I am having some trouble deciding on a pellet stove to get. All the reviews have some good and bad. I have it narrowed down to Harman accentra insert, quad mt vernon e2 insert, and enviro m55 insert. I have dealers close by with some pretty good reputations. Which one would you guys go with? If someone has anyother models that I should be looking at please let me know. Which is most reliable, cheapest to fix ect...
which stove to get???
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steveg_nh
Member
I have the M55 insert. I've put just over a ton of pellets through it and that sucker throws HEAT! Not as quiet as I'd hoped on the higher fan settings, but then again, it is quieter than most of the others. Easy to work on too. I was considering both Harman and Enviro, and went with the largest insert I could get, so that was the M55. My house is pretty big.
kramerica72
Member
All good choices. I don't think you will find someone that has owned all three so hard to get an unbiased opinion. I have an E2--it was just launched new this year so no data yet on long-term ownership, reliability, etc. So far its been great, though. Simple stove to run (one dial), parts are cheaper than the Mt Vernon AE, its very quiet, and cranks the heat. All cast iron as well.
My wife and I just purchased the P52I in October and we might have 10 bags total through it. It has been a great stove and the only issues we've had "non-stove related" was just the learning curve over our old breckwell P23i. It is easy to clean and burns very clean with the pack saddle pellets we use. My brother has a mt vernon that is about six years old so i'm not sure if it's the same as the e2, after he saw our stove the one comment he made was how quiet ours was over his mt vernon, as his does not have adjustable blower fan speed. Heat output and the adjustable setting were main factors for us. We wanted something we could run on lower output settings as our house is not that large (1250sqft) Using the room temp mode with ignite switch to manual works very good for our application. We also like the bottom pellet feed on the harman as it makes for pretty easy cleanup of the fire box as most ash just gets pushed out as new pellets come into the box to burn.
We just got our 52i about a month ago and we are very happy. Using room temp mode, it does a great job at maintaining a consistent temp. Granted, the only local dealer I knew of was a Harman one, so my only comparisons were online. It is very easy to clean, no complaints there. My only complaint is more or a preference. I wish the stove had a digital external thermostat. I've heard rumors you can wire one up but then it loses the superior temp control function Harman brags about. But using my custom ducting this thing is heating almost 3500sqft 
I was so happy with my new P68 Harman I bought another used Harman one a month later. Everything you mentioned are good stoves and the same brands I was trying to pick between. All are more expensive stoves also. Very easy to clean and maintain. No baby sitting required. Long times between cleaning intervals. They work very well for me. No quirks with the Harmans. Feed it pellets, set it, and forget it. They run themselves.
Of course we are all biased. I'd recommend a Harman to everyone. Glad I made the right choice FOR ME. To each their own.......
I will add that you will be happy with any of your choices.
Of course we are all biased. I'd recommend a Harman to everyone. Glad I made the right choice FOR ME. To each their own.......
I will add that you will be happy with any of your choices.
Thanks for all the good info guys. I just talked to the dealers today. The enviro and quad dealers both service what they sell. The harman dealer doesn't...I guess they are a off shoot of another dealership which is over a hour away. This could make a big difference.
Dealer service is important. So is parts availability so the dealer CAN service it. Ask to see their stock on replacement parts or if they have to order them. If they have to order them then you are SOL for as long as it takes to get them. It's odd that a selling Harman dealer does not service his stoves. Good Luck!
Ya I guess they are a smaller branch of the same family company. All they do is sell them they wont even install them.
Do you HAVE to do an insert?
If there is any way to do a freestanding, I'd recommend going that route.
Makes sense then. Quad and Harman are both Home and Hearth Technology products but different. Enviro is made in Canada. My dealer sold Harman, Enviro, and Quads. He was getting away from selling Enviros he said. Not because of stove quality at all but because he said he had to wait too long for parts. He showed me a stock room full of any parts needed for any Harman.
Like I said this was what he said so take that for what it is worth on parts availability for Enviro. Good stoves from what I have researched. My dealer is a very reputable guy also so I didn't doubt him. Could be an isolated incident.
Like I said this was what he said so take that for what it is worth on parts availability for Enviro. Good stoves from what I have researched. My dealer is a very reputable guy also so I didn't doubt him. Could be an isolated incident.
Well an hour away for a successful stove company should be pretty normal distance to service you.drive out and ask them the tough questions see what ya think of the new accentra promise you won't be dissapointed.
steveg_nh
Member
I heard that about Enviro too, but I went that way anyway. I tried to get a set of service rails and most places quoted about 2 weeks. i called another dealer and he said 5 days. Sure enough, they arrived in 5 days. His distributor seemed to be quicker.
That's good! Rails are the way to go on inserts. I like Enviros and it was my 2nd choice honestly but when I have a pretty local Harman guy I can walk in that day and get whatever that's hard to pass up too. He services them too and also has an HVAC business all in the same shop. After warranty I will do my own service and likely get the parts online anyway.
The Enviro will give you good service. I know a guy who has heated his place with an Enviro EF2 (I believe) for years now without any issues at all. The M55 or MAXX were the two I was interested in. Free standing models. What I needed to heat it would have wound up being the MAXX though. The 55 is a great looking unit.
