Harman Pellet Stove Installation Costs?

[jamiekelli]

Hello Everyone - New to the forum here, and also new to pellet stoves. My wife and I recently bought a "new" old home in MA, and it has required a new heating system to be installed. We have elected to proceed with a combination of heat pumps and also a pellet stove. After much research, we settled on the Harman Allure 50, which appears to be a newer model for the company. We were very set on a contemporary look, rather than traditional. Only one dealer on our area offered Harman, so we didn't have too many options. Last Saturday, we went in to purchase the stove in order to take advantage of Harman's $300 rebate offer which expired on Oct. 2nd. Because of this, we ended up buying the stove prior to the dealer coming out to look at the house, help locate the new stove, and price out the installation.

Today, the dealer came to the house. We came up with a very smart location for the future stove that we agreed on. The venting at this location will be incredibly simple, a 45 bend and straight out the wall, up the exterior the minimumrequired amount. No bends, no going up through a roof. The installer put together the price for install right there for us, and to be honest, the install price with all parts and the pad floored me. Including tax, it will be $1800. I was expecting something around $1000.

He showed me on a tablet that he was ordering the highest quality venting components from his vendor so I could see that all the individual prices were legit. The 1/8" thick steel corner floor pad was around $300-$350, the venting components were around $650 total. He then told us that the standard install labor cost was $700. Including the tax, we were at $1800. I expressed that this price was a lot higher than we had anticipated, and he seemed offended. He explained where all of the numbers came from, and that we were getting the best quality for a top quality stove. I reluctantly handed over a $900 deposit check, not seeing much of a choice.

I know many of you are experienced with this, and I would like to know if this price seems reasonable, average, or ridiculously high? Are we being taken advantage of because we had already paid for the stove? If we are really getting the best product, I am OK paying this. I don't want to "cheap out" on parts, and I'm also not sure if saving the $700 labor is worth it to try to install myself.

My biggest question out of the bunch is - is $700 a reasonable, normal cost for labor on such a simple installation right through the back wall? I'm not sure if we can cancel the stove order, but we can likely cancel the install and possibly find another installer - however that may void the 2 year dealer service warranty offered by Harman. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[DAKSY]

The install should be about 4 hours, so with a 2-man crew, that's $175 an hour. Not awful,
considering that includes prepping the stove, gathering the venting & install supplies together,
loading the install vehicle, bringing it all to your home, unloading it, installation, training & cleanup.
By yourself, you will probably DOUBLE that time. If your time isn't allocated for other things,
maybe it's worth your while. The other costs seem in line.
Maybe you could eliminate SOME of the sales tax, if you claim that it's a capital improvement project,
& you MAY be able to get a tax deduction as well for a renewable resource heating system.

 

[Pete Zahria]

 

[BrotherBart]

I know that here just bringing the stove out and sitting it on the pad costs $100 by itself. $700 for a turn key delivery and install sounds fine to me. Especially since if anything goes wrong later they have no where to point the finger but at themselves and fix it. From the pad through the stove right up to the pipe cap.

 

[jackman]

It does not seem unreasonable to me. I paid over a $1K 10 years ago for my install and that did not include the floor pad which was not needed in my case. You don't mention whether they will be taking care of the building permit and inspection. I'd insist on that at no additional cost.

 

[fmsm]

Call Kirley Masonary in Mansfield. They are a Harman dealer and will go to Hanson. Tell them I sent you.

 

[AccentraRRT]

I second calling Kirley Masonry.. they installed my stove for around 950 which included the building permit ($100).
I did not require a floor pad but had a 90 out of the stove 4ft up, another 90 and and about 3-4ft out through an OAK.
This was February of 2014

 

[womaus]

I installed a Harman Accentra last year. Picked up the stove used, it came with the Harman cast iron pad accessory and the wall thimble that integrates the outside air and the exhaust. No other vent components.

I did look at other stoves, and went as far as nearing a commitment on another brand, and had the stove store installers stop by the house to verify the installation and provide a firm quote. Came to over $4000, and not for a Harman. Installation would have been at least $1100 of that figure, that $1100 figure included the vent pipes.

I knew where the stove would be going, had done the research to know that the install in that location would be legal. I knew there would be no more than 6 feet of straight pipes, a 90º, a 90º Tee and the vent cap. I knew I could pick up a Duravent kit at Tractor Supply for under $120.

