Dilemma: $2600 buy new p43 or Used 2003 Accentra w/ 2 yr warranty

[bluecats]

Hi Guys, Glad to have found you. Have been doing the pellet vs. wood dance for a while. Our house is 7 yrs old, well built and insulated. 2000 sq ft. 2 zone, propane costing $3,000 anually.
500 sq ft downstairs , 2 rooms (zone 1) with open staicase to 1500 sq ft on grade level (6 small rooms on main level) (zone2)
Planning to install pellet stove on lower level, hoping to heat the 500 sq. ft. & get some residual drift up the stairs.
Tight budget. Love the accentra. love the cast iron safety etc.
new accentra $3600+ . New p43 $2600 + Would love new Accentra but for the $$
Can get a 2003 accentra w/ 2 yr. dealer warranty (looks clean and not over used, but being new, hard for us to tell) or a new p43 for same price.
Tough choice for us.
When warranty expires, Accentra will be 11 yrs old, and p43 2 yrs old.
Trying to acsertain which stove is 'more work' in terms of maintenance ,
is there a difference in the feel of the heat ? steel vs. cast iron.
What will break on these things in the next few years and what sort of costs go with that ?
Also ... is p43 more forgiving w/ pellet quality than accentra?
Any thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks guys.
Looking fwd to becoming a pellet pig

 

[daffonce]

Cast iron is just looks. The outside of the stoves dont get hot and radiate much heat. They heat via convection. I would go w the higher btu. W an op3n staircase you might be able to beat the whole house. I heat 2600 sq ft w my xxv w a normal staircase upstairs is about 2 degrees cooler then downstairs but that is ok because upstairs are the bedrooms and a few degrees cooler is ok. Harmans are very reoiable so I wouldnt worry about getting a used ones. Harmans also require less cleaning.

 

[moey]

Will the dealer be around in 1 yr for your warranty?

 

[bluecats]

Thanks for the responses. Good point re dealer. I *think* they will be around , yes. Have been here a while and have good reputation. Isn't the issue always the $ ?
I love the Accentra for the benefits of cast iron, it's $3600 new , The steel p43 is $2600.
We can get Accentra for $2600 but it's 9 yrs old, so I have to wonder about the auger motor and ignitor dying , and other parts dying out in Jan 2016 when warranty ends.
We (also) see used Accentras on Criag's List that are 6 yrs old, from private people running $2200 -$2500. No warranties or guaruntees.
I *want* an Accentra partly coz I don't like how hot the steel stoves are for a corner.
Practicality seems to indicate ,get the new p38...hoping to get 5 + worry free years from it.
confusing choice

 

[bbfarm]

No reflection on the brand of stove, but I would be leary of purchasing a 9 year old stove.

Is it being sold by a dealer? What has been replaced on the stove?

I would say keep looking if you really like that brand to find a newer used one

 

[bluecats]

Thanks for your thoughts bbfarm. We do not know what has been replaced on it we asked and if I correctly understood the answer, " it was so clean when we got it , we haven't had to do anything to it. But it's warrantied here for 2 years " ...I would have thought that it would have either had a list of what has been done to it over the years ( like a used car)
we thought that 2600 for something 9 years old that now new retails for 3600 ? is kind of a high price.
When we asked about that , were told " yeah , Harman's hold their value"
don't get me wrong, we think the dealer are good people...
just (also) wonder if something that now retails for $3600 .. in a 9 yr old model should sell for less than half its sticker price ... ie ... $1400 , $1500 ...
If one thinks of a 10 year old car that was 30K 9 years ago ...it's worth about 4K now....

 

[rayttt]

Thanks for the responses. Good point re dealer. I *think* they will be around , yes. Have been here a while and have good reputation. Isn't the issue always the $ ?
I love the Accentra for the benefits of cast iron, it's $3600 new , The steel p43 is $2600.
We can get Accentra for $2600 but it's 9 yrs old, so I have to wonder about the auger motor and ignitor dying , and other parts dying out in Jan 2016 when warranty ends.
We (also) see used Accentras on Criag's List that are 6 yrs old, from private people running $2200 -$2500. No warranties or guaruntees.
I *want* an Accentra partly coz I don't like how hot the steel stoves are for a corner.
Practicality seems to indicate ,get the new p38...hoping to get 5 + worry free years from it.
confusing choice

The Accentra has a tiny ash tray..requiring cleaning every week or 2..
The P serie's has an ash tray that is hugh..needing emptying in 4 to 6 weeks.
Just saying.

