Harman XXV or Enviro M55 Cast FS??

[chanlon1974]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to get some opinions. I am upgrading from the worst pellet stove ever invented (The Whitfield/Lennox) Profile 30. Its 6 years old and has the biggest design flaw of all time. The photoeye which gets dirty and needs to be cleaned almost every other day. To get to it, you have to remove the pellets in the hopper, remove the housing, remove the lens, clean it, reinstall. Such a hassle. Anyway, I want a new stove that looks like a cast wood burning stove. After doing some research, I have narrowed my selection to these two stoves. I am leaning towards to M55, because of looks, design and reviews. The prices are pretty much the same. About $4,000. $3900 plus tax. for the stove with black enamel. The Harmon salesman said the bottom pellet feed is the best design in the business for ease of clean and ash build up. Does anyone have some insight on these stoves? I realize they are both good stoves. Just wondering about the agitator feed system on the M55 as opposed to the Harmon bottom feed. Thanks for any insight.
Chris

 

[DexterDay]

Do you plan on "Only" burning pellets down the road???

Are wood pellets going to always be as cheap and readily available? ?

 

[ToddO]

If you're looking for the most realistic flame you can't beat the M55. I may be a little biased because that's what I have but I can tell you that I love mine. I only shut it down once a week to clean and it could go longer but I must admit i'm a little anal when it comes to cleaning. After all a clean stove is a happy stove. Seriously I don't think you can go wrong with either. Post some pics when you get it installed

 

[chanlon1974]

I realize the M55 can burn alternate fuels. That was the other nice thing I liked about it. I got an email from my pellet provider today and the pellets i get, Hammers Hot ones have gone up $50 a ton! I have never priced out another fuel so I do not know the difference. I do like the fact that the M55 has a realistic flame. Is the M55 pretty quiet? My Whitfield is noisy as all hell. Uhhh, just as I am writing this, it has shut down again. Unreal.

 

[ToddO]

The only real noise I hear from mine is the auger when it's spitting out some more pellets. I do not have the upgraded blower so mine is quiet. Others here have the new blower and aren't real happy. I don't think the FS models have the upgraded blower but that might be something you ask about and make sure it has the auger cover. Other than that I think you will be really pleased with the 55. Mine is about 6 feet from my television and you really don't notice it.

I hear ya on the pellets. I just bought another ton last week and they were $240 and I pre bought the first three tons at $179. This year I am going to buy 4 or five tons when it's pre buy time.

 

[chanlon1974]

I haven't been able to find a better price around CT for the M55. 3400 for black or with enamel its 3900. My wife likes the chestnut. I like the diamond black. I'm sure she'll win. haha!

 

[ToddO]

The Chestnut is a nice color...that's what my wife picked out. I had my dealer order the matching paint so I could paint my pipes to match the stove. Turned out nice. I'm heating a 2200 SF house with it and we're a lot warmer this year compaired to heating with propane furnace last winter

 

[chanlon1974]

I'm gonna order the M55 this week. My dealer says the Enviro line is going up 5-8% next fall. Not sure if he is saying that to get me to buy now or whatever, but I really like the stove.

 

[DexterDay]

I'm gonna order the M55 this week..

Good Choice.... ;-P.

You never know. One day down the road, pellets may go through the roof and there may be another alternative fuel that you can burn for cheap (and safely now too). Cardboard pellets, Switch grass pellets, nut shells, cherry pits, corn, sunflower seeds, grains, etc. This list goes on, as to what it can burn.

Do yourself a favor and make sure that you get multi-fuel venting. It has a better stainless liner and can withstand the corrosive elements found in some of the fuels listed above.

Congratulations. Waiting for pics...

 

[thedak]

M55 won't get you laid Bro...

Poor choice

 

[whlago]

I have the M55 FS and am happy with it. I clean once a week. Ash is not an issue as the agitator must operate as a poker and allows those pellet coals to burn fully. Not sure if it pushes the ash out of the burn pot but I haven't had an issue with ash buildup in the burn pot.

Regarding Hamers and the M55; Some, including myself, have had issues with the Hopper high temp limit switch shutting down the stove at medium heat settings when burning certain pellets. With me it has been with Hamers and on Level 3 heat setting. The newer models (I bought mine in November 2011) have an adjustable auger cover plate that attaches over the existing auger plate that comes with the stove. Enviro indicates that without using the adjustable auger plate and setting it to a certain level the stove is operating at a very high BTU with certain pellets (much higher than design). The adjustable plate constricts the flow of pellets through the auger. You should make sure your unit has this adjustable auger plate.

In addition some people have had issues with the convection blower on the M55. In fact, some believe that this is the true reason for the Hopper high heat limit switch to go off. Enviro has upgraded the blower to a "turbo blower" that evidently is very powerful and will blow that heat right out of the stove and into your living space no problem, however the problem is that evidently it is a lot louder than the other blower. I have the old blower and am content with it at this point. Not sure I want to sacrifice the quiet operation for the powerful air circulater but the jury is still out on that one. My dealer indicated he would replace the old blower as a fix for the overheating issue. Anyway it would be good to find out what blower the unit you are ordering has.

