Time for a new stove. Which one?

[Sirshredalot]

Hello folks,

Looking for "unbiased" advice(is there such a thing?).

I have a 2200 sq. Ft. 2 story, 115 year old farm house with new windows, moderate insulation, and tall ceilings. We live in the middle of three cornfields so the winters are drafty.

I currently run an englander 10cdv, but it is giving me fits more often than not and has devolped a few cracks. Im tired of nursing this one along, although it has been a great stove(25years old).

Im looking for a new stove.
Somthing large with a high btu output, somthing durable, and somthing easy to service and clean....of course.

Been looking at a harman p68, enviro m55...maybe a maxx-m but theyre ugly...or somthing along these lines. I want it to look like a wood stove.

I am wanting to use this as "supplemental" heating in cold months(propane furnace) and primary heat in cooler temperatures.
I typically set the propane furnace to 68 degrees then let the stove provide the "warmth". My current stove is just barely up to the task and slowly dying.

What can you recommend to me?

I have access to sommerset pellets which are typically all i use.

I have no problem paying for somthing once, i refuse to do it twice....so i have to make this new stove last 25 years.

Please and thank you
Shred

 

[rich2500]

Harman P68

 

[johneh]

Buy the one that you like all the ones you mentioned
are good dependable stoves . In the end it is up to you .
I personally like the Enviro's The Max gives off a lot
of BTUs . and both the Enviro's you mentioned are multi fuel

 

[jackhammer]

I love my Harman stove but I have to say I don’t think it will last 25 years. Nothing does anymore!

 

[rona]

A P-68 is your best bet lasting 25 years but like your Englander I am sure you have replaced fans and igniter along the way. You are heating a large area so you are looking at 50,000 btu or larger. If you like the looks of the traditional wood stove there is the Quad AE , St Croix makes a good stove but doubt it is big enough.
Truthfully the P68 would be your best choice. Maybe not the most traditional look but the ease of cleaning, heat output, and less maintenance would be my choice. It is a proven tested model so you eliminate the new model problems.

 

[Dataman]

Harmon P68.

 

[Tonyray]

Agree...P68 if you want monster heat if needed., EZPZ maint, largest ashpan around etc.....i know looks can be important [more so from the women of the house ]
but i see nothing wrong with a harman P series with a few visual upgrades.. no one will mistake your pellet stove for anything other than a heating stove. people think we have a wood stove until they look thru the glass and see something different... sometimes practical trumps visual..

 

[mikkeeh]

P68... I have a P43 I use to heat my 1400sqft ranch. Runs 24/7 during cold months. I’ve changed the door gasket 2 times. That’s it since 2011. Maybe I’m just lucky, but it runs continually till I do a cleaning...which is every 2-3weeks. With some rests, I can go 50 bags without emptying the ash pan. On the other hand...my serenity in the basement only gets used when it gets really cold.....less than 20. Ne3d to shu5 down daily to clean the ash pot.

 

[Tonyray]

P68... I have a P43 I use to heat my 1400sqft ranch. Runs 24/7 during cold months. I’ve changed the door gasket 2 times. That’s it since 2011. Maybe I’m just lucky, but it runs continually till I do a cleaning...which is every 2-3weeks. With some rests, I can go 50 bags without emptying the ash pan. On the other hand...my serenity in the basement only gets used when it gets really cold.....less than 20. Ne3d to shu5 down daily to clean the ash pot.

my P61A runs same way.... day after day,24/7...clean it Once every 3 weeks and ash pan is still never full.
OP was concidering 2 stoves.. One being the P68... but the P61A is another heat beast!!

 

[The Grintch]

I have a Harmon p68. When it is time, no question.... I will get a another.

 

[dozerdean]

Harmon. I have the accentra and mix corn with mine. Works great with my sq footage ! Id get the biggest,badest Harmon stove i could get!!

 

[stovelark]

Easy choices. Since you appear not to like the looks of the steel stove, perhaps a cast version would suit you. Plenty of choices there too, the Harman xxv, Envirio M55 or cast Meridian, the Quadrafire Mt Vernon. All nice aesthetic stoves, super heaters too.

