New Owners of the Harman P68

[mwolfie]

I am a new person to this site and I am trying to get information about a good quality pellet stove I am looking to heat 1200 sq. ft. of living space if anyone has any recommedation on a good stove please write back, my main souce of heat is oil and trying to reduce cost


Thanks Mike

 

[freebird77]

P68 here one season old. We burn about a little over a bag a day, when its not bitter cold out, heating a 1900 sq. foot trailer. When it got around zero we burned around two bags. Dealer said wed heat the house with probably 3 tons so we bought four and still have a half ton left at this point. Cost of pellets $800.00. I cant complain.

 

[The Patriot]

P68 here one season old. We burn about a little over a bag a day, when its not bitter cold out, heating a 1900 sq. foot trailer. When it got around zero we burned around two bags. Dealer said wed heat the house with probably 3 tons so we bought four and still have a half ton left at this point. Cost of pellets $800.00. I cant complain.

For a 1200 SF house like Mike has, a P68 is way too much stove. That is unless the house's insulation is awful. But then, I'd be spending money on shoring that up before worrying about a pellet stove.

Mike, if you are like most of us and will need someone else to do the service on your stove, the most important thing is finding a reputable dealer. Go to several dealers in your area and ask questions. Ask how much stove you need, talk about features that are important to you, installation options, service, etc. etc. etc.

Get a feel for those dealers yourself, but asking around here can be helpful too. Take comments with a grain of salt, but if you get 5 people giving bad reviews of a dealer, maybe you want to stay away from them.

After you've scouted your dealers, then worry about a particular stove. Given the size of your house, you have a lot of stoves to choose from. You aren't very limited as far as needing a stove with high output. I needed a stove as powerful as the Harman P68 or close to it to heat my 2300 SF colonial.

If you give us some more information like the layout of your house/placement of the stove/what area you're trying to heat, features that are important to you, type of stove you are looking for (freestanding/insert), we can help you with some information on particular stoves of course.

But, we can tell you what we like about this stove or that stove, but you may not even have a dealer near you or one that you are comfortable with that offers that stove.

 

[freebird77]

My apologys, im an idiot. We have the p61. My excuse, it was early in the morning. Good luck.

 

[STOVEGUY11]

If you look at the Harmans, look at the p-38, and the Freestanding Accentra. Those are in your size range.

 

[ugenetoo]

When you make adjustments to most biomass burning stoves that are run by microprocessers, it is essential that you give the burner at least an hour to adjust to the settings. If you increase the feed it takes at least a half hour for the stove to bring the rate up or down to that setting.
The harmons use an exhaust temperature probe that is monitered by the pc board many times a second. Every thing the stove does is done by exhaust temperature, (feed rate, exhaust blower speed,and room fan speed)so i doubt that heat is going out the exhaust as has been said in this thread. The only time that would not be the case is when in stove temp mode with the room fan on #5 or less in order to have a fire to watch without excess heat being blown into the room.The feed rate dial does control the feed rate to a certain extent but only to achieve the most effeciant burn.
There is a definate learning curve with the harmons and a large part of that is to set it and leave it alone. It took me a couple of weeks to learn this when i bought my first one. I thought that i was on my to complete baldness until the dealer dropped by and esplained everything to me.
Of course if there is a defect somewhere, all bets are off!

 

[BignBeefy]

As far as the P68 is concerned,it is super easy to clean and use. Just load and go.When is was 0 here in NH I was using 2 bags a day and I was ok with that. I use NEWP green right now,the reds were ok too BTW. Feed Rate 3 and I set mine on room temp,72-75 and I have the sensor coiled right in front of the inlet on the back. Tie Wrap and sticky pad works great. That great room is 75-78 degrees and the rest of the 1st floor is 72.Upstairs gets to about 70 in the hallway,but the rooms are only 65-66 degrees. I cant get them higher at this point. My house is 2400 sqft though and I use oil as backup. I went from 800 gallons to about 400 I am estimating since I have had 2 100 gallon deliveries since dec 15th or so. Oil guy came yesterday,3.92 a gallon WTF. I had 3/8th a tank left so I sent him on his way. YES the stove was a lot but the pellets are well worth it in heat output and sticking it to big oil. Not sure if this helps anyone but I can try and help if you buy a p68

 

[allenfrme]

I'm just finishing up the third year with my P68. Small cape, Southern Maine, fair insulation. When the temps are really low, 0 and below, I usually burn 1.5 bags a day. The rest of the time, one bag a day is the norm. Tonnage used this year is a little over three tons. I do use a monitor heater in the cellar, set to 58, just keep the chill off when I'm working down there. This year I've used a little under 250 gallons. My house stays 72 degrees all Winter long, day and night. I DO RUN two ceiling fans also, and they make a world of difference in eliminating any chilly spots. Love that P68. I can do a complete vacuum, clean, window wash, and scrap in under 20 minutes, even in the midde of Winter. I rarely let it cool off, just open the door, and go. And no, I don't leave my vacuum indoors after cleaning ! It goes outside for a day, just to be sure.

 

[anthonyjsparacio]

I have the same stove. Switch to 100% OAK PELLETS which will give you a high heat output. You can set your stove to stove temp and leave both settings at 4. It is normal on cold days to burn 2 bags per day in this stove. On warmer days in the 5o's you can set the stove to three on stove temp and you will burn about a bag in 12 hours. Whatever yiou set the pellet feed to that is how many pounds per hour you will burn. Just do the math . 24 hrs on a setting of 4 you will burn a little over two bags. Good quality pellets are the key. oak to me is the best to burn, Clean, hot, and very low ash output.

 

[bufbillsball]

I have a P68 and with temps at night at 0 and day in the teens, I am going through 2 bags a day. I have a 2 story house approx 2400 sq ft and it heats it quite well. A little cool in the room on the lower floor the furthest away from the stove. I keep mine on room temp 72-75 and feed rate 3. Fire burns high and then calms down and just percs for a while. I am completely satisfied so far...

 

[capecod]

In my 2nd year with the P68. I have an open floor plan. Found burning Barefoot Pellets throws lots of heat. Normally go thru a bag to a bag and a half to maintain a temp of 72. Stove temp in medium, feed rate at 3. During this cold snap, upwards of 2 bags a day. Hope things work out with your stove. Mine is the best investment!

 

[rickwa]

P68 is a great stove. the 3 dial setup can be confusing. If someone thinks stove if over feeding or using to many pellets the FIRST thing they need to do when they post is include what the 3 dials are set at. If stove is set on stove temp feed 1-2 it will burn 1-1 1/2 bags a day