The Enviro will give you good service. I know a guy who has heated his place with an Enviro EF2 (I believe) for years now without any issues at all. The M55 or MAXX were the two I was interested in. Free standing models. What I needed to heat it would have wound up being the MAXX though. The 55 is a great looking unit.
steveg_nh
Member
Very happy with the M55. It's keeping a 3700 sq ft house warm in 15 degree temps here in NH. Two rooms are off the main floor plan so they are cooler (about 6 degrees) but still not bad for not turning on any oil. I do have an open layout house, so that makes a huge difference for me in having good airflow to the second floor. But this unit is killer in terms of heat output. Very surprised.
Same deal here. I was shocked really as to how well my P68 heats the entire house here and doing excellent heating the far reach areas I thought it wouldn't heat up very well. I have a very non-typical custom home too but it is an open plan for the most part. I did just buy another stove for another area. All said and done the hole house is about 4,200 to 4,300 SQ FT but I also have an 1,100 SQ FT shop I will heat also with this 2nd stove.
I am a design build contractor that didn't know when to quit. Once the wife retires and kids fly the coup we will down size on our land and home size. It's a lot to upkeep.
I am a design build contractor that didn't know when to quit. Once the wife retires and kids fly the coup we will down size on our land and home size. It's a lot to upkeep.
LuvMyPellets
Burning Hunk
My biggest complaint with Harman. They sell only to the dealer yet they have zillions of dealers who do not install nor do they service. If you installed yourself and have a simple issue or question and you call one of the certified installer/servicers they have no monetary interest whatsoever to help you so why should they. All 4 of the dealers in my area only sell. I am lucky as a friend happens to be one of those guys if I need help.
Totally agree but seems to be the case with many of the stove dealers I've been to. They sell and subcontract the installs and usually don't service either. Get the name of your installer or business card if they did a good job and try contacting them for service is my suggestion.
X 2 Most of the other dealers I went to when looking to buy were sketchy on service and overall knowledge at best. My Harman dealer services, sells, and is also a very good HVAC business so it was a no brainer here. Excellent BBB record and rave reviews everywhere also. Not far away either speaking in pellet stove dealer terms. So I lucked out.
LuvMyPellets,
They sure do have a big monetary interest unless they are moronic idiots with poor attitudes, which is possible. It's called word of mouth and referrals. I am a self employed design build contractor that does zero advertising. Happy customers, referrals, and word of mouth keeps me in business and has for decades. Repeat business is also key so taking care of customers is a must. If I can not do what some potential customer wants I am straight forward about it and offer possible solutions or refer them to others.
I understand your disappointment with your local representative. Here is my take on a fix for that. I have educated myself and continue to do so because no one is going to look out for your best interest better than yourself. In the big picture many people do not even know what a pellet stove is and people will sell anything they can if they think they can turn a buck. Buyer Beware. I didn't have any knowledge of pellet stoves 10 years ago or I would have bought one then. Didn't have much more a few months back but then got serious about buying one so it became imperative. They are not advertised much at all and still not overly popular throughout the US and Canada. This was also evident in various fly by night or very uneducated dealers I visited. People are not educated on them. I went elsewhere because of that.
None of these units are very hard to work on yourself if you can or could change a tire on a car once you figure out what the problem is. Only basic tools required. Pellet stoves are devices were designed to have owner interaction to a large degree. I also understand that some are more mechanically inclined and some should be able to make a call and get it handled. Then there is the reality and the let downs of lack of many being able to make that call and not get what the want or need.
Fortunately your were insightful and wise enough to buy a unit that doesn't require those phone calls and dealing with non-stop problems. What good is a warranty when you don't need or use it. Auto makers set their warranty limits for a reason. Most never need to cash in. I can always get ahold of my very knowledgeable dealer. I don't even call him but look here and the answers are there. If not, I ask and get plenty of answers and support. This forum is better than ANY dealer out there IMO.
This forum and a half of a brain is all you need. I'm living and pellet burning proof. Don't sweat the minor stuff.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
Pure brand bias! 
I would love to do a free standing but I have a huge fireplace that I don't want to rip out. So what I am gathering is that I can't really go wrong with any of the 3 stoves. I will look for the best deal I guess.
Also, would I need a rail kit for the insert if I can still get behind the stove through the back wall/access?
Also, would I need a rail kit for the insert if I can still get behind the stove through the back wall/access?
steveg_nh
Member
Depends on the stove. On my Enviro, the stove slides into a frame. That frame houses the vent connection. If I don't slide the stove out, I can't get into the vent to clean it. If I didn't have that issue, I wouldn't need to slide it out. It's on tracks, and is a very cool setup. I can pull the stove out in under 5 minutes. And 2 of those minutes is getting the rails in the basement.
What do you mean rip out your fireplace? I had one installed and they just put it right in front of the fireplace I had to get an 8 inch piece of slate to extend my mantle but other than that it cents right up the chimney.
I think the standalone personally looks nicer puts pff more heat, has less moving parts to go wrong.
Just my opinion and you know what they say about those.
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