Any regrets with Harman P35i? Looking for advice.

[spowell71]

I currently have a Harman Accentra52i-TC in the upstairs (~2000 square feet) and Breckwell pellet insert in the basement (~900-1000). I absolutely love the Accentra ... it’s amazing and I could not be happier with it.

I am looking to replace my Breckwell. My pellet stove tech (installed my Harman and does the annual service maintenance & I have high trust with him), is certified Harman & Quadra-Fire tech ... he works full time on pellet stoves … he does not sell stoves ... he is a subcontractor to the retailers & manufactures.

He recommended the Harman P35i or Quadra-Fire Classic Bay 1200i for the basement ... and he thought another Harman Accentra52i would be overkill and I should save myself 1K with a smaller unit. I asked if his money was on the line what would
he get ... he said both are great stoves but he would get the P35i. I am all in on Harman anyway, the burn pot & general design and the daily-weekly maint. would be similar to my Accentra … there is time-saving & comfort with familiarity, plus the Classic Bay 1200i
looks similar to my Breckwell and I am looking for a little aesthetics change. For me, it was always between the two Harman models ... and I was a little surprised that he tried to talk me out of another Accentra ... he said that the Accentra is the ultimate fancy top of the line insert unit but said that the no frills P35i is a rock solid performer and he does the warranty work on all these brands ... & nothing is more reliable than Harman in general and both models’ reliability is great.

So I know what to expect Harman Accentra52i-TC … it always works for mw, its quiet, the computer make it super easy to manage & operate (I love the scheduler, startup/shutdown, cleaning reminders, etc.), & daily-weekly maint. is easy). Are the current & former Harman P35i owners satisfied customers and overall happy with their purchase of the unit & would you purchase it again if you had to do it all over again? ... e.g. how is the fan & auger noise, are there any major pains or regrets with the unit?

 

[fmsm]

I have 2 of them. No issues other than an igniter. Go for it!

 

[Overfireinthehole]

Great stove. Just clean it in the spring and keep it dry. That stove loves to get sticky in the summertime... if you know what I mean...

 

[Montecarlossfan]

Although the 52i-tc is more advanced the 35i is a great stove as well. If the old Breckwell worked fine the 35i will be plenty of stove. the only downside is the accordion heat exchanger...just a bit more cleaning time compared to the 52i's brush and done although not by much.

I have the non TC 52i and love it, My father has a circa 2009 Accentra insert that is still kicking butt and still on the original igniter and he uses stove temp mode all the time lol.

 

[fmsm]

Although the 52i-tc is more advanced the 35i is a great stove as well. If the old Breckwell worked fine the 35i will be plenty of stove. the only downside is the accordion heat exchanger...just a bit more cleaning time compared to the 52i's brush and done although not by much.

I have the non TC 52i and love it, My father has a circa 2009 Accentra insert that is still kicking butt and still on the original igniter and he uses stove temp mode all the time lol.

The P35i is a flat exchanger, much easier to clean. It does NOT have an accordion-style removable plate.

 

[Montecarlossfan]

The P35i is a flat exchanger, much easier to clean. It does NOT have an accordion-style removable plate.

I stand corrected on clean out .. I swear they advertise it as having an accordion style heat exchangers. I might be thinking of another model .. either way can’t go wrong with Harman

 

[spowell71]

I am indecisive and still have not picked but leaning toward another 52i since I know the model well. Noise is very important to me since I sleep & work 15 feet away ... with 52i you full control of the blower ... plus there is the whisper mode. I really love its cast iron looks, the "EASY Touch Control", & being able to see the pellets in the hopper w/o having to open lid. Are these extras + more BTU worth 1k ... here is where I struggles due to my cheapness. One persons justification on the Facebook Harman site was its only $100 over 10 years.

With the heat exchangers ... I think we are talking about different things between the models.

With the 52i you have the two removable cast iron panels, a.k.a. "Cast Heat Exchanger CVR" - its the visible part of the backwall of firebox when operating the unit . I looking up at the roof inside of firebox of my 52i and nothing but smooth steel at the roof/top (not flat but bends/slopes to front).

