I took the plunge late last winter and replaced a Dutchwest wood stove with a Harman Absolute 63. The Dutchwest had been a warhorse over the prior 20 years burning an average of three cords a season.
Several factors played into making the switch including parts availability and the fact that I've blown out too many birthday candles to be cutting three cords of wood a season.
In addition, our class A chimney was getting up in years so we were looking at over 3K for a chimney plus a new wood stove which made the pellet option a reasonable choice for our situation. We went with the top venting option tied into a liner in our existing class A chimney..... (which IMHO gives it a pretty clean look .) While I was at it, we replaced the 'Z-Brick' wall with stacked stone. (Anyone that knows' Z-Brick' is dating themselves)
What I like about the Harman Absolute 63.
1.) ease of use...push the button ....heat and an even temp control. (NOTE: I installed the remote thermostat sensor this year and it makes a world of difference if you are not using outside air intake)
2.) No more cord wood mess in the house (including hitch-hiking insects)
3.) Safety
Flue Fire worries are minimized
Concerns
1.) Longevity. These are not cheap stoves so we hope to get a good 15 years out of it with good maintenance schedules.
2.) Some of the parts replacement may be a challenge with the top venting option installed including eventual auger motor replacement. Guess I'll cross that bridge when we get there.
3.) Dirty Glass. This is a well documented complaint about this stove but overall it's a minor gripe. Just need to clean it daily
Overall we are happy with the stove and will post any additional concerns etc when they arise.
Thank you all for your great posts on this forum.....love the knowledge sharing from everyone!
Bill
Several factors played into making the switch including parts availability and the fact that I've blown out too many birthday candles to be cutting three cords of wood a season.
In addition, our class A chimney was getting up in years so we were looking at over 3K for a chimney plus a new wood stove which made the pellet option a reasonable choice for our situation. We went with the top venting option tied into a liner in our existing class A chimney..... (which IMHO gives it a pretty clean look .) While I was at it, we replaced the 'Z-Brick' wall with stacked stone. (Anyone that knows' Z-Brick' is dating themselves)What I like about the Harman Absolute 63.
1.) ease of use...push the button ....heat and an even temp control. (NOTE: I installed the remote thermostat sensor this year and it makes a world of difference if you are not using outside air intake)
2.) No more cord wood mess in the house (including hitch-hiking insects)
3.) Safety
Flue Fire worries are minimizedConcerns
1.) Longevity. These are not cheap stoves so we hope to get a good 15 years out of it with good maintenance schedules.
2.) Some of the parts replacement may be a challenge with the top venting option installed including eventual auger motor replacement. Guess I'll cross that bridge when we get there.
3.) Dirty Glass. This is a well documented complaint about this stove but overall it's a minor gripe. Just need to clean it daily
Overall we are happy with the stove and will post any additional concerns etc when they arise.
Thank you all for your great posts on this forum.....love the knowledge sharing from everyone!
Bill
they musta got it from warden school
