Tragic... had to cave in and turn one of my heat pumps back on...

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John97

Feeling the Heat
Nov 18, 2011
447
Spring Hill, FL
It's in the 20's here and no matter what, I can't get it warm upstairs in the bedrooms tonight and people started complaining, LOUDLY. I had to give in and turn the heat pump for the upstairs. We had a few nights colder than this, but for some reason nothing is working today. In the midst of these feelings of failure, I still love my Mt. Vernon.

But, it needs some help. I am 100% sure I need a second stove that I can duct in to heat upstairs. Maybe I should have done it that way in the first place...

However, that is now the plan for next year...
 
Getting heat to transfer upstairs is sometimes tough. We all try to heat the whole house with a space heater. You planning on a pellet furnace or just a stove that you can duct into the exsisting system?
 
Probably just a stove I can tie into my existing ductwork. I have an unused chimney from when this house used to have oil heat. It's right next to my heat pump and the corresponding ductwork.

Luckily, I have a tin-knocker in the family so getting the ductwork done won't be an issue. I just have to figure out what unit to go with.
 
John97 said:
Probably just a stove I can tie into my existing ductwork. I have an unused chimney from when this house used to have oil heat. It's right next to my heat pump and the corresponding ductwork.

Luckily, I have a tin-knocker in the family so getting the ductwork done won't be an issue. I just have to figure out what unit to go with.

Think coal! http://www.keystoker.com/products.php#as

http://www.readingstove.com/heating-stoves/coal-stoves/juniata-stove.php

http://www.leisurelinestoves.com/698400.html

Plug in $200/ton for coal and see how it looks! Don't believe the old wive's tales about the archaic coal furnaces our fathers and grandfathers heated with. http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm
 
I hear you.. I'm going to invest in more attic insulation but I could see having one of these in the basement
Koker.jpg

tied in to the heat pump
 
Look into the Enerzone Eurozone (or its Drolet equivalent) and the Enviro Maxx. They both have systems you can purchase that enable yoi to duct a couple lines right off the stove.

The Eurozone is a pretty slick stove. High BTU rating (Both the Maxx and Eurozone are rated around 70,000) and it incorporates a bottom feed self cleaning burn pot (kinda like Harman).

Just a thought.
 
mr coffee said:
I hear you.. I'm going to invest in more attic insulation but I could see having one of these in the basement
Koker.jpg

tied in to the heat pump
My b-in-law does just that in Hamburg, Pa.
$170 a ton at breaker and 50% more heat
 
You didn't cave. These are space heaters. My house is small, have a 50K stove, but can't get air to circulate to the second floor. I have run the furnace for the upstairs the last 3 nights ( 50 deg up there sans furnace). Even using oil on the coldest days, the comfort and savings of pellets/corn can't be beat! Took me two years to accept "space heater" vs furnace.
 
Enerzone Euromax (my mistake/ I said Eurozone in previous post). This is a BIG stove. Holds over 3 bags of pellets and has a Combustion blower and a Exhaust blower (one is before the pot for fine tuning combustion)

Here is a link. There is a duct kit (I think its only 2 ducts, but that may be just what they show on the advertising sheet, could be more??)

http://enerzone-intl.com/product.aspx?CategoId=5&Id=549&Page=spec

Either way, for the price of a P-68 or Maxx, this is a more versatile unit, that holds more fuel.

Self cleaning with large hopper = Less time fiddling with stove and more time heating.
 
Do you have a NON sleeping space upstairs that could accomodate a small pellet stove ??

You can't install a stove in a bed room but if you had a landing, balcony or sn area at the end of a hallway that's available, you could install a small pellet stove to do the trick.

We have 3 stoves in our house. One large one in the family room, a tiny one in one corner of the living room and a large automatic pellet stove in the farthest corner of the living room.

I rarely run the auto much anymore.

Its in the 20's this morning and the large stove in the family room is doing the job, but I am sitting here in my night shirt and its just a tad chilly, so I may go lite off the little stove.

More stoves is "More Gooder" (Had a friend back in second grade that always said that)

If you can add a second stove, it might be worth looking at a small used one.

