Pellet Stove Dealer recommendation

[JoeR3155]

Hello neighbors-
We are looking to put in a pellet stove, and am wondering if anyone here has experience with Fireside Living in Laconia? I've seen them mentioned a couple of times in these forums, and it seems that people have had a good experience with them.

We've heard very good things about Energysavers in Meredith, but the stove that we're leaning toward is sold by Fireside Living.

Any input on them would be appreciated.

thanks very much,
Joe
New Durham

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by JoeR3155

Hello neighbors-
We are looking to put in a pellet stove, and am wondering if anyone here has experience with Fireside Living in Laconia? I've seen them mentioned a couple of times in these forums, and it seems that people have had a good experience with them.

We've heard very good things about Energysavers in Meredith, but the stove that we're leaning toward is sold by Fireside Living.

Any input on them would be appreciated.

thanks very much,
Joe
New Durham

Yes, Fireside Living is very good! I bought a Harman pellet stove from them and had them install it as well. Good pricing, good service, GREAT stove!

Dan

[DickR]

If you haven't already seen this forum (https://www.hearth.com/talk/), they have a subforum covering pellet stoves. It probably is worth a visit, given your interest in them. I imagine the stove you want and others have been well covered there, and a search on it will turn up those threads.

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Yes, Fireside Living is very good! I bought a Harman pellet stove from them and had them install it as well. Good pricing, good service, GREAT stove!



Dan

Dan if you don't mind me asking, how much was it? I am also interested.


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[Slickcraft]

Yes, Fireside Living and a Harman P43 stove. Sitting by one right now.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by joey2665

Dan if you don't mind me asking, how much was it? I am also interested.


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I honestly do not remember what I paid. I do remember pricing it out with two other dealers and they were all very close in price so I gave it to the local dealer and glad I did. They did a really nice job with the install!

I bought the same stove (P-43) as Slickcraft so maybe he has a better memory on price...

Dan

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I honestly do not remember what I paid. I do remember pricing it out with two other dealers and they were all very close in price so I gave it to the local dealer and glad I did. They did a really nice job with the install!

I bought the same stove (P-43) as Slickcraft so maybe he has a better memory on price...

Dan

I think that it was about $3K installed. If I can find the invoice and that is not correct, will post an update. You can probably find less expensive stoves but would regret it.

Alan

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

I think that it was about $3K installed. If I can find the invoice and that is not correct, will post an update. You can probably find less expensive stoves but would regret it.



Alan

Thanks Alan and Dan I appreciate it.


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[JoeR3155]

Originally Posted by DickR

If you haven't already seen this forum (https://www.hearth.com/talk/), they have a subforum covering pellet stoves. It probably is worth a visit, given your interest in them. I imagine the stove you want and others have been well covered there, and a search on it will turn up those threads.

Thanks - I have been on this site. Couldn't find anything about this particular dealer though.

[SAB1]

I bought mine last year down in Chichester from Abundant Life. Nice folks. I have a Harman in Tuftonboro and another Harman in rowley that has been going strong a dozen years with no problems.

[pjard]

I have a Harman P-68 and XXV that I bought from Fireside. Great store, great support, very patient with all my questions. The XXV is a pain in the arse to clean but the P-68 is a piece of cake. Love them both though.

[Blue Thunder]

I have two Harman stoves. A P61A (2010) and an Invincible (1996). The Harman technology and quality far surpass most stoves on the market. You'll pay more but it's well worth it.

[Fjr05]

Chichester from Abundant Life.

[JoeR3155]

Thank you all for your input - appreciate it!

[Taz]

Can you tell me what sq footage you are heating with P 43? Old or newer structure with good or poor insulation, airsealing ect. I am asking because I just purchased, had professionally installed P 43 in a duplex style ski condo in Bartlett. Installed in open concept living room, dining room, kitchen (one room guessing 800 - 1000 sq feet) with master bedroom bath off of that room and then there is a staircase beside the stove for 2 bedrooms and bath upstairs and closed doors to upstairs bedrooms because not being used. Total sq footage 1364. There is no upstairs over the over master bedroom but there is a higher cathedral type ceiling in the master bedroom.

1st weekend last weekend, super cold and windy but it took what seemed to me a long time to get up to 65 - 70. Originally set at 70 but only got to 65, turned up to 75, only got up to 67. From Friday after install 12 noon to Sunday 10 am, used 3 bags of pellets and started 4th bag but most of that is left as left around 11 am. I don't think its that well insulated or sealed, built in 87 and probably not built that well but not spending money on that for ski weekends in winter only. Now wondering if should have went with P 61. Still trying to learn how to use it.

