Harman 52i insert..

[acowherd]

How is the blower noise?

What other updates? I know more btus, but what else?

How will it compare to the old one?

I am concerned its not going to put out enuf heat..any other big heat inserts.

Might have to joing the wood burners...

 

[RCCARPS]

I don't personally have one.... But my brother has both. He had the "old" version in the main floor of his 4000sqft+ house and it took the chill out of the air when it got cold. He had the new one installed a month ago and the old one moved to a finished basement fireplace. He says its much quieter and throws a noticeable amount more heat. We just went through a quick cold snap down here of low 20s for the past few nights and his propane heat did not kick on once.

He hasn't done any major cleanings yet.

He is probably one of the few who have both versions running in a house at the same time and he cant stop raving how the new one throws heat and is quieter. Kinda makes me jealous and want to upgrade.

 

[Avalancheman]

I too bought a new 52i this fall I replaced a 14 year old EF-3. The Accentra burns very hot compared to the old EF-3. There are things that I like and a few things that I dislike about the 52i. My biggest complaint is the popping of the metal as the stove heats up and cools off and the amount of time the combustion blower runs after the stove shuts down. I like the quality of the stove and the design. Overall the 52i is not any nosier than my old EF-3.

It has just turned cold this week in SW Missouri. I am heating about 1,850 square feet with the 52i. When it was 18 degrees Wednesday night I ran it in the manual mode with the feed rate set a 1.5 and the distribution blower on medium. When I got Thursday morning the house was 79 degrees. I would hate to see how hot it would get on a feed rating of 3 or 4.

 

[Enigma869]

It has just turned cold this week in SW Missouri. I am heating about 1,850 square feet with the 52i. When it was 18 degrees Wednesday night I ran it in the manual mode with the feed rate set a 1.5 and the distribution blower on medium. When I got Thursday morning the house was 79 degrees. I would hate to see how hot it would get on a feed rating of 3 or 4.

Others can chime in here, but I think your theory on feed rate is all wrong. I run my P68 in Stove Temp, and adjust my dial (the 1 through 7 settings...which also show the temperatures for "room temp" mode) to control the heat...not the feed rate. I turn my dial down to 1 (the lowest setting) at night and he temperature definitely drops. In the morning, I turn the dial up (assuming that it's cold) to around 5 and the P68 turns into a heat monster and the temperature in my house rises quickly.

 

[Proud Sub Vet]

I'm new to all this too - Just had my Harman 52i installed when it was 50 degress out (now it will be about -3 tonight) and this stove is really kicking out a bunch of heat! (it's heating my entire 2,300 sq. ft. house with ease). Ok, it may be 70/72 in the family room where the stove is... 67/68 on the other side of the house... and 62/63 upstairs, but to me that's heating the enitre house For having this stove for less than 2 weeks in REALLY COLD WEATHER, I am more impressed than I expected to be! (so when Enigma869 said his P68 is a heat monster... I can only imagine!!)

 

[acowherd]

I'm new to all this too - Just had my Harman 52i installed when it was 50 degress out (now it will be about -3 tonight) and this stove is really kicking out a bunch of heat! (it's heating my entire 2,300 sq. ft. house with ease). Ok, it may be 70/72 in the family room where the stove is... 67/68 on the other side of the house... and 62/63 upstairs, but to me that's heating the enitre house For having this stove for less than 2 weeks in REALLY COLD WEATHER, I am more impressed than I expected to be! (so when Enigma869 said his P68 is a heat monster... I can only imagine!!)

So How did the 52i do for you this winter? Likes or Dislikes?

 

[NHcpa]

Have new 52i installed 3/12 and it is currently 15 degrees... Have on stove temp mode of feed rate at 4, stove set at 6, and fan at 3/4 - warming up rest of the 2700+ sq ft home. Not exactly sweating bullets yet. burning Ambiance pellets.

 

[NHcpa]

I just also add, my observations of the stove for improvement... The auger makes a clinking noise of dropping pellets on occasion...I would think this could be eliminated with some engineering for such a premium stove. I notice going to bed, I could hear a low background noise (low pitch rumble) and wondered if perhaps the mounting frame could have been installed on rubber washer/dampers or something. I am also thinking this will go away or I will just get use to. The flame at night reflects the flame, the stove should have some sort of covering or internal blind system to close off the window to blacken out. As far as the blower noise everyone likes to pick on about this unit, it doesn't bother me so much. this said, why doesn't the company that now owns Harman, use the blower fans of the Quadra fire that no one complains about?

 

[RhodyPelletRook]

Blower- low noise with mid blower setting
Cleaning- haven't done 1ton cleaning yet but the construction makes for easy tear down with weekly cleaning. I'm new to the unit but dependent on timing I usually take 45minutes to 1 hour.
Likes- my fireplace is doing more than I could've asked for; pellets vs oil cost of fuel, heat in my family room w 20' ceilings (typically 68- 75 dependent in spouse impacts)
Dislikes- you need a custom set of shop vac tools to do a very thorough cleaning

 

[stratocaster1422]

I absolutely love my 52i. Heating 2 floors of my 2700sf home just fine (thanks to big open floor plan). The oil only sometimes kicks on the top floor when it gets to be <20F at night. I have used ~1/4tank since Jan 10th and I woud have easily expected to use 2+ full tanks by now. ROI is going to be quick on this bad boy thanks to this winter. Doesn't seem to be too picky with pellets. If this unit's fans are much quieter than the previous version, I would hate to hear the old one. I am used to having the fans, but last week it certainly was nice to not have the blower on full blast.

