Spent last week at Halifax, PA. The birthplace of Harman and now another brand.

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kinsmanstoves

kinsmanstoves

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Aug 29, 2007
3,480
Ravenna, Ohio 44266
kinsmanstoves.com
I spent three days at Harman catching up on QuadraFire pellet stove training. I have to say Barry Boyer is an awesome instructor (give that man a raise and a trip to the company spa). Mike Meyer of HHT you made a great choice having him run the program there. Thanks for introducing the Mt Vernon E2 to me, seems to be a good system. As always the tour of the plant is a highlight of the visit. The employees at Harman are the best and they are the best part in production of the units. It is also good to see QuadraFire gas units in production there. I hope it continues to improve sales and quality. There is a lot of great stuff coming from Harman and HHT. Other stove manufactures better be prepared for the future. Harman is still leading the way.


Eric
 
kinsmanstoves said:
I spent three days at Harman catching up on QuadraFire pellet stove training. I have to say Barry Boyer is an awesome instructor (give that man a raise and a trip to the company spa). Mike Meyer of HHT you made a great choice having him run the program there. Thanks for introducing the Mt Vernon E2 to me, seems to be a good system. As always the tour of the plant is a highlight of the visit. The employees at Harman are the best and they are the best part in production of the units. It is also good to see QuadraFire gas units in production there. I hope it continues to improve sales and quality. There is a lot of great stuff coming from Harman and HHT. Other stove manufactures better be prepared for the future. Harman is still leading the way.


Eric
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Did they have an E2 blow up for you?
 
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IHATEPROPANE said:
Did they have an E2 blow up for you?
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There are three reported cases of all the units that went through production. We discussed this and I will not go into the reasons I feel were the problem. All stove owners have been notified of some changes. I would also look at cleaning practices and installation.

Eric
 
kinsmanstoves said:
There are three reported cases of all the units that went through production. We discussed this and I will not go into the reasons I feel were the problem. All stove owners have been notified of some changes. I would also look at cleaning practices and installation.

Eric
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There were changes made. So the problem is more than just cleaning and installation correct? Was just hoping you could give more insight to maybe instill more confidence in the unit.
 
The E2 is a good unit and runs on a slightly different system than Original Energy and Advanced Energy units The system has to be understood for proper operation. I was briefed on the three cases and I am not 100% familiar with all three cases so I will not say anything more about them. I would not have a problem installing one in someone's house.

Eric
 
Eric,

Did they show you the new programmable circuit board with digital readout? I believe the first stove to get it is going to replace the XXV. Any specs?
 
It is called the Absolute. It is a 43k BTU unit and has a much improved efficiency rating. It should be out in a couple months. Yes it has a digital readout on the top with some other awesome features. A 63k BTU will follow. All the units will soon have that control system. The Absolute won a Vesta award in 2013 at the HPBA show so it is not any huge secret.

Eric
 

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One explosion of a pellet stove is too many. I know for one Mount Vernon E2, the owner had contacted the dealer due to problems with the feed. While waiting for a response, the stove exploded. How is this a cleaning issue? Not all dealers are created equal and there appears to be little vetting on who can become a dealer. Does the dealer go through required cleaning at the sale/install? I wouldn't say 100% do.

Then word went out that Mount Vernon E2 owners should change to a different setting (ie not using a specific setting) ... more than user error in my opinion.

We looked at the Harmans before buying ours. Pricing was on the higher end and the looks just did not appeal...

You appear to be a conscientious dealer who attends training. Do you take your techs too?
 
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Lake Girl said:
One explosion of a pellet stove is too many. I know for one Mount Vernon E2, the owner had contacted the dealer due to problems with the feed. While waiting for a response, the stove exploded. How is this a cleaning issue? Not all dealers are created equal and there appears to be little vetting on who can become a dealer. Does the dealer go through required cleaning at the sale/install? I wouldn't say 100% do.

Then word went out that Mount Vernon E2 owners should change to a different setting (ie not using a specific setting) ... more than user error in my opinion.

We looked at the Harmans before buying ours. Pricing was on the higher end and the looks just did not appeal...

You appear to be a conscientious dealer who attends training. Do you take your techs too?
Click to expand...

