First post! Seeking feedback on pellet inserts

[Divago]

Hello there!

I am in Boston metro west area. After years of researching and being on the fence we have decided to get a pellet insert. I have always wanted one after seeing a harman accentra at a friends place.

Considering the federal credit is harman accentra a good choice for getting max credit while getting a really good pellet insert? We want more or less a low maintenance stove and are looking to service it once a year. Apart from bringing in the bag and cleaning ash I am not looking for any extra maintenance apart from the yearly servicing.

We really liked the looks of accentra and I my research so far tells me it’s also low maintenance insert.

Just seeking opinions from the experts. We have a few installers coming in to give us a quote.

Thanks!

 

[Montecarlossfan]

Welcome,

Let me start off by saying pellet stoves do need a bit of maintenance / cleaning throughout the season. However the Accentra Insert is fairly easy to maintain. I personally have a 52i and my parents have the original Accentra insert (before Harman was bought out).

Theirs is a 2008 model and mine is a 2015 model which of the two the newer one is easier to clean .

First it comes down to pellets you burn in how much ash you are going to produce and how often it will need a cleaning. If I burn home depot pellets I can usually go about 2-2.5 weeks before having to empty the ashpan and If I'm going that far I will do what I call a light cleaning which involves brushing everything down inside, pulling out the cast iron covers to clean the heat exchanger (which is a breeze on the newer stoves by the way) as well as brushing off the combustion blower fins, cleaning the glass, etc. This takes about an hour or less once you know your stove and the best part is this is all done from the front unlike the older generation which had to slide out to clean the combustion blower.

If I burn something like a Turman pellet or a wood and sons etc...I can drag that out to 3-4 weeks before I do this.

Every day maintenance is obviously refilling and scraping the burnpot out 2-3x a day to remove any built up carbon deposits that may start to accumulate(2 minutes max)


I know I may be a bit biased with Harman but their stoves are well built and safe, parts are easy to find if needed and they stand behind their product. I will say that yes they are under HHT now but still producing a great stove and you will get many years of enjoyment out of it.


I will however suggest that your installer utilizes an outside air kit which keeps the stove from exhausting inside air to burn the pellets which in turn keeps any drafts in your home down as if you have other appliances(dryer, boiler/water heater) they probably use inside air as well and more air loss has to come from somewhere such as door gaps window seals etc.


Just my 2 cents FWIW,

How big of a space are you trying to heat?

 

[johneh]

Pellet stoves are not plug and play.
If you are not ready to or do not have the time
or patience to clean and service when needed
You will be disappointed with the outcome

 

[Divago]

Pellet stoves are not plug and play.
If you are not ready to or do not have the time
or patience to clean and service when needed
You will be disappointed with the outcome

😟
That’s disappointing, I thought pellet would be easier than wood stove.

 

[Divago]

Welcome,

Let me start off by saying pellet stoves do need a bit of maintenance / cleaning throughout the season. However the Accentra Insert is fairly easy to maintain. I personally have a 52i and my parents have the original Accentra insert (before Harman was bought out).

Theirs is a 2008 model and mine is a 2015 model which of the two the newer one is easier to clean .

First it comes down to pellets you burn in how much ash you are going to produce and how often it will need a cleaning. If I burn home depot pellets I can usually go about 2-2.5 weeks before having to empty the ashpan and If I'm going that far I will do what I call a light cleaning which involves brushing everything down inside, pulling out the cast iron covers to clean the heat exchanger (which is a breeze on the newer stoves by the way) as well as brushing off the combustion blower fins, cleaning the glass, etc. This takes about an hour or less once you know your stove and the best part is this is all done from the front unlike the older generation which had to slide out to clean the combustion blower.

If I burn something like a Turman pellet or a wood and sons etc...I can drag that out to 3-4 weeks before I do this.

Every day maintenance is obviously refilling and scraping the burnpot out 2-3x a day to remove any built up carbon deposits that may start to accumulate(2 minutes max)


I know I may be a bit biased with Harman but their stoves are well built and safe, parts are easy to find if needed and they stand behind their product. I will say that yes they are under HHT now but still producing a great stove and you will get many years of enjoyment out of it.


I will however suggest that your installer utilizes an outside air kit which keeps the stove from exhausting inside air to burn the pellets which in turn keeps any drafts in your home down as if you have other appliances(dryer, boiler/water heater) they probably use inside air as well and more air loss has to come from somewhere such as door gaps window seals etc.


Just my 2 cents FWIW,

How big of a space are you trying to heat?