[Taz]

While I'm at it will ask about what others are burning. In North Conway area, the best pellets available (I think) are Cubex (hardwood), Okanagan (softwood), I bought just 10 bags Cubex to start but now thinking after reading further that softwood maybe a little better, seems from what I have been reading that would get more heat out of softwood. Will buy a ton in off season for next winter but wondering if there is a decent product sold at say Lowes/Home Depot just in case I get stuck using up what I have and can not get more of the others near end of heating season if a ton does not last. Don't want to buy more than a ton at a time since storage is tight. Sounds like some of the pellets sold at big box stores are not that great but have also read Harmans will burn anything.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Taz

Can you tell me what sq footage you are heating with P 43? Old or newer structure with good or poor insulation, airsealing ect. I am asking because I just purchased, had professionally installed P 43 in a duplex style ski condo in Bartlett. Installed in open concept living room, dining room, kitchen (one room guessing 800 - 1000 sq feet) with master bedroom bath off of that room and then there is a staircase beside the stove for 2 bedrooms and bath upstairs and closed doors to upstairs bedrooms because not being used. Total sq footage 1364. There is no upstairs over the over master bedroom but there is a higher cathedral type ceiling in the master bedroom.

1st weekend last weekend, super cold and windy but it took what seemed to me a long time to get up to 65 - 70. Originally set at 70 but only got to 65, turned up to 75, only got up to 67. From Friday after install 12 noon to Sunday 10 am, used 3 bags of pellets and started 4th bag but most of that is left as left around 11 am. I don't think its that well insulated or sealed, built in 87 and probably not built that well but not spending money on that for ski weekends in winter only. Now wondering if should have went with P 61. Still trying to learn how to use it.

I originally bought the P-43 as a supplemental heat source in a finished basement that is around 700 Sq. Ft. I soon found that I could easily use some of this heat to help with the additional 2200 sq. ft. of living space on the upper levels simply by leaving the basement door open. Currently if I set the stove thermostat so the basement temp is 69 degrees, the main floor living area which is open concept will stay around 65 degrees and the upper bedroom floors stay around 60 degrees. I burn about a bag a day when it is cold. My home is fairly new (2008) and very tight with spray in foam insulation and quality doors and windows.

The P-43 is rated for I believe a maximum of 2400 sq ft. so with me trying to fully heat 2900 sq ft just is not going to happen but it does supplement very nicely and keeps the main living areas and bedrooms right where we like it. Until the price of pellets comes down, your probably still currently better off financially burning oil than pellets unless the ambiance of the pellet heat is a preference.

Regarding your heat and pellet usage....It sounds to me like you have a couple things going on.

#1. It sounds like you may be getting a lot of air leakage from the exterior. If that's the case, yes you may have been better with the P61 as the P43 simply cant keep up with the inefficiency of your home.

#2. I have found with the P-43 that running it on high all the time simply waste pellets and doesn't do much for extra heating and this is most likely true with any pellet stove. Usually burning a bag every 24 hours seems to be the right rate to optimize pellet usage and heat, at least with my P-43 stove.

I am by no means an expert on pellet stoves and have only had one for a few years now but I am super impressed with the Harman P43 thus far!

Dan

[Taz]

Yes, I am very new and also learning, its propane not oil, our propane is not priced too bad but the heating system is a bad design so the common room where the pellet stove is installed (replaced a wood stove) is for heating and making that area more comfortable. Not so much for saving on propane. The bedrooms heat up nicely with furnace. Even with my reservations about the P43 for this space it was still way better on a cold windy day to have pellet stove heating up the open room vs. furnace. The wood stove was great once it was going but when you go to bed or go out to ski it would not keep running while we were out (no one to feed the wood) so decided to try the pellet stove. That was nice because woke up Sunday and pellet stove still going where the wood stove would have stopped.

[Taz]

IShoot308, I agree about the air leakage and I believe not well insulated. unless I intend to insulate and air seal and don't at this time, been there done on primary residence, that issue can't be fixed. So on super cold weekend if i need too can turn up the furnace to take the edge off and use stove to supplement and keep as warm as possible, 67 not bad without any furnace use on a weekend as cold as last, should be ok on a normal winter weekend.

[Slickcraft]

We heat the 1st floor, about 1,050 sq ft, with the P43 using an average of 1 bag a day. May use 1.5 bags on the coldest windy days. With some heat going up the stairway, also a bit of help to heating the 2nd floor. Modern well insulated house.