Anyway a great stove enjoy the warmth! (and ease of maintenance!)

 

[slls]

More prestige with a Harmin.

 

[flynfrfun]

Chanlon,
Make sure you watch both of them running before you decide. Try to get close to the stove and to filter out all of the ambient noise of their store and REALLY listen. The stove will seem much noisier in your home compared to the store.

 

[chanlon1974]

More prestige with a Harmin.

Prestige? With who? I just want to heat my house.

 

[chanlon1974]

Chanlon,
Make sure you watch both of them running before you decide. Try to get close to the stove and to filter out all of the ambient noise of their store and REALLY listen. The stove will seem much noisier in your home compared to the store.

neither store had them running or hooked up, so I was going by reviews I have read. I would have to find other dealers that have them up and running. Nothing could be louder than the stove I have, so I am not overly concerned.

 

[1Dtml]

More prestige with a Harmin.

Prestige? With who? I just want to heat my house.

:lol:

I'm very happy with my two Enviro (Reg GCI60=Env M55) purchases.
Both can be tuned to burn most any pellet cleanly, and I've even burned a pellet mix with Dried cherry pits in both my stoves even though my Maxx doesn't have the mutlifuel auger (still made nice fine ash in normal beast fashion).


I've read that Harman is self tuning, so I'm not implying a brand loyalty I'm only reporting personal experience, and satisfaction with Enviro.

Good luck with your future purchase, and I can't wait to see some pix.

1D

 

[flynfrfun]

Chanlon,
Make sure you watch both of them running before you decide. Try to get close to the stove and to filter out all of the ambient noise of their store and REALLY listen. The stove will seem much noisier in your home compared to the store.

neither store had them running or hooked up, so I was going by reviews I have read. I would have to find other dealers that have them up and running. Nothing could be louder than the stove I have, so I am not overly concerned.

Wow, I can't imagine not seeing/listening to a stove run before buying. In my mind that's like buying a car without taking a test drive. The M55 with the new blower is not exactly quiet. Hate to see you buy it and find out it's not much quieter than your old stove after spending all that money.

 

[chanlon1974]

Chanlon,
Make sure you watch both of them running before you decide. Try to get close to the stove and to filter out all of the ambient noise of their store and REALLY listen. The stove will seem much noisier in your home compared to the store.

neither store had them running or hooked up, so I was going by reviews I have read. I would have to find other dealers that have them up and running. Nothing could be louder than the stove I have, so I am not overly concerned.

Wow, I can't imagine not seeing/listening to a stove run before buying. In my mind that's like buying a car without taking a test drive. The M55 with the new blower is not exactly quiet. Hate to see you buy it and find out it's not much quieter than your old stove after spending all that money.[/q

We'll have to see if I can find a dealer that has it hooked up. I only went to one dealer so far although they are a very respected dealership in CT. Nobody is open till Tuesday, so it will have to wait. Like I said, Im not overly concerned, my whitfield is loud as all hell, not to mention I have a 4 and 2 year old, so its not exactly quiet in my house anyway. ha! I want something that is reliable, looks beautiful and that can handle my house. I like both stoves really, but the fact that the M55 can burn multiple fuels and looks nicer has me leaning that way. Pellets keep getting more expensive.

 

[lightyear]

I have the XXV and love it. I do appreciate the design of the burn pot and like how the pellets are fed from the back. It means I don't hear pellets drop, just move forward. I also only clean it once a week, and sometimes 1x every 10 or more days. It depends on the brand of pellets.

Go with the one you like the looks of and whether or not you will be satisfied with the way it operates. Since you hate the one you have now, take the time to check out the maintenance and design on the inside versus being stuck with something that really drives you nuts like the current one.

 

[Defiant]

More prestige with a Harmin.

Not quite sure what a Harmin is?

 

[chuckster]

No problems with my XXV. Clean it once a week and love it.
Chuck

 

[chanlon1974]

Does anyone have the M55 with the new blower? Is it loud?

 

[thedude110]

No problems with my XXV. Clean it once a week and love it.
Chuck

Amen, Chuckster.

 

[John97]

M55 won't get you laid Bro...

Poor choice

More prestige with a Harmin.

Very helpful indeed.

To the OP, enjoy your purchase - whatever it is.

If you want quiet, it's hard to beat a Mt. Vernon with the DC motors... Just sayin.

 

[Nicholas440]

The M55 gets my vote, I think its an awesome stove for looks, and the way it performs, my neighbor has one and its' beautiful. The Harmon is not a bad stove but Harmon just isn't the stove that it was a few years back when they were practically bullet proof. I'm not convinced that a bottom feed is the best way to feed pellets. I actually like to hear the pellet drop myself. I was thinking of replacing my Quad with an M55 Cast insert, just might do it this fall too.

Good luck on your purchase,