Pellet stove repair vs brand

flatbutt · 03-26-2020, 05:10 AM

I switched from firewood to pellets about 15 years ago. I've been using Harman stoves the whole time. My current stove has been in use since 2009 and now needs replacement for the two main blowers. Holy sheet what a job. I'm going to need a repairman to come in and ass stab me for this work. The main blower requires nearly dismantling the whole assembly!

Anyone else running pellets? What brand do you run and how has maintenance been for you?

mgatepi · 03-26-2020, 05:59 AM

I have been burning my Harman for 6 years now without any problems at all! I burn any brand of pellets I can find!
I usually have it cleaned out every fall by the dealer.....dont know if that helps anything or not...looks like a pretty simple procedure.

mgatepi · 03-26-2020, 06:00 AM

I am relatively sure it will be worth fixing....new inserts are pushing $6K

flatbutt · 03-26-2020, 06:32 AM

Oh I'll be fixing this one for sure and yes it'll eat any pellet I feed it. I'm thinking of putting one in the basement and was wondering if anyone has a brand that they find easy to repair.

The distribution blower is easy to do but the combustion blower...not so much.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

I'm curious what wood pellets cost

john walker's workshop · 03-26-2020, 06:45 AM

5 bucks a bag here. I run a chinese vogelzang in the shop. Kind of quirky, but for $1300 it works ok.

flatbutt · 03-26-2020, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-beard

I'm curious what wood pellets cost

I paid $250/ton for premium hardwood last year. I typically burn 4 tons for the winter (5 months-ish).

mgatepi · 03-26-2020, 07:37 AM

If I buy early in the year, August, I can sometimes buy for about $195. Later its in the 220 to 250 range.

deanp · 03-26-2020, 09:19 AM

I have a Lopi Yankee Bay insert. Main components are pretty easy access on the insert, not sure how they would be on a freestanding stove. There's three Lopi's in use with direct family, and they've been pretty solid. They are protective of their dealer network and limit parts accessibility through your local dealers.

ckelly78z · 03:27 PM

I thought about a pellet stove when I ended up buying my Regency woodstove. I didn't like the idea of maintenance problems, and it's electricity requirements. At the time, it would have cost me as much as running propane, so I opted for the free firewood option.

flatbutt · 03-26-2020, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

I thought about a pellet stove when I ended up buying my Regency woodstove. I didn't like the idea of maintenance problems, and it's electricity requirements. At the time, it would have cost me as much as running propane, so I opted for the free firewood option.

I did that for over 20 years but time and consequence made 40 lb bags a lot easier to manage...ALOT easier.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

The house we bought 7 years ago came with a Harman Advance pellet stove. Picture here is from Google but you get the idea.

We love the damn thing as it heats the great room/kitchen of our home and is relaxing to look at and feel/smell. I buy 40lb bags of pellets from Lowes, probably 30-40 per season, we are in SoCal. We have yet to use our gas home furnace until just recently. The igniter on the Harman gave up the ghost and I have been so busy have not had time to repair it. The 2-3 local shops I called do not service the brand but surely there is one in SD county that does. I will call them in during the summer when the demand is low.

Love the pellet stove!

DanielDudley · 03-27-2020, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

5 bucks a bag here. I run a chinese vogelzang in the shop. Kind of quirky, but for $1300 it works ok.

I have never seen a pellet stove for that price. I imagine it is fairly simple to deal with, if you can get the parts down the road. For that price, I'm not sure it matters. If the blower motors are anything like the ones in anything else, they might respond well to a little TLC anyway. I fixed the blower motor in my sister's bathroom vent with some turbine oil, and it is probably 35 years old.

As for maintenance, I think that is something that might come up in online user reviews. I'd shop around and ask questions, then hit the internet.

flatbutt · 03-27-2020, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

The house we bought 7 years ago came with a Harman Advance pellet stove. Picture here is from Google but you get the idea.

We love the damn thing as it heats the great room/kitchen of our home and is relaxing to look at and feel/smell. I buy 40lb bags of pellets from Lowes, probably 30-40 per season, we are in SoCal. We have yet to use our gas home furnace until just recently. The igniter on the Harman gave up the ghost and I have been so busy have not had time to repair it. The 2-3 local shops I called do not service the brand but surely there is one in SD county that does. I will call them in during the summer when the demand is low.

Love the pellet stove!

The igniter is fairly easy to replace as it resides in the lower part of the crucible. The hard part can be finding OEM parts. I use pelletstoveparts4less. Many parts are Chinese aftermarket but they carry a lot of FASCO parts too.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatbutt

The igniter is fairly easy to replace as it resides in the lower part of the crucible. The hard part can be finding OEM parts. I use pelletstoveparts4less. Many parts are Chinese aftermarket but they carry a lot of FASCO parts too.

Thank you sir, I will investigate!