Would the Accentra suit my needs?

[NotSure]

I know there are a million threads comparing these stoves but looking for advice. I currently have both a Quad Contour and a Harman P68. I think the P68 is the greatest thing ever.. which has lead me to not love the Contour as much. So I am hoping to pick up a used stove to replace the Contour in the Spring/Summer. I originally was hoping to replace it with another P-Series (maybe 43 or 61) but notice a lot of used Accentras pop up for sale in my area and I like the look of them.

My main gripes with the Contour are that I have to open the burn pot's drop floor and poke the ash down 1-2x a day or else it won't reignite and I end up with a pot of unburned pellets. And the hopper is too small to make it through the day while at work when it gets really cold.

I can let the P68 run for weeks without even opening the glass. I really like that the ash just gets pushed off the edge rather than sit in the pot and cover the ignitor (who designed that??) Will that be the case for the Accentra? What are the main differences between the 2?

On a side note- what is a fair price to ask for my Contour? It is old (i think 2001) but operates perfectly. Really is a fine stove if you dont mind the quirks. I just don't want to deal with scraping the pot so often. Has the remote thermostat for auto ignition.

Appreciate any feedback. I am in NH and the contour heats about 1500 sqft and my P68 sits in a side room of 500 sqft but 19' ceilings.

 

[rickwai]

P series stoves are a way better stove than the Accentra FS in my opinion. The Accentra seems to always be burning out behind the flame guide carboning that area up. There is no comparison between the 2. I burn the same pellets as my mom and my p43 needs shut off when the ash pan is full and cleaned along with a pot scrape on the fly occasionally. Accentra needs scraped 2 times per week or it pushs up the flame guide and burns like crap. The burn pot opening is to narrow in my opinion. I service a ton of Harman stoves and I like the Accentra free standing the least of the Harman line. I would lean toward the P43 if you are looking for a stove in the 40k btu range. That is about what the Accentra is rated I think.

 

[NotSure]

P series stoves are a way better stove than the Accentra FS in my opinion. The Accentra seems to always be burning out behind the flame guide carboning that area up. There is no comparison between the 2. I burn the same pellets as my mom and my p43 needs shut off when the ash pan is full and cleaned along with a pot scrape on the fly occasionally. Accentra needs scraped 2 times per week or it pushs up the flame guide and burns like crap. The burn pot opening is to narrow in my opinion. I service a ton of Harman stoves and I like the Accentra free standing the least of the Harman line. I would lean toward the P43 if you are looking for a stove in the 40k btu range. That is about what the Accentra is rated I think.

Thanks for your input. If going with another P series I would ideally get a P61.. but a P43 should be big enough and probably has a slightly higher output than my Contour. Hopefully hear some others feedback on the Accentra as well

 

[Mt Bob]

Pushes up the flame guide?I would like to see a picture,sir.I love my Accentra.BUT,it does not put out the blowing heat of other Harmans.It is perfect for my small cabin.It retains heat OK,except the exhaust blower runs too long,after shutdown,which means it takes heat away from the house.Also,never wait to clean the Accentra(when the ash pot is full),as,the ash that misses the pot insulates the stove,and the room gets less heat,The accentra should be cleaned every 1/2 ton.Accentra is good for a smaller area than what they advertise,but suits my needs perfectly.

 

[rickwai]

Pushes up the flame guide?I would like to see a picture,sir.I love my Accentra.BUT,it does not put out the blowing heat of other Harmans.It is perfect for my small cabin.It retains heat OK,except the exhaust blower runs too long,after shutdown,which means it takes heat away from the house.Also,never wait to clean the Accentra(when the ash pot is full),as,the ash that misses the pot insulates the stove,and the room gets less heat,The accentra should be cleaned every 1/2 ton.Accentra is good for a smaller area than what they advertise,but suits my needs perfectly.

Bob, Accentra is not a bad stove. Not Sure has been running a Pseries for years and was thinking Accentra would burn the same. I just wanted to clarify that they do not burn the same and require quite more attention. Yes if you try to run a Accentra like a Pseries you will lift the flame guide. I shut my P43 down and clean when ash pan fills which is about 25 bags depending on pellets. I wipe glass with damp rag every and scrape the pot quick with stove running every few days.
With the Accentra you have to stay on top of it, P series is much more forgiving.

 

[Mt Bob]

Bob, Accentra is not a bad stove. Not Sure has been running a Pseries for years and was thinking Accentra would burn the same. I just wanted to clarify that they do not burn the same and require quite more attention. Yes if you try to run a Accentra like a Pseries you will lift the flame guide. I shut my P43 down and clean when ash pan fills which is about 25 bags depending on pellets. I wipe glass with damp rag every and scrape the pot quick with stove running every few days.
With the Accentra you have to stay on top of it, P series is much more forgiving.

