Would you Buy a New Harmon TLC 2000 for $1000?

OK, I will try to pull the deal off.

It will happen tomorrow (Friday) or never; I'll fill everyone in with the odd details after Friday; they are very odd. I figure I have a 50/50 chance of doing it since it's not a sure thing.

Thanks for all the valuable input!

-Tony

rberq wrote:

tony17112acst wrote:If I didn't have a space problem in the garage, I may go in that direction. I'll have a cigar in there this afternoon and brainstorm a little.

Check on building codes. You may not be permitted to install in a garage. The state has RULES to protect you from yourself.
Probably not allowed to smoke a cigar there, either.

Although, this is Grantville / East Hanover Twp we're talking about. I'm in the township next door. We don't have too many problems with pesky codes officers out this way

Woah! You're REALLY close to me LDPosse, how'd you know I'm from Grantville? I said I was from Harrisburg (to approximate my location).

EDIT: Duuhh ...I forgot I posted my house which gave the location.

While I'm an antique stove kinda guy (Two of them , a Glenwood cookstove and Star Herald cylinder), I have to say that $1000 or $800 (if possible) is a very good price for a new TLC 1000. They retail for twice that. But, a DS Machine with hopper and bi-therm is maybe $500 more and if I were to ever go with a modern would be my choice for the money. Hizer too but they are more money. That said, of course a baseheater in a 16" firepot like a Glenwood #6 is going to do everything you need and do it well but now you're talking $2000-$2800. Alternatively, a Glenwood Modern Oak #118 (with indirect backpipe) is the same stove as a #6 baseheater without the double bottom baseheating circuit. This stove would run about $1800-$2000 totally restored and would easily provide you with your heating needs also. Just ask Eddie (Member PC 12 47E) how good his Glenwood #116 is compared to the Gibralter he had prior. The Gibralter was no slouch either and is certainly comparable to the TLC you are looking at. We know how these old stoves hold up because they are still here after 100 years. JMO of course and style may or may not be part of your equation. Best of luck whatever you choose. We'll be here to help if need be.

OK, here is the story:

In my area (the Harrisburg, PA area), every once in a while there is advertising on the radio for things to bid on with local businesses. Well, they mentioned a local place that sells Harmans. I went to the auction and there WAS one there for an "in-stock" "Harman" "Wood Stove" and the starting bid was $750.

Now I bid on one of these several months back where I got a $50 gift certificate for $25 at a restaurant. Well, when we went there, they said we HAD to use all of the $50 in one visit! AAAArrrg! So basically we spent $25 on the certificate only to get $20 of food that night. When I looked at the auctions closer (with a magnifying glass), there seemed to be a "catch" on EVERY auction.

Knowing all this, I tried to anticipate what huge pitfall there would be if I tried to get the Harman TLC 2000. There were 2 as far as I could see: (1) They may try to say that the TLC 2000 is not a wood stove; (2) They may have nothing "in stock" worth over $1000 or some low number. They MAY keep it in a warehouse a few doors down or something tricky with "In Stock" ...or the one on the floor is not "in stock."

So I went to Harman's website and the TLC 2000 is listed as a "Wood Stove" ...BINGO! So, I figured I was covered with the wood stove question: who could be more of a authority than the maker itself! On the "In stock" I issue, I tried to think of everything, like taking my wife with as a witness and asking if it's in stock 5 minutes before the auction ends and going to the car and bidding. But according to the auction, it may take over a week to get the $2500 certificate, where they could remove the "good stuff" from stock into their secret warehouse in Lex Luthor's basement 2 DOORS DOWN! Then I thought, maybe I could put $20 down on it for them to hold it for me. But they may not operate that way (a law-away plan). My wife and I discussed it for 2 solid hours(!) and we couldn't think of a sure-fire method to stop them from burning us with the "in-stock" issue. They're good ...reeeaaaally good.

So my strategy was to get there 15 minutes before auction end with my wife and bid on it with my cell phone, so we did. The price on it was $1800. I was willing to go to $1100. I DID WIN THE AUCTION. So we went in and talked to the guy and instead of covering my bets, I flat out told him that we were the winners of the auction and wanted the TLC 2000. The first thing he said was "It's not a wood stove, it's a coal stove." My wife and I stared at each other for a good 5 seconds with both of us thinking "Let the games begin." They did have a tag on it labeling it a coal stove. We pleaded with him, pointing out that the stove was on the MANUFACTURER'S WEBSITE as a wood stove!! I told him the only reason I bid on the auction was that the manufacturer calls it a wood stove. The shop keeper went to the website and said it's a mistake and that Harman hasn't changed their website yet. He also said he "cannot sell it as a wood stove." Well, things were looking real bad.

But after going around and around on it, he finally called the owner ...the owner agreed to do the deal. OMG, whew! I was going to be throwing a fit because I already used up all of my material; all I had left was: "I'm from Grantville, PA; there's gonna be consequences and repercussions!"

Soooooo, I want to report a success! My first choice was either a Hitzer, Alaska, Keystoker, or the hideous looking, HIDEOUS, I say) DS Machine, but for 1/2 price, it's hard to turn down the TLC 2000 ...which has the largest glass area ...which is really why I'm buying. We already have a 100,000 BTU hand fired box-thing from the 1970's, but wanted something nicer.

