Harman Accentra 52i fireplace insert

Hi Everyone!

We finally have our fireplace insert installed! We visited a local dealer this past December (around xmas break) and decided on the Accentra 52i. We went back out recently to purchase the unit and setup the install. I would have done this myself until I found out the shipping weight of this little beast is 475lbs! I am no stranger to hard work, but I figured it would be worth it to let those folks install it. I am in the process of preparing our 20+ cords of wood to get us through the winter anyway. Honestly, the install price was not bad.

To give a little background, we bought our 1850’s farmhouse about 3 years ago to move out of the city. We loved the slightly rustic house and the setting as well as the few acres for our kids to play on. We have made a few upgrades to the house such as the outside wood furnace to minimize our dependence on heating oil. We thought the extra warm comfort of a pellet insert would be very nice in our living room during the cold winter months. The fireplace we chose to have this insert put in was about ½ inch too short. It was due to the stone hearth that was just too big. That was ok because it was broken in a corner and honestly just too high for the little feet we have running around right now. I remedied this with a sledge hammer and various wedges. At the moment, the insert is installed on the bare hearth, but we plan to add either a stone slate around it or maybe something simple like laminate tiles.

I wanted to post the pictures of our unit and I must add that we are very, very, impressed with the quality. We have not used it for heat, but we have turned it on “fireplace” mode for a couple of cool nights just to see it run. I am not a fan of using fuel when it is not needed, but I can't resist the urge to play with the new toy. Beer in hand of course!!

 

Looks great! Yep, the urge to burn takes over when a new stove is installed......thanks for the pics.

 

sexy!

 

Nice.

 

Thanks everyone! I am planning to give the setback thermostat trick a try soon before the season gets too far underway. Would be nice to have it lower the temp while everyone is away at work and then get back to business as usual before we return.

 

hmmm. Looks warm and nice. I may be in the market for a new stove soon and that is a pretty one that I know will heat. Best of luck with her and love the chimney top.

Schoondog

 

Harmans rule. Nice job!!!!!

 

hmmm...older style burnpot.....in retrospect, might be the burn pot you want....depends on how hard you run the stove.....
Nice job on install, as long as you have 6" of non-combustible area in front of the glass....looks close in the pic
some damage to the paint on the lower side of the door, get some Stove Bright satin black and dress that up in a jiffy
if critters are an issue where you are, think about maybe putting some large-holed mesh on that cap, but make sure to inspect it for residue if you do.....Simpson doesn't mesh their caps
hopefully you used a block off plate- there isn't a picture, but its in your install manual

Just a couple ideas.....looks nice

 

Hi Lousyweather. I am definitely going to put some mesh on the cap. Have a bit of chicken wire that should work ok. I checked the manufacture date on the side opposite to the control panel and it has the May 2014 date boxes mechanically checked. I am curious what the pros and cons of the old style burnpot might be. Maybe something I can watch out for. I am guessing they switched back to that style these days. The dealer had to order ours from the factory as they did not have one in stock. As far as the block off plate. I am not sure on that one. I was outside with some friends of the family and missed the install of the actual pellet unit. I saw the cage go in but not sure at what point the plate would have been installed. I am guessing no. What would happen if it did not have one installed? The top of the chimney is completely sealed. Not sure if that makes a difference.

 

other than the fact that the blockoff is REQUIRED as per the owner's manual in a masonry chimney (technically, if there isn't one, it shouldn't be passed), the blockoff keeps downdrafts from entering the home (but yours is sealed)....also is a safety factor if your liner is ever breached (holed or comes apart), because if it does, being sealed to the top, you'll get all the nasty stuff in the exhaust, one of which is CO

 

Well that is an eye opener! I really never thought about a breach in the liner. Thanks for enlightening me. Now I am VERY curious if they installed a blockoff. How hard is it to get a peek behind the unit? I imagine you would have to be able to move the unit out to get to fans and such for replacement and or servicing. I really wish I had been in the room when they were putting the unit in. I was snapping shots where I could. I just didn't get one at an angle to see upwards into the chimney.

 

yea, you'll unclip the 52i, pull it out, like for cleaning, then peek up into where your damper door was in your fireplace......it should be blocked off with a metal plate thru which the liner pipe goes thru

 

Thank you both for the info! I will be checking this out soon.

 

I believe (haven't read in a while) the install instructions for my M55 say a block-off plate is only required if you are not doing a full chimney reline. Mine does not have the block off plate. Don't see what the difference is if the liner runs up a chimney or if it runs straight up through your roof if the liner is breached. As far as downdraft goes, not sure I follow that either. My $.02

 

That makes sense Dex...

 

Dex, you sure have a good handle on explaining the air situation for that install. I just don't understand why a paid installer would fail to properly advice or install a unit. However, it happens over and over. one of the many reasons people may be come disillusioned with heating with pellets. Dirty stoves and improper installations. These Harman stoves are so easy to keep clean. Countryliving should become very impressed with the heating ability of that unit.