I decided to do the install myself...the worst part was getting the stove into the house, getting it into position. The actual install took well less than 4 hours, not including painting the vent pipes.

There were some other costs: silicone tape, silicone caulking, stove black, flat black spray paint, other odds and ends. Nothing major though, and I had all of the tools I needed for cutting through the wall etc.

Cost for parts for install was well under $200, including the Building Permit, and I eventually sold off the Duravent thimble and 2 straight pipes that I did not need.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dura-vent-3-in-multifuel-installation-kit?cm_vc=-10005

If you're capable of doing it yourself, and know someone that either has a stove themselves or ideally have installed a stove themselves it's really quite easy.

All that said, what I find incredible is the $650 cost for the vent pipe kit they want to supply. Floor pad for $350? Sounds like a bit high, considering its pretty much nothing more than painted rolled steel. The labor is somewhat reasonable, considering 2 people needed, one trained in pellet stoves, one to help with the grunt work.

Plus they're getting pretty much list retail for the stove (yeah, $300 rebate, but that's most likely from the manufacturer, not the store).

 

[jpscroller]

I just had the Allure50 installed yesterday. My set up is just like you are getting. Corner install with 45 degree to exterior wall with upward turn outside. Here is my installation cost breakdown:

Labor $450 (2 man job)
Harman hearth pad $215 (dealer honored price he originally quoted me on Accentra pad even though I changed my mind and went with allure.
Pipe and materials. $438 (I did go with a 4 way pipe outside for easier cleaning of pipe.

My total for install was $1103. Hope that helps. Here is a pic.

Jeff

 

[jamiekelli]

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to provide so many well thought out responses to this. After reading these, I feel better about the costs that we are seeing. Although not the best possible prices or the best bargain, I do not feel that we are getting "ripped off" and I'm hoping that for the cost we are getting the best possible products and service. And yes, the permitting process is included in that price.

Also thanks to members FMSM and Accentra RRT - I think I may give Kirley Masonry a call just to run the situation by them. I'm not sure what our options would be to "switch over" to another dealer now that we have ordered the stove with 50% deposit, but it can't hurt to call and ask.

Thanks everyone!

 

[AccentraRRT]

keep us posted on how it all works out

 

[Lake Girl]

Are they installing an OAK?

 

[Pete Zahria]

They better for $1800...........

 

[jamiekelli]

Update:

I did call Kirley Masonry today as was recommended on this forum. I left a voicemail and was pleasantly surprised when I was called back after business hours by a very friendly and knowledgeable staff member. She discussed with me that it would definitely be possible to have another dealer install the stove that we have already purchased. She asked me to email the owner with the details of the install and what we were quoted, which I have now done. She did however, tell me that typically that type of install runs around $1200 for them, not including the pad or the permit. So realistically, we may only be $100-$200 cheaper going with Kirley. That may not be enough to warrant completely backing out on the dealer that we have already gone forward with. I am expecting a response tomorrow from the owner with an install cost, and will let everyone know how it goes.

Could be that costs here in MA are a bit higher than elsewhere, not surprising. As long as we are getting an honest price and a quality install, I don't mind paying to get it done right the first time.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful responses thus far.

 

[yrock87]

DIY cost vs professional costs are often not comparable. I installed my p43 myself in abiut 4 hours (had my neighbor help me carry it in) but I am relatively handy and the dealer I purchased from didn't offer install. Cost of all materials was about $350-$400. But I got a standard hearth pad and built my own OAK.


Same thing with automotive stuff. Some people complain a bit shop prices because they could do it themselves for a third the price, others don't think twice about paying a professional to ensure it is done right and because they have other things they would rather be doing than crawling under a car.


Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Lake Girl]

What brand pellet venting are they installing? Harman thimble with integrated OAK?

 

[grb722]

Just got his price from my dealer. Having it installed in about 2 weeks or so. Just waiting for a check to come in.
Allure 50 w/ satin panels $3959
Cast Pad $325
Wall pass thru $209
Venting for corner install $190
Install $250
Tax on total $295
Total $5228
Less Harman Promo $300
Less Discount for 2nd Stove maintained by them $328
Total $4600
(Sum change left out so the numbers may a few dollars off)
The Cozy Barn in WInd Gap PA

 

[Lake Girl]

Welcome to the forum ! Are they installing the Harman thimble with the integrated OAK, Selkirk DT or other?

