How to Buy a New Stove

tvb wrote:Hello again,

I've come across a used Franco Belge with a gravity feed using pea coal. I'm not sure of the model

Is there anyone using this particular stove and if so, does it get decent burns? YES
Is it worth spending $600-700 on or am I better off buying a new LL Pioneer? NO Too Much

Can everyone else supply me with good answers for my wife when she asks why it is a better . HAh HAh Haaa

A used Franco B comes in around a $150 and as high as $300 for a real nice one, more than that the sellers havin a real good day . We burned one thru its entire lifespan from Brand New to a Cracked cast iron box that everybody hated to see leave . It was a good friend to the family but in your case given the size of the house it wouldn't exactly be a drop in the bucket but much less than you need . We replaced it with a Harman Magnum and today after a night and full day of weather in the teens Mom finally commented "I love this heater it makes the old fireplace ( Franco B ) look like a joke" I breathed a sigh of relief we have acceptance at last . Do some research here in the forum for specific models and brands and on the manufactures sites, I'm not going to suggest a specific model right off the bat till you get a look at a few, I do recommend a stoker stove though . Pop back in and let us know what your leaning toward and get some users points of views almost all stoves are represented here and the board and its members are actually some of the best customer support you'll find.

At this point in the heating season, it may be the autumn before we are able to invest in a new stove vs. getting a used one right now. I seriously need a water softener first and as much as a pain in the butt it is, the Vigilant is doing the job even if I have to work a little harder than I want at it.

It may take a road trip out to PA as I am finding that retailers here do not stock coal stoves. A local retailer here wanted nearly $400 over retail to have a Harman coal burner delivered to his shop. Screw that - I've been putting 700 lbs of coal in my Honda FIT without a problem so I can go to stove vs. stove coming to me.

I'm leaning towards the LL Pioneer if for no other reason than their customer service. I need to touch one first however and hope to do that sometime next moth. I want to make sure my knuckles don't get burned like they do with the VC.

I hate having white knuckles.

tvb wrote:it may be the autumn before we are able to invest in a new stove
A local retailer here wanted nearly $400 over retail to have a Harman coal burner delivered to his shop. Screw that - I can go to stove vs. stove coming to me.
I'm leaning towards the LL Pioneer if for no other reason than their customer service.

I chose a Harman

From a customer service standpoint Harman is the only company that offers a factory training seminar for dealers and installers at their facility every year and they have an extensive one on one dealer network that handles all requests for parts, service, and questions .

In your case it sounds like your familiar with stoves and coal so the installation and set up shouldn't present a challenge, but for some it is better to have a person work with them to explain the controls and demonstrate what the unit should look like when operating correctly and to have to depend on emails and phone calls never really knowing if was right would do nothing more than create frustration and confusion .

For the Do It Your selfer or person that is comfortable with tele-electronic customer support the forum here is a god send much of Leisure Lines excellent support is from forum members / L.L. users combined experience along with a dedicated representative area .This also includes the outsourced control system they use

Once the Harman dealer becomes familiar with your knowledge I'm sure he will gauge the support level necessary to make the sale and a happy customer .

When I first got mine I had some questions and got almost immediate answers here in the forum on some of the touchy areas I called the dealers near me to verify what I learned, even though I bought my stove 2nd hand they where always helpful and friendly in providing answers and verifying what I picked up here, but like any salesman / dealer I guess you can run into a bad one or two so it's nice that there are usually several to choose from . I have never needed any parts yet, but when on the phone with Harmans dealers the parts I asked about out of curiosity where always in stock which I found comforting.

Aside from that some of the other things I liked about the Harman was the fact that they are the only company to offer an underfeed burner in a stove, this type is usually reserved for more heavy duty boiler setups, a more user interactive Harman control system, along with heavy gauge steel construction and neat clean welds that spoke to attention to detail and quality . I also like that their products have stood the test of time and their history is that of a pioneer in the stove industry .

I'm not sure but there might even be some Amish working there

Built To A Standard, Not A Price

In your case it sounds like your familiar with stoves and coal so the installation and set up shouldn't present a challenge,

You give me too much credit.