[Blue Thunder]

Taz, you're asking a lot of that P43 especially as cold as it was last weekend. A pellet stove is a spaceheater and you have to keep that in mind. If you burned 3-4 bags in a day it sounds like you had that poor thing maxed out. What was the temp in the room when you started?
You should set your feed rate at 4 and forget about ever adjusting it again. It is the most misunderstood setting on a Harman stove. Are you running Room Temp mode or Constant Burn? (used to be called Stove Temp). If you are running RT mode where is the room sensing probe located? I might be able to help you out a bit but more info is needed. Initially it sounds like you might be a bit undersized. There's a quantum leap from the P43 to the P61 and it's not just the 18K btus.
As you've heard, a Harman will burn anything you want to put in it. The higher end pellets such as Cubex and Oakies are great but you don't have to spend that much if you don't want to. The BB stores sell decent stuff that will work just fine.
You've bought the best stove money can buy. Hopefully with a few tweaks we can help you out.

[Taz]

Maybe I am expecting too much. I realize its a spaceheater, knew that going in but I am only really trying to heat one common area (living room, kitchen, dining area) to comfortable temp 65 -70 and then what ever spills into the master bedroom is fine, don't want it 65 - 70 toasty in bedroom anyway, like it cool to sleep. Given that P 43 is rated to heat 800 - 2400 sq feet and that one common room can not be more than 1000 sq feet, probably more like 800 I would think the stove could have reached 70 which it never did. Now I realize it was cold, windy and maybe not the best insulated but it is insulated, that's been confirmed in walls and attic crawl spaces. Feed rate was set at 4 and never changed it. Friday after install it did reach 65 which is ok but it was set at 70 and it took what I thought was long time to get there, maybe 4 hours. Room temp started around 60 - 61 before stove started. Saturday tried turning up to 75 and it did reach 67 but again took awhile. Not sure what you mean by maxed out, it was no where near set at the highest temp setting, fan not much more than half way, was in temp mode. Dealer recommended trying stove mode (constant burn) for most of winter and using temp mode for shoulder season heating. Will try stove mode this weekend and play around with it. Don't get me wrong, it ran like I think it was suppose to just felt it should have reached a higher temp sooner.

The dealer was great with answering questions and install but was alittle disappointed with not talking up more about buying the bigger stove since he said he has completed many installs in this development which are all layed out identical and knows these units well.

[Taz]

Did not use 3 - 4 bags a day. From Friday noon until Sunday 11 am, used 3 bags and started 4th bag but most of that bag is still left over to use up when we arrive Friday afternoon.

Is there a specific brand at Lowes/Home Depot to look for that would be ok. The Cubex/Okies are only .80 cents more a bag than what Lowes is selling so I don't feel the Cubex/Okies are a lot and maybe a better value if they are that much better than what you can buy at Lowes/Home Depot. I was only asking because the hours at the retailers that sell the Cubex/Okies in Conway are tough to meet and if I get stuck and need a few bags would like the convenience of running down to Big Box until I can get more of the Cubex/Okies.

[Blue Thunder]

Sorry about that. I misread your usage remarks. So that's not too bad then for usage considering you were starting from 60ish degrees.
Try turning the fan up to high this weekend. If you aren't reaching your desired set point then you need more heat in the room. I subscribe to the theory if the fan isn't on high then you are just sending the heat right out the chimney. Stick with the good pellets until you get comfortable with the stove. I've burned them all in 20 years. MWP aka Maine Woods Pellets, Stove Chow, Maine's Choice, and Inferno Golds are all decent BBS pellets. Tractor Supply here in New England usually has MWP in white bags with blue lettering.
Hope this helps.

[upthesaukee]

I heat with wood and about 8 years ago, we'd decided to replace our Fisher cast iron stove. We ended up getting a Hearthstone soapstone unit.

While researching stoves and talking with various salesmen, most asked a second question regarding the area to be heated : how high are your ceilings?

Our living room has a ceiling that is about 9 ft high. This area is somewhat of an open concept, with the ceiling dropping down to about 7.5 ft.this drop down traps air near the ceiling. Also the house is poorly insulated, generating heat loss. Their concern was the volume of air that would have to be heated before it made it down to our sitting level, if you will.

They did make the suggestion to over-size the stove and to add a circular fan in the living room. I actually belief the latter was better than the former. With the fan direction set at blowing up, the warm air at the ceiling blows up then out and down, a nice gentle flow of warm air. Even when starting up the stove after having been away for hours, or days, once the stove is lit and up to temp, I can start the fan and get that flow of warm air moving down.

It is a Hunter fan, cost about $250 as I remember it, and I was able to install it myself. Nice way to alleviate the physics of warm air rises.

I know this is a lot of explanation to say I fear you too may be victim of high ceilings and trying to heat that space.