 

[Mt Bob]

P68.Period.Still on the lookout for one for my sister,her house is big.It is nice to compare other huge stoves,but,you have to compare the cleaning time,parts involved(not on Harmans) Yes,in my opinion,Harmans waste more heat out the flue,yet,the cleaning time and procedures to maintain the unit/stove, override whatever the other manufacturers can provide. My Accentra is not the most efficient stove,but show me a stove that can be cleaned so fast.

 

[Don2222]

Hello
My favorites that are the most reliable, easy to clean and easy to fix are:
Harman P61a or P68 for more BTUs
Quadrafire Classic Bay CB1200 - Works on a T-Stat
Or for Multi-Fuel
Enviro M55 or Hampton GC60 but parts are more costly.
All of the above stoves will work on your smart phone with the Lowe’s Iris T-Stat with swing setting for pellet stoves to prevent short cycling
Also a must Venting for 10% more efficiency because it has the built in OAK:
Selkirk DT (For corn or wood pellets) or DT-M (M for Multi-Fuel) Venting and the optional vaccum screw off cap for easy vent cleaning!

 

[Sirshredalot]

Decent concensus for the p68.
I appreciate the input folks.

The looks of a cast stove are definitely more appealing, but im buying function over form.

My englander sucks for deep cleanings...really cannot access the heat echanger...i hear the harmans are easy to clean.

I keep considering multifuel stoves but i havent burned corn in 4 years due to price.

Does anyone have dimension for how high the exhaust pipe is coming out of the back of the p68?
I would hate to have to cut a new hole in the wall.

And yes, i have replace both auger motors, and the combustion blower. The room blow is factory i believe.

Does anyone regret their p68?
Can the p68 be run manually without a thermostat?


Please and thank you
Shred

 

[rona]

P68.Period.Still on the lookout for one for my sister,her house is big.It is nice to compare other huge stoves,but,you have to compare the cleaning time,parts involved(not on Harmans) Yes,in my opinion,Harmans waste more heat out the flue,yet,the cleaning time and procedures to maintain the unit/stove, override whatever the other manufacturers can provide. My Accentra is not the most efficient stove,but show me a stove that can be cleaned so fast.

If you go by looks and cleaning time a Quadra Fire AE would suit you very well. but it has a small ash drawer and is highly automated. It had bugs that needed to work out when it was new but it has had the bugs worked out. It was supposed to be able to burn corn but that didn't work out very well. The downside is it is expensive and there is a learning curve with it.
A P68 is a proven workhorse and not overly complicated. Truth be known if you are satisfied with it I wouldn't look any further. There is good and bad points with any stove out there. We all have favorites and our needs are different. Some people have 8 hour jobs and are home to fill it twice a day or empty the ash container every day. Others need a large fuel hopper and large ash container because they are gone longer. The looks of some stoves are important as people want it to fit into their décor.

 

[dozerdean]

Decent concensus for the p68.
I appreciate the input folks.

The looks of a cast stove are definitely more appealing, but im buying function over form.

My englander sucks for deep cleanings...really cannot access the heat echanger...i hear the harmans are easy to clean.

I keep considering multifuel stoves but i havent burned corn in 4 years due to price.

Does anyone have dimension for how high the exhaust pipe is coming out of the back of the p68?
I would hate to have to cut a new hole in the wall.

And yes, i have replace both auger motors, and the combustion blower. The room blow is factory i believe.

Does anyone regret their p68?
Can the p68 be run manually without a thermostat?


Please and thank you
Shred

You need to check on price of corn! 300 pds of corn here is 19.72 bulk shelled corn,that's 3 bags of pellets mixed 50/50 or less..

 

[Dataman]

I wish I got P68 instead of Harmon XXV, but the XXV has done the job so far. Got down to 5f and kept everything at 74f with only using 1/2 bag of pellets. Wife wanted pretty

 

[rich2500]

Does anyone have dimension for how high the exhaust pipe is coming out of the back of the p68?
I would hate to have to cut a new hole in the wall.




Please and thank you
Shred

10" from floor to center of exhaust outlet