Complaints so far:
Clinking noise of the pellets going down the auger
Scorched glass in the first 2 weeks of using it
That low rumble you sometimes hear
Family members complaining it's too damn hot in your house

Dislikes- you need a custom set of shop vac tools to do a very thorough cleaning

I have gone throught my 52i inside and out a lot since I bought it in January. Never used more than a crevice tool.

This is my weekly cleaning kit:
Shop vac + hepa filter and crevice tool
Big canvas drop cloth
Paint brush
Gloves
Stove glass cleaner

I just bought the 52i service kit so that I could clean the liner and see how much dog hair and dust were in the motors. Looked pretty clean back there minus the ash pile that fell out of the liner when I pulled the unit out.

 

[NHcpa]

I absolutely love my 52i. Heating 2 floors of my 2700sf home just fine (thanks to big open floor plan). The oil only sometimes kicks on the top floor when it gets to be <20F at night. I have used ~1/4tank since Jan 10th and I woud have easily expected to use 2+ full tanks by now. ROI is going to be quick on this bad boy thanks to this winter. Doesn't seem to be too picky with pellets. If this unit's fans are much quieter than the previous version, I would hate to hear the old one. I am used to having the fans, but last week it certainly was nice to not have the blower on full blast.

Complaints so far:
Clinking noise of the pellets going down the auger
Scorched glass in the first 2 weeks of using it
That low rumble you sometimes hear
Family members complaining it's too damn hot in your house




I have gone throught my 52i inside and out a lot since I bought it in January. Never used more than a crevice tool.

This is my weekly cleaning kit:
Shop vac + hepa filter and crevice tool
Big canvas drop cloth
Paint brush
Gloves
Stove glass cleaner

I just bought the 52i service kit so that I could clean the liner and see how much dog hair and dust were in the motors. Looked pretty clean back there minus the ash pile that fell out of the liner when I pulled the unit out.

Agreed! I have the same type house, but have actually shut the oil off - daughters have moved out so can do. also agree with your complaints. New unit and have burned 4 bags of Ambiance supplied by the dealer thus far. I will say, I have not heard the low rumble noise (did hear earlier) and the clinking noise I haven't heard much of late either. I will also say I was dragging at work the following day after the install...I think I slept with one eye open with the new noise and smell. second night slept like a rock and warm!

 

[stratocaster1422]

I kept the heat off for a while, but thought it wasn't a good idea in case I ran out of pellets or the auger jammed or something. So it's just on like 65 or something as a fail safe.

 

[Ctcarl]

I have the p35i and so far I am extremely impressed with it. I had a used ef3 for a year and a what a peice of junk that was. As far as the warm up noise for the harman .Its a cold stove getting cranked up what do you want .some people look for problems and can never be 100% happy.My oil used for far knock in wood is amazing .still not through this cold winter.Besides a small crack starting in the back of the ash tray that I called in already. The harman is doing what it says it will . Heating 75% of a 1800 split level.

 

[acowherd]

Thanks For all the feed back. I had a 52 insert and XXV and loved both stoves. My current home has no basement, so I am just looking to fill the hole in the fireplace. I had my XXV installed in my mostly fished basement.

With all of this feedback, and my previous experience....I ordered a 52i. Be here in a few weeks. I'll be ready for next winter!!

 

[tiger]

Complaints so far:
Clinking noise of the pellets going down the auger
That low rumble you sometimes hear

Owner for about a month, truncated use due to no pellets. I can handle the clinking noise for some reason but that rumbling (dealer says "that is normal") does annoy me. Subjective observation: after a few hours operation the frequency of the rumbles taper off.

 

[NHcpa]

Owner for about a month, truncated use due to no pellets. I can handle the clinking noise for some reason but that rumbling (dealer says "that is normal") does annoy me. Subjective observation: after a few hours operation the frequency of the rumbles taper off.

Agree with the low rumble noise...not sure if it comes from the unit or the chimney? Also mention that the dealer supplied me with Ambiance pellet and I also picked up Green Supreme to try... Of 4 bags each, the GS filled the ash pan and the Ambiance barely covered the bottom of the pan. I also see stuff flying around the chamber with GS.

 

[dlavigne7324]

Agree with the low rumble noise...not sure if it comes from the unit or the chimney? Also mention that the dealer supplied me with Ambiance pellet and I also picked up Green Supreme to try... Of 4 bags each, the GS filled the ash pan and the Ambiance barely covered the bottom of the pan. I also see stuff flying around the chamber with GS.

There someone located in Rochester nh selling ambiance for $5 bag min. 20 bags on craigslist