Pellet stoves, Harman/Lopi/Quadra Fire

[Ranger]

Hello all,

I hope to get some ideas here as to what stove to buy for my almost 2000 sq. ft. open floorspace home outside Yosemite National Park, around 3500'. I've read about as much as I can find on all three of these stoves. Is there a hands down winner amongst these three selections? It seems I'm down to almost not even considering Lopi anymore. So, Harman vs Quadra Fire? The P61 a vs the Classic Bay 1200. HELP!

Thanx

JD

 

[mgambuzza]

I currently own a P61 and LOVE it!! I am using it to heat a 1300 sqft unfinished basement where I have a game room and where my greyhounds are kept, and it does a fantastic job. During the coldest NYS winter days (subzero), it has no problem maintaining whatever temperature I desire - a big accomplishment in a VERY lossful, energy inefficient basement. I also have a Quad Castille but it is only rated at 30k BTU and it doesn't even come close to the performance of the Harman.

 

[Czech]

You can't go wrong with either stove, both are good. I run a free standing Castille in the 700'sqft basement of my 1600'sqft top floor open design home here in MN, the tuck above garage bedrooms get chilly during Feb, but otherwise the furnance stays off most times. We burn a 50/50 mix of corn/pellet with little problems, daily cleaning is a must during burning season. By the way, the basement is hot during winter, nice for those times in Feb when you want to do some laundry with the SO in your underwear if you get what I mean....

 

[stoveguy2esw]

harman v/s quad , you could almost flip a coin. both are fine units , the quad won a vesta award in 06 i believe. i think you could not go wrong with either and would suggest shopping either by looks or "dealer support" dealers being the more important of the pair. in here you have a relative plethora of dealers, if any of them is in your area , i'd look them up as they are all pro's number one, and two, you could pm them if you had a question which gives you another avenue of contact. the stoves are both caddillacs, the dealers tht will be servicing them are the real value of the purchase. if i had the option of buying through one of our regulars i'd lean that way over someone who doesnt do what they do

 

[jtp10181]

As stoveguy said, shop for a good dealer. Pellet products have a lot of moving parts and electronics in them, you want a pro to be able to troubleshoot it if you have problems. We read about a lot of horror stories on here where people buy them and the nearest service dealer is 70+ miles away and is not very reluctant to come fix it.

You might also consider the Mt. Vernon AE, and run it on a lower heat setting (medium). Its got the biggest hopper and some great new features, like an accessory that lets you hook it to a marine battery for power. It also is one of few pellets stove that will boast their efficiency rating (~80%). If you look at many other you won't even find it, because its not worth mentioning.