Lift the flame guide?LOL.You need to explain this,and provide pictures.An Accentra puts out less heat,as the ash buildup within the stove(same as any other),the P series is great.The Accentra retains more heat,when cool ing down,from being cast.It is lower heat(coming out the vents)than any P series,but it is for a smaller room.I can clean an accentra in one beer.Yes,the accentra does wastes heat up the flu,but,is probably the easiest harman stove to clean.So,show me where the "lifting the flame guide" comes in?" Yes,I repair pellet stoves.

 

[rickwai]

Bob, next time I see one neglected enough when I get there I will take a pic for you of a lifted flame guide. The burn pot is the narrowest (between flame guide and pot floor. . They build carbon much quicker and create a ridge then as ridge grows the pellets hit it and are forced up. I have seen the flame guide lifted and also in extreme cases already to fall in the ash pan. Somerset pellets are what most use in this area.
I guess the" easiest to clean" is all in what you are versed at. I have almost no Pseries that we do annual service on, people do it them self. Not much to it. Accentra is the freestanding that we do the most annual service on. Which is good for me! Some have trouble with the plates and fan cover ect. One being my mom

It is like the burn pot shape is more rectangular And p series is more funnel like and way more forgiving. Sounds like you have tons of experience w/ Accentra. Will it run with minimal attention (Quick burnpot scrape without removing flame guide) until ash pan fills? I have burned 50 bags of pellets so far thru the P43. I emptied pan and cleaned at about 15 bags because it was off. Then I ran it until pan filled about 30 bags of Sommersets. Emptied pan and vacced out. Flame guide has not been out all season and no build up on it. Accentras seem to build hard carbon on flame guide using Sommersets. On my moms Accentra, She has to take flame guide outside weekly and use hammer and chisel to clean it

 

[alternativeheat]

P series to me is easier to clean than an Accentra, one of the easiest stoves out there to clean actually. Ease of cleaning is one of the reasons I bought the P61a, no baffles or plates to remove. A P61 will put out heat head and shoulders over an Accentra, more capacity, radiant heat as well as a blower.

The OP has a P68 in a 500sq ft room, that IMO is a waste of heating appliance. Move that out into the main house, the thing is capable of heating 3000+ sq ft. Then work out what you want to heat the little space with, in which case the Accentra might even be ideal or else not needed at all..

 

[rickwai]

P series to me is easier to clean than an Accentra, one of the easiest stoves out there to clean actually. Ease of cleaning is one of the reasons I bought the P61a, no baffles or plates to remove. A P61 will put out heat head and shoulders over an Accentra, more capacity, radiant heat as well as a blower.

The OP has a P68 in a 500sq ft room, that IMO is a waste of heating appliance. Move that out into the main house, the thing is capable of heating 3000+ sq ft. Then work out what you want to heat the little space with, in which case the Accentra might even be ideal or else not needed at all..

Im with ya!

 

[gutlo]

I suffered with an Accentra for 13 years. Such a pain to clean, Takes 90 minutes to remove the heat exchangers, bottom plate. Everything is cramped and small. Started to make the classic Harman auger squeal, made a squeal when there was a little too much carbon build up on the end of the auger. Any P series is much better for cleaning, heat output and quiet performance.

 

[NotSure]

The OP has a P68 in a 500sq ft room, that IMO is a waste of heating appliance. Move that out into the main house, the thing is capable of heating 3000+ sq ft. Then work out what you want to heat the little space with, in which case the Accentra might even be ideal or else not needed at all..

I bought the house right before the heating season and that was the setup it came with. 500 sqft but does have 19ft ceilings so heats larger than 500sq. Maybe if I get a p43 i will put it in that room and move the 68 out into the main part of the house. Also dont really want to move things around and cut new holes if I dont have to. Would the p43 line up with my existing p68 pipe? It is direct vent.. i imagine p43 is a lower hookup.

 

[alternativeheat]

I bought the house right before the heating season and that was the setup it came with. 500 sqft but does have 19ft ceilings so heats larger than 500sq. Maybe if I get a p43 i will put it in that room and move the 68 out into the main part of the house. Also dont really want to move things around and cut new holes if I don't have to. Would the p43 line up with my existing p68 pipe? It is direct vent.. i imagine p43 is a lower hookup.

You can go to Harman's web site and get the specs there on each stove,manuals are all there in downloadable PDF. Before we bought our 61 I had both manuals to the two stoves we were considering, the P61A and Accentra 52i, 3 months before we purchased the stove.

 

[rickwai]

It would be a direct swap. Both use the same tail piece and are the same height. I would take 3 bolts out and leave the tail piece in the existing pipe then back the P43 up to it and bolt it back up. Rather than breaking pipe seals and having leaks. You will just need a new tail piece gasket for the swap.

