? for long time pellet users

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daveid01

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Feb 14, 2014
6
nor cal
I am looking for opinions from some long time pellet users so I can make a better decision. Right now I am paying around 800 (CA weather) a year avg for the last 3 years in propane. but that is with my thermostat at 68 tops and that's maybe 8 hours out of the day. the rest is 66 or so. Needless to say, its cold half the time.
I have been wanting to fill my useless fire place with a pellet insert but never knew that pellet stoves were so much money. So im on the fence of getting a pellet stove due to the initial 4k investment and it taking about 7 years for pay off. I have also read that blower motors go out every 3 years or so, but it seems that these people are burning 3 tons a season as I will be burning around 1 ton. I also have read people saying they have rebuilt their stove. What does that mean?
I guess Id like to see what he maintenance costs are on a yearly basis as well as how much has to be replaced every 5 years or so. I plan on doing the maintenance myself. My savings from leaving propane wont be as signifigant as some of you on the east coast so I want to make sure that my "savings" aren't going to be eaten up by parts.
My set up right now is a 5 yr old propane system that is 80% efficient and am looking to buy a harman p35i. The stove at my local retailer is $2699 plus $550 install and another $450 for the chimney.

Thanks for the help and info in advance
 
Welcome David...you paint a pretty grim picture....I think you should consider a heat pump (mini split type) instead of a pellet stove...cheaper to buy and install and probably cheaper to run for you and no maintenance.....pellet stoves aren't for everyone though we all love our stoves.
 
Based on your average cost of 800 a year with propane you stand to gain nothing with a pellet stove. In fact, I would argue that the investment and time simply can't outweigh your current heat source. Remember a pellet stove requires weekly maintenance, then you need the space to store your pellets and your time to stack and feed the stove. From an economic standpoint, I wouldn't do it.
 
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daveid01 said:
I am looking for opinions from some long time pellet users so I can make a better decision. Right now I am paying around 800 (CA weather) a year avg for the last 3 years in propane. but that is with my thermostat at 68 tops and that's maybe 8 hours out of the day. the rest is 66 or so. Needless to say, its cold half the time.
I have been wanting to fill my useless fire place with a pellet insert but never knew that pellet stoves were so much money. So im on the fence of getting a pellet stove due to the initial 4k investment and it taking about 7 years for pay off. I have also read that blower motors go out every 3 years or so, but it seems that these people are burning 3 tons a season as I will be burning around 1 ton. I also have read people saying they have rebuilt their stove. What does that mean?
I guess Id like to see what he maintenance costs are on a yearly basis as well as how much has to be replaced every 5 years or so. I plan on doing the maintenance myself. My savings from leaving propane wont be as signifigant as some of you on the east coast so I want to make sure that my "savings" aren't going to be eaten up by parts.
My set up right now is a 5 yr old propane system that is 80% efficient and am looking to buy a harman p35i. The stove at my local retailer is $2699 plus $550 install and another $450 for the chimney.

Thanks for the help and info in advance
Click to expand...
If you're only using $800 worth of propane, depending upon the price of propane and pellets you might only save about $400 a season. That might mean a 10yr payback period, if not more. I'm sure with better data, you can figure out your actual payback, but the payback period is shorter the more heat you are replacing. $800 is not a lot of heat. Many in New England are trying to cut $3000 to $4000 heating bills, so pellet stoves make a lot of sense because the payback period can be very quick. As peirhead noted, a mini split might be the best choice.
 
I'd definitely check out all my options if I were in your shoes. In my area electric is only slightly more expensive than pellets. With your temps, electric or propane might make more sense.

My stove paid for itself by the end of the second season of use.
 
Thank you all for all the honest answers. I was on the verge of buying one but couldn't justify that long term payoff. Thanks again. You helped me out tremendously.
 
I should have pointed out that my main source of heat was oil.
 
Propain prices are coming down, around $3.50. I got word this morning of someone paying 7 plus. Hope to see that billing, if I get a copy will post. Pretty fast payback if I had to have had a fill in the last month. Now with corn at 145/ton the payback against propain is good even if gas is $2. Your $800 gas bill may be a memory next season!
 
daveid01 said:
I am looking for opinions from some long time pellet users so I can make a better decision. Right now I am paying around 800 (CA weather) a year avg for the last 3 years in propane. but that is with my thermostat at 68 tops and that's maybe 8 hours out of the day. the rest is 66 or so. Needless to say, its cold half the time.
I have been wanting to fill my useless fire place with a pellet insert but never knew that pellet stoves were so much money. So im on the fence of getting a pellet stove due to the initial 4k investment and it taking about 7 years for pay off. I have also read that blower motors go out every 3 years or so, but it seems that these people are burning 3 tons a season as I will be burning around 1 ton. I also have read people saying they have rebuilt their stove. What does that mean?
I guess Id like to see what he maintenance costs are on a yearly basis as well as how much has to be replaced every 5 years or so. I plan on doing the maintenance myself. My savings from leaving propane wont be as signifigant as some of you on the east coast so I want to make sure that my "savings" aren't going to be eaten up by parts.
My set up right now is a 5 yr old propane system that is 80% efficient and am looking to buy a harman p35i. The stove at my local retailer is $2699 plus $550 install and another $450 for the chimney.

