Ok, so I figured out that the tray in the front is not just the ash tray, but also the burn tray. Purchased OneMatch burn gel and tried burning brand new pellets. And failed. I can't seem to get a fire started? The pellets dont catch on fire like blocks of wood (which I have experience with). What should I be looking for/doing?

Yes you can install your own stove.... Harman has great instruction manuals and they can be downloaded from their website before you purchase the stove to see if it is something you want to tackle. You need to have some knowledge of the building and be able to follow local codes. I removed an old zero clearance fireplace and installed the Harman zero fire box and a pellet insert. I plan to put a freestanding in the other end of my house this summer. If you choose to try it, make sure you fully understand why you are doing each step and plan EVERYTHING before you start. If you have problems or are unsure.... ask someone at the store you purchased the stove from or use this forum - (but remember.... many here are not experts). Here is a link that might be useful: Harman Supprt

We built a garage last summer that required the elimination of several rather large hardwoods (big maple and several smaller red oaks). We had it cut into to 16" rounds and picked away at the pile last fall/winter. We did OK, but we weren't really serious about dealing with the bounty as we were otherwise occupied with DIY finish work inside the garage. We were on vacation last week and we spent 5-6 mornings in the company of our splitter to get the rounds split and stacked before it rotted on the ground. It wasn't unpleasant work at all. We managed to get nearly 4 cord put up for the '09/'10 heating season and beyond (we have seasoned wood put up for the coming season). We have a few more small piles of rounds to address in the coming weeks, but it's pretty much under control. And we had a good time doing it, laughing and joking as we stacked and finding an easy rhythm for the teamwork of splitting. OK, I'll get to the point. We have just under 3 acres that were wooded when we built our home in '91. Our "first major appliance" was our Woodstock Soapstone stove. In the years hence we've never purchased wood. We've simply used what was taken down for the house, garage, or landscaping projects. And we've had plenty for our needs. We set the thermostats at the lowest setting and use wood to keep the house as cozy as we want or to simply "take the chill off" when it's raw outside. We have a splitter and honestly, the hardest part of the operation is just DECIDING that we're going to deal with wood. Once we make the decision the work is pretty easy and the feeling of accomplishment is terrific. I live in New England, too. And there have been a number of stories of pellet manufacturers being stretched beyond capacity by the volume of orders. I'm all for eliminating the middleman whenever possible.

from the 70's up through the early 90's home construction made significant leaps and bounds. In the 70's if you took all the air leaks in a home and added them together you would end up with approx. a 3' diameter hole in your wall! Todays construction however is so tight if added all the leaks it would amount to approx. a 3" diameter hole BIG difference. Also in the envelope of the home you have all these appliances taking air out of the home. Dryers, ventahoods, CH/A, and yes even the fireplace just to name a few and nothing is bringing air in so eventually you end up with a negative preassure in the home or a vaccumm if you will and the home will take a breath where ever it can. Because of this hearth designers and manufacturers have come up with outside combustion air kits to offset the negative preassure sometimes its not enough to overcome it but does help in the efficency if the home is really tight. Hope this information aids you in your querry