Harmon Allure50 pellet stove question

[smalltown]

While buying a new burn pot gasket for my approximately 16-year-old Castile freestanding stove. I noticed the Harmon Allure50 smiling at me in the showroom.
Don't get me wrong I have had great luck with the Castile with only occasional burn pot gaskets and combustion motor replacements, and one igniter.

The Castile stove is mounted in a corner so it's a real pain to replace the combustion motor: take off the rear panel and lying on your back twisted like a pretzel trying to replace the motor that is at the rear of the stove. Did I mention it's a pain? Anyway, the Allure 50 is quite a nice-looking stove and a higher heat output than the Castile. I'm wondering at the end of the heating season what kind of sales Harmon might have on the Allure50?

I've downloaded the installation manual and searched You Tube for the Allure50 trying to find out if any maintenance items are located on the rear of the stove without luck. Anybody have any information on this?

 

[Whitenuckler]

While buying a new burn pot gasket for my approximately 16-year-old Castile freestanding stove. I noticed the Harmon Allure50 smiling at me in the showroom.
Don't get me wrong I have had great luck with the Castile with only occasional burn pot gaskets and combustion motor replacements, and one igniter.

The Castile stove is mounted in a corner so it's a real pain to replace the combustion motor: take off the rear panel and lying on your back twisted like a pretzel trying to replace the motor that is at the rear of the stove. Did I mention it's a pain? Anyway, the Allure 50 is quite a nice-looking stove and a higher heat output than the Castile. I'm wondering at the end of the heating season what kind of sales Harmon might have on the Allure50?

I've downloaded the installation manual and searched You Tube for the Allure50 trying to find out if any maintenance items are located on the rear of the stove without luck. Anybody have any information on this?

https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/Allure50_3-90-888000c.pdf

I would think with any pellet stove you need to go to the back.I have a corner install too. I don't need to go back there normally. I bought some rollers to roll it out if I need to.

 

[stovelark]

The Castille combustion motor does leave a bit desired with ease of getting to. I always found the convection fan difficult to get to and take off for cleaning, but it has to get done. I would think a corner install would have you take stove away from the exhaust connection and spin it around to clean her up. 16 years, seems she has done well for you. Was looking at the Allure, exhaust blower is down low, looks like its cleaned from the front if you want, but again, I always took the motors off to clean them up, check and clean the exhaust path too. They never seem to design a pellet stove with the service guy in mind, do they? Ha, good luck.

 

[smalltown]

In all the time I've had the Castile I have never disconnected it and turned it around.

 

[stovelark]

You absolutely don't have to, but espec in corner installs, sometimes its easier to put furniture sliders under the legs, disconnect exhaust, and spin stove around. My cleanings always involved removing motors and fans, going through and vacuuming/sealing all seams, checking the hopper for leaks into the back of stove, vacuuming and cleaning exhaust path, most cleanings were minimum of two hours. I found my subsequent cleanings were easier if I went through everything the first couple of cleanings. Was constantly amazed how MFRs sent their stoves out with seams not sealed, hoses/wires not routed cleanly etc. I worked on a lot of different stoves, Quads and Enviro, Whitfields and Lopi I found were generally the best to work on, but again even their stoves would have a bonehead design (Enviro Empress FS Exhaust blower, hard to get just right, while the Empress insert design was one of my favorites...). Nothing wrong with cleaning in place, if that works for you. Good luck.