Ranch house and stove size

[Moebergs]

hi everyone, brand new here. My house is about a 2,700 square foot ranch with a big kitchen and master with high ceilings. I’m looking at the Harmon P43, 61 or 68, and placing it almost in the middle of the house.

Would appreciate advice on the best model to reach the furthest parts of the house and maintain high 60s to 70 degrees.

This will be my first stove

Harry.

 

[Ssyko]

I would go with the P-68 easy to run a big stove on low than to try and get more out a a smaller one

 

[mikkeeh]

Welcome..It’s helpful if we have all the info. If you live in Wisconsin, I’d say go with the p68. If you live in FL, the P43 will suffice. If the location is central in the house....I don’t think one is going to circulate heat more efficiently than others. Ceiling fans are a big help. When in doubt...go big.

 

[zrock]

As stated above go with the biggest. Hard to get more heat out of a small stove.but easy to get less out of a big

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[johneh]

One thing to remember a pellet stove no matter how big
is a space heater not a central furnace ! It may or may not do what you want
If you plan on heating the whole house look at a pellet furnace .

 

[Moebergs]

Welcome..It’s helpful if we have all the info. If you live in Wisconsin, I’d say go with the p68. If you live in FL, the P43 will suffice. If the location is central in the house....I don’t think one is going to circulate heat more efficiently than others. Ceiling fans are a big help. When in doubt...go big.

Thank you. I live about 50 miles north of NYC. today it is 6 degrees.

 

[Dgm43]

Does your ranch have a open floor plan? I am heating a 2,300 sq foot ranch with a P-61 and it’s 72 throughout the 1st floor but we do have to keep the bedroom doors open.


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[doghouse]

How well insulated / sealed is your home?

 

[bogieb]

P68 for all the reasons mentioned above. Pay attention to what others have said about your high ceilings and how layout can affect heat distribution. Pellet furnace also may be a good option too if you have space for it and bulk delivery availability.

 

[Moebergs]

I thank everyone. The 61 is about 700 more than the 43 and the 68 it’s another 300 so I’m going to listen to everyone and get the 68. I see that Harman makes other lines should I only be looking at the P series? And are there other brands I should be comparing it to?

 

[bags]

I would concentrate on the P68 due to the size of your home. The P Series also offer a lot of radiant heat since they are built much like a wood stove. I am heating basically 2,400 SQ FT with a P68 on two floors and also have tons of windows and glass doors along with some higher vaulted ceilings.

I went with the 68 because it was the best option and could supply the most heat. It paid off. I honestly did not think the 68 would heat my entire core of the house and mainly was going to use it at the beginning and end (shoulder seasons) to save wood etc;

I was surprised that the 68 could handle everything. Even the coldest extended cold snaps like we have now. The P Series are extremely reliable, simple to maintain and run, clean, etc; It was a no brainer for me and like you I was here asking the same questions some years back. Glad I listened and went big. They always said go big or go home and you can always adjust the temp down on the bigger stove but can not get more out of a smaller. 2,700 SQ FT is a chunk of mass to heat.

 

[Moebergs]

Do you have a guess how much more, in percentages, it would cost to turn up my thermostat from 65 to 70 degrees? I know it depends on many factors. My main reason for a pellet stove is not $ savings but quality of life, my house is cold and I'm paying a lot for propane and keeping my house at 65.

 

[bags]

Do you have a guess how much more, in percentages, it would cost to turn up my thermostat from 65 to 70 degrees? I know it depends on many factors. My main reason for a pellet stove is not $ savings but quality of life, my house is cold and I'm paying a lot for propane and keeping my house at 65.

No idea really on the extra 5 degrees with propane but burning pellets or wood is an entirely different kind of good heat. Very warm, cozy, and comfy. I'm on my laptop now enjoying it from the couch and was outside earlier and it is COLD I have the 68 on low as it can go right now just for a fire to stare at. Put it this way. That extra 5 degree bump will seem like a lot and be much less expensive and overall better doing it with pellets. Hell, we keep our big living room 76 because my wife hates the cold and I run around in flip flops and shorts all winter and I'm skinny.

