Harmon Advance Pellet Stove

[namz111]

I am going to look at a used Harmon Advance I was told it was bought new in 2001 the asking price is 600.00 what should I look for when looking at this? Is that a good price for a stove that is about 9 years old? he says its used for heating the garage so I would think it was not used as much as it would be if it was used to heat a home.

thanks

 

[crausch]

I just bought an "Advance" last fall. I love mine. I paid $3,500 for mine new. (Included gold trim kit). I think that $600 sounds very reasonable, but you will have to make the judgement as to the shape it is in.

Also, a few updates may have been made to the Harman Advance since 2001. My stove says "Advance-2" on it for the model. You may want to check with a local Harman dealer about what was changed from the 2001 model. It is my understanding that the igniter has been upgraded, the firebrick changed from ceramic to cast, and possibly the hopper lid. Mine is a smoked colored see-through glass lid, older models may have been metal.

I can say that I love my stove so far!

 

[Yardbird]

My advice to you is to give the guy my phone number, tell him I will be there this weekend to pick it up. That's not a bad price at all. I have an Advance, and as long as you keep it clean, it puts out a TON of heat. My Advance is from 05, and has the cast brick, and smoke colored hopper door. This stove was never meant to be banished to the garage....

Pull the brick off and look at the heat exchanger. Make sure there isn't any holes or damage to it. (there shouldn't be) Then remove the ash pan on the bottom, and look at the fan there. That's the combustion fan. Make sure it spins freely, and that the motor doesn't appear to be getting tight.

If you can, plug it in, and if there is a "test" mode on the control panel, then put it in that mode. The circulation blower, auger, and combustion motor should kick in, and run for 1 minute.

Another thing to look at is the "status" light. When you plug it in, only the power light should come on. After you run it in test mode, the status light should go off. If it's blinking, that indicates a problem. Three blinks, not a big deal, six blinks I think is a control board, and that can cost you a little bit.

Google the Harman Advance Owners manual and check it out. That should give you an idea what to look for.

Somebody please correct me if I am wrong on any of the info I posted. Thanks

 

[namz111]

Ok heres an update after looking at the stove (he had it running) everything seems to check out fine no funny noises it is the older one (solid hopper door) but it was in very nice shape, it has the log set and all the brass trim.... After some chatting we struck a deal of $450.00 he has cash in hand and he was letting it cool down and is even going to deliver it for me in about 2 hours! wow I am so happy and I do not even have it hooked up yet.....I will try to post a picture or two later.

 

[crausch]

I'ill be looking forward to the pictures. For $450 bucks you stole the thing. You can't go wrong for that money.

 

[namz111]

Well I got some pictures to share... not too bad for $450.00

 

[UglyTunaSaloona]

WOW! For $450 you got a steal. Could be my stove that I bought in October for $3500. We're on our 3rd ton of pellets and the stove has been flawless. Lots of heat for 2800 sq ft.. Just be sure you follow the maintenance procedures. I let my stove shut down every 2-3 days. I then clean the glass, scrape the firepot and if I'm ambitoous take a peak at the blower and clean that. After each ton I follow the recommended maintenance procedure. LOTSA LUCK!

 

[namz111]

thanks now i have to get some piping and something to put the stove on and find me some pellets! I cant wait

 

[UglyTunaSaloona]

You are probably going to want to lose the damn fake logs. I let my wife talk me into buying them and I left them out of the stove after completely cleaning it the last time. They really do not add anything to the way the stove looks or operates and make the 2-3 day cleanings more work then they should be. IMHO they were a waste of $70.

 

[GVA]

That should be the advance 1
the main differences...
1) cleaning...... Its harder because behind the firebrick panel it doesn't have the 2 access covers to clean the heat exchangers, brush must be run up from the bottom......
hopefully the guy still had it and threw it in, if not a small dryer cleaning brush can be picked up at HD or lowes (the small one about 1 1/2" diameter for cleaning under the lint trap).

2) airwash not as good see the pics in the cleaning pdf attached (yes lose the logs it hinders the airwash even more)

3) metal hopper cover....

cleaning PDF for you.......... (broken link removed to http://www.harmanstoves.com/maintenance/AdvanceCleaningGuide.htm)
I never even noticed the pdf is of the advance 1 not the 2..... :smirk:

 

[GVA]

I should add while at hd get long screwdriver to help breakup the carbon deposits, in the burnpot......
nice score by the way.....

 

[namz111]

Thanks, Yes he gave me the cleaning brush and the firepot scraper

 

[tinkabranc]

WOW- great deal!

 

[namz111]

I have to say I was really muffed when I tried to buy this one ( (broken link removed to http://allentown.craigslist.org/hsh/1006033153.html) ) Saturday only to find out It sold by the time I seen it ( I am sure it didnt last long) and I thought it was not a bad price, figured I could get it for 900.00 but I think the deal I got tonight was a much better deal even if it is a few years older..

 

[abrucerd]

I've got a harman advance and I love it.. though I guess I have nothing to measure it against. It's all relative, I'm sure. But my house is plenty warm, so that's enough for me.

reading the replies, I'm curious if anyone knows how I can figure out when my stove was installed.

This might belong in a separate topic, but I bought my house in 2007 and the stove was already installed. The previous owner didn't leave any documentation regarding the stove, so I'm not really sure when it was installed. Any ideas on how I can determine this?

 

[crausch]

It looks like you bought a great stove for a fantastic price. It sounds like it is complete and in good shape. Take a close look at your gaskets around the hopper, ash pan, and door to make sure they are in good shape. Don't do like I did the last time emptying my ash pan. I took it outside and then tapped it on the ground to knock some ashes loose. As soon as I did it I realized...oops! I ended up with snow and mud all over my gasket.

GVA: I had downloaded that guide for my first cleaning and noticed some differences from my Advance-2 as I was following it. I used the guide and my stove manual to make sure I covered everything. Saw things that confused me at first but figured it must be an older version.

 

[namz111]

Well here is an update.. I spent some cash and bought the harman direct vent with the oak all in one kit, finished everything up but the trim on the hearth pad over all I am very happy with it, I had it set at 75 deg and the feed rate at 3 1/2 and before I knew it the room was at 85 after just running for about 2 hrs. I cant wait for a really cold day to really try it out! Thanks for everyones help with the setup and clean out of the stove.

 

[mgambuzza]

tincabrank - "WOW- great deal!"

...more like WOW - what a steal!! best of luck on this - I've been watching the posts more frequently and there are deals to be found - but none like that! You are my personal idol! Good luck on this as the Advance is a great stove - I only hope I can be as lucky!!

 

[timjk69]

Yo Thief