Thanks for the help and info in advance
Click to expand...
If I had an $800 a year heating bill I'd turn my thermostat up to 70 or 71 and call it a day, if I didn't want to take on a hobby tending the stove.. The added work of pellets will more than offset any gain in cost. Yep, 70 and kick back and relax. The only saving grace to your story would be, in my case anyway, that I like a fire be that stove or fireplace fire and it's warm glow etc. So I don't mind the work to have what I want and make that useless fireplace useful instead. Out here in the east I'm cutting cost from a $3000 ( would have more than that this winter) a year bill and making the house warmer in the process. The latter part the more important because when you consider all the time spent dealing with the stove and pellets there isn't really much savings in the end, not life altering change in cost. Although this winter with the severe cold we were headed toward $800 a month oil bills for Jan and Feb. That's double your annual expense in two months. The colder the climate the more pellets make sense. Even then you got to want to work at it a little bit. Same with coal and wood stoves.
 
Heat pump for sure! Especially in (I assume northern) CA climate.
 
daveid01 said:
with my thermostat at 68 tops and that's maybe 8 hours out of the day. the rest is 66 or so. Needless to say, its cold half the time.
Click to expand...
$800/yr for heat??? nice.. pellets for you will be a waste of time(literally) If it were me, I would invest in a quality "set back thermometer"....then set it back!! Going from 68° to 66° is kinda a waste... My setback's go to 59°.
 
Probably not really going to see a "payback" but hey most folks have bought a new car in their lifetime no payback on that. There is far worse money you could spend at least you have a chance of saving some money.
 
Better invest in something that gets you some water. Keeping warm will be minor. NG is close to doubling in $ in the last couple months.
 
I 3rd the mini-split option.
We have 1600-1700sq ft, 100 year old home, attic has blown in insulation and we have new windows and doors. Last winter our heat pump cost $100 a month to run and we only bought 150gal of oil. In PA climates I thought this was impressive considering I would have burned 100gal a month MINIMUM ! PLUS we cooled the whole house for half the price of window units or (traditional) central air.

that being said in your climate it would probably cost $20 a month to run !!!

Or just go big and be down with solar hot water..........
 
wsar10 said:
I 3rd the mini-split option.
We have 1600-1700sq ft, 100 year old home, attic has blown in insulation and we have new windows and doors. Last winter our heat pump cost $100 a month to run and we only bought 150gal of oil. In PA climates I thought this was impressive considering I would have burned 100gal a month MINIMUM ! PLUS we cooled the whole house for half the price of window units or (traditional) central air.

that being said in your climate it would probably cost $20 a month to run !!!

Or just go big and be down with solar hot water..........
Click to expand...
Fujitsu Mini-Split.... is that made in USA?
 
not so sure the meat in a Big Mac is from the US !;lol
Your oven contains many parts not made in the US, and so does your harmen. If it contains electronic components it was 90% made outside of the US, they simply ran the boards through a pick and place machine than an "oven" than did whatever PTH work was required all along using parts from china !! I would be willing to bet allot more of the components were note made in the Us either...... probably only the assembly, the metal, the paint (which will contain chemicals from outside the US), the glass....and of course the pellets !
 
Hamburger recall from west coast plant because they were processing dead critters. Mmm, hot pockets.(Nestle) Not so proud day for America that in the cost cutting they have to resort to that.
 
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wsar10 said:
not so sure the meat in a Big Mac is from the US !;lol
Your oven contains many parts not made in the US, and so does your harmen. If it contains electronic components it was 90% made outside of the US, they simply ran the boards through a pick and place machine than an "oven" than did whatever PTH work was required all along using parts from china !! I would be willing to bet allot more of the components were note made in the Us either...... probably only the assembly, the metal, the paint (which will contain chemicals from outside the US), the glass....and of course the pellets !
Click to expand...
The pellets might be from Canada.
 
To the OP. Yep, lots of more practical answers than pellet burning in you situation.
 
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BrotherBart said:
How do ya make burger out of live ones?
Click to expand...
The flies should be gathering after you slaughter them, not before! Road kill Café wholesale supplier
 
wsar10 said:
not so sure the meat in a Big Mac is from the US !
Your oven contains many parts not made in the US, and so does your harmen.
Click to expand...


Well I'll bet my Harman has way more US of A in it then your " fujitsu"-"fukushima" rig your running..... that most like only contains our technology. Honestly, I could care less where YOUR stove is made. Its the contradiction between your avatar and your signature that makes my teeth hurt...Just saying
 
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