Raisemybeds, since you are not, I'm sure, throwing gazillion amounts of wood ash onto your lawn, then there is no reason to not do it. The average homeowner uses fertilizer in the spring to re-vitalize their lawns and in so doing, the nitrogen based fertilizers will acidify the lawn somewhat. It all comes down to just how much, and for how long we keep spreading such fertilizers and to what extent the acidity is raised. Many other factors contribute to this acidity....including "the rain that falls mainly on the plain". So unless you are in the business of burning wood and obtaining ashes from a forest fire, go ahead, throw them onto your lawn; it will give some alkalinity that can neutralize to a small extent what the fertilizers do. To the amount: Don't spread more than 20 lbs of ashes per 1000 square feet. I suggest there are plants that are best given such source of alkaline....and potassium. Iris, peony, clematis are some examples. But, in giving to these plants, I suggest you mix well with the soil and give when the plants are growing....thus, don't spread them ontop of your garden until late spring/early summer and water it in well. Wood ashes, as long as they don't come from treated lumber, are great additions to any compost pile. Store them in plastic bags and use whenever there is ice storms that might blanket over shrubs and trees. Wood ahses thrown over such will often have the ice removed in short order due to the sun's rays and can prevent damage occurring due to weight of the ice. The lawn or garden bed under such dusting of ashes, will often be kept bare of snowcover until such time the amount of snow overpowers what the sun is doing. Great for under the wheels to gain traction. On sidewalks, remove slippery surface. Melts snow in no time.

dvetter, I think that you can heat your area in your New Jersey location with a regular corn/grain-fired heating stove. I am a bit concerned about your 14 foot ceiling situation, but 60,000 BTU units can heat up to around 2,000 sq. ft. in the Great Lakes area, colder than your area, I think, if the residence has good circulation and insulation. There are a small number of companies in a cartel that run world grain, which make few reports, as most them are privately owned, not joint-stock companies like the oil companies, who have to publish much more of their information. The grain cartel has proven for many years that they are effective in keeping prices paid to farmers for their grains low. A number of users in this area find that they can heat using 150 - 200 bus. of corn per heating season. Not too shabby a price. But - you must operate it similarly to a wood stove, which needs managing oftener than once daily, so such a heater should be an alternative heat source - but you say that you have a furnace in place now, which can heat the place when you're away. They run somewhere around $2,500. in price, I think. Try www.grainstovesinc.com (or maybe ending ".ca"): my friend builds a high qualtiy stove. Good wishes as you seek an alternative heat source. joyful guy

As far as how much the stoves can go down in the "off-season" depends on many factors. If there is a discontinued model, it will go cheaper. On others, it just depends on how motivated the dealer is or maybe there is a stove in a particular color that they want to clear out. Mostly, the off-season is best for scheduling the installation and ordering any parts. That's probably where you will save the most money. Maybe they can even throw in installation for free if they don't discount the stove. There is more bargaining room on everything when they have more time. As far as the motor and boards on the Harman, I only ever replaced one board, but I am convinced the owner of the stove messed it up (there were other issues with this guy). I never replaced a motor or even a blower, even on my own stove. There is fan noise with all pellet stoves and I would always recommend to people that it not be put in the TV room. It seems to bother some people more than others. If you are sensitive to sounds it will bother you. It is kind of like a range hood fan on low all the time.

Very likely you can. You need to study the venting standards for the equipment as described in the installation manual until you understand them. I would guess that the method you want to use would be among those approved by the manufacturer. Who is going to install this equipment? If you don't understand it, you shouldn't do it. If you are going to have someone else install it, they should be able to show you the method of venting they are going to use and show you where in the manual that method is approved for installation.