I am making the change to a Harman P-68

Nice Saves. Nice. Hope you enjoy it!

 

I went to Rocky's to get a set of heat shields. Turns out they didn't have them in stock. He sent me home with a floor protector to lean against the wall until they get some shields in. Maybe sometime next week. My family room is running at 79 F now. That room is about 20 long and 14 wide. There is an L in it that adds another 10x11 ft.
With the protector leaning against the wall, the wall temp is cool to touch. He also said the stove won't be so hot if I run the blower on high, it is just more fan noise that way. So now I am trying stove mode again, sat on 4 and the fan on high. I now need to work on getting the cool air from upstairs down here! I think I am going to like the stove once I get it turned to my wants.

 

Don't know how I missed this entire thread but glad
to hear you got a new rig and it's beach weather in there now!
Enjoy!!

 

It is as if this house has worked out a flow. Temps are becoming more even as the days go on.
Now that I know that big flame is not going to burn down the house, I am very happy. This stove is hot on the exterior, has fire bricks inside, has a good flame and a lot of radiant heat. Reminds me of by days of burning cord wood. I may have said this before, but it is worth repeating. Get the stove you want. Be realistic about the heating potential.
The stove I had would do about 75 % of our heating needs. It was that remaking 25% that was getting our attention.

 

Did you get the heat shields?

 

Not yet, but I have a floor protector they loaned me so I could lay this up against the wall until the heat shield come in. Should have been today, but I couldn't follow up today because I spent most of the day in the emergency room following my mishap on the stairs. The protector is doing a good job of calming my nerves.

 

Saw your post in another thread. Take care of yourself and hopefully will be better soon. What are they doing about the block?

 

I'll see my MD . This MD said it was normal for my age and not an issue. I use to teach advanced cardiac life support and I don't recall that rhythm being too exciting. I take a sh!t load of meds that help keep the pump stable.

 

Ok, it has been since the second week in Feb that I have been using my new P68. At this time, I don't know if it is the kool aid effect or what, but I am very pleased with this stove. Unlike my Napoleon, this stove is more automatic. Just determine what output you want for heat and dump in the pellets. I have burned 5 different brands, all of them not disappointing me. Some, more ash then others. It has been the coldest recorded March on record, so I would say I had the right condition to challenge this stove. What I have found out is we dump in 2 bags a day, every day. House is warm. It is that simple. Every 4 or 5 days, I open the stove and scrape the burn chamber while the stove is running. I have only shut it down twice to brush the inside. The hardest part to get over was the sticker shock. After that, it has been all smooth sailing. I won't fuss much about pellet brands. Just don't want those that are known to be inferior or have trash in them. But what I will not do is buy premium priced pellets.
No one sees those parked in the yard. The all are 4o lbs in wt. I did burn some blazers so I have had a taste of what a high end pellet is. I wouldn't pay much more for them over my MWPs. There is no end to the cost of high priced pellets. but there is controlled cost with more insulation and a quality stove. I'll leave the high end priced pellets to those who want them. I will stick to the pellets I need.

 

Great report Larry. Knowing you use 2 bags a day makes it easier, I would think, to have enough good pellets on hand all the time. How many bags are usually on a pallet load? Do you have an easy to get at set-up, as far as getting the pellets from truck to stove?

 

I 100% agree with you save$. Glad to hear you are enjoying the ear off user in aharman. I have tried a so called "super premium" softwood pellet and that has been the only time that I have gotten clinkers. I was told that I needed to adjust the feed rate for the Super premium pellet but my understanding is that the adjustment only limits the max feed rate. Due to certain circumstances my stove very rarely goes into max burn. Probably only when it is started back up after the cleaning every two weeks. Come to think of it, I was seeing the clinkers on days that the stove sat in maintenance burn for 90% of the time.

 

normally 50 bags on a one ton pallet. Our are kept in a detached garage. We have had the help of family who bring some into the porch. From there it is only 20 ft into the family room where the stove is. We can put a 40 lb bag on a hand cart and pull them right in. I think I could get a ton in the shop if I needed to.

 

Interesting… I don't have a pellet stove, but have noticed some on here that like some pellets a whole lot more than others. You're saying, if the stove is on the higher end, quality of pellets isn't as much of an issue?

 

yes, that is the case with pellet stoves. I didn't say those that cost most, but that is often part of it. Pellet stoves are as different as cars are. Some are on/off, others are "smart stoves". keep them clean and fed and they keep you warm. Where you install the stove is important. Now, we have pellet furnaces. Those are neat. They work a lot like hot air furnaces. Dex has one and is very happy with his. There even are systems that are bulk fed and run much like an oil furnace, but those also are bulk money. You see an add on Tv now with those advertised with a rebate. I think they are very expensive. I like the technology of this stove, and the service back up. There are a lot of Harman pellet owners on this forum so it is easy to ask questions to problem solve.
As to the brand of pellets, there are good and not so good. hard wood soft wood, chipped trees with and without bark. Even a brand famous for including object not intended to use in your stove and may even harm it. You will hear most comments about heat, ash, fines, and sometimes the odor. However often it is the price that drives us. We also have a lot of fun with our pellet hunts and talking about how well they burned. Not much different from those that burn cord wood. On average, it cost me about $1000 to $1200 a year for pellets. That is a far cry from the cost of fossil fuel.

 

Yes, she is warmer and has moved on to other things to complain about. She actually now spend a good part of her day in the family room where the stove is. She also keeps the stove filled up with pellets!

 

You darned bottom feeders, I'll have to start calling you flounders or something.