I was hesitant to drop so much coin on my 68 but have zero regrets. I think you may shift more to a 68 for heat and less on the propane if you get one up and running. Pellets are cheaper than propane overall by a long shot. What happened here is I shifted pretty much to 100% pellet heat with my 68. Plus having a central propane HVAC system you can still move the heat from the 68 by just running your fan only on your stat. I don't run my central HVAC fan until it gets cold out either because the stove does fine anyway.

Right now I have my Woodmaster OWB going since it is so cold so that is my primary heat for the last day and a half. But mainly doing it because I have to do a good clean and also want to put a new rope gasket on my fire door since the OEM one is frayed and been used hard all winter every winter since Oct.18th, 2014

I only wish I would have been hip to these pellet stoves before I did my OWB because I could have saved a bunch of cash on that PIG but it is nice to have it since it is here and heats so well so I'll use it until it dies. That said I just fired it up the night before last for reasons mentioned above. Heating with wood is cheap but tons of work. 40 Lb. bags of pellets and a pot scrape = easy and simple. I doubt I would have liked pellet stove heat as much if I would have bought a high maintenance non-stop cleaning pellet stove. The P Series just run very dependably, low maintenance and cleaning, and pump out the heat very well.

 

[bags]

Moeberg,

I too was sick and tired of paying big $$ monthly to stay uncomfortably "warm" during the winters. Big $$ for cool heat. First I did an OWB Woodmaster because it saved a bunch and is great heat and very long burn times like a pellet stove, but tons of work on the firewood and I have acres of it all around me on my land. That setup also paid for itself so no loss there and we were comfy but I was sick of busting and gathering wood.

Second I did the P68 and wished I would have done that first. I'm not trying to sell you on a P68 but just telling you how it worked out for me. Your situation sounds like the never ending debacle I was in. Again zero regrets on my choice with the Harman. Just wish I would have figured it out sooner. The sting of the Harman P68 costs and setup is forgotten very quickly as in immediately. That's why there are so many very loyal fans keeping warm.

 

[bags]

And one last rambling rave here. These stoves will run themselves just like a central HVAC system. Set it and forget it. Pick a temp and it will keep you there. Just throw bags at it once or twice a day depending on the outside temps. You can also work it in tandem with your Central HVAC system since each has their own stats per see.

 

[P51mustang]

Given the size of your house, I would echo the words others have mentioned in this thread. Go with the P68. It's a beast of a stove (I have its little brother, the P61A), throws a ton of heat when needed, and is very reliable and perhaps most importantly, will burn any brand of pellet.

Since you mentioned you're new to pellet stoves, be sure you have a reliable pellet supply in your general area and be aware that, while Harman's will burn any brand, there DEFINITELY is significant quality differences between brands of pellets. The good thing is you found this site. Utilize it as much as possible for all things pellet stove related. There are a lot of very bright, knowledgeable people in here to learn from. Many of us have been burning pellets for literally decades (I'm on my 18th year) and so have a ton of experience to pass along.

As mentioned previous, it's very important that you are aware that you may need to utilize fans to help circulate the heat from your stove. I have the P61A and am heating an 1800 square foot ranch style home and I utilize two ceiling fans, and stationary, stand up type fan. Despite a fairly open floor plan, using this approach really helps to get my heat into the back section of my house. Given the size of your house, consider your floor plan and don't be afraid to experiment in all sorts of ways to help circulate your warm air.

Lastly, perhaps the best thing about a properly installed and operated pellet stove is that it's VERY comfortable heat. I have hot water oil fired baseboard heat as a stand by and even when i turn my boiler therm up it never can come close to the heat output of my pellet stove. It just doesn't get deep into the bones like wood or pellet heat does. Good luck and be sure to let us all know how things work out for you.

PS....We love photos of new stove installs so I hope you'll post some after your install and first fire up.

 

[Moebergs]

You all have been a big help. I’m going to take the plunge. Dealer is saying about $650 to install which was less than an independant installer said. I’d probably go with the dealer anyway so I have recourse. Are there reasons, it cant be installed in front or or near a window?

 

[bags]

There are certain clearances that need to be met and the idea around windows is that someone might be intelligent enough to open a window in the freezing cold so they OD on CO. Much of any burning appliance or heating unit requires common sense.