I don't have the p35i ... but what I can tell the heat exchanger is fixed, i.e. not removable. On the Harman site P35i Overview page ... it does say "High efficiency with accordion heat exchanger". No parts listed as "heat exchanger" in the Parts pdf; Owner manual pdf references cleaning heat exchanger.

The p35i does have a removable Flame Guide Extension part (1-00-774338) which is different from the the Harman Flame Guide part (3-00-03000 which the 52i also has). I am thinking this Flame Guide Extension is the visible part of backwall of firebox when operating the unit. It is my understand that the earlies production years of the P35i did not include this Flame Guide Extension part and owners bought this part afterwards because it makes the unit more efficient vs the fire/flame hitting the heat exchanger directly.

Looking at ..
Harman P-Series Pellet Stove Maintenance Video

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They are cleaning a P-Series freestanding stove and @:59 it shows accordion looking heat exchanger .. not sure if all the P-Series stoves share a similar heat exchanger design. I can only guess about the P35i heat exchange design ... I think a current owner of this model would need to speak to it.

 

[rickwai]

The 35i still has the 3 knob control I think. It is very reliable. I prefer the 3 knob, probably since I have been servicing them for 15 yrs . It is a great stove

 

[fmsm]

I am indecisive and still have not picked but leaning toward another 52i since I know the model well. Noise is very important to me since I sleep & work 15 feet away ... with 52i you full control of the blower ... plus there is the whisper mode. I really love its cast iron looks, the "EASY Touch Control", & being able to see the pellets in the hopper w/o having to open lid. Are these extras + more BTU worth 1k ... here is where I struggles due to my cheapness. One persons justification on the Facebook Harman site was its only $100 over 10 years.

With the heat exchangers ... I think we are talking about different things between the models.

With the 52i you have the two removable cast iron panels, a.k.a. "Cast Heat Exchanger CVR" - its the visible part of the backwall of firebox when operating the unit . I looking up at the roof inside of firebox of my 52i and nothing but smooth steel at the roof/top (not flat but bends/slopes to front).

I don't have the p35i ... but what I can tell the heat exchanger is fixed, i.e. not removable. On the Harman site P35i Overview page ... it does say "High efficiency with accordion heat exchanger". No parts listed as "heat exchanger" in the Parts pdf; Owner manual pdf references cleaning heat exchanger.

The p35i does have a removable Flame Guide Extension part (1-00-774338) which is different from the the Harman Flame Guide part (3-00-03000 which the 52i also has). I am thinking this Flame Guide Extension is the visible part of backwall of firebox when operating the unit. It is my understand that the earlies production years of the P35i did not include this Flame Guide Extension part and owners bought this part afterwards because it makes the unit more efficient vs the fire/flame hitting the heat exchanger directly.

Looking at ..
Harman P-Series Pellet Stove Maintenance Video

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

They are cleaning a P-Series freestanding stove and @:59 it shows accordion looking heat exchanger .. not sure if all the P-Series stoves share a similar heat exchanger design. I can only guess about the P35i heat exchange design ... I think a current owner of this model would need to speak to it.

The flame extension is to keep the flame away from the back of the box. It came out after the original stove and was an item you could purchase (I did), in the later stoves and I am assuming today's models it is supplied at no charge. The interior box is smooth and the heat exchanger sits internally. Make no mistake, this is a great stove that is very easy to clean. I urge you to go to your local dealer and check it out completely.

 

[bigwalleye]

My P35i does not have that heat exchanger shown in the maintenance video above, but it's an insert. It's a 2011 model. It's been very reliable and my primary heat source for these past 10 years, so it works every day during my heating season in Northeast Ohio (November-April). I did just replace the OEM distribution lower with an aftermarket blower and I will say this aftermarket version must move 50% more air than the OEM cause it's 50% louder!

 

[fmsm]

My P35i does not have that heat exchanger shown in the maintenance video above, but it's an insert. It's a 2011 model. It's been very reliable and my primary heat source for these past 10 years, so it works every day during my heating season in Northeast Ohio (November-April). I did just replace the OEM distribution lower with an aftermarket blower and I will say this aftermarket version must move 50% more air than the OEM cause it's 50% louder!

That is NOT a video for the P35i!

The P35i is a flat exchanger, much easier to clean. It does NOT have an accordion-style removable plate.