Lopi AGP vs Harman p68

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Sniz

Member
Sep 25, 2013
92
Marriottsville, MD
going to pull the trigger on one of these 2 stoves this week. Went to the local showroom and saw both in person.

Price I'm being given as follows

AGP - $2,800 + tax
p68 - $3,495 + tax

my thoughts are the p68 has been around and nothing new per se, so it should be ironed out. The AGP seems to be pretty new and i'm seeing issues with the auger motors though that is thought to be ironed out?

p68 puts out a lot more BTU but they are rated for the same square footage.

I'm looking for this to be my main heat source here in MD with my oil furnace as a backup essentially.

What is everyone's thoughts on these two options? The price difference is nice and would pay for a few tons of pellets but I have no interest in taking the 'cheap' way out if it will lead to an issue down the line.

Thanks all!
 
Stove ratings can be deceiving!

Please post some details about the house. Hard to give advice when there isn't much to go on. How much sqftage are you planning on keeping warm and do you want no oil usage?
 
Stove ratings can be deceiving!

Please post some details about the house. Hard to give advice when there isn't much to go on. How much sqftage are you planning on keeping warm and do you want no oil usage?


sorry, its a ~2000 sq ft split level. No doors on the whole house other than the bedrooms/bathrooms and to the sub basement which we are not worried about heating. yes i'd love to not use oil at all BUT I just filled the tank to the tune of $800 if its needed.

Here is a diagram of my layout, i'm planning on putting it at the lower location marked B. There is a full wall between the bar where it will be located and the foyer leading upstairs, its not closed off but its in the way, the air will have to turn around that wall to head upstairs. I was planning on hardwiring a fan into that wall that will pull/blow the air from the hotter bar area up the steps to the main living area. Figured that would help with more even heat distribution.


Pellet-stove_zpse87476fd.jpg



and here is a photo looking from the living room at the stairs leading down and up. The foyer wall in the bottom left has the bar area behind it.

DSC_0679_zpse53f5628.jpg
 
Put the stove in the area you'll use the MOST. My guess is location A, plus easier for heat to reach bedrooms.
 
Put the stove in the area you'll use the MOST. My guess is location A, plus easier for heat to reach bedrooms.

that was my thought as well but it would require a lot more expensive install being that it has to be up through the breezeway ceiling and then about 15' up to the roofline + a few feet.

torn on that decision. location B would be a cakewalk for the install and much cheaper plus it would heat the theater room / bar we spend plenty of time at.

I do understand your point
 
I would go with the P68 you'll need all of that and maybe more. If you put the stove in the B location, You might not get as much heat as you'd like upstairs to the 3 bedroom area. Unless you overly heat the area where the stove is at.

Ultimate would be a stove in B and another in A. Or sister in a pellet furnace to the oil monster.
 
Harman is a hot stove giving off radiant heat as well as heating air. Disc feed system.(AGP) Bixby stoves had it and performed well but had wear issues. If its going to move pellets I would prefer it to be a steel auger. Them babies are hard.
 
P-68 in B location worse case you may not get the bed rooms all that hot and can always add another after you see how it works.
 
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I would go with the P68 you'll need all of that and maybe more. If you put the stove in the B location, You might not get as much heat as you'd like upstairs to the 3 bedroom area. Unless you overly heat the area where the stove is at.

Ultimate would be a stove in B and another in A. Or sister in a pellet furnace to the oil monster.
I like the bedrooms colder......the wife not so much
 
Hey guys another question, i dont want to start another thread and clutter things up......actually 2.

Pellets
Shop where i'm about to buy my p68 only sells Summerhill pellets which are made in PA....i've done some searching on here and did not find any real good definitive answer if these hardwood pellets are decent or not. They want $239/ton for them. Opinions? I have not started searching elsewhere but HD has Pennington's which I won't buy.

Venting/Plumbing

I am installing this stove myself, easy install right out the wall no vertical plumbing at all. My main question is is there a huge difference in the piping/cap setups out there? I see DuraVent and a few others advertised here which i'm assuming i'll have to order. Any suggestions on this?


Thanks again for all the help.....i'm glad to have found a solid 'nerdboard' as my wife calls them for pellet stoves. I'm an avid forum user for BMW's which is a passion of mine, totaling over 20,000 total posts on 2 boards. I'll do my best to contribute here but i'm a total newb on this stuff.
 