One of mine, in fact it is the P68, is below a window and not far from a full view glass door. Never had a problem nor issue. It is all about how you route the exhaust etc; Plus if you have leaky windows the exhaust will want to wonder into the house. This has came up before. Google installing a pellet stove by a window. Technically if they are sealed and inoperable......

What is the situation you have? You can go to Harman's web site and look at the manual for the P68 or any of their stoves. It will give clearances and installation instructions in them. Might be just a good informative read for you as well.

 

[bogieb]

The clearances required can be offset somewhat by installing an OAK (outside air supply). The dealer will NOT install it illegally so be sure they know that an OAK will be needed (an OAK highly recommended by Harman, but not required for install and they probably are not planning on doing so). Here is venting clearance requirements from my P61a manual

 

[P51mustang]

I have my stove within about 3 feet of two widows......They're decent thermal, double pane Andersens and I've never had a problem with the location. Here's a couple photos that will give you an idea of what I'm describing. Note the stove is slightly turned sideways away from the hearth behind it. I did this to help get the heat out into other areas of my house. It looks a bit strange but function over appearance I always say. My dealer also mentioned it was not a problem with windows behind the stove as I have plenty of clearance.

 

[mikkeeh]

There are accepted standards for proximity to windows and doors. Most stove manufacturers list them in the owners manual. They really come into play if you need a permit/inspection to install a pellet stove in your jurisdiction. You may or may not. Also check with your insurance company. Almost all require notification for new install and changes.....They may require an inspection, and may have their own regs

 

[zrock]

Do you have a guess how much more, in percentages, it would cost to turn up my thermostat from 65 to 70 degrees? I know it depends on many factors. My main reason for a pellet stove is not $ savings but quality of life, my house is cold and I'm paying a lot for propane and keeping my house at 65.

One thing to remember with the pellet stove its a different heat. So a few degrees lower will feel like the same temp as your propane a few degrees higher. 18 in my modular with stove feels like 22 or higher with the gas furnace running. Make sure you get some ceiling fans up as well. this will circulate the heat instead of letting it collect at the ceiling. I have 1 ceiling fan running on low and it will circulate the air through the whole house. I would like to install one in the back but ceilings are to low and my little one has a bunk bed so i could see a few wacks on the head for her. I experimented for a few days placing fans around and really did not make any improvement and actually made the back rooms worse.. Air movement is key with proper air movement you may be able to heat your whole place

 

[bogieb]

I do have my P43 just beside the window. The exhaust, with OAK, makes the clearance. And the back of the stove is 9" from that wall.

I did an abnormal corner install so that the airstream point straight down the hall into the bedrooms.

 

[P51mustang]

I do have my P43 just beside the window. The exhaust, with OAK, makes the clearance. And the back of the stove is 9" from that wall.

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View attachment 219442

I did an abnormal corner install so that the airstream point straight down the hall into the bedrooms.

Ha, ha.....My abnormal install (see a couple posts up) is for the same reason. It blows my warm air out into my kitchen and dining room area much more efficiently. At first the wife didn't like it but once she felt the heat in her kitchen, she came around to my way of thinking.

Basically it just isn't perfectly aligned with the square mantle behind it as the previous stove was. My old Lopi, installed by the previous owner, also sat on top of a raised platform type thing covered in cheap vinyl floor tiles...It actually pointed directly to a sliding door that goes out to one of my decks..While an efficient sliding door, it just seemed that most of the warm air would sort of linger in that area of my living room and only moved slightly due to a ceiling fan above it.

Anyway, the new Harman P61A, porcelain tile floor, hard wood mantle behind it, actual stove layout, etc. is a vast improvement compared to what was originally in this location. I still have the Lopi and may someday install it in my basement or outer storage building.

 

[rona]

hi everyone, brand new here. My house is about a 2,700 square foot ranch with a big kitchen and master with high ceilings. I’m looking at the Harmon P43, 61 or 68, and placing it almost in the middle of the house.

Would appreciate advice on the best model to reach the furthest parts of the house and maintain high 60s to 70 degrees.

This will be my first stove

Harry.

May as well go with the 68 as you can turn it down but with the others if you are undersized it will not be good. I have never heard anyone complain its to hot in the house but if you are short on heat you will hear about it. And wonder how much more it will cost to trade a used stove for the bigger one. For what its worth I bought too small the first time and learned a lesson.