Well when the propane prices jumped to over $5 a gallon in my area I started looking for alternatives. The best alternative for me was a pellet stove. After 1 week I am grinning ear to ear. It took a little coaxing but the wife agreed and she is also grinning ear to ear now. I did a lot of research trying to decide what would best fit our home. We have a 2 story 1800 sq feet home built around 1900. Pretty good insulation and almost all new windows. I was worried about getting enough heat throughout the house. Well I couldn't be happier on how the house is heated now. The first night I got it installed it dipped to -20 and I was surprised to see the stove keep up without an issue. The next night was -25 and again it kept us warm with no propane being used. Like I said I am smiling ear to ear.
The boring part is said so lets move on to the toy I bought. I ended up buying the Pelpro 120 home heater deluxe. I looked at a lot of reviews on many different stoves and looked at a lot in person. It had bad reviews by some, but so did every other stove I looked at. However most of the bad reviews were "I bought the stove from the box store and I had a problem and they wouldn't fix it". Sorry but DUH people. Pelpro is sold with the premise that you are on your own with the stove. They put videos up on how to troubleshoot and replace parts to help you out for a reason. Considering I don't hire people to fix any problems I have it was a good fit for me in that category. It is a pretty simple machine to figure out. I have seen a lot of people on the internet say you get what you pay for. I also have a buddy who is looking for a stove say I would never buy it. It is cheap for a reason. Well he is a salesman as well as I use to be. So this is how I explained to him and he agreed when I was done. First of all the stove is almost 100% sold at box stores. There are a couple places on the internet that sell them and a few mom and pops but not a lot. The few that I did see were in the $1500+ ballpark. I got my from Menards for $1100. Box stores can sell things cheaper because they buy so much more and have the promise of buying much more in the future. They get the lowest price possible because of this. Also add to the fact that this stove is basic. No thrills with this stove. To those that say you get what you pay for are correct. I could buy a Kia for $20,000 or a Denali for $60,000. Is the Denali gonna last 3 times longer? If the Kia dies at 180,000 miles will the Denali go to 540,000? Nope, but it will be a nicer ride with all the comforts. This stove will be paid for by the end of next heating season unless propane really drops in price. A more expensive stove would take years more. I am not saying anything bad about more expensive stoves or Denalis. They are both sweet. lol I am just saying you don't have to always buy the most expensive. This stove keeps up awesome in the heating department. I have no complaints what so ever so far. If I do in the future I will post them.
Just a little technical data. My venting is an appliance adapter, then cleanout, 5 feet up, 90, then 3 feet out of the house. That puts me at 15.5 ft on the chart. The chart said for my altitude I could do 21 feet if I remember right with 3" venting. So I went 3" and it has been all good so far. I have not installed an oak yet.
One last thing, this forum is awesome. I did a lot of lurking here to figure out what I wanted/needed. Also it was a big help in installation and tuning help for my stove. Seems like a great group of people here. I attached a pic of my first burn. As you can see my tools are all still out. The hearth is temporary until spring then it will get a new setup. The wife made me promise to put in a stone hearth lol
The boring part is said so lets move on to the toy I bought. I ended up buying the Pelpro 120 home heater deluxe. I looked at a lot of reviews on many different stoves and looked at a lot in person. It had bad reviews by some, but so did every other stove I looked at. However most of the bad reviews were "I bought the stove from the box store and I had a problem and they wouldn't fix it". Sorry but DUH people. Pelpro is sold with the premise that you are on your own with the stove. They put videos up on how to troubleshoot and replace parts to help you out for a reason. Considering I don't hire people to fix any problems I have it was a good fit for me in that category. It is a pretty simple machine to figure out. I have seen a lot of people on the internet say you get what you pay for. I also have a buddy who is looking for a stove say I would never buy it. It is cheap for a reason. Well he is a salesman as well as I use to be. So this is how I explained to him and he agreed when I was done. First of all the stove is almost 100% sold at box stores. There are a couple places on the internet that sell them and a few mom and pops but not a lot. The few that I did see were in the $1500+ ballpark. I got my from Menards for $1100. Box stores can sell things cheaper because they buy so much more and have the promise of buying much more in the future. They get the lowest price possible because of this. Also add to the fact that this stove is basic. No thrills with this stove. To those that say you get what you pay for are correct. I could buy a Kia for $20,000 or a Denali for $60,000. Is the Denali gonna last 3 times longer? If the Kia dies at 180,000 miles will the Denali go to 540,000? Nope, but it will be a nicer ride with all the comforts. This stove will be paid for by the end of next heating season unless propane really drops in price. A more expensive stove would take years more. I am not saying anything bad about more expensive stoves or Denalis. They are both sweet. lol I am just saying you don't have to always buy the most expensive. This stove keeps up awesome in the heating department. I have no complaints what so ever so far. If I do in the future I will post them.
Just a little technical data. My venting is an appliance adapter, then cleanout, 5 feet up, 90, then 3 feet out of the house. That puts me at 15.5 ft on the chart. The chart said for my altitude I could do 21 feet if I remember right with 3" venting. So I went 3" and it has been all good so far. I have not installed an oak yet.
One last thing, this forum is awesome. I did a lot of lurking here to figure out what I wanted/needed. Also it was a big help in installation and tuning help for my stove. Seems like a great group of people here. I attached a pic of my first burn. As you can see my tools are all still out. The hearth is temporary until spring then it will get a new setup. The wife made me promise to put in a stone hearth lol
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