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Looking Into Pellet Stoves..
Posted: 23 February 2008 03:29 PM   [ Ignore ]
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Due to health I am getting away from the sawing/hauling woodstove route in my 14/65 mobile home..How do you figure size of stove for 980 sq. ft. with them having variable settings..Do you get a larger stove and just throttle it back.. I have been burning around a gallon of oil a day here in Pa. since I got 100 gal . in Dec and it was $300..The wood stove(small New Englander) was getting to the place where it needed to be replaced..It there a place where I can go to see reviews and see what brands/models are the most reliable..The ceiling thimble and the flue are in good shape..Can I just cap the six inch at the ceiling, cut out a 4 1/4 hole in it and and run the 4” up to where the 6” terminates below the rain cap or just reduce the 4 to six (it is multi wall pipe)...I live near the Amish here in Pa so corn and pellets are available( Lowes and Tractor Supply within 15 mi.).We loose power occasionally and I saw some stoves operate on 12v and will keep a deep cycle battery charged and will give some back up..Thanks for the help and comments..God Bless...K

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Posted: 23 February 2008 04:53 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
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I would suggest a stove smaller in size and in output. Something like the one I have, the Baby Countryside....burns corn well and also pellets, takes up almost no room, etc.

I would not buy a bigger one and burn it low. The MagnuMs are available in 12V or you can set up a UPS, etc.

http://www.americanenergysystems.com/babycountryside.cfm

Note - some deals on eBay on this stove for about $1200. I paid closer to 2 grand, so that is a steal.

Some other companies sell small pellet stoves also.

Note: check the manual and listing to make sure of mobile home use....in any unit that you choose.

You might be able to run it into the same chimney, but the installation must be tight...pellet stoves use forced draft, unlike wood stoves. Also, you must use outside air in a mobile home (the unit should cover that in the directions).

Maybe others can suggest some additional small models, but given a budget and a small size area, this one may be hard to beat.

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Posted: 23 February 2008 05:38 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
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nice stove web, though i found the writeup a bit condescending. kinda hard on the rest of the industry (not my style, i dont bash other manufacturers in public) but that aside, ive heard nice things about that unit and im sure it would be a good choice if multifuel in a small stove is desired.

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mike holton
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Posted: 23 February 2008 05:49 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
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I don’t know of many others that small and compact (and priced well)...of course, they ARE a site sponsor but I did pay for mine! Expensive too!

Lots of info and support on ‘em over at iburncorn.com

Doing a quick check it appears small pellet stoves are slightly out of favor.....I guess that houses are getting larger and stoves along with them!
OH, here’s another, don’t know the price but well known brand - Enviro Mini:
http://www.envirofire.biz/fireplace-products/pellet/freestanding-fireplace.html#mini
(about 2K) - don’t see where it claims corn.....

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Posted: 23 February 2008 06:08 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
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Thanks for the reply..I saw that magnum stove on ebay just yesterday..So that is a good reliable stove , huh.
So did recommend the 4 to 6” adapter or running the double wall pipe up through the 6” till it’s flush with the top and just install a collar with a good seal where it enters at the ceiling.. Wouldn’t running the 4” all the way up help with getting less residue in the pellet flue...Onr place Iread said to seal all the joints wilth hi temp silicone. BTW there is a 4” pipe cemented in the brick in the floor that extends ou the bottom of the belly. It’s right in the center so would have to have a bass that would be hollow aneat the bottom to adapt the 3” hose to it or have a stove with legs.. Also some say 27,000 btu’s, it that to big/small? I guess that woulds be fired on high.. I would have to crank it alot as when it gets to the 20’s and below the furnace is on every 20 min..Also I was thinking of a fan timer bring the furnace blower on every half hour for a bit to keep the under bellly warm.....Thanks for other recommendations…

BTW It is in a corner where the previous owner had 4x4 ft brick walls made of brick veneer on cement board..He did a half decent job..Also the floor is a brick pad..I don’t need a tiny stove.

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Posted: 23 February 2008 06:19 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]
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You could probably get away fine with an adapter at the ceiling.  Main thing is that all joints be tight - use silicone on them. The pellet vent companies sell adapters to get to 6”.

The Baby is well liked by the corn folks...a lot of people have them over there at those other forums. As with any pellet/corn stove, there are certain nuances, but most of them are addressed over there and by tech docs on the MagnuM site. I have not had a single problem with mine, but then again I don’t use it 24/7 so that does not mean much (yet).

You could probably get a leg model to get that outside air hooked up right.

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Posted: 23 February 2008 06:27 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]
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Man your fast..I just brought up a tab to go to that corn site and refreshed this tab and there there you were..That enviro stove is nice also, but I guess the built in battery back up is my thing..I looked at that magnum stove at ebay, it looks pretty sharp. It that door underneath where the ash pan is? Is it hollow down at the floor?  Does it have a separate connections for the air and the flue coming out the back..Maybe I could connect the 3” air vent to the floor and have it come out a plate or cover in the back.

I went to the website and see I can get black legs..perfect…

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Posted: 23 February 2008 07:19 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]
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icc pellet pipe has 3 or 4 to 6 allfuel chimney increasers

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Posted: 28 April 2008 10:41 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]
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I live in Long Island and have been crunching numbers (and my brain) to determine whether a pellet stove would be a good option in light of todays cost of oil. While my initial thoughts were that it might be a good investment and with a breakeven in 3-5 yrs I finally figured that for me the bigger picture is initially saying no. At least for now anyway. Depends on many factors. I think the webmaster craig has alluded to this as well. Its an individual thing. I can do more to insulate my house, add a programmable thermostat, do a little inservice with the ladies in the house that like to turn it up when it gets a wee bit colder on winter nights etc. The layout for the machine 3000 plus for a decent Harman plus the installation; the outlay of pellets, the servicing, eventual repairs etc. Even if oil went beyond 4.00/gal which it looks destined to, it still may not be worth all of the investment, especially at the beginning. My daughter and to a slight extent myself have an asmatic condition and I think about the possible ash handling and or fines having a physical effect. Through all of these threads I haven’t seen any comments about this. Are these machines that clean?  My oil burner goes thru about 685 gals of oil each heating season. The winters seem to be more and more milder and with keeping on top of our annual maintence its burning at .87 efficiency. the other thing there are only 2 Harman dealers and Im not sure about how they would be in terms of service.
So, taking everything into consideration I may for now delay any decision on buying any type of pellet stove. Im going to take the intermediate course and do everything I can to insulate more, conserve energy where possible and add a few space heaters. There are parabolic space heaters that Im looking into as well. They use 500/1000 watts, a bit less than some of the ones on the market right now you find at homey d or lowes. This is a great website and it has really helped me come to some decisions about secondary heating at least in my neck of the woods.

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Posted: 28 April 2008 03:37 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]
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If you are only burning one gallon of fuel oil a day, why do you want a stove?  Is your start up cost for the stove worth it?  If you burn a bag of pellets that will still be $4.00 to $5.00 a day.  How are your pipes going to keep from freezing.  Most Mobile Homes have the water pipes in the duct work to keep them flowing.  Just a thought.

Eric

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