 

[jamiekelli]

To anyone interested, here's another update:

We did pursue the Kirley Masonry option a little further as suggested on this forum. We received a quote that looked like it would be around 500 less than our previous install price. I spoke with the owner Eric about the install and he was very nice and easy to talk to. As we discussed the installation details further, he did indicate that there were few additional parts that he hadn't been aware of in his previous quote - my fault for not giving a fully detailed description. We were now adding 200-250 additional material costs, and even then, they had not been out to the house in person to really look at what needed to be done. At this point, given that the stove has already arrived at the original shop, we have elected to stay with our original dealer/installer. Although we may have saved a couple hundred going with Kirley, we felt that there were still too many unknowns involved in changing over. In the end we would have had to pick up the stove ourselves and bring it home, and we would have had two different dealers to deal with for any future warranty issues. This way we have one company responsible for the entire system, and they have no one else to point a finger at.

Now that we took this as far as we could, I feel that we are not far off on the install price, at least for this local area. We will certainly keep Kirley in mind for all of our future needs, so thanks for that contact everyone. All that being said, we do feel very comfortable with our current installer now that we have realized that their price is not totally unrealistic. They have been very honest and upfront throughout the process.

Thanks to everyone for all the help and suggestions. We are looking forward to using the new stove, and I'm sure we will have more questions for the forum once we get going!

 

[alternativeheat]

I did my own install on the P61A. I used Duravent and came off the stove with a 3"to 4" adapter, about 18" of 4" horizontal run into a 4" clean out T. At the top of the T was an adapter to the flex pipe. Ran the flex up just about 23' to an adapter that went through the cap plate, then up a straight exterior single wall to the screened in top hat. I fabricated my own block off below the smoke shelf. The total was right around $700 plus tax. I bought local because I wasn't sure exactly what I needed to fit it all and he gave me extra of this and that, which we returned what we didn't use. It would have been less expensive to order online but I wouldn't have had the luxury of the exchange of both words and product just 7 miles up the road from my house.. We ripped out a coal stove and installed the P61A in a day, including, cleaning out the chimney etc, going and buying the parts. I remember burning the stove in while eating supper with the window open and then being amazed how well it held temp in the house overnight. Insurance inspected the following month but we burned it meanwhile. Non issue.

If I do a basement install next ( that is a possibility here soon) I may order online then, Now that I know what I'm in for. I was used to the coal stove install but not the pellet venting and until I had the vent pipes in hand it was sort of a mystery how it would go together but it's just simple twist lock and some screws here and there. You do have to seal the joints with Duravent. Some more expensive vent systems have built in seals.

 

[rdubs20]

If you are at all handy I say DIY. I made a nice hearth pad for about $100 and I used selkirk dt piping with a built in oak for around $400. so for about $500 I did it all. Looks and works great! And its pretty cool to create your own pad using whatever tiles you like instead of getting something that is already made with only a few choices.

 

[Swed]

Just to comment on this.. I had an Englander stove prior to just buying the Allure50. In Oct 2010 when I got the Englander, I had a plumber install the stove. He was $350 to do the install. The wall thimble, pipes, fresh air kit were about $325. All together it was under $700 for the "hook up".

Harman dealer brought out the Allure... I realized the pipe height was different. He left me some pipes (T pipe, etc) to try and get the stove to work with the existing opening. I wasn't happy. He said I have to bring out the side panels when they arrive so I will leave them with you for now, if you use them you do.. if not, you don't. Long story short, add to this the fresh air kit uses a 3" on the Harman and the Englander used a 2" I quickly said to myself I have a project ahead of me. I located the Harman wall thimble at my local dealer, price was $275 with tax. I bought some plywood, siding and sheetrock. Over the course of the next week (between work and everything) I re-plywooded the house, put up a new piece of siding, sheetrocked the inside and of course had put the correct kit through the wall. With all this re-siding, painting, etc spread out over days (it took me about 8 hours all said and done this includes painting inside the new sheetrock, etc) Total cost with siding, wall thimble, new fresh air line, etc.. under $400. And a feeling of accomplishment, learning something, knowing everything is done right... point is, if you are handy, its not hard to do the install. Just make sure you tape the joints or silicone them on the piping, make sure everything is secure and of course to code. If you have no idea about stoves, it might be wise to pay someone so you can make sure everything is secure, no leaks of fumes, etc. If you know a bit about stoves and what needs to be done... its not hard to do yourself.

 

[Pete Zahria]

Good for you

Dan