Next best pellet stove besides a Harmon

[codercal]

Could someone please help! I was in line to have a Harmon installed August 2 and I have found out the dealer cannot get them and many people are scared and do not know what to do!! Someone Please Let Me Know What You think???????

 

[mkmh]

First of all, don't panic .
Harman's are very good stoves, but I don't think it is fair to say they are the best. I have a Harman and a St Croix and I would not say that one is better than the other. If you are set on burning pellets next year then I would go with what is available. By that I mean you should start with the big box stores and see if you can land an englander stove. They are a very different style from a Harman,m but dollar for dollar they are an excellent value.

Call around, and when you find one I would buy it asap.
Good Luck!

 

[pellet0708]

Don't be afraid to shop online. Zoobler carries many good brands and ours arrived in 6 days. Saved $700.00 over local for the same stove.
They also have local installer they recommend. We did ours ourselves.

 

[flamegrabber]

I just ordered this stove.

I've done alot of research on pellet stoves and this one is at a great price and has great reviews.

Read the reviews on this site for the Breckwell Big E.

This place ( Rural King ) has them for sale on their website and on ebay store.

They have them in stock.

The price is so good it'll pay for itself in a little over one season for me.

Check it out:

https://www.ruralking.com/Store/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=breckwell big e

FG.

Could someone please help! I was in line to have a Harmon installed August 2 and I have found out the dealer cannot get them and many people are scared and do not know what to do!! Someone Please Let Me Know What You think???????

 

[Xena]

Don't be afraid to shop online.
They also have local installer they recommend. We did ours ourselves.

Keep in mind that not everyone who wants a pellet stove is capable or willing
to install/perform repairs on it themselves. Those people will find it most important
to buy from a dealer who is reputable and who will provide service for the stove.

 

[BrotherBart]

Keep in mind that not everyone who wants a pellet stove is capable or willing
to install/perform repairs on it themselves. Those people will find it most important
to buy from a dealer who is reputable and who will provide service for the stove.

Amen Zeta. And what concerns me is that there is going to be a shortage of qualified installers and people that have no business installing a stove are going to get deperate and do it anyway since they have already sprung for a stove.

 

[Steveo]

Don't be afraid to shop online.
They also have local installer they recommend. We did ours ourselves.

Keep in mind that not everyone who wants a pellet stove is capable or willing
to install/perform repairs on it themselves. Those people will find it most important
to buy from a dealer who is reputable and who will provide service for the stove.

The local installer mentioned above will most likly be able to perform repairs too, I would ask the local installer before getting the install and if the local installer does not service the stoves, I bet he will know who does.

 

[pellet0708]

The big box stores hire out the same local guys to install the Englanders that are popular.

 

[slickplant35]

Isn't Englander sold by Home Depot? My concern is that if it needs to be serviced who can service them.

 

[begreen]

There are several alternatives. In addition to St. Croix, I would locate and speak with your local Enviro, Avalon, and Quadrafire dealers as an alternative. They all make quality stoves that don't take second place to Harman.

Most importantly, find a dealer you can trust. Pellet stoves are more complex than a simple woodstove. If you are relying on the pellet stove as a primary source of heat you want a dealer that will be as responsive as your local furnace repair man if there is a problem.

 

[H20 Boro]

I purchased a stove by englander in June, from one of the big box stores, and plan on installing it myself (with the aid of my jack of all trades dad) soon.

All I can say is they are extremely helpful everytime I had a question about the stove. Their tec support dept. is great.

It may be hard to get one from the big box stores now though.

Ive seen a couple englanders on craigslist if your desperate...

 

[compressedwoodsupplier]

O'Hara Compressed wood and pellet stoves has stoves coming in
they carry breckwell have 90 Big e's on order along a few others
207-542-0834

 

[in-control]

I just purcahsed a Qaudra Fire Mt. Vernon AE from a dealer and am awaiting installtion 1/09. I paid $650 for insallation, permitting, site prep, everything. I purchased it from a dealer who has been around for some time and depends on customer service for new business. Each year I will pay $300 to have the system cleaned and serviced. With this I, and my family, can rest comfortably that we are safe with the system. Ultimatly you have to feel safe first.