Thanks for a detailed respond! Really appreciate it and it’s super helpful.
The area is a large living room with tall 20’ + ceiling.
It’s open space and connected to the kitchen.
I haven’t read much on wood stove but maybe that’s where I need to look next! Really was hoping a east solution but yeah it doesn’t seem likely with so much ash cleanup regularly,

 

[stoveliker]

Wood stoves need reloading more often... And ash clean out weekly depending on the stove. Finally, if you don't have wood that's been split and drying for a year or more now, you won't be happy burning anything this winter. Buying "seasoned wood" is just not going to be dry enough, experience shows.

 

[johneh]

That’s disappointing, I thought pellet would be easier than wood stove

I find the pellet stove more convenient than a wood stove
basically, fill, set temp and walk away
Once a week clean glass, and vac ash from the firebox
once a month if necessary empty the ash pan
Once a year total tear down clean complete stove lub
convection blower
clean chimney
then wait for next winter
receive 2 pallets of pellets stored on an enclosed back porch
takes 2 of us about 1 hour to store
It also heats 24/7 during the winter

Now firewood for the wood furnace
that my friend is a whole other kettle of fish
because I cut and process my own an ongoing job throughout the year
a labour of love and ten times the work

 

[stoveliker]

On the other hand, I empty ashes every two weeks, sweep the flue once to twice a season, and that's it. No lubing, no reliance on electric power.

But a lot of enjoyable hours cutting and splitting wood. And building a shed for the wood. And buying axes, a chainsaw. And making fire (which I love).


So it depends on what you like to do.

If you like less maintenance (or fuel provision), get a nat. gas fireplace. Or a minisplit. Or use your oil burner. Set the thermostat and walk away.

Bottom line, there is no free lunch.

 

[tbear853]

😟
That’s disappointing, I thought pellet would be easier than wood stove.

Well, they are easier than maintaining a wood stove. Every bag of pellets you put in weighs what the last one did, consistantly. You don't have a big pile of wood and you don't have the trash that falls off an arm load, cleaning the ash pan is a more controled operation than using a shovel and transferring burnt wood to a bucket for removal.

No splitting wood, just open a bag and pour. Some even just keep a box to pour in pellets beside the stove, then use a scoop to fill the stove.

 

[bostonfan49]

Hello there!

I am in Boston metro west area. After years of researching and being on the fence we have decided to get a pellet insert. I have always wanted one after seeing a harman accentra at a friends place.

Considering the federal credit is harman accentra a good choice for getting max credit while getting a really good pellet insert? We want more or less a low maintenance stove and are looking to service it once a year. Apart from bringing in the bag and cleaning ash I am not looking for any extra maintenance apart from the yearly servicing.

We really liked the looks of accentra and I my research so far tells me it’s also low maintenance insert.

Just seeking opinions from the experts. We have a few installers coming in to give us a quote.

Thanks!

Divago, What is your primary source of heat, and do you consider it expensive?
Another idea pending….
Bill

 

[Jeremy6500]

I heat all winter with 2 pellets stoves so they run 24/7

They are not maintenance free, but easier than a wood stove in my opinion.

My PP130 I will usually shut down every 2-3 days and dup the ashes out of the burn pot. About once a week (sometime 2 weeks) I will vacuum out the burn chamber. I will also clean the glass and give the exhaust the leaf blower treatment. Total time to clean it is probably about 20 minutes.

My USSC 6500 has an ash pan. I usually dump it every week or 2. Probably shut the stove down and give it the vac and leaf blower treatment about every 2-3 weeks.

I could probably go a little longer between the deeper cleaning of the stoves, but I learned early on that keeping them clean keeps them burning/heating well without issues.

 

[Divago]

Divago, What is your primary source of heat, and do you consider it expensive?
Another idea pending….
Bill

Ordinarily I don’t consider oil — my primary heating source — expensive. Last year lucked out and paid $2.19 per gallon 😎
This year everyone is asking over $5 here,

 

[Divago]

Well, they are easier than maintaining a wood stove. Every bag of pellets you put in weighs what the last one did, consistantly. You don't have a big pile of wood and you don't have the trash that falls off an arm load, cleaning the ash pan is a more controled operation than using a shovel and transferring burnt wood to a bucket for removal.

No splitting wood, just open a bag and pour. Some even just keep a box to pour in pellets beside the stove, then use a scoop to fill the stove.

Yup we decided to go ahead and get a pellet insert. Won’t make a difference this winter due to supply chain issues, but I am hoping I can use pricing arbitrage between oil vs pellets each year.
And if nothing else I will enjoy the wood heat and treat it as a luxury expense that I always wanted — which I did.