Snowy
 
It was near 0 degrees this am.
Propane furnace was on last night and this morning.
But it doesn't stay on for long.
Our Englander CPM is working hard to heat 3200 sq. ft.
Still won't burn near as much propane as past years.
 
sinnian said:
What is wrong with running the heat pump? It's geothermal right? Seems to me that I would use that, and supplement with pellets.

Yea, if it's geothermal, you've got the best heat source there is for the winter with a 3.0 COP or 300% efficiency. Unless, of course, your electricity rates are 'necessarily skyrocketing', as someone once promised.
 
I do not have geothermal heat pumps. And my electric bills during past winters have been brutal. On top of it, local electric company is eliminating both the off-peak meter discount as well as the discount for having a 100% electric home.

We have 4 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, no place to put a stove.

I do have a floor register in the upstairs hallway that I can easily disconnect from the existing ductwork and connect to a stove downstairs. In fact, I keep it closed because it blows right on the upstairs thermostat and causes it to shut off before the bedrooms get warm. And, I can easily run ductwork and add a register in 2 of the bedrooms. up there because my utility room where I'd put the stove is beneath them. That could do it.

Unless, of course, I get a furnace and just tie it in to the existing ductwork.
 
tjnamtiw said:
sinnian said:
What is wrong with running the heat pump? It's geothermal right? Seems to me that I would use that, and supplement with pellets.

Yea, if it's geothermal, you've got the best heat source there is for the winter with a 3.0 COP or 300% efficiency. Unless, of course, your electricity rates are 'necessarily skyrocketing', as someone once promised.

From what I have been told. Geothermal is great for the warmer weather, But may not be the ticket for the really cold season.

DexterDay said:
Either way, for the price of a P-68 or Maxx, this is a more versatile unit, that holds more fuel.

Dex, The Maxx and Maxx M both can use the duct kit and both also hold 130 LBs of fuel. Maxx M would be a serious contender IMHO. ;-) But thats just me. hehe! If it was going in the basement the revolution and 50F would also get some attention.
 
John, I can relate here in Jersey I have 2 heat pumps (house is all electric) 2000 sq ft. Last winter I was paying $600 a month for electric this year with the stove we are down to $200 a month electric rates are .19 kwh. I still have not found the super hot pellets this year burning greene team this year; somerset last year they were very hot but I cant find any here in NJ
 
j-takeman said:
tjnamtiw said:
sinnian said:
What is wrong with running the heat pump? It's geothermal right? Seems to me that I would use that, and supplement with pellets.

Yea, if it's geothermal, you've got the best heat source there is for the winter with a 3.0 COP or 300% efficiency. Unless, of course, your electricity rates are 'necessarily skyrocketing', as someone once promised.

From what I have been told. Geothermal is great for the warmer weather, But may not be the ticket for the really cold season.

DexterDay said:
Either way, for the price of a P-68 or Maxx, this is a more versatile unit, that holds more fuel.

Dex, The Maxx and Maxx M both can use the duct kit and both also hold 130 LBs of fuel. Maxx M would be a serious contender IMHO. ;-) But thats just me. hehe! If it was going in the basement the revolution and 50F would also get some attention.

Wasnt taking away from the Maxx. I said in an earlier post that the Maxx and Euromax had the Duct kits. I would opt for the Enerzone just because of the gadgets and the bottom feed system. Although the agitator on the Maxx-M would be nice too. I didnt look up the hopper size of the Maxx. I didnt realize it to was 130 lbs.

Still give my edge to Enerzone. Just my preference. There are a bunch of added parts (more parts, more replacement, maybe more cost?) It has 2 augers (think Englander) and 3 blowers ( combustion, exhaust, and convection). But reading the manual, and talking to Bert at SBI, it sounds, reads and looks like a great unit. The sides panels come off (firebox panels) in order to get deep into the channels of the stove. No area is left without a way to get to it easily.

That was my mistake for looking over the hopper size. Both are larger than my Fahrenheit. Although its appetite isnt bad at all. My Quad would have used 2 bags yesterday and the Fahrenheit used about 1. Very rarely does it come off of level 1 (pilot) and go to 3.