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[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by Taz

Did not use 3 - 4 bags a day. From Friday noon until Sunday 11 am, used 3 bags and started 4th bag but most of that bag is still left over to use up when we arrive Friday afternoon.

Is there a specific brand at Lowes/Home Depot to look for that would be ok. The Cubex/Okies are only .80 cents more a bag than what Lowes is selling so I don't feel the Cubex/Okies are a lot and maybe a better value if they are that much better than what you can buy at Lowes/Home Depot. I was only asking because the hours at the retailers that sell the Cubex/Okies in Conway are tough to meet and if I get stuck and need a few bags would like the convenience of running down to Big Box until I can get more of the Cubex/Okies.

I have had good luck with Green Supreme (Lowe's and some local hardware stores) and Fireside Ultra (Home Depot). Both are blends. Typically can go around 22 bags between cleanings of the P43. I am now burning the last of a ton Maine's Choice, burns fine but much more ash. Can only go about 15 bags between cleanings.

[Taz]

Thanks for all the help, we have low ceilings except for master bedroom but some of the heat is also going up the staircase, can not stop that. There is also a ceiling fan in the living room where the stove is installed but never use it because the breeze from the fan makes it feel cool so don't feel warm.

While I could have used the bigger stove I am hoping this will be ok and if its really cold can use it to supplement the furnace. I can try turning up the fan also. worst case is if I am really unhappy maybe I can sell it and buy the bigger stove.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Taz

Thanks for all the help, we have low ceilings except for master bedroom but some of the heat is also going up the staircase, can not stop that. There is also a ceiling fan in the living room where the stove is installed but never use it because the breeze from the fan makes it feel cool so don't feel warm.

While I could have used the bigger stove I am hoping this will be ok and if its really cold can use it to supplement the furnace. I can try turning up the fan also. worst case is if I am really unhappy maybe I can sell it and buy the bigger stove.

I think you may be alright. Just put the fan on high this weekend and see if it helps. Reversing the ceiling fan will make a difference too. You want it to "pull" the heat up and send the cooler air down the walls. You don't feel it as much that way. Good Luck.

[LakeTimes]

I get everything for mine from Fallons Home and Hearth in Hampton, NH. They are fantastic, always go above and beyond and are priced more than reasonably if not the best price. Know they are one of the largest Harmon Dealers in the area as well from what I've been told.

http://fallonshomeandhearth.com/

Side advice based on experience: Have a Harmon pellet stove downstairs. Decided to do a gas insert in the fireplace upstairs (best decision I ever made in my opinion). With propane prices (I'm paying around $2.00 / gallon) it ends up being cheaper than pellets (I burn Vermont Pellets). First year I owned this house (3 years ago), I heated the entire house, both floors from one pellet stove on floor 1. On really cold days, the second floor was about 60 which is a bit colder than we like. We got the propane insert, keep the house at 70 and iv'e probably spent this entire season $900 on propane and gone through 75% of a pallet.

We travel often, so pellets dont' work well as our hopper taxes a little over a bag. With the wireless thermostat for insert, we leave and know we are golden.

Best thing is no cleaning, lugging pellets, and the typical maintenance needed with a pellet stove.

If you have Natural Gas, even cheaper than propane so it's a no-brainer in my opinion.

[Blue Thunder]

I bought both of my Harmans from Home and Hearth as well. Taz was looking in the Lakes Region so I didn't bother to mention it. They are everything you said and more. Top shelf family operation.

[Taz]

permanent residence is Lakes Region but pellet stove was installed at ski residence in Bartlett so used local Conway dealer for stove. There is Lowes, Home Depot for pellets. Plan on buying the ton in the off season from a local garden center that will deliver and they have advertised Cubex, Okanagan pellets. The dealer also sells the Cubex and Okanagan but the hours sometimes don't match up when we are there on the weekends between getting up Friday night and skiing Saturday, not open Sunday. Thanks for the Help all, Blue Thunder.

Even though propane is at a good price I still think we will be spending less using the pellet stove compared to propane furnace. Did consider propane stove but propane is so volatile it probably will go up again and running propane stove all weekend compared to pellets I think we will be better off with pellets, loved the heat of the wood stove we replaced but that would never last all night or all day when out skiing and then furnace kicks on, this way will not need to rely on furnace while out or over night, sometimes got too hot. Figured pellet stove will have more control over heat and easier than lugging, stacking wood etc.

[JoeR3155]

Thank you all.
I had contacted Fallons a while back, and they wouldn't service in my area.
Your comments have been very helpful and made us comfortable going with Fireside Living.

thanks again