First off, use an OAK. the Harman OAK thimble is pretty slick, but a bit pricy. Do it right the first time, right? Duravent is notorious for leaking, but you may get lucky, and the prices at yer local HD(if you have one) will be hard to beat. As far as a terminations, a "turbo" cap works well..and looks clean. No, it doesn't add any extra HP ;)
 
First off, use an OAK. the Harman OAK thimble is pretty slick, but a bit pricy. Do it right the first time, right? Duravent is notorious for leaking, but you may get lucky, and the prices at yer local HD(if you have one) will be hard to beat. As far as a terminations, a "turbo" cap works well..and looks clean. No, it doesn't add any extra HP ;)

good info thanks, just did some google searching and did not locate an online store to purchase a Harman OAK thimble?

I found this but it doesnt seem to incorporate any sort of fresh air ducting?

http://www.pellet-stove-parts-4less..._PRO_Horizontal_Kit_DV_4PVP_p/dv-4pvp-kha.htm
 
Try searching for Selkirk brand. Have you tried the dealer you saw the stoves at? I think that Harman part is around $180
 
pellet question, which one would you get?

lignetics
AWP
Summerhill

all the same price in my area and thats all i have found
 
pellet question, which one would you get?

lignetics
AWP
Summerhill

all the same price in my area and thats all i have found
I've never heard of the Summerhill brand, but the Lig's have a slight edge over the AWF, IMO.

Maybe post some pics of the Summerhill bag & bar code so we can decipher who makes them.
 
O'malley's have been a mixed bag the past few years. Recently, not so good:

http://woodpelletreviews.com/reviews/wood-pellets/omalley-wood-pellets.html

Not familiar w/ Power Pellets, but reviews are again, mixed:

http://woodpelletreviews.com/reviews/wood-pellets/power-pellets.html


In general, I think you get what you pay for. The $229 for the Lig's isn't bad for a decent pellet. Just make sure it's not the version with the blue lettered bag. The Green lettered hardwood and hard/soft blend burned well for me last winter.
 
O'malley's have been a mixed bag the past few years. Recently, not so good:

http://woodpelletreviews.com/reviews/wood-pellets/omalley-wood-pellets.html

Not familiar w/ Power Pellets, but reviews are again, mixed:

http://woodpelletreviews.com/reviews/wood-pellets/power-pellets.html


In general, I think you get what you pay for. The $229 for the Lig's isn't bad for a decent pellet. Just make sure it's not the version with the blue lettered bag. The Green lettered hardwood and hard/soft blend burned well for me last winter.

damn! Yup just found that website and have been reading, thanks! Not happy with my local selections!
 
Hey guys another question, i dont want to start another thread and clutter things up......actually 2.

Pellets
Shop where i'm about to buy my p68 only sells Summerhill pellets which are made in PA....i've done some searching on here and did not find any real good definitive answer if these hardwood pellets are decent or not. They want $239/ton for them. Opinions? I have not started searching elsewhere but HD has Pennington's which I won't buy.

Venting/Plumbing

I am installing this stove myself, easy install right out the wall no vertical plumbing at all. My main question is is there a huge difference in the piping/cap setups out there? I see DuraVent and a few others advertised here which i'm assuming i'll have to order. Any suggestions on this?


Thanks again for all the help.....i'm glad to have found a solid 'nerdboard' as my wife calls them for pellet stoves. I'm an avid forum user for BMW's which is a passion of mine, totaling over 20,000 total posts on 2 boards. I'll do my best to contribute here but i'm a total newb on this stuff.

I've had a P68 for 8 years now.
I've bought the so called best pellets and the cheap ass pellets, from what I see the P68 burns them all good and the same amount every year.
The pellets I like the best I bought from Walmart they were a soft wood brand.
P68 all the way.

I bought my stove pipe from Lowes 1/2 the price from anywhere else. (Duravent brand.)
 
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I've had a P68 for 8 years now.
I've bought the so called best pellets and the cheap ass pellets, from what I see the P68 burns them all good and the same amount every year.
The pellets I like the best I bought from Walmart they were a soft wood brand.
P68 all the way.

I bought my stove pipe from Lowes 1/2 the price from anywhere else. (Duravent brand.)

Sounds good. I'm going to pick up a ton of Pennwoods when I get the stove installed.
 
pellet question, which one would you get?

lignetics
AWP
Summerhill

all the same price in my area and thats all i have found


I didn't like the Lignetics. They were very sooty and pricey.
I've had great luck with the HD Fireside brand. $219 ton. They might be more ash but I still burn the same amount each year no matter what the brand.
The P68 is a brease to clean and take care of. The extra ash isn't a problem.
 
Ignore the premium/super premium nonsense... means nothing.
 
hey boys, getting ready to order the stove and install parts. anything i'm missing here other than possibly some RTV?

going straight out the wall, don't need to go up at all.

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