hi everyone, first time posting here, long time lurker. id like to thank everyone for their collective wisdom here, without it i would probably never had figured out how to burn this stove correctly. I have just stepped up to a new stove this year after years of burning in old school smoke dragons. So I had a bit of a learning curve. I am just curious as to how other tl300 users feel about this stove overall. Any issues? I have been reading alot about meltdown situations with these downdraft stoves, particuarly the vc everburn. I have not had any meltdowns and hope not too. maybe not an issue with this stove. The afterburn can be tricky sometime but for the most part seems to do its job as long as i have decent coal base. The only issue I have i guess is burn times. have not seen any 12 hr burn times. typically 4-6 hours. I could get 12 hours and still have some coals but my house ( and wife) would be pretty cold. I would loved to here how others are fairing with their stove.
thoughts on harman TL300
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Welcome. If you do a search on TL300 you'll find several posts. The folks that are happy with the unit, seem very happy. But there are others that have not had success even after considerable number of tries. Downdraft stoves take a bit more work to get running right and are draft sensitive, but when all is right, they seem like decent heaters.
Here's some links to get you started:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/24612/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/21445/
Here's some links to get you started:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/24612/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/21445/
I agree, without this forum, I'm sure I'd be frustrated with my stove - but I love it. It seems good draft and dry wood are key. The first I'm lucky to have, the second I work hard to get.
I think the meltdown scenario is more of a VC issue than with other downdrafts like Harman and Lopi. Once the bypass is closed my stove top is always in the 450-550 range, never shows any sign of wanting to run away. The only overfire potential I seem to have is in building a good coal base with damper and air open - my stove likes to get real hot real fast.
And burn time - the only way I can see getting to double digits and having more than a few coals left is to have a smoldering fire. But I haven't had the stove long enough to know for sure, and even if I never get past 8 hours I'm fine with it. In getting down to the teens outside recently, my house was getting too warm to do 24-hour burning. But it is only November - I may sing a different tune in two months.
Enjoy your stove!
I think the meltdown scenario is more of a VC issue than with other downdrafts like Harman and Lopi. Once the bypass is closed my stove top is always in the 450-550 range, never shows any sign of wanting to run away. The only overfire potential I seem to have is in building a good coal base with damper and air open - my stove likes to get real hot real fast.
And burn time - the only way I can see getting to double digits and having more than a few coals left is to have a smoldering fire. But I haven't had the stove long enough to know for sure, and even if I never get past 8 hours I'm fine with it. In getting down to the teens outside recently, my house was getting too warm to do 24-hour burning. But it is only November - I may sing a different tune in two months.
Enjoy your stove!
Todd
Minister of Fire
Sounds like you may just need a little more time with your stove before you figure it out. Try different loading techniques along with monitoring stove and pipe temps. Also do a search on everburn to see what they are doing, you might pick up some tips.
BJ64
Minister of Fire
I agree about the 10 hour burn time being hard to get. Six hour burn times seem to be the norm with and 8 hour burn once or twice so far.
I do have a trick to try when it gets a bit colder though.
I went and cleaned up some downer limbs that fell from an ice storm aback in Jan. 07. I was suppressed that it was still good to burn. Mostly 16 - 18% moisture. I wound up with some 10 inch chunks split in half to mix in with the usual 3 - 4 inch stuff in the stack.
I tried the big splits by themselves and the after burner went out but there were plenty of coals left over. I can still burn the big splits well but it requires more primary air. So I am thinking if I mixed the night load with both big and small wood - and pack it full - I might get the elusive 10 hour burn time.
I got the wood set aside and I am just waiting for a good cold night to try it. So far it has been in the 30's and upper 20's at night here.
I do have a trick to try when it gets a bit colder though.
I went and cleaned up some downer limbs that fell from an ice storm aback in Jan. 07. I was suppressed that it was still good to burn. Mostly 16 - 18% moisture. I wound up with some 10 inch chunks split in half to mix in with the usual 3 - 4 inch stuff in the stack.
I tried the big splits by themselves and the after burner went out but there were plenty of coals left over. I can still burn the big splits well but it requires more primary air. So I am thinking if I mixed the night load with both big and small wood - and pack it full - I might get the elusive 10 hour burn time.
I got the wood set aside and I am just waiting for a good cold night to try it. So far it has been in the 30's and upper 20's at night here.
stanleyjohn
Minister of Fire
I have the Insert version of the TL300 and have been very happy with it so far.I havent pack the wood in yet so cant really judge the max burn time!but with the stove filled half way i can get 5 to 6 hours.The one thing that does bother me alittle is that because the after burn unit is in the back!i lose some depth space,so stacking wood N/S isn't a good option and keeping the wood from rolling to the front glass smoking it up abit of a challenge.My first load is used with the damper open to get a good bed of hot coals going and at the start of my second load i use the after burn with few problems.No meltdowns so far!I did have the firebox up to near 700 once but most of the time its cruising between 450 and 550.
I am looking at purchasing a new freestanding wood stove to heat up to 3000sqft house that is pretty wide open. I only found 2 stoves that claim they can heat that much - one being the Harman TL300 and the other Quadrafire 5700. I am not big on the Quadrafire brand I had a 4300 that couldn't even heat 1500 sqft. so I am looking at the Harman, what is the talk about Afterburner and Downdraft? Any other sugestions of wood stoves would be great. Also does anyone know if you can purchase a wood stove and a pellet stove and qualify both for the tax rebate?
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