 

[P38X2]

P43 all day. IMO, $2600 is a ridiculously high price for a 9 year old stove, warranty or not, mint condition, whatever.

 

[stayfitz]

Buy the brand new P43, or many other new pellet stoves (for example - (broken link removed to http://www.drolet.ca/en/products/pellet/eco-65-pellet-stove)). I think spending $2,600 on a 9 year old stove is a potential mistake. Also, in order to effectively heat your grade level 1,500 sqft, you'll need to move a significant amount of air! Maybe using the HVAC forced air system (fan only) and/or strategically placed fans. Generally, a stove is placed in a high use area, where you spend time...

 

[bluecats]

Thanks you guys ! We are really appreciating the feedback.
I will take all the feedback and opinions I can get here Thanks!

 

[gfreek]

My vote is it for the P43.. They are asking too much for the 9 year old stove even with so called warranty

 

[GIPPER]

Harman all day. Bought my P61a for under $3200 this August.No more daily cleaning like my Castille.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

New p43

 

[hearthnleisure]

The 9 year old Accentra probably has a chain driven auger vs the current Accentra or P43 which is going to have the direct drive feed motor. The chain driven system, in my opinion, would be reason enough to pass over the Accentra and go for the P43. Not that it is a bad system, but it is prone to more service and generally runs a bit louder.

The steel P43 is going to run much hotter to the touch than the cast iron Accentra. Where you could put your hand on top of a fully burning Accentra, the P43 would burn you. It is true that most of the heat is convection, but the steel stoves are going to be much, much hotter to the touch.

For a corner install, the Accentra is definitely going to chew up less space, but the P43 should be able to be installed on a 40" corner hearth board.

Maintenance on the P43 is a little easier as there aren't any baffle plates to remove during cleaning. Other than that, basically the same design. I really think there is not much of a difference at all in the ash bin size. They should both hold ash from about a ton's worth of pellets. I think maybe rayttt was thinking about the xxv which has a smaller ash bin to allow for the wood stove look.

 

[bluecats]

Thank you all ! We're very appreciative of your expertise and honest answers.
I'm so seduced by the accentra's cast iron/small footprint/able-to-be-touched features ...but I have had a feeling $2600 is too much $ for something that is 1/2 way through its life cycle. If it lasts 20 years and its 10 years old, seems like it would be a 'deal' and worthwhile risk at $1500 or $1600. Not 2600 + tax.
Rats .... I really like that cast iron ...but it's $3600 + install ...
I'm starting to think a new p43 is looking sweet...
Thanks all,
We are always interested in all of your opinions. Thanks for sharing your experience!

thank you !

 

[dw06]

Buy the new P43, you'll thank me later.

 

[silverfox103]

You'll be happy with the P43. I have two Harman's that are in the same family, the P68 and P38. Both of them are corner installs and they work great. Make sure you check Harman's website, many times they have a coupon good for $100 or $200 off the price. Also if they are doing the install, don't be afraid to squeeze them on the price.


Tom

 

[bluecats]

Thank you ! These posts are so helpful to this newbie ! We have heard any where from $800 ( low end) to $1,300 for the dealer(s) to install it

 

[P38X2]

$800 on the LOW end? Do you have any other Harman dealers in your area?

 

[Lousyweather]

Thank you ! These posts are so helpful to this newbie ! We have heard any where from $800 ( low end) to $1,300 for the dealer(s) to install it

depends on whats included...just labor? Pipe? Floor Protection? The pipe can easily run $500 just for materials. Floor protection? Another $250-$300. Labor? It differs...$300? Add em together, that's $1100

 

[TriMom]

We were able to get a 2 year old Accentra insert for $2500.

We love ours.

 

[bluecats]

Hi lousyweather, install includes parts, pipes and labor, no floor protection. That will be additional .

 

[fmsm]

There's a reason Harman's are expensive used, they are a GREAT stove that requires less daily maintenance than others. If you don't mind playing every day and are reasonably handy look at a new Englander.

 

[Lousyweather]

Hi lousyweather, install includes parts, pipes and labor, no floor protection. That will be additional .

agreed then, pricey. Around these parts, install LABOR is about $300 or so. There can be an additional charge for delivery though.......

 

[MCPO]

When the price of a used pellet stove (especially 9 yrs old) and even a Harman , goes above $1500 it makes good sense to consider a brand new stove .