NOW, I saved the best for last: we got the darn thing for $810! (the winning bid) WoooHoooooo!! Can I get an AMEN Brother?!

Wow what a great ending. AMEN.
Did it come with a blower? I don't think it comes with a blower. I would get a blower for it. You can burn at lower temperature to wash the heat off the stove increasing your time between loading or getting the maximum heated air flow off the stove when its cranking out the btu's.

Nice stove at a great price. You will be very happy with her. Good luck with the new addition. Don't forget to let us know how she burns for you.

Great deal Tony Persistance pays off!

The Harmon 2000 was one of the finalists in my consideration when buying a coal stove. A bi-metalic thermostat is nice, but far from a necessity and does even have some minor draw backs. The huge coal capacity of the 2000 does somewhat offset the lack of a hopper. The fact that it is made to burn wood also is a plus and a reason I was so interested in it.

You not only did fantastic on the price, but you also have a very good stive I believe. Used in conjunction with your boiler I think you will be very happy with it. I did end up getting a Hitzer and am very happy with it, but for under $1000. I would be burning a Harmon 2000. right now! Best of luck and enjoy.

Congrats Tony! I've heard many comments about this stove from people that don't own one. So here is my experience with the stove. During the dead of winter, I shake down every 12 hrs. But only if I am running at 350 degrees or more. Any less than that, you can easily go 24 hours. I do have a baro, and found that the stove runs much smoother with it. By that I mean the temperature swings are much more moderate. You'll find much argument about baros on here, but for my stove and chimney, it makes for a much better operating experience. I can get 30 hr. burn times if i'm running around 200 degrees or less. I know this may not keep the house at a toasty 75 degrees, but at least three times this season I have gone to visit my son's family in NH for a couple of nights and returned to find the stove going just as I left it, and the house at a not so comfortable 65 degrees. I was a little more gentle on shake down. And I usually added more coal first and let that get going before I shook it. Just saying, you can easily get 30 hr. burns. It also comes with a grill insert that works great! Just big enough for four hotdogs, or a couple of pork chops, etc. I cook before shake down because I don't want meat smelling like sulfur. I use it all winter.
I have never burned wood in it, so can't comment on that. It's designed for it, but I think coal is it's primary choice.
I usually load through the front door. But only because I keep a large pot of water on top.
Good luck with it. I think you'll be very happy with it.

Thanks everyone.

I do have the stove installed and running now. I found that I don't have the heart to drop coal into it from the top as it seems too violent for a brand new stove! I also have a big fear of coal touching the glass, so I am gently putting it in thru the front door.

I had to put new black stove pipe in. Is it important to use high temp sealer (in a caulking tube) in the joints, or is it normal to just sheet-metal screw them together?

-Tony

I just put three screws at each joint. Be careful when you load that there aren't chunks of coal that may be jammed between bars and the glass when shutting the door. I haven't had it happen, but was warned to take care in that regard. I put two horizontal fire bricks on top of the rear bricks with a vertical brick in the middle of the two. Allows me to bank the coal from front to rear and get more burn time.
If you haven't already, pick up an extra ash pan. I found it was much easier to just swap them out and discard the ashes later after they had cooled.
I hope you like it as much as I do.

I JUST ordered the ash pan ...it's a GREAT idea to have a 2nd one. However, the dealer charged me shipping because "it isn't in stock." I thought buying the product was enough, and that shipping is part of the cost to do business? Do we start paying shipping on everything now? I didn't argue with him since I'm getting this as part of the $2500 gift certificate I won for $810 at auction. So I'm getting $2500 worth of stuff for $810.

Luckily, it got chilly again and it gave me plenty reason to fire up the TLC. I love how it looks! I was burning a 1970's big box with a bi-metal therm, and it seemed to burn much longer per 50 pound bag of coal, but when I get the blower, hopefully I'll see better results. So far the things going trough coal fast and the stove pipe is much hotter than the 1970's box I was using on the weekends. I was able to make 50 pounds of nut coal last 2 days over the weekend, but they were days in the 50's. This TLC is burning one bag per day and it's in the low 50's.

EDIT: oops, I just checked the temp and it's 43 degrees not in the 50's. But I still wouldn't expect double the coal.

Any tips besides the blower to get it more efficient, anyone?

-Tony

P.S. I put a manual damper on, but I leave it wide open. I read on the box at the store that manual dampers are for antique stoves that have no way to control draft, so I wonder if I even needed it, but it was easy to put in and now I have the option to use it.

tony17112acst wrote:P.S. I put a manual damper on, but I leave it wide open. I read on the box at the store that manual dampers are for antique stoves that have no way to control draft, so I wonder if I even needed it, but it was easy to put in and now I have the option to use it.

I don't think it would hurt to experiment with the MPD a bit. My stove is a dual-fuel unit, and partially or fully closing the damper definitely helps to keep heat in the stove, and cuts back coal consumption.

Also, as windy as it has been this past week, and leaving the MPD open, I'm not too suprised that alot of heat is going up the chimney.