Quadrafire CB 1200i vs Harman P35i - Looking for main heat for downstairs

[EO1985]

Hi all,

I've spent the past MANY months reading almost every thread on this site - you all are a wealth of knowledge and I am so thankful!

We are going to be installing a pellet insert into our current fireplace after a remodel where we ended up having to abandon the existing 30+ year old radiant floor heat. It will be the primary heat source for our downstairs (about 1500sqft). We do have an older model wood stove on the opposite side of the house (still works great) that we will use as our backup/extra heat source for when it gets really cold (it gets into the teens and twenties frequently in the NM mountains and this house is possibly the worst sealed house I've ever seen). We're debating right now a Quadrafire CB 1200i, a Harman P35i and a Comforbilt HP22i.

We had an installer out to measure and he was highly recommending that we go the route of the Quadrafire or Harman instead of the Comfortbilt. My question is this - since we are going to be using this as our primary heat, it will need to be able to run 24/7 in order to keep the temps at a comfortable level - what stove would be best for that? I would prefer to not have to turn the stove off, let it cool down and clean the fire pot every day because I think the temps will drop too low. Can I scrape/empty the fire pot and ash pans on the Quadrafire while it is running? I know the Harman advertises this, just unsure of the Quad or the Comforbilt. If I do have to turn them off, how long does it take to cool down enough to do the daily maintenance? And then how long to get back up to running?

Which stove do you feel like is the quietest and most efficient for the main heat in the house?

Thanks everyone!

 

[johneh]

You have 1500 sq Ft. of poorly sealed home !
Get the biggest output (BTU) stove you can find
Pellet stoves are space heaters, not whole house furnaces
It is easier to get more heat from a big stove than try
from a maxed-out smaller stove. I do not normally suggest a stove
but the Enviro or Harman are your best bets. Just my nickels worth
Welcome to the Forum

 

[Dataman]

I have Harmon XXV and I daily scrap out the Burn Pot. It takes few seconds and just let it run. Only time it gets shutdown is 1 Ton Cleaning. Even that is pretty quick. Hour or so shutdown so fan is cool to touch. I clean the glass with bunched up newspaper. Does pretty good job (no water). On 1 Ton I use damp papertowel.

 

[EO1985]

Thank you both for your replies! So, it would be better to do the Harman Accentra 52i? I spoke to the installer again and he said he did not think the P35 would be big enough for what we need. So glad to hear the cleaning is pretty straight forward and easy!