 

[Mt Bob]

Bob, next time I see one neglected enough when I get there I will take a pic for you of a lifted flame guide. The burn pot is the narrowest (between flame guide and pot floor. . They build carbon much quicker and create a ridge then as ridge grows the pellets hit it and are forced up. I have seen the flame guide lifted and also in extreme cases already to fall in the ash pan. Somerset pellets are what most use in this area.
I guess the" easiest to clean" is all in what you are versed at. I have almost no Pseries that we do annual service on, people do it them self. Not much to it. Accentra is the freestanding that we do the most annual service on. Which is good for me! Some have trouble with the plates and fan cover ect. One being my mom

It is like the burn pot shape is more rectangular And p series is more funnel like and way more forgiving. Sounds like you have tons of experience w/ Accentra. Will it run with minimal attention (Quick burnpot scrape without removing flame guide) until ash pan fills? I have burned 50 bags of pellets so far thru the P43. I emptied pan and cleaned at about 15 bags because it was off. Then I ran it until pan filled about 30 bags of Sommersets. Emptied pan and vacced out. Flame guide has not been out all season and no build up on it. Accentras seem to build hard carbon on flame guide using Sommersets. On my moms Accentra, She has to take flame guide outside weekly and use hammer and chisel to clean it

Yep,show me a lifted flame guide,in a maintained stove

 

[Mt Bob]

I suffered with an Accentra for 13 years. Such a pain to clean, Takes 90 minutes to remove the heat exchangers, bottom plate. Everything is cramped and small. Started to make the classic Harman auger squeal, made a squeal when there was a little too much carbon build up on the end of the auger. Any P series is much better for cleaning, heat output and quiet performance.

90 minutes?wow takes me 1 beer.Yes,other Harmans may be easier,but,most all Harmans are way less maintenance than most stoves(even the new ones) sold today.-Suffered?dam man,grow up.But,if you want to talk about cleaning a real stove,my Integra,1992,you have to scrape the burn pot,at least once a day,dump the pot,at least every 3rd day,shut down the stove,take out many bolts/nuts,remove the internal plates,clean/vacuum/blow with air,every 1/2 ton,remove exhaust blower,at same time.Yet,the old Integra burns more efficient than the Harmans.This has to be the first thread where someone complains about cleaning an Accentra Free standing.

 

[gutlo]

You must drink beer very slowly. Taking out the heat exchangers, vacuuming out the stove, taking the bottom cover off, vacuuming the exhaust fan, scraping out the burn pot,taking out the ash box and replacing everything takes 1.5 hours. Maybe my tolerance for such work has diminished over time (71 years old). I look forward to the easier job of cleaning a 61A.

90 minutes?wow takes me 1 beer.Yes,other Harmans may be easier,but,most all Harmans are way less maintenance than most stoves(even the new ones) sold today.-Suffered?dam man,grow up.But,if you want to talk about cleaning a real stove,my Integra,1992,you have to scrape the burn pot,at least once a day,dump the pot,at least every 3rd day,shut down the stove,take out many bolts/nuts,remove the internal plates,clean/vacuum/blow with air,every 1/2 ton,remove exhaust blower,at same time.Yet,the old Integra burns more efficient than the Harmans.This has to be the first thread where someone complains about cleaning an Accentra Free standing.

 

[alternativeheat]

I had to remove the firebrick in my P61A for the second time in 5 burning seasons this year. That extended my cleaning time out to nearly 20 minutes. but I know my way around the stove and have a system where I can just knock a cleaning out starting with as it is shutting down. If you include shut down time it takes much longer. And then like yesterday I do partial cleanings too. I did everything under the burn pot because I had the ash pan out and there was a bunch of ash in the igniter airway/chamber, i think the most I ever got out of there.

Flame guide ? I just scrape it off in place, there isn't a whole lot on it anyway usually. Sometimes I take it out if it isn't too hot.

Fines box I do twice a season, but the holes for the attaching screws to that rear cover of the stove are slotted anyway, you just have to loosen two screws , slide over a 1/4" and lift it off. The fines box
cover is slotted and has a wing nut, no tools required.

Behind the ash pan is a hatch with a retaining level, lift the lever and lift out the hatch and there is your fan blade and passage way to the outdoor venting. A nylon bottle brush will clean the esp nicely from inside the stove. A paint brush will clean the fan blades if there is anything on them. A rag on a stick will push ash out of the vent way to your clean out T at the back of the stove if you have one. That can all be done in about 3 minutes if you have your tools lined up. Brush down the walls in the ash pan chamber with the paint brush you used on the fan blades and vac it out.

 

[rickwai]

I will picture build up on flame guide. In 1 week burning Sometsets there will be a large ridge of hard cabon that takes a chisel and hammer to remove. Usually sparks flying off chosel in the process.
With P43 a little loose ash is it using same fuel from same batch.