 

[bostonfan49]

Yup we decided to go ahead and get a pellet insert. Won’t make a difference this winter due to supply chain issues, but I am hoping I can use pricing arbitrage between oil vs pellets each year.
And if nothing else I will enjoy the wood heat and treat it as a luxury expense that I always wanted — which I did.

Oh……..so you did pull the trigger and get the insert….? As others have said, your really looking at about 30 plus minutes a week cleaning, once you get the hang of it! Emptying your Ash bin is only half the required maintenanc. Fine ash dust coats the entire inside of your stove. The more you have, the dirtier the stove, the worse it runs! I believe about 50% of the members vacuum out their stove once a month, the rest weekly or biweekly. So you‘ll need a good Ash Vac or Shop Vac properly set up. (Either way, NEVER vacuum hot ashes !) But this is a topic for another time, besides emptying/changing the filter can be your own Mt. Vesuvius, believe me! If your stove has a rotating agitator, you don’t have to open the stove daily to take care of Clinkers, but you still have to occasionally clean the agitator. Your stove will dictate the best cleaning schedule. I’ll assume you have researched buying pellet, loading in your car, unloading from your car, stacking, more stacking, somewhere….better yet, home delivery and storage as close to your stove as possible. Multiple trips of any 20-40lb bucket daily is tasking, or Good exercise! Also, after spending all this $$$ you want to be able to see the beautiful Flames! A lot of stoves produce a nice rounded torch type flame in the center of the glass window. My M55 has a very wide flame. Either way, every couple of days (with the stove off) you need to clean the glass….or you won’t see didly squat! Buy a big box of Latex gloves, you’ll need them, it can be a bit messy!
Being from outside Boston myself I felt that I had to reply? Do you have very young kids or a new born? Perhaps your significant other can clean the stove while you take care of the kids Learn to enjoy! Bill

 

[Divago]

Oh……..so you did pull the trigger and get the insert….? As others have said, your really looking at about 30 plus minutes a week cleaning, once you get the hang of it! Emptying your Ash bin is only half the required maintenanc. Fine ash dust coats the entire inside of your stove. The more you have, the dirtier the stove, the worse it runs! I believe about 50% of the members vacuum out their stove once a month, the rest weekly or biweekly. So you‘ll need a good Ash Vac or Shop Vac properly set up. (Either way, NEVER vacuum hot ashes !) But this is a topic for another time, besides emptying/changing the filter can be your own Mt. Vesuvius, believe me! If your stove has a rotating agitator, you don’t have to open the stove daily to take care of Clinkers, but you still have to occasionally clean the agitator. Your stove will dictate the best cleaning schedule. I’ll assume you have researched buying pellet, loading in your car, unloading from your car, stacking, more stacking, somewhere….better yet, home delivery and storage as close to your stove as possible. Multiple trips of any 20-40lb bucket daily is tasking, or Good exercise! Also, after spending all this $$$ you want to be able to see the beautiful Flames! A lot of stoves produce a nice rounded torch type flame in the center of the glass window. My M55 has a very wide flame. Either way, every couple of days (with the stove off) you need to clean the glass….or you won’t see didly squat! Buy a big box of Latex gloves, you’ll need them, it can be a bit messy!
Being from outside Boston myself I felt that I had to reply? Do you have very young kids or a new born? Perhaps your significant other can clean the stove while you take care of the kids Learn to enjoy! Bill

Yeah planning to keep pellets in garage cleaned it out this weekend and it’s ready to hold at least 2 tons if not more.
Planning to buy accessories to make my job of cleaning easier. A but reason why we booked Harman was the ease of cleaning and forgiving wrt pellet quality.

 

[Havilcek stole the ball]

Yeah planning to keep pellets in garage cleaned it out this weekend and it’s ready to hold at least 2 tons if not more.
Planning to buy accessories to make my job of cleaning easier. A but reason why we booked Harman was the ease of cleaning and forgiving wrt pellet quality.

Hey welcome to the tribe newb! I've had a Harman for 15 years, and we're happy with it. I wouldn't say it is no maintenance, but I don't think it's too much of a burden. I probably give it a full shut down cleaning 3-4 times per season - that takes a couple of hours. The rest of the time we scrape the burnpot (30 seconds) every day pretty much and empty the ashes (2 minutes) every few weeks in the winter.

Hey, machines need maintenance. We also have oil heat and that also requires maintenance , but I can't do that so I have to pay someone who knows how. In 15 years, I think I paid once for a pellet stove repair. The rest of the time I can do it, so that's better.

The biggest thing is the heat, especially with the Harman. We got 5 tons this year so we just burn and wear t-shirts. Great choice!