Worst nightmare has come true..

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John Fortier

John Fortier

Feeling the Heat
Sep 29, 2013
450
Amazingly enough the Thelin has again died. Got in today and no heat, kicked up thermostat ..nothing. Disconnected thermo and connected jumper blower came on, no pellet drop, cleaned out hopper, no jambs. Dropped some pellet in hopper, still no feed. Our longest stretch of working is 2 months..maybe. I think I have finally had enough. Time to go for replacement..Looking at what we paid in the same range would be a Harman P35i..not the same btu output (less) Question is..Is this a reliable stove and would it do a descent job of heating a 1200 sq ft Cape? Thelin rated at 45000 btu. Thanks for replys.
 
We have a harman p35i. Open floor plan 2200 square foot home and keeps house nice and toasty warm . Have newer windows and upgraded insulation but am definitely pressed with the heat output
 
Im 1000 sq ft less So looks like no problem keeping the heat..albeit..not as pretty..pretty is not a concern anymore. Heat is.
 
I would argue that the Harman will give you more BTU's than your Thelin as it will run far longer. I am a new owner to the 35i's big brother, the 52i. All I can say is it goes and goes and goes. Chews through whatever pellets I throw in the hopper and asks for more. There are many brands of good stoves out there and I am very pleased with mine.
 
I don't think I've ever read of any serious complaints about the 35i in the forum to include output. And for certain nothing like you have gone through.
 
Alt..trying to be very patient with this stove, SnS have been great in helping us. Its just sad we cant make 2 months without a breakdown. Tired of it and want another stove.
 
Really sorry to hear it's down again John ... What options do you have on getting the stove off your hands?
 
John Fortier said:
Amazingly enough the Thelin has again died. Got in today and no heat, kicked up thermostat ..nothing. Disconnected thermo and connected jumper blower came on, no pellet drop, cleaned out hopper, no jambs. Dropped some pellet in hopper, still no feed. Our longest stretch of working is 2 months..maybe. I think I have finally had enough. Time to go for replacement..Looking at what we paid in the same range would be a Harman P35i..not the same btu output (less) Question is..Is this a reliable stove and would it do a descent job of heating a 1200 sq ft Cape? Thelin rated at 45000 btu. Thanks for replys.
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The 52i will hold your set temp within one degree and if you get the ceramic finish it will be as pretty as they come.the extra btu will be welcome when it's below zero.ive only had mine since June but it runs like a top I'm very impressed with it
 
Big.. would love to bump up but 1000 more then we spent. LG. SnS was closed when I put the call in, weighing my options and hoping we can come up with a solution. I see no reason why an even swap is not in line. 3000 plus on a unit that wont last 2 months. I feel I have been more than reasonable with the repairs. Time to say we were sold a Lemon. The unit just wont hold up. BTW..Happy New Year to all. We will see.
 
New year new stove, screw it u deserve it. It's a shame that your model has given u so many problems

Good luck and buy something else hopefully the manufacturer will work with you.

Cheers!
 
Man that sucks and I hope you can find something quickly (or at least get the Thelin to limp along until you can find something. Good luck and hope the New Year is an improvement all the way around for you!
 
Was just telling my wife yesterday how amazed I am that my 17+ yr old Whitfield has never quit on us, sure I've replaced the auger and combustion blower due to age but they still worked when I replaced them, sounds like your exhaust pressure switch is preventing pellet's from dropping.
 
Been very pleased with my P35i. Easy to maintain, eats any kind of pellets and keeps my 1700sq ft colonial very warm even on bitterly cold days.
 
Hope to work something out with S&S. We will see Friday. P35i looks pretty good and less than we paid...install will be another issue.
 
You know, I really didn't start out looking for a Harman due to their expense, then my wife saw the brown enamel Harman 52i sitting in the showroom and that was that. When I was looking to buy a used stove, I knew I'd need a good technician and found one. In short, he told me he'd work on and recondition any stove and have it working like new. Then he told me he did work for a Harman dealership in the past and although he had no affiliation with them anymore, he said they are built like tanks and in his experience last a long time with minimal service required. He didn't say they are perfect but constructed better than most and on average less troublesome based on his repair experiences. Now that I've had it a while, it was the right choice. Yeah, it was more than I wanted to spend but they do eventually pay for themselves in energy savings so it will just take me a little longer to reach that payback figure.
 
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John your problem may be your Hopper Lid Switch (White Switch on top of surround) that is either not hitting the Hopper door correctly or has just gone bad. That switch has 2 wires that go to it since I no longer work for manufacturer I can tell you to bypass that switch and connect the 2 wires that go to that switch together and unit should then feed Pellets. Hope that works.
Good luck
 
Thanks Matt will give it a shot. Sorry to say doesn't change the fact things are breaking.:(
 
maple1 said:
I was expecting to read of something much worse, from the thread title.
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Not sure if you caught the original board problem he had when first installed ... It's a little over a year old so should not be having problems at all!
 
maple1 said:
I was expecting to read of something much worse, from the thread title.
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Hey Maple..If you knew what I have gone through for the last year..You would understand.
 
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