Also Harman was just purchased by Qaudra fire - Harman was bankrupt and Qaudra fire just spend 4 million developing the Mount Vernon. I was on the Harman path until I started to realy look at the facts.

Good luck and happy burning!

 

[pellet0708]

Wow, only pay $150 to have our oil burner serviced and cleaned each year and that is a much more complicated system with nozzles and filters being replaced. $300 is a lot for a pretty simple system (they burn wood and in such a small amount that if something shuts down the burn out time is very short.) I know this is how dealers make their after market money just like automobile dealers. If you can find a trustworthy little guy you can get your car serviced much cheaper.
Pellet stoves are much safer than wood stoves and possibly even oil furnaces.

 

[Stove Guy (Maine)]

Well... $300 is the going rate for a Pellet cleaning in my area... This may seem like alot.. However, in order to clean a pellet stove thoroughly, you ultimately have to un-install the stove to clean the venting material.. Depending on the stove manufacture you may also have to take the stove apart to get at some of the "hard to reach" areas... Personally... I'd rather have someone who knew what they were doing... perform this task...!!

Certainly would make me Sleep Better !!

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Well... $300 is the going rate for a Pellet cleaning in my area... This may seem like alot.. However, in order to clean a pellet stove thoroughly, you ultimately have to un-install the stove to clean the venting material.. Depending on the stove manufacture you may also have to take the stove apart to get at some of the "hard to reach" areas... Personally... I'd rather have someone who knew what they were doing... perform this task...!!

Certainly would make me Sleep Better !!

SGiM is correct , going rates vary throughout the country , i think it follows the demographic , cost of living and such. having a service entity who is reasonable (that is to you as the owner for the service they provide) is a comfortable thing im sure, i do my own (but then i build them so i am a step ahead of "john q." who is very likely better at what he does than i would be at his job. some stoves are more involved in their design and may not be as "user friendly" in this department. others like ours were designed for the diy market and were buolt to be easier to service knowing that a relative novice would be taking care of his own unit (that along with strong phone and internet based technical information is the best model for the diy market) but some folks still want a pro, no problem. they are available i help folks find em when i can.

bottom line though , if i was not a technical person , i wouldnt be above hiring a pro to do my annual.

 

[Red Sun]

$300 bucks is a Yuppie job, pure and simple. You are draining it to run a shop vac and a brass brush over a few areas of a stove and selling parts on the side for two hours work at the most. The going rates are $75/hr for a plumbing and heating tech and beware. The tech that is not licensed and works for a company is far and a way different from the trained tech who owns the company with license that is in fact, worth the $75. $300 is foolish. A repair that cost that much is a different matter, but $300 to run a vacuum is not any where near the job or the task at hand. I'm sorry, I've experienced too many so called technicians that capitilize on their own errors.

 

[muss]

I agree with Red Sun, $300 seems to be high end but the guy sounds like money is no problem . That being said, it's his $$$ Muss

 

[in-control]

$300 bucks is a Yuppie job, pure and simple. You are draining it to run a shop vac and a brass brush over a few areas of a stove and selling parts on the side for two hours work at the most. The going rates are $75/hr for a plumbing and heating tech and beware. The tech that is not licensed and works for a company is far and a way different from the trained tech who owns the company with license that is in fact, worth the $75. $300 is foolish. A repair that cost that much is a different matter, but $300 to run a vacuum is not any where near the job or the task at hand. I'm sorry, I've experienced too many so called technicians that capitilize on their own errors.

That's not all that they do for $300, they also sweep the chimmney(35' of stainless steel), check/perform warrentee repairs, update code on controllers and thermostates etc... If it was just a shop vac deal then your right. But it costs ~$300 to get a chimmney swept, well, in my area by a bonded and certified Chimney sweep. Which was something that I had to do each year. I have lived thru a chimney fire, wood stove, and the $ seems like a wash to me. Is it expensive - yep, If I could find a qaulified person to do it for less I would.

 

[cyclone]

My father just had installed a Harman 25th aniversary stove and freinds up the street were scheduled soon after to have one installed and was told the order could not be filled. They also had home rearranged and pipes cut in order to put sove where they wanted it. They asked the dealer if they could give them all the numbers of Harman dealers they could. They did and landed a stove five hours from where they lived. They picked the stove up with a total of 10 hours on the road. The original dealer is going to do the installation.