Long time lurker, first time post :)

[AddictiveStew]

Hey everyone! I want to start off with thanking all of the contributors to this forum. You have answered most of my questions already without me asking them. With the help of info from this forum, I recently purchased a used Harman P61-2 from a neighbor of mine. I've been spending almost $600 a month to heat my old farmhouse with oil and I've had it! I did have one question... I recently got an estimate to install for $1000 with an OAK. Is this a reasonable price? Before you answer, know that the previous owner of my house had a pellet stove, so there is already a hole in the side of my house with a really crappy pipe in it. I would assume a large portion of the labor is drilling the hole and cutting siding/etc to fit the thimble. All of this work has already been completed with the prior pipe.

Sorry to start off in this forum with a question but I really would love a second opinion! I pushed back and asked why labor alone is $500. That just seems high to me for replacing an existing pipe. I even offered to assist with the movement of the stove if that was a factor and they had to send two people.

Thanks everyone!

 

[rickwai]

$500 is about what the company i work for charges. You can save alot of money if you do it yourself.

 

[AddictiveStew]

I would love to do it myself, but I was advised by my township that I could avoid inspection fees if I had a licensed installer do it. And to be honest, something that is on fire most of the winter is not something I want to mess with when it comes to an install! I'm sure it's stupid easy to do though, especially with most of the prep work already done.

 

[john193]

That price is high. My dealer charges $500 for the install and that includes them hauling the stove to your house. Considering you already have the stove, a previous cutout and that an OAK kit is around $120 at most, I don't see how they came up with this figure. Is it something you really cannot do?

What is the cost of your township inspection? Most have this, mine was $70.

 

[AddictiveStew]

I'm not sure to be honest. I think it may only be $50. He was being so cool about everything and very relaxed about it that I just felt better getting someone to do it. I also forgot to mention that my homeowner's insurance will not go up if I get it professionally installed too. I see you are in Southeast PA. I'm near Reading, who do you use for a dealer? Maybe I can give them a call?

 

[john193]

I installed it myself but got my stove from KC fireplaces in Alburtis. They may be out of your service area. I installed mine myself and my insurance company was ok with that. Perhaps they are asking more for the install since you didn't buy from them?

 

[AddictiveStew]

Oh yeah, they seem to be a bit out there from here. Well it sounds like as much as I dislike the price, it is what can be expected. This dealer has been very cool to me so far and very open to my millions of questions. Plus then I have someone to blame if something goes wrong. haha

 

[AddictiveStew]

John, have you tried the Pennwood pellets? Any suggestions on what to pick up in the area? Thanks!

 

[mralias]

Welcome to the funny farm. I have a few suggestions for you. Patience, don’t jump into anything until you do your homework. Posting here is a great start.

1. Post your location in your avatar area and type of stove in your signature to make easier for people to respond to your posts and offer helpful suggestions.

2. On your stove install, make sure the person installing the stove is licensed and certified in the installation of pellet stoves and has insurance.

3. Just how does one avoid inspections just because a license installer put your stove in? That one sounds a little fishy to me. I would want an inspection if I had it installed by someone else to make sure they did it right and to get that little paper that says it was installed properly. You homeowners insurance company will most likely require an inspection certificate from the town. Don’t give the insurance company a reason to deny your claim if the unthinkable happens.

4. $1000 may not be too much depending on what they are going to do. OAK install and parts, pull out old venting and install new venting, seal all joints, test burn and adjust as needed, make sure EVL is to specs, etc. etc. etc. Is $1000 too much? It depends on what they are doing.

5. Read you manual. If you don’t have one, get one on-line. Read it front to back several times and understand what you have read. Pellet stoves require attention and are not just a set and forget type device. Cleaning a stove is crucial!

6. Around here “it didn’t happen” unless there are pictures of the stove installed and burning. So once you got that bad boy installed, show it off with a few pictures on here.

7. Once all the above is complete, grab an adult beverage of your choice and enjoy that pellet heat. Don’t forget to wave to the oil man as he drives by your house.

IMO

 

[john193]

John, have you tried the Pennwood pellets? Any suggestions on what to pick up in the area? Thanks!

John, have you tried the Pennwood pellets? Any suggestions on what to pick up in the area? Thanks!

