Mt Vernon AE insert not heating the square footage as I would have thought (at all!!!!)
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newf lover
Minister of Fire
I'm not one of those smart, handy people on the forum, but I think bob bare pointed out possible installation problem. that would be my vote. Maybe if you describe your install to these guys they could help you.
My MVAE freestanding is in a similar sized room with a half cathedral ceiling, and when it's in the teens outside and 20's in the day I burn just over a bag, keeping the room at about 73-74 for 16 hours/day and dropping back only to about 70. I keep the stove on automatic, flame height at 0. 1970's construction with only 2x4 walls and three 1980's skylights and only marginal casement double pane windows that leak a bit around the handles. Based on that, something's not right in your situation, I'd say. Time to call that installer back out...
Your stove is capable of burning almost 4 bags in 24 hrs, so the good news is your stove is not maxed out. It still has untapped capacity to heat more and hopefully meet your needs.
BTW, what was your daily or monthly heating oil use before you got the insert? That'll give us an idea of how much BTUs you were trying to replace.
[edit]
I forgot to ask, did you reverse your ceiling fan? Does your lofted open space feel roughly even upstairs and down?
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
I took it to mean since installation. My MVAE took 2 or 3 days to get the first floor warm throughout. I haven't had it for too long, but the first few days I was wondering what was up with the poor output. I came home from work on the 3rd day and was all of a sudden very impressed, to the point of turning the oil heat off on the first floor. I'm playing with it now to try heating the upstairs well enough to turn that thermostat off as well.
If you have only burned 5 bags, give it a day or two more before you hit the panic button. There are a lot of cubic feet of air, especially with a chalet, to heat. As others have said, make sure your ceiling fan is in winter mode. Good luck and keep us up to date.
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
Yea, 200 pounds should have been burned in the first two days trying to figure out how to run it! It's not panic mode yet.
john193
Minister of Fire
Ahh, the square footage really means very little. Your heating space should be assessed in cubic feet, since stoves don't heat 2 dimensions. With that said, it appears that if you have only burned 200 lbs of pellets and you are cold it sounds like you are babying the stove. At full blast that stove will burn almost 4 bags (160lbs) in 24 hours.
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
That's about $5x4 or $20 a day in pellets if you keep it blasting! OMG! Natural Gas where are you????
Of course, hopefully, it will be moderated by the thermostat.
Harvey Schneider
Minister of Fire
It just occured to me that another possible reason for failure to heat is if the thermostat is too close to the stove. That would cause the stove to shut down when only the area nearest the stove is up to temperature.
Heating a large space, the thermostat needs to be about half way between the stove and the farthest distance of that space. The area nearest the stove will run warmer than the thermostat setting unless you have substantial air movement. My stove keeps the area nearest itself at about 74 when the thermostat is at 70. The space furthest from the stove is at about 68.
john193
Minister of Fire
If the thermostat doesn't cycle as a result of proximity it won't matter. My thermostat is 3 feet from the stove. When I set it at 72 the space the stove is in is 70 with temperatures dropping a few degrees in all other locations.
The stove isn't a miracle worker and I'm afraid the OP was sold on the line "it will blow you out." It is just a space heater so perhaps we are trying to diagnose an expectation rather than a malfunctioning stove.
Harvey Schneider
Minister of Fire
Perhaps you are right, but
...........................................
60,000 BTU/hr is a lot of heat capability. My oil fired boiler , that does the whole house plus DHW is only rated at just over 100,000. I can't help but expect that something isn't right.
newf lover
Minister of Fire
The OP seems to have disappeared. I agree, something is not right. Again, I would start by taking a look at the install. That heat is going somewhere if it's not heating the room.
hyfire
Minister of Fire
Arwe you using manual mode or auto mode? In auto mode it will scale back the heat output as it gets close to the set temperature settting, and in manual mode it will shut off, when it reaches the desired temp.
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And he's only using half of it. My 30,000 BTU/hr Castile routinely burns 2 1/2 bags a day in really cold weather
Mt Bob
Minister of Fire
When it's cold i can go through 3,but usually am not home all day,so set stove back.Well we could all wonder why he has not came back?
hyfire
Minister of Fire
I really bet his temperature set point was set to low in the stove and it was pulling back fuel...
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
It would be nice if he came back and educated us on what he found. Red faced or not, it would be the manly thing to do. 
john193
Minister of Fire
Sad to say, not sure I could survive. I resisted for over 2 years before getting a smartphone. Now I can't seem to be without...
Sorry every one, I work 24 hour shifts and really no time for the World Wide Web but sorry I took so long. I'm trying to hit as many questions and I can remember but thank you so very very much for the help.
I have changed the setting like posted on here
The instal seemed to go well but did have to put a 90degree elbow in it due to existing fire place.
Last year I burnt 1500 lbs of propane (I think it's in lbs not gal) but that was for the year, hot water, stove that I don't use and dryer- the fan is on med reverse and the loft is about the same temp.
200 lbs since I bought it now 520 or so is what I have burnt for propane
Thermostat is Down the hall of the stove just as stated above half way form the end but hard to get heat down there.
What is an OP? And how do I look at the install?
I'm using manual mode have it down the hallway halfway from the stove and the garage set at 80 #5 and is 35 degrees outside, and 67 in the room of the stove.
I talked to the guy who installed it said he would take a look at it, but kind of said it's all set up right....
I tried a different type of pellets, did not seem to change and last night it went to auto clean got clogged and shut down....
I have changed the setting like posted on here
The instal seemed to go well but did have to put a 90degree elbow in it due to existing fire place.
Last year I burnt 1500 lbs of propane (I think it's in lbs not gal) but that was for the year, hot water, stove that I don't use and dryer- the fan is on med reverse and the loft is about the same temp.
200 lbs since I bought it now 520 or so is what I have burnt for propane
Thermostat is Down the hall of the stove just as stated above half way form the end but hard to get heat down there.
What is an OP? And how do I look at the install?
I'm using manual mode have it down the hallway halfway from the stove and the garage set at 80 #5 and is 35 degrees outside, and 67 in the room of the stove.
I talked to the guy who installed it said he would take a look at it, but kind of said it's all set up right....
I tried a different type of pellets, did not seem to change and last night it went to auto clean got clogged and shut down....
hyfire
Minister of Fire
Keep track of your pellet usage @60k btu you should burn a 40lb bag in 5 hours approx. Do you have enough draft? I assume OP is output power. Is the blower set to normal?Those pellets are 8500-9000 BTU a lb , you should be warm as Hiroshima was at 8:15AM ,Aug 6,1945...you should not be able to put your face near the stove.. more than a few seconds.. If your burning less than that on high mode maybe its an auger issue, or maybe the stove is triggering some safety sensor and reducing fuel.
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NHcpa
Minister of Fire
Hi, I have a contemporary cape w/cathedral ceilings... Of the loft area, can you install (on a temporary pole) insulated curtains to slow the rise of heated air? also too, with all the glass, do you have OAK?
The Original Poster of the thread. What does your flame look like? Jet engine or lazy like a low campfire?
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