Is Harmon worth the $ ???

[cgokey]

I'm trying to decide if I want to fork out $4800 for a Harmon P68 (or for slightly more a Harmon absolute). I'm contemplating spending less and buying 2 stoves, one for each side of the house, as the house isn't exactly a open floor plan, lots of walls, open stairway, to go upstairs, etc. What are some thoughts on pellets stoves comparable to Harmon in terms of things like easy to clean, strong burn, good BTU, efficiency, etc, and whatever else you all feel is important in a pellet stove.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Dataman]

Got my Harmon XXV in May 2018. Replaced Blaze King King stove. Wow it's been great. Some teething problems (2 Screw Impacting Fan and Buzz). I found the OAK Flexible Tubing was getting torn by panel on the back. Put on Stub of aluminum.

I find it lots easier to clean. I do the scrap burn pot daily, and every month I empty the ash pan and ever ton clean the Combustion Fan and burn pot and vac it out with my Cougar Vac. I use about .5-2 bags depending on the Weather. Normally start in Sep to burn (Not this year). I use heat pump until lower than 30f at night.

This monster even burns decomposed pellets with zero problems.

For the Security of still having heat during power outages I put on AIMS 1250 Inverter/Charger plus 200ah of batteries. For backup to that I have 1k Inverter Generator I use with extension cord I run thru place we run 30amp cable for 7kw Generator. Have yet to use them (11 years here so far). 10-12 hours of battery power. We were without power once for 10 hours.

Keep our 2500 sq ft house about 74f in the hallway. I use couple of Box Fans to push heat down the hall. Supplement heat in basement. Bedroom is 68f which I find perfect.
On the Box fan I use filter attached with Garbage Gripper Bands. Since furnace is not running.

It's easy to clean and pretty quiet on 1/2 fan speed. TV is in same room. Hopper holds about 1.5 bags and I top up every day. Sure is easier than Wood. That was dirty and more than once per day. And not happy about leaving wood stove running and leave the house.

The stove was $3500 total with about $1200 for install. Sold the old Wood Stove for $400 since it needed repairs.

 

[bholler]

They are without a doubt some of the best and easiest to maintain pellet stoves on the market. If I was forced to use a pellet stove again it would most likely be a Harman. I still think they are a pain to work on but harmans are bearable

 

[johneh]

I have no idea if Harmon is worth what they charge
I bought my Enviro in 2002 twenty years ago it was 3400$
and big box stores were selling stoves for 900$
I bought the Enviro my buddy bought the cheap stove
In 20 years I have replaced one combustion fan keep
the stove clean and the motors oiled. My buddy scrapped
this stove after 4 years it was costing more in parts than
the stove was worth He can't believe I still rely on my Enviro
So Top end stove or big box stove your choice
Just my nickles worth

 

[railfanron]

Yes without a doubt in my mind.
Ron

 

[Northwoodneil]

I've got a 20+ year old Harman and have less problems with it then people with new cheap stoves. $4800 for a P68 divided by 20 years =$240/year. A $2500 stove for 10 years if your lucky = $250/year.

 

[shtrdave]

I bought mine in March of 2012 I believe. Had 4K in a P48 (I think) it was the whole deal, with 2 tons of pellets,installed and a custom riser/hearth pad. I have had to change the combustion motor twice. Bearing noise. But it runs 24/7 during the winter unless i shut it down to clean it. I run the stove off a thermostat and in manual mode.
I thought 4K was a lot back then especially when looking at some of the other brands out there. I am glad I paid the extra.
The dealer had a a Thelin I think it was that I really liked, it had a place for 12v battery that is would run off of if the power went out. It was a nice looking stove, I liked it but i was more than the Harman. Not sure of the quality but it looked to be a well build unit and had a small foot print.

 

[bogieb]

For your question about maybe getting two smaller stoves - I have a house that is small but has lots of walls. The stairway isn't well situatied for letting heat up and seriously, regardless of cutting in registers and experimenting with fans, I wish I had gone with 2 small stoves from the get-go instead of trying to heat it all with the P61a (which should technically be overkill).

That being said, I got my P61a winter of 2013/2014 and really like it. Found that the dynamics of the house don't allow for about half my main floor to be heated well from the basement.

The next fall I got a St Croix Hastings for the main floor. The stove itself ran fine, and heated well but I was less than thrilled that the hopper would run out after 13 hours (which was normal for me to be away daily for 13-16 hours), it was interesting to clean, needed cleaned more often (including the small ash pan), and when I changed pellets I had to fiddle with the draft.

When I saw a P43 on CL I jumped at the chance to get it as a replacement for the Hastings. Sold the St. Croix for what I paid for it (I'd bought used). Couldn't be happier with my decision to change out the stoves. I added a hopper extension.

I'm not saying the Hastings was a bad stove - it kept me warm, looked great and was mechanically/electrically trouble free). It just did not fit my circumstances and expectations very well.

Oh, and I've thought about trading in the P61a for another P43, but the bigger stove can keep ithe main floor warm in a pinch so keep it as it is.