I just started burning coal this year because the house I bought had a VC Vigilant in it. Once I figured it out and learned how to keep a fire going (from reading posts here), we decided we like the heat coal gives. As a result, we want to purchase a real coal stove and use it more. The price of oil these days is also a contributing factor and using it only as supplemental heat makes my bank account quite happy.

Coal is a very basic and simple to use fuel, once you get the basics yer not far from Pro .
Many times back in the old days when a lot of these towns where still mining towns with large families the homes where heated with a combination of a Coal burning Kitchen Stove and a unit called a Heatrola in the parlor the Heatrolas made a lot of heat but were by no means as efficient as todays heaters often the duty of building the morning fires fell to the younger children in the home, my Mom often tells stories about firing the Heatrola up in the morning and her technique for getting it to go THUMP which meant the gas was cleared and the fire burning, she was then able to head to her next chore . We like to turn it into a science project here and scrutinize a lot of aspects but it all comes down to basics . I personally have gotten so used to the comfort level of a coal heated home that I couldn't really imagine a winter without it. The savings goes without saying .

Hi tvb, you can't buy a bad new stove in today's market, they are all well made, and work well. very few exceptions, those being those sold as wood burners 'that will also burn coal'. Steer clear of these units.

Take a look at this thread: Cold Morning!
You will notice that the folks with the automation, had a comfortable house the morning of the return of winter [cold] If you like fiddling with an appliance, then a manual control hand feed or stoker would be fine. But IF you want a set it and forget it temperature control, then I'd recommend the coal trol unit on a Leisure Line product.

You have already experienced the not so wonderful customer service from a Harman dealer. I've experienced the same from two local Harman dealers in my area.. They are supposed to be 'trained' on their products, but when I started asking questions about the coal burning stoves and boilers I heard a 'deafening silence' followed by a sales pitch for what they had in stock...wood and pellet burners. I hung up the phone.

The most important item is the support by the dealer and the factory. and How well and how fast they can and will help you with any issues you might have..

Customer service after the sale is what makes and keeps customers...

Greg L

coalstoves wrote:Coal is a very basic and simple to use fuel, once you get the basics yer not far from Pro .
Many times back in the old days when a lot of these towns where still mining towns with large families the homes where heated with a combination of a Coal burning Kitchen Stove and a unit called a Heatrola in the parlor the Heatrolas made a lot of heat but were by no means as efficient as todays heaters often the duty of building the morning fires fell to the younger children in the home, my Mom often tells stories about firing the Heatrola up in the morning and her technique for getting it to go THUMP which meant the gas was cleared and the fire burning, she was then able to head to her next chore . We like to turn it into a science project here and scrutinize a lot of aspects but it all comes down to basics . I personally have gotten so used to the comfort level of a coal heated home that I couldn't really imagine a winter without it. The savings goes without saying .

I have a Heatrola going in the basement right now. I found it in an old garage and hooked it up this fall. They must have been a very high quality stove in their time, mine is 70+ yrs old and still works great.

markviii wrote:
I have a Heatrola going in the basement right now. I found it in an old garage and hooked it up this fall. They must have been a very high quality stove in their time, mine is 70+ yrs old and still works great.

They were quite famous the word Heatrola became a part of the language around these parts, it was synonymous with a coal fired parlor stove
My mothers next door neighbor a 76 year ole gal keeps a Heatrola running in the basement also to offset her electric cost she has been doing this all my life that I can remember she's real picky about coal too . She never misses an opportunity to come out and Bitch about her Coal man whenever she sees me bringing a load a coal into my Moms .

See, this is why I come here. I'm looking for a stove, as well, and I already think that I'm as knowledgeable as the retailer I spoke with the other day. You guys rock.

Anyone have any experience with the Vogelsanger Sentry ( I think it's called)?

The Vogelzang products are not very good quality. Every one I've looked at was pretty cheap and not well made. I'd steer clear of them.
Keep an eye on the Craigslist.com for your area, local papers. Ebay, and if in your area, papershop.com.

You will find a good quality used stove. Plenty of them showing up for sale.

Greg L