Harman 300i Wood Insert

[winnyruby]

Hello Hearthies-
Looking to get a fireplace wood insert.
located in woodstock, NY, temps low at -15 last year.
House: 1550sq ft 1926 bungalo, circular plan 1st floor, two small pitched bedrooms 2nd.
We've had an energy audit done and the house is relatively leaky but has had new insulation in about 65 % of the house. Basement is leaky and two rooms have large windows with no storms (for now).
We're looking at the Harman 300i insert (vs Jotul 550 Rockland or a Quarafire voyager grand).
Planning to burn wood/biobrick combo.
We want to heat with this stove 100%.
My concern is that the Harman is too big for our house.
Does anyone have input on:
size vs sq footage on this type of house (is it possible to have a stove thats "too big"?)
feedback on this stove in general?
I haven't been able to find much on it, but we like the dealer and the stove.
Thanks in advance!

 

[pen]

Too big is a relative term. My stove is too big in the fall and spring, but barely enough in January. In the coldest days, if I want to keep X temp, I need to add just a touch of supplementation or else flog the stove.

That said, I think my stove is a perfect fit.

It all depends on what you are OK with. I'm OK with only putting 1/2 loads in the stove in the spring and fall. I may lose a touch of efficiency here, but am willing to learn how to load the stove in these times and make it work as best as possible.

In the end, these things aren't furnaces, so the operator needs to learn what it takes. A big lesson is to learn that the amount of heat the home gets comes from the amount of wood loaded in the stove and using the air control to maintain a good fire, not using it to extend a fire or keep X temperature in the home.

Cat stoves are another variety that may help one to use a stove of a larger size yet keep things going cleanly at a lower rate when needed.

pen

 

[prezes13]

I think there is always to have a bigger fire box than having too small. If you want to heat 100% with wood invest in a good stove, something you really like. I agree with pen on a cat stoves. Blaze king princess comes to mind.

 

[oak_man]

Winny,

We've owned a Harmon 300i wood-burning insert for four years now, and would recommend it to anyone. We live on the east end of Long Island in a 3,500 square foot house. The insert is in the den on the ground floor. We have a relatively open floor plan, but it does not heat all the rooms because there is no way to get the air to them all, but it does a fine job heating the rooms where we typically congregate. Its blower fans really throw the heat out! And that hot air is clean and smoke-free. Its big glass door lets you see the fire, too, which we love. We rely on it for 90% of our heat. (We have forced hot air, and our heating bill last winter from November to end of March was a grand total of $500, if that gives you an idea). Frankly, I don't think you can go too big with an insert. It would be like having too much towing capacity in a pickup. You can control the heat output and burn rate really well with the "air-intake adjuster". (There is probably an official name for that). I have never burned biobrick, though. You should check with the dealer on that. I split and season all our wood myself, mostly oak. The quality and dryness of your wood is absolutely critical. Also, you need to let the insert run for a while for it to be effective. It's not like you can just fire it up and enjoy the warmth. It has to get hot, but I think that is the case with all inserts and stoves. In the winter, we use it nearly every day and run it from about 6 AM to 8 PM. We have had just one issue, a blower fan that stuck. I took it out, cleaned it up and drowned it with WD-40, and it has worked fine since. Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[branchburner]

Welcome to the new posters. It's great to hear oak_man has had good experience with his Harman, and what he says about quality and dryness of your wood is absolutely true.

But be aware, the Harman burn technology is different from many other stoves, and has been known to present problems to some, although most owners of the 300i seem very happy with it.

More than most, this stove needs to get up to temp and burn long and hot to be at peak efficiency. That means if the firebox is especially large for the footage you need to heat, you may very well get the place too warm by running the stove the way it likes to be run, especially in the shoulder-season months of fall and spring (in the dead of winter it will be great). That doesn't mean you should rule it out, but something to consider.

If I was to get a large firebox for that smaller space, for long burn times and better control of heat output, I would opt for catalytic burning, with inserts from the likes of Blaze King or Buck. Depending on your setup, you might also consider a freestanding stove over an insert, which allows for even more potential stove options that would offer greater radiant heat without need of a blower (as in an extended power outage).

 

[WoodPorn]

Hello Hearthies-
Looking to get a fireplace wood insert.
located in woodstock, NY, temps low at -15 last year.
House: 1550sq ft 1926 bungalo, circular plan 1st floor, two small pitched bedrooms 2nd.
We've had an energy audit done and the house is relatively leaky but has had new insulation in about 65 % of the house. Basement is leaky and two rooms have large windows with no storms (for now).
We're looking at the Harman 300i insert (vs Jotul 550 Rockland or a Quarafire voyager grand).
Planning to burn wood/biobrick combo.
We want to heat with this stove 100%.
My concern is that the Harman is too big for our house.
Does anyone have input on:
size vs sq footage on this type of house (is it possible to have a stove thats "too big"?)
feedback on this stove in general?
I haven't been able to find much on it, but we like the dealer and the stove.
Thanks in advance!

How did you make out with your decision??

 

[Devon]

The only things I don't like about harman 300 i is first parts are expensive like Iike very expensive and u can't work on it without taking it out and ripping everything apart

And plus it's fragile

 

[WoodPorn]

Ripping it out to work on it would be true of any insert no?I'm on my 3rd year with nothing broken or worn. This thing is a tank, I'm not sure were talking about the same thing here. ......

 

[Devon]

I meant the after burner is in the back and is fragile so are the ceramics which are very expensive

 

[Devon]

The rest is built like a tank