 

[rich2500]

with lots of walls you will struggle trying to move the heat around with one stove. I would go the 2 stove route, if you could swing the cost of 2 P43's that would be the way to go if not I would look at maybe 2 quad sante fe's or 2 comfortbilt stoves

 

[The Grintch]

I can't speak for other stoves but I've owned a Harmon P68 since 2013. I have done all the cleaning, replaced 2 exhaust fans, and changed the gasket roping.

Mine is super easy to clean, work on and it heats my house very well.

I would only buy another Harmon if I was in the market for a new stove.

 

[scajjr2]

Going into our 10th heating season with our P43. Rock solid stove, will burn just about any pellet, give it a deep clean every ton (4-5 weeks) and you're all set. Haven't had to replace anything yet. Keeps our 1700sq ft small 2-story house at 72 all winter. Bought it for $2700 new, did a lot of research here before we bought and couldn't be happier with our decision to go Harman.

sam

 

[Cory S]

2013 Harman P61A. 3 ton per year. Always in stove mode running about 1 bag every 22 hours. 1900sq home @ 67-68° inside target temp. NH winters. No parts have failed.

 

[md2002]

What Johneh said. I was looking at Harmon's 13 years ago and didn't want to spend the money. I got an Enviro Milan and I've done nothing special to it, replaced the combustion fan and burn pot (probably from burning cheap pellets) and other than that I've had no issues. It's really up to you. Are they worth it, maybe. Would I spend the extra money, nope.

 

[rickwai]

Yes it is worth it. Stick with the P series. Simple design and works great I have had my P series for nearly 20 yrs and still works like new

 

[Mt Bob]

I'm kinda a special case. Wood out here got harder,more time consuming and expensive, and ran across a Austroflamm Integra cheap, only a few years old,got cheap because was hard to remove, in a condo at a ski slope. This site was in it's infancy, very little info on the net, which was also limited back then. Made just about every mistake possible,lol! Well, taught myself over time, researching on net got better, moved into fixing stoves part time, even refurbishing and selling a few. Gained tons of experience doing such. Getting older, being mostly retired, the last Accentra I refurbished I kept, and put upstairs, I no longer have to heat from the basement. still have Integra, still use part time, especially when -30 with high wind. Because I can!lol. In it's time, was no better stove made than the Integra, in my opinion. Harman quality was/is top notch, especially the older designs by Dane. Improvements have even made the older stoves cleaner burning and more efficient, and, in my experience, no stove is easier to clean than a P series stove, and requires less. There are other great high quality I would not be afraid to own, however, some quads and enviros, and some cheaper units that serve a purpose. But, if you wish to depend on it as you do your furnace or other home heating, go with top of the line.
PS, have had my Integra so long, I remember I used to buy parts from Lucky Distributing, direct, they were the original importer,lol.
Also, Harmans are simple, almost anyone could refurbish an old one, and save lots of money.

 

[Jeremy6500]

Not sure about your brand question, but regarding the 2 smaller stoves vs the 1 larger one.....

I would go with 2 smaller ones. My house is a ranch and a little over 2000sq ft. It is shaped like an "L". At one end of the "L" is my living room and kitchen. The middle of the "L" is a hallway with bedrooms off of it. At the other end of the "L" is a family room with 2 bedroom that open right in to it.

I have 2 stoves. One at each end of the "L" and it works well. Either of my stoves is rated for the sq footage of the whole house, but due to the layout the heat from either stove can't get to the whole house regardless of how high I run them.

I usually run them both on a lower setting and use a couple of box fans on the floor to blow the cooler air at the stove. Then the hot air higher up in the room flows out to fill the void. I have had much better luck moving the heat around in this manner rather than using a fan to blow the hot air. I have seen a setup of another member here that mounted a couple smaller fans up high in near the ceiling and they said it worked well blowing the warm air.

I also have ceiling fans that I run in reverse all winter.

I have a USSC 6500 in the back family room and a Pellet Pro 130 in the living/kitchen area. They were both already there when I bought the property.

The Pellet Pro ran when I got there, but looked like it had never been cleaned. I am now going on my 3rd winter with it. SO far I have had to replace the ignitor and room fan.

The USSC 6500 would barely run when I moved in. Luckily the previous owner had bought parts, but never installed them. I found them in a cabinet near the stove. Installed the exhaust fan and room blower. Only other thing I had to replace was the agitator motor. After figuring out all the different programable settings it has worked great. It also had never been cleaned.

 

[Washed-Up]

I believe if you learn your stove and you’re vigilant on the maintenance with ANY stove you should be happy with what ever you get…I am partial to Harman stoves but have worked on others.

 

[Jeremy6500]

I believe if you learn your stove and you’re vigilant on the maintenance with ANY stove you should be happy with what ever you get…I am partial to Harman stoves but have worked on others.

This is definitely true. I can't count how many pellet stove "issues" on this forum have been fixed with an in depth cleaning. The stove and the exhaust.

I had never heated with pellet stoves before and lazy flames, pellet overflow issues etc etc for quite a while when I first moved in to my property. Once I figured out how to properly clean them they have worked great.