I have not. Before committing to a bulk order buy a few bags to try. Some average pellets in this area are lignetics, omalleys and energex. The big box stores carry stuff that can change yearly. The best pellets I've burnt were country boys and barefoot. Check out the pellets for sale section on the forum and woodpellettreviews. com is another site for pellet reviews - though you will find lots of good stuff here too.

 

[AddictiveStew]

Mralias,

Thanks for the advice! I've updated my profile per your recommendation. I guess I should tell the story correctly... The township said I did not need a permit because "if you have professionals install it, it's on them to make sure it's done correctly." He also said that since it was a pellet stove and not a wood stove, he was fine with me getting it installed without a permit. As for the insurance company, they stated (and I kept the email) that my insurance would not go up at all and that they were glad that I was having someone professionally install it. They did not need to come out and look at the installation at all. The company I will be using for the installation is a highly regarded company in the area known for good work and all of their guys are certified installers. And I have no problem with maintenance, I'm actually looking forward to it! I'm the guy at the summer campfire that keeps getting up to feed the fire/etc... I love making sure I have a good flame at all times.

Looking forward to getting this thing installed and starting the pellet hunt this summer! Also looking to start homebrewing as well so I can kick back with my own brew.

AddictiveStew

 

[AddictiveStew]

I have not. Before committing to a bulk order buy a few bags to try. Some average pellets in this area are lignetics, omalleys and energex. The big box stores carry stuff that can change yearly. The best pellets I've burnt were country boys and barefoot. Check out the pellets for sale section on the forum and woodpellettreviews. com is another site for pellet reviews - though you will find lots of good stuff here too.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Defiant]

3. Just how does one avoid inspections just because a license installer put your stove in? That one sounds a little fishy to me. I would want an inspection if I had it installed by someone else to make sure they did it right and to get that little paper that says it was installed properly. You homeowners insurance company will most likely require an inspection certificate from the town. Don’t give the insurance company a reason to deny your claim if the unthinkable happens.

No matter who installs it you will still need to have it inspected by a town official.

6. Around here “it didn’t happen” unless there are pictures of the stove installed and burning. So once you got that bad boy installed, show it off with a few pictures on here.

X2

 

[mralias]

Be careful on the insurance thing. The company you have this year may not be the company you have next year which may require a town inspection report. I have seen this happen before. Sounds like the town does not want any liability.​

 

[AddictiveStew]

I will triple check once installed. I asked him several times and he insisted that he didn't need to come out. Possibly because there was already a pellet stove in my house prior to me purchasing it? I have no idea. The insurance company is a pretty big outfit here in PA and I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[imacman]

Price is way too high, considering most of the hard work is already done. IMO, check around for other installers and get 2nd & 3rd estimates.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Welcome to the forum! I know this is a pellet forum but I shake my head in disbelief every time someone from SE Pa, especially READING says they just installed a pellet stove. You sit right in the middle of coal country with at least three different manufacturers of beautiful coal stoves including stokers and you buy a pellet stove! I'm from Reading originally (ancestors from 1700) and heated with coal for many years. These new stoves are efficient, beautiful and no dirtier than pellets if done correctly. With pellets, even at inflated coal prices, you're spending about 50% more that you would have to if you heated with coal. I know it's too late but that's just the facts for newcomers who might view this thread.
Plug in the numbers if you don't believe me > http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm The last time I checked, coal was about $210 a ton.

Oh, I had two pellet stoves (can't buy coal down here in Georgia) brought here and installed in fireplaces for $600 including the liners.

 

[AddictiveStew]

Welcome to the forum! I know this is a pellet forum but I shake my head in disbelief every time someone from SE Pa, especially READING says they just installed a pellet stove. You sit right in the middle of coal country with at least three different manufacturers of beautiful coal stoves including stokers and you buy a pellet stove! I'm from Reading originally (ancestors from 1700) and heated with coal for many years. These new stoves are efficient, beautiful and no dirtier than pellets if done correctly. With pellets, even at inflated coal prices, you're spending about 50% more that you would have to if you heated with coal. I know it's too late but that's just the facts for newcomers who might view this thread.
Plug in the numbers if you don't believe me > http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm The last time I checked, coal was about $210 a ton.

Oh, I had two pellet stoves (can't buy coal down here in Georgia) brought here and installed in fireplaces for $600 including the liners.