I agree stoves should not cause the glass to break. What exactly caused this to happen is not my say, I do not know and don't want to "Guess". As for training yes I have taken a few of my guys to these seminars. I also work with them on a lot of stoves. As for Harman pricing being on the high end, I don't think so. I have sold a lot of different brands of stoves in my time and I am very happy to be selling the brands I have now. As for being am HHT dealer it is a little more than having credit and a floor plan. The requirements are getting tighter all the time and yes there is a training requirement to remain a dealer. The way I look at business is that I will not sell a product I will not put in my house. If it has my name on it it will be installed at best and safest way it can be.

Eric
 
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I'm considering installing a pellet insert this summer, and the Santa Fe has long been on my short list. I pulled the owner's and install manuals last from Quadrafire's website last night, and in the owner's manual there were references to a digital readout. No photos or any other references, just some references in the troubleshooting section. I was puzzled, but this thread sheds some light.

I would like to buy a new Santa Fe (maybe), but I can't say that additional, first-generation electronics motivate me to buy a new stove. The "smarter" a stove is, the less I know and understand what the heck it's doing. In general, I get frustrated by user interfaces that obscure functionality.

I know that many potential buyers want a stove that is just plug-and-play. The hearth industry has limited economic scale, and I am skeptical that scale can support the massive engineering efforts that would lead to a fully-automatic stove that is as reliable and safe as, for example, a quality firearm from a company like Browning. Maybe I'm wrong.

And as far as owning a wood or pellet stove, I would suggest the owner's responsibility is just as serious as owning a firearm.
 
johninwi said:
Will the new digital board for the harman be an upgrade for older stoves, namely a pc45?
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I would say very highly unlikely as they discontinued the stove(PC45):(
 
kinsmanstoves said:
It is called the Absolute. It is a 43k BTU unit and has a much improved efficiency rating. It should be out in a couple months. Yes it has a digital readout on the top with some other awesome features. A 63k BTU will follow. All the units will soon have that control system. The Absolute won a Vesta award in 2013 at the HPBA show so it is not any huge secret.

Eric
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Thats exciting news...so will the xxv be discontinued? Do you think the 63k btu absolute will be out by the summer as well?
 
kinsmanstoves said:
It is called the Absolute. It is a 43k BTU unit and has a much improved efficiency rating. It should be out in a couple months. Yes it has a digital readout on the top with some other awesome features. A 63k BTU will follow. All the units will soon have that control system. The Absolute won a Vesta award in 2013 at the HPBA show so it is not any huge secret.

Eric
Click to expand...
Thank you!!!
 
kinsmanstoves said:
I agree stoves should not cause the glass to break. What exactly caused this to happen is not my say, I do not know and don't want to "Guess". As for training yes I have taken a few of my guys to these seminars. I also work with them on a lot of stoves. As for Harman pricing being on the high end, I don't think so. I have sold a lot of different brands of stoves in my time and I am very happy to be selling the brands I have now. As for being am HHT dealer it is a little more than having credit and a floor plan. The requirements are getting tighter all the time and yes there is a training requirement to remain a dealer. The way I look at business is that I will not sell a product I will not put in my house. If it has my name on it it will be installed at best and safest way it can be.

Eric
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Buddy of mine put in a new stove shop. Got Harman and elevated platinum status out of the box, had no techs, has never attended any dealer training, has no licensed installers...4 years now, still platinum. Don't kid yourself, burn models and sqftage rule the roost. Meanwhile, I ask every year to attended dealer training, have about 1200 Harman customers that would prefer my company over their dealership, I can't get a simple question answered about this or that or have access to any parts or technical support.
 
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Absolute.
 

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Do local Harman dealers need additional techs? Some kind of working relationship with one of them could prove beneficial to both...
 
kinsmanstoves said:
It is called the Absolute. It is a 43k BTU unit and has a much improved efficiency rating. It should be out in a couple months. Yes it has a digital readout on the top with some other awesome features. A 63k BTU will follow. All the units will soon have that control system. The Absolute won a Vesta award in 2013 at the HPBA show so it is not any huge secret.

Eric
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Any idea when the 63k btu one will be out?
 
no
 
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