New here, pellet junkie.

Insulation is the one of the fastest paybacks for your buck. Have no idea about getting it upgraded in a brick building

Seeing as you have 12' ceiling, do you have a ceiling fan? You may find that will help reduce the area you are heating. Have you tried different pellets to see if the results are the same? Not all brands are created equal.

There is some low interest home insulation loans and depending on income some grants too.

Trellis8 said:

Hey Scotty and Bioburner, thanks for the feedback. Without a doubt, insulation and new windows would work wonders, but major overhaul just not in the budget right now. I am running 3 ceiling fans, which do help. It doesn't help that the pellet stove is on one end and around a corner from the rest of the heated area either.

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Also, don't lump insulation and new windows into the same decision. New windows can be a very long payback, while insulation may cost considerably less than a new pellet stove, requires no additional fuel, and may pay for itself quickly.

Trellis8 said:

Hello all, I have used this forum quite a bit in the last year and finally decided I should join up. I have a Bosca Classic upstairs and just purchased and installed an old but like new condition Winrich Perfecta.
I live in an old brick school house in southeast Wisconsin and this place is very difficult to heat when it's below zero, like it is now.
I picked up the Winrich on the ultra cheap and installed in the lower level, which has 8' ceilings and is much easier to heat. As of now, the unit is heating like a dream.
Upstairs is where the issues are. I'm not very happy with the Bosca, no matter what I do, the glass soots up and builds up ash in the burn pot rather quickly (1-2 days) and really struggles to heat when very cold. I have taken the unit outside, removed the blowers and air blasted all the dust out, but still have problems with build up. It is very reliable however, just needs quite a bit of upkeep. I also supplement upstairs heat with a Dovre cast iron wood stove, which is an absolute necessity when very cold.
The bottom line is I'm thinking of a bigger pellet stove for the upstairs. I'd really like to be able to heat the area exclusively with pellets when necessary, can't keep wood in the wood stove when I'm at work. The main floor is about 1200sf with a 550sf 3rd floor loft. The ceilings are 12' high on the main floor and little insulation in the walls. Any suggestions on a larger stove or techniques for heating would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

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Make sure your ceiling fans are reversed. Your Bosca combustion doesn't seem right. You might want to start a new thread just focusing on getting the Bosca performing to its capability, then figure out what needs to be done, whether a new stove or insulation or something else.

Where the hell is North Cape, Wi?

OK ... I thought it would be on a lake if it's a cape.

I live in Ixonia, if you'd care to taunt me back.

People often confuse us with Oconomowoc. That's where the aristocrats hang out. What pellets are you burning down there, Trellis? Do you run across any Dejno's?

Old houses are hard to heat this winter. I'm heating an old yellow-brick farmhouse myself. That cold wind finds every crevice. I don't know anything about Bosca stoves, but your suspicions about the damper sound like a good place to start.

I'm thinking of getting some Dejno's hardwood pellets this weekend from a farm store in Dodge County -- It's the only place in my area that sells them. I've been burning Pro Pellets from Tractor Supply (hardwood) and Lumberjacks from Farm & Fleet (blend). I've been happy with both, although Lumberjacks seem to have more fines this year than last, and more importantly, many of the bags are poorly sealed. I've slung several onto my shoulder without thinking and left a trail of pellets behind me.

You won't read a lot of kind words about Indecks on this forum. I see that F&F is sold out of Lumberjacks but they have tons of Indecks left. Same with Pro Pellets at TSC -- I'm told they're sold out, at least for now, but Indecks are plentiful. I'll go to the pellet shop instead and spend the extra $20 for a ton of quality pellets. Marths have been OK for me, I'd choose them over Indecks.

There are a few forum threads on Boscas if you search the archives. A quick read suggests the people who have them, like them.

The boiler has been great, it's cut my heating bill by 60% over oil. It's run with barely a hiccup, although the burnpot warped and cracked during its initial season last year. Harman replaced it for free. It's a common problem with the boilers but I don't believed it has occurred much with the stoves. It was nice to have a retailer nearby to back up the warranty, though. I may call on him again as this burnpot is showing a bulge.

I am burning though the pellets. I'm halfway through my fifth ton. I've still got a ton and a half, but I'd feel better if I had 3 tons in reserve. So I'm about to go shopping ...

Thanks for the Dejno's endorsement. I'll see if I can get a ton.