPS IN.
I am seriously considering getting one of these for my home as i continue to be impressed with the performance of the TL-300 that i used in a home I remodeled.
I can say from the 2 winters i have used the 300-TL absolutely trouble free and goes a long way on a small load of wood with minimal maintainance.
I heated small house 800-900SF on 2 Cds hardwood and 1 Cd soft wood for the whole winter that i was rehabbing and the first winter there was zero insulation and exterior siding visible from inside.
I have not heard any negative comments on this site from anyone who uses this stove on a regular basis,they are generally thrilled as am i with the stove.