Off track........

But if its all out furnace ducting. Then def look at the Revolution, Endurance, or PF-100. You wont regret it. After owning a furnace now, I can say its very nice to have Super even temps throughout the house. But I miss the fire upstairs. Really miss it.
 
DexterDay said:
j-takeman said:
DexterDay said:
Either way, for the price of a P-68 or Maxx, this is a more versatile unit, that holds more fuel.

Dex, The Maxx and Maxx M both can use the duct kit and both also hold 130 LBs of fuel. Maxx M would be a serious contender IMHO. ;-) But thats just me. hehe! If it was going in the basement the revolution and 50F would also get some attention.

Wasnt taking away from the Maxx. I said in an earlier post that the Maxx and Euromax had the Duct kits. I would opt for the Enerzone just because of the gadgets and the bottom feed system. Although the agitator on the Maxx-M would be nice too. I didnt look up the hopper size of the Maxx. I didnt realize it to was 130 lbs.

Still give my edge to Enerzone. Just my preference. There are a bunch of added parts (more parts, more replacement, maybe more cost?) It has 2 augers (think Englander) and 3 blowers ( combustion, exhaust, and convection). But reading the manual, and talking to Bert at SBI, it sounds, reads and looks like a great unit. The sides panels come off (firebox panels) in order to get deep into the channels of the stove. No area is left without a way to get to it easily.

That was my mistake for looking over the hopper size. Both are larger than my Fahrenheit. Although its appetite isnt bad at all. My Quad would have used 2 bags yesterday and the Fahrenheit used about 1. Very rarely does it come off of level 1 (pilot) and go to 3.

Off track........

But if its all out furnace ducting. Then def look at the Revolution, Endurance, or PF-100. You wont regret it. After owning a furnace now, I can say its very nice to have Super even temps throughout the house. But I miss the fire upstairs. Really miss it.

I'd like to see some more feed back on the SBI units. Fyrebug was installing one in his basement and was hoping for more on it. I am also biased on the Enviro stuff. I get to hug one every day. ;-) Meant no offense to you brother dex! Just wanted the OP to get the full scoop tis all!

I don't see the off track, Thats good info for anyone looking into a ducted stove/furnace in the basement. Your a good person to point people to. Not many have the Furnace deal going. I am only cheating with a stove that thinks its a furnace. So I'm taking it your are having fun with the 50F?
 
i hope this isnt getting to far off track but i have often thought
about adding a coal stove in the basement...

are these newer stoves pretty much the same as the pellet stoves ??

kind of a set it and forget it type deal ?
 
It is what it is...

Hopefully, I'll see a meaningful decrease in the electric bill each month. As long as that happens, I'll get over having to run the upstairs heat pump when it gets too cold for the stove to do it all.
 
It's been freezing here too in Southern MD for last couple of days. For our upstairs bedrooms we use an oil radiator that does a great job of warming the bedrooms. Of course we need to turn them on around 3 or 4 on these cold days but it really helps whether the pellet stove is on or off. The heaters with a thermometer are the best and are relatively inexpensive.

Just purchased a ton of Power Pellets for $229.

NNBF
 
5* last night here and all is well. P43 pulled 75* downstairs and 72* upstairs on temp setting of 75*. Key is to move the warm air with the cold. I had a hard time with it but, after many refreshing beverages, finally accomplished it.

As for this being a "space" heater, sure is acting like a furnace in my house :)
 
oldmountvernon said:
padfitz said:
5* last night here and all is well. P43 pulled 75* downstairs and 72* upstairs on temp setting of 75*. Key is to move the warm air with the cold. I had a hard time with it but, after many refreshing beverages, finally accomplished it.

As for this being a "space" heater, sure is acting like a furnace in my house :)

I'm willing to bet your not heating 3000 + sqft :)




nope, I heat 4600 square feet
to 70 degrees
 
Just make sure you don't OVERFIRE your stove and warp things! Look at 8000 btu's per pound X # of pounds per hour you're burning to make sure you don't go over its rating of 52,500 btu's. That would be 4 bags per day IF it was running full blast for ALL 24 hours.
 
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