Touche! My parents actually have a coal stove that they are replacing with a gas stove. If I get the model, can you give me your opinion on it? I may want to put it in my basement for additional heat! The pellet stove thing really comes from the existing pipe in the house. We always knew that we wanted to get one and I dig the whole renewable energy source thing. My experience in the past is that coal is very dirty although you're telling me that's not the case anymore... Do you think that putting the Harman combo OAK in increases the price at all? They are telling me that the hole for the existing pipe installation will need to be modified for the Harman w/ OAK.

 

[AddictiveStew]

I installed it myself but got my stove from KC fireplaces in Alburtis. They may be out of your service area. I installed mine myself and my insurance company was ok with that. Perhaps they are asking more for the install since you didn't buy from them?

Just called KC. He will come out to my area and is charging less for parts and less for labor since the hole is already there to use. I will be having them come out in a week or two. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[tjnamtiw]

Glad to hear you got the price straightened out. Yea, the coal stoves of today are NOTHING like the monsters from the past generations. Completely different animal. The only place you would get dirt would be handling the coal but I get plenty of dust with handling the pellets. Just ask the 'boss'....... Ashes only need to be emptied every few days and the secret is to have a spray bottle with water to spray them lightly when taking out the pan. Usually the stoves come with two pans so you just swap them out. You can see some if you Google Reading coal stoves, Leisure Line coal stoves and Keystoker. You can also now vent many of them right straight out that hole in your wall using what they call a Powervent, which is really just an external in-line version of our exhaust fan. It's interlocked for safety with the stove.
I understand the 'green' thing but today it's more about the 'money' thing with taxes going up and dollar-value going in the crapper. Besides the coal you are NOT burning is being burnt by China, and I guarantee you they don't give a crap about the environment. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ha ha. Hope you get that stove hooked up real soon. I don't know a thing about the Harman exhaust so can't help with the OAK question. If it's concentric with the exhaust, then I imagine the hole will need to be cut bigger with a bigger thimble. That bigger hole would accommodate the 6" vent from a coal stove, I bet.

 

[CHeath]

welcome!

 

[will711]

I can kick back with my own brew.

Another Beer drinker you'll fit right in welcome to show.

 

[john193]

Glad to hear you got the price straightened out. Yea, the coal stoves of today are NOTHING like the monsters from the past generations. Completely different animal. The only place you would get dirt would be handling the coal but I get plenty of dust with handling the pellets. Just ask the 'boss'....... Ashes only need to be emptied every few days and the secret is to have a spray bottle with water to spray them lightly when taking out the pan. Usually the stoves come with two pans so you just swap them out. You can see some if you Google Reading coal stoves, Leisure Line coal stoves and Keystoker. You can also now vent many of them right straight out that hole in your wall using what they call a Powervent, which is really just an external in-line version of our exhaust fan. It's interlocked for safety with the stove.
I understand the 'green' thing but today it's more about the 'money' thing with taxes going up and dollar-value going in the crapper. Besides the coal you are NOT burning is being burnt by China, and I guarantee you they don't give a crap about the environment. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ha ha. Hope you get that stove hooked up real soon. I don't know a thing about the Harman exhaust so can't help with the OAK question. If it's concentric with the exhaust, then I imagine the hole will need to be cut bigger with a bigger thimble. That bigger hole would accommodate the 6" vent from a coal stove, I bet.

Your comments have made me consider coal. Can I vent a coal stove into a chimney previously used for a wood stove? Does it need a liner?

 

[john193]

Just called KC. He will come out to my area and is charging less for parts and less for labor since the hole is already there to use. I will be having them come out in a week or two. Thanks for the recommendation!

Glad to hear. They are no BS people. Purchased 2 stoves from them in the last 5 years.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Your comments have made me consider coal. Can I vent a coal stove into a chimney previously used for a wood stove? Does it need a liner?

That question is better answered by one of the suppliers. In my case, I ran a triple wall pipe up through the ceiling, through a second floor closet, the attic and out the roof. I'd hate to give you bum dope. Better to check with the xperts. If it's a masonry chimney, I wouldn't see why not but still better to check. I'm glad you are considering coal. You can't find a better, more steady heat....period.
My brother in law runs a keystoker into a masonry chimney and loves it.