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tiger

tiger

Feeling the Heat
Feb 3, 2014
438
Seabrook, MD (DC suburbs)
A week ago Sunday, after a weekend burn, shut the stove down. I woke up at 3AM (I don't sleep well), didn't hear any of the usual flow sounds from the radiator, got up, house chilly. The thermostat calling for heat at 70F, room temp at 66F, error message on the boiler.

Glad I have the Accentra. I did the weekly clean-up of the stove at 3:30AM while my wife baked cookies, Called the boiler technician (and told him that if he had REAL emergencies, I could wait), meanwhile the house got nice and warm and the tech came by noon, cheap repair.

I never want to be without two heat sources again.
 
tiger said:
A week ago Sunday, after a weekend burn, shut the stove down. I woke up at 3AM (I don't sleep well), didn't hear any of the usual flow sounds from the radiator, got up, house chilly. The thermostat calling for heat at 70F, room temp at 66F, error message on the boiler.

Glad I have the Accentra. I did the weekly clean-up of the stove at 3:30AM while my wife baked cookies, Called the boiler technician (and told him that if he had REAL emergencies, I could wait), meanwhile the house got nice and warm and the tech came by noon, cheap repair.

I never want to be without two heat sources again.
Click to expand...
I agree. It's a good feeling knowing you have a backup heat source when your primary stops working - especially in colder climates.
 
There is something comforting about back-up heat. Next step is to arrange some back-up power!
 
We use our pellet stove when we lose power only. We would have been in a hotel over thanksgiving if we didnt have it.
 
moey said:
We use our pellet stove when we lose power only. We would have been in a hotel over thanksgiving if we didnt have it.
Click to expand...
Opposite here..
we use our Oil Furnace when we lose power...furnace will drink oil like a drunken sailor if we kept the house in the 70's like we keep the pellet stove.
[Generator with house transfer switch to run all hard wired stuff].
 
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Glad to hear your insert kept the house warm in the interim. Now - do you have a generator for when you have power loss?
 
Tonyray said:
Opposite here..
we use our Oil Furnace when we lose power...furnace will drink oil like a drunken sailor if we kept the house in the 70's like we keep the pellet stove.
[Generator with house transfer switch to run all hard wired stuff].
Click to expand...

I used to do that our oil boiler was pretty old and short of the electric motor had nothing electronic on it. My heat pump surges on startup even though it only pulls 2000watts when running it has a instantaneously surge of around 10kw. Id need a large standby generator to handle that.
 
Yup, we were in the same place a few weeks ago, although I run our stove 24/7, and the oil is backup.
 
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tiger said:
Recently bought one -- now to get it "hooked up".
Click to expand...
bought a Generac 7500 watt and a 10 circuit transfer box [Reliance] where all the breakers we're Interchangeable and can swap 15-20-30 amp depending on your needs.
 
Polar Bear said:
Why not run the stove 24/7?
Click to expand...

Hmm, let me count the ways....
(a) I have not done the math but the gas Munchkin boiler might cost less per BTU/hr to heat the house
(b) I like the pretty fire, but I cannot see the flames while asleep or at work
(c) Read enough topics here to know that, if you hadn't stocked 7-10 tons over a year ago, one is likely to run out this season -- I want them to last.
(d) The boiler doesn't have to be cleaned weekly or half-dismantled twice a year.
 
Tonyray said:
Opposite here..
we use our Oil Furnace when we lose power...furnace will drink oil like a drunken sailor if we kept the house in the 70's like we keep the pellet stove.
[Generator with house transfer switch to run all hard wired stuff].
Click to expand...
Ditto.
 
tiger said:
A week ago Sunday, after a weekend burn, shut the stove down. I woke up at 3AM (I don't sleep well), didn't hear any of the usual flow sounds from the radiator, got up, house chilly. The thermostat calling for heat at 70F, room temp at 66F, error message on the boiler.

Glad I have the Accentra. I did the weekly clean-up of the stove at 3:30AM while my wife baked cookies, Called the boiler technician (and told him that if he had REAL emergencies, I could wait), meanwhile the house got nice and warm and the tech came by noon, cheap repair.

I never want to be without two heat sources again.
Click to expand...
If you are going to use the pellet as backup may I suggest keeping it cocked and locked at a setpoint where it will fire if your primary goes out? We do the same only in the inverse, pellet is primary for the living spaces with the oil burner set at 62f just in case. We have a split heating system that uses the oil burner as primary for the bedrooms.
 
tiger said:
Hmm, let me count the ways....
(a) I have not done the math but the gas Munchkin boiler might cost less per BTU/hr to heat the house
(b) I like the pretty fire, but I cannot see the flames while asleep or at work
(c) Read enough topics here to know that, if you hadn't stocked 7-10 tons over a year ago, one is likely to run out this season -- I want them to last.
(d) The boiler doesn't have to be cleaned weekly or half-dismantled twice a year.
Click to expand...

Pretty fire? haha
7-10 tons? Do you leave a window open year round
 
tiger said:
Hmm, let me count the ways....
(a) I have not done the math but the gas Munchkin boiler might cost less per BTU/hr to heat the house
(b) I like the pretty fire, but I cannot see the flames while asleep or at work
(c) Read enough topics here to know that, if you hadn't stocked 7-10 tons over a year ago, one is likely to run out this season -- I want them to last.
(d) The boiler doesn't have to be cleaned weekly or half-dismantled twice a year.
Click to expand...

I live in a very cold climate and I live on a hill with lots of wind. I used it as primary heat source and have very high ceilings. I burn 3T/yr.

I agree,,,do whats cheapest!
 
F4jock said:
If you are going to use the pellet as backup may I suggest keeping it cocked and locked at a setpoint where it will fire if your primary goes out?
Click to expand...

Hmm, let me think about that, interesting idea. I'd LIKE to think that it would not be needed often, the boiler has been reliable if you discount the time it snowed deeper than the height of the thru-wall air intake and choked it off.

I'm paranoid about everything in this old house, hence my catching the boiler going out at 3AM. Drives my wife nuts; "Larry, it's just a noise, leave it alone". I guess it would be bad if the heat went out while we were both at work.

After a weekend burn, I do try to clean the stove on Monday afternoons and load it up, ready to use again.
 
Yessssss

Multiple heat sources are a good thing.

We have two Whitfields and a Quadrafire here.

Not likely that all three would leave us at once.

Even in a pinch and a cold snap we could get by on one stove.

Glad your fix was cheap on the boiler
 
Wish I had natural gas. We spread the load across multiple sources. Pellets/Oil for primary source. Great room that uses a propane insert to augment the other two.
 
Pass the Pellets said:
Wish I had natural gas. We spread the load across multiple sources. Pellets/Oil for primary source. Great room that uses a propane insert to augment the other two.
Click to expand...

+1 there, natural gas is where its at! I have a pipeline 200 yards from my house, too bad they won't trust me to just meter my own personal supply off that.
 
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