 

[Mercee]

I have a Harman Accentra FS stove, this will be our 5th heating season. Living in Nortwestern Ontario we have long cold winters. Our house is a 2 story 2100 sq ft. Stove is a corner install pointing at stairs. Current outside temperature is -26C (-15F) overnight low -30C. Themostat in same room as stove is at 81F masterbedroom upstairs furthest point away is 68F. Completely clean once a week or when ash bin is full. It takes 90 minutes as stated previously. Burn pot is scrapped at least twice between cleanings, I have never seen flame deflector lift. I brush flue once a month and blow out with air compressor at each cleaning. Since new I have replaced combustion blower and auger drive motor. Both very easily done. Also I remove distribution blower a few times a year, clean it and re-oill bearings. You will notice it start to slow down. This has been a very good stove compared with others we have had and what our freinds have. Our main heat source is fuel oil, at $1.28 / liter or $4.77 a US gallon, we have saved lots on fuel cost!

 

[Mt Bob]

You must drink beer very slowly. Taking out the heat exchangers, vacuuming out the stove, taking the bottom cover off, vacuuming the exhaust fan, scraping out the burn pot,taking out the ash box and replacing everything takes 1.5 hours. Maybe my tolerance for such work has diminished over time (71 years old). I look forward to the easier job of cleaning a 61A.

Accentra is probably the easiest Harman to clean.Slide out as pot,put outsideTurn to test,paint brust whatever can be easily reached,it blows crap out side.A flip lever on each side heat exchanger,lift them out,put outside.@ flip levers on the fan cover,take outside,brush off all outside parts and bring back inside.Vac stove out,while brushing,I use a paint brush and an automotive parts cleaning brush.Reverse big shop vac to blow,stick tapered adapter into the flu exhaust square hole,blow out.Slap back together,clean glass.I usually brush flue once a year,but it is 4"I usually clean fines box once a year,but I burn soft pellets.2 screws,slide off 1/2 of the lower back,vac combustion and convection motors.

 

[Zeus]

Wow I've never heard of those cleaning issues with the accentra or any harman stove. I have an accentra 52i and there may be a little more work than a p series but geese to be a burner this is easy as it gets. I like the accentra insert as far as full cleans go better it rolls out on tracks into the middle of my living room no exhaust to disconnect and can walk around the stove run the rods strait up vent all work done from inside warm house love it no issues have replaced no parts yet.

 

[Zeus]

I will picture build up on flame guide. In 1 week burning Sometsets there will be a large ridge of hard cabon that takes a chisel and hammer to remove. Usually sparks flying off chosel in the process.
With P43 a little loose ash is it using same fuel from same batch.

How is this flame guide to lift if their doing the regular maintenance never had mine lift or any issues like this burning the crappiest of pellets.

 

[alternativeheat]

How is this flame guide to lift if their doing the regular maintenance never had mine lift or any issues like this burning the crappiest of pellets.

One would presume that the pot should be scraped long before the flame guide gets lifted. Some pellets are really ashy though, my pot will fill with ash in that case if it is not scraped sometime, maybe twice in 12 hours. I read where people have the ash fall off the pot, I've never seen this with my stove. The ash will build to where it shrouds the flame but the flame is there and the pot never lifted, but it's a P61 not an Accentra and the pot gets scraped..

Pellets matter. The best pellets I ever had were pure white pines by American Wood Products, the little ash there was basically flew off the pot in the air stream and the pot never had residue on it. They were a super premium pellet at box store prices and were in this area for precisely half of one season, never seen them since. Very hot too. Those would be a very good pellet for the Accentra free standing stove if it has a shallow pot design, next up would be Douglas Fir pellets.

 

[rickwai]

How is this flame guide to lift if their doing the regular maintenance never had mine lift or any issues like this burning the crappiest of pellets.

I guess the difference is I see and service alot of stoves. Most on here do there own service and cleaning and like caring for there stove as I do. If they are paying me to service there stove they are most likely not all that "hands" on like us. Older people ect.
The only point I was trying to get across is that you can go weeks with little or no attention w/ P series and you can not do that with a Accentra. P series is much more forgiving. Is that the right way to treat your stove? No. But the majority of general public do not think of there stove as a hobby. I own a inground swimming pool service company and it is pretty much the same there also. We use all sand filters. They do not filter down quite as fine as DE but they are kinda idiot proof. Just backwash when gauge gets to the mark I put on it. DE you have to reload DE back in after backwashing, use the correct amount, Not forget to put DE back in, Pay more attention to pressure ect. Alot of times I feel like I am protecting people from themselves

 

[Dougsey]

<<----- Happy with mine after 10 years! Super easy to clean. Mind you, I'm talking freestanding, not insert.