Harman Advance Pellet Stove

[abrucerd]

Hi All!

I'm a brand new homeowner, and one of the perks of my new house is the recently installed Harman Advance Pellet Stove.

The first thing I've realized since inheriting this fine piece of equipment, is that I know absolutely NOTHING about Pellet Stoves. My search for answers has brought me here, and any insight provided would be most appreciated.

My basic noob questions follow:

What kind of stove do I have? Is it a good/bad model? What types of things should I watch out for? I was able to find a brochure and manual for it online, but those things are hard to read when I haven't even turned the stove on yet.

I ordered 2 tons of pellets for the burning season... does that sound like the right amount for central Massachusetts? I tried to get "Premium" Pellets, but looking online it appears that all pellets are marketed as Premium so I'm not sure if I really got Premium or not (Brand: Canadian Premium - Pinnacle Pellets imported and then packaged by New England Wood Pellet).

I also see that some people mix corn with their wood pellets. Is there a cost benefit? Is this recommended with my stove model?

I guess that's basically it... but like I said, this winter will be a learning experience, and I basically want to make sure I don't do anything too stupid.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[TedNH]

welcome to the group!

Im up in Keene NH.
I have a Harman XXV stove. My house is about 2000sq ft and open concept. I burned 4 tons last year keeping the home at right around 70*. My wife and daughter like to be warm.
We need to know what kind of layout your home has, how old it is etc.
Harmans can burn all pellets. I dont know mch about corn around here. I think its more popular in the midwest.

 

[abrucerd]

Thanks for the quick response.

My house was built in 1955, 1700 sq ft, open layout. We also have Ceiling fans in just about every room. Hardwood and tile floors if that matters.

 

[begreen]

Welcome Bruce. This is a premium stove, it should work well for you. Did it come with a manual? If yes, take the time to read it. There is a lot more information there than we can give you on the forum. If not, you can find it online at:
(broken link removed to http://www.harmanstoves.com/doc/advancem.pdf)

The amount of pellets you will burn will depend on the outside temps, house insulation, the room temp and how many hours the stove runs. As a rule of thumb, figure 1 to 1.5 bags per day in winter.

 

[TedNH]

Buy another ton....maybe 2!!

Many here will talk about BTU's and stuff, but I like to keep the house warm and I enjoy the fire.
get yourself some Rutland Glass cleaner. You will need it. Its at HD. Costs about 5-6$ per bottle. I cleaned my glass 3-4 times a week and used about 3/4 of the bottle last year.
Get a better scraper than what came with the stove. A screwdriver or a short automotive pry bar works well.
You can scrape the burn pot with the stove running. just open the door. fans will shut off. do your scraping and close the door and it will come back up. IF you smother the flame while scraping just shut the door and wait a few mins...or a little smoke will enter the house. NO big deal.
Hmmm...what else can I think of...um...
Clean the stove out every few weeks. Empty the ash, give it a good vacuum.
Ask lots of questions here.
Play with it. its fun and will be entertaining. I love sitting in front of mine with my laptop and a beer reading Hearth.com.

T

 

[begreen]

Good suggestions. If you buy a lot of pellets, be sure you store them in a dry place or well covered. If a bag gets just a hint of moisture in it, it may be ruined. If they get wet, they will puff up and explode the bag. Also, what brand did you buy? There is often a quality difference between brands. Softwood pellets seem to burn cleanest and a bit hotter.

 

[mkmh]

Congrats on inheriting that stove. From all the research i've done it is a good one!
I've been heating with pellets for 2 winters now and I love it. I agree with the comment that you should pick up another 1-2 tons. 2 tons would be good if you have anotehr source of heat that you plan on using...but I would bet that with 3-4 tons of pellets you could heat that whole house comfortably all season. You may wind up rolling of 1/2-1 ton for next year, but that is a good thing (as long as you have the room). I look at it like money in the bank going into the next season. I'd make a point of using leftover 2007 stock first next heating season, but as long as you keep them dry, those pellets should be fine next year.

I think you'll be surprised by how simple Harman stoves are. I've found the manuals to be well written and pretty easy to follow. Definitely plan on religiously following teh cleaning and maintenence schedules. I've heard pellet stove ownership can be a frsustrating experience for people who aren't willing to put in a little time properly maintaining their stoves.

 

[GVA]

Cleaning instructions-------- (broken link removed to http://www.harmanstoves.com/maintenance/advancecleaninginstructions.pdf)
If this is primary heating source, get at least 2 more tons
Corn added to pellets...... Not really cost effective here in Mass
Scraper a nice big screwdriver with a bent handle to help scrape the clinkers.
Everyday when I get home from work I open the door, give the burnpot a couple of scrapes close the door, thats it
about every 20-30 bags I do a full shutdown and cleaning (do not wait to burn the full ton efficiency goes way down).
Glass cleaning I use the cerama brite wipes... But with the amount of glass it is hard to keep up with.
More questions, ask away there are several Advance owners here as well as several dealers.

BeGreen it sounds like the NEWP canadians he got ........ Very good pellet...softwood


Ooops.
Welcome to the forum...

 

[GVA]

Thanks for the quick response.

My house was built in 1955, 1700 sq ft, open layout. We also have Ceiling fans in just about every room. Hardwood and tile floors if that matters.

On an open layout the stove should heat the area nice...
the hardwood/tile floors do matter but only if you have pets as the pet hair will tend to migrate towards the stove easier and get sucked into the distribution blower

 

[keyman512us]

Bruce...Welcome to the forum.

In addition to the above information...I would also recomend cecking out the search function here on the forum.

Grab a favorite beverage and start checking out the search function... there is a vast amount of info right here in the forum.

A lot of your question you have (or may have in the future) have probably already been discussed.

Try (for instance) entering "premium pellets" or "how much pellets do you use" for search criteria... Enjoy!

 

[HarryBack]

and follow the maintenance instructions above which GVA provided. Maintenance is very important in pellet stoves, and since you have a stove with covered heat exchangers, about once a month you'll want to cool the unit down and do a through cleaning....dont forget the ignitor!

 

[abrucerd]

All,

Thanks for the helpful info. I'm actually pleasantly surprised that a niche thing like pellet stove burning has such an active forum. Kudos to you and your admins!

I'll follow all the suggestions above (especially around cleaning... like I said, I'd hate to ruin this nice stove during my rookie season), and monitor new and old posts in case I have additional questions.

Much appreciated

-bruce

 

[GVA]

I'll follow all the suggestions above (especially around cleaning... like I said, I'd hate to ruin this nice stove during my rookie season), and monitor new and old posts in case I have additional questions.
-bruce

That's what we all(I) did our (my) rookie season, which is why we (I) like to contribute to others to prevent the same mistakes that we (I) made.

Just so you know if it is new (fairly) the warranty will transfer from the original owner to you.


Just make sure you follow the cleaning regimen and you should be good.....

 

[begreen]

If possible, get the receipt from the owner and contact the stove store where it was purchased. Have them document the transfer of ownership.