We heat our 3400 sq ft center hall colonial, built 1795, with 2 pellet stoves, one at each end of the house. The kitchen has a Mt Vernon AE that pretty much runs 24/7. In the living room, a Harman Accentra insert installed in the fireplace. We have insulated the acttic but not the walls. The basement is air sealed and interior storms on 21 windows. The downstairs is maintained at 68-70F and upstairs 60-65F even during this brutal New England winter. We use no oil except as backup and burn 7 tons during an average winter. In the past we needed over1500 gals of heating oil for the season and were never as comfortable. With heating oil still over $3 per gallon in Vermont, we are saving over $3000 per year. Hope this helps.
Does anyone run multiple pellet stoves in home?
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Tim_M
Burning Hunk
My 2 Harmans are heating my 2500 sq ft 2 story almost exclusively. My 23 yr old Invincible in the basement will keep the entire house comfortable running on low, down to around freezing. Below freezing I also run my 7 yr old Accentra insert on the main level, also usually on low unless temps really dip. I was lucky to pick them both up used for good prices over the past 5 years, and they haven't required any major repairs yet, other than a board repair on the Invincible for about $150. Like someone else said, running 2 stoves uses a bit more pellets but is much better at getting the heat where you want it.
My wife is very much the same way. Doesn't want to put miners in danger underground and all that. From my research a lot of the current hard coal of lately is coming from going back through all the wastes from strip mining. A lot depends on where it's being mined or produced.
I went through better then 6 tons last year burning both during the day and the bigger stove all night. It was very close to not being enough tonnage and if I had to do it again I would get 8 tons to be safe. It was impossible to find pellets, by me, at the end of the heating season.
This helps tremendously!
It's very hard to get data from anyone with a 150+ year home, as they are all so unique. But a center hall colonial would be a great comparison to my home (is your home masonry as well?).
Do you supplement the upstairs with electric space heaters or just rely on the oil to kick on there?
Do you have a wood stove as well?
Wilbur Feral
Minister of Fire
Quad MVAE (fairly high BTU stove) in family room on main floor heats that floor to 67-72 depending on where standing, and 2nd story to 65-67. Second stove is old Whitfield Quest insert, guessing 35K BTU in basement office. As noted, 2nd stove only marginally more work, and well worth it. Use about 80% more pellets vs 1 stove. Total SF just under 3K.
Two here. 103 year old, uninsulated, split faced block home. 1200 square feet. In single or negative digits I burn 4-5 bags a day between two stoves. I use the 3650 primarily and compensate with the Harman when needed. In my opinion two stoves are way better then one. I used a big Quad Mt Vernon and had to burn it on high most of the time. The heat exchanger tubes warped during high output continuous over several days so its sitting unhooked at the moment. It just makes sense to run two stove on medium rather then one balls to the wall and damage it. Plus if one fails you have a back up and when you want to clean one just fire up the other before hand and you wont loose any heat in the house. BTW if I had to do it over again. I would get a couple of stoves with 120 lb. hoppers minimum. I have to turn down a lot of overtime in the winter basically because I have to get home to reload. Mostly on those single digit days. Bigger hopper would mean a bigger wallet for me.
Coal....I wish I could burn it. Im 5 miles from a coal mine and they wont sale to the public. Maybe I should just start digging in my own back yard.
Coal....I wish I could burn it. Im 5 miles from a coal mine and they wont sale to the public. Maybe I should just start digging in my own back yard.
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I appreciate everyone's input on this -- very helpful for a young guy in a big, cold house.
It sounds like (with info from another thread), I could easily and inexpensively keep the house warm with two lower-end pellet stoves ($1000 Castle Serenity looks like a winner, from what I can tell, or poss. Englander) and my Dutchwest Federal Airtight woodstove as supplemental/backup, with space heaters / electric backup in the upstairs bedrooms as needed.
My fiance will be happy, and I'll be able to focus on all the other projects this 1830 house needs . . many thanks!
It sounds like (with info from another thread), I could easily and inexpensively keep the house warm with two lower-end pellet stoves ($1000 Castle Serenity looks like a winner, from what I can tell, or poss. Englander) and my Dutchwest Federal Airtight woodstove as supplemental/backup, with space heaters / electric backup in the upstairs bedrooms as needed.
My fiance will be happy, and I'll be able to focus on all the other projects this 1830 house needs . . many thanks!
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
It would assume you have very good insulation and windows. If your perimeter walls are just 3 layers of brick like mine it tends to suck heat and act like a big heat sink. More btu's the better for both. Ceiling fans if you can so it gets moving around. It took me a year to adjust to what works.
Just 3 brick layers here too, planning on insulating the attic, but no chance for the walls. Storms on the windows. I'm in year 2 and getting used to it
I'm with you on the more BTUs the better, but I think if I avoid attempting to comfortably heat my open central hallway (which is about 1/4-1/3 of my total sq footage) and focus on the actual living areas, lower BTU stoves will suffice for the time being. 30k btu stoves on either side of the house should work well for 500 square feet each would be heating (but if a 50k stove came along reasonably -- I'm still looking at Heatilators, or maybe the reinstatement of that wood burner changeout they had last year in IN -- I'd go for it).
I like heating and cooling "traditionally", in the way the house was designed in 1830 -- space heating for the living areas, utilizing the open central hallway for cooling during the summer.
Or, at least, that's what I try and convince myself of.
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
We like our old home but it has its quirks. I like the tall ceilings but sure pay to heat all the cubic feet. We do OK now in winter. Keep it warm where we are only which is fine vs heating the whole house at the same. I do like having gas in very cold weather like the next couple of days to assist so outlying areas aren't super cold plus the stoves don't have to run full out but run at 50-70%. Enjoy your old home. Keep some emergency funds handy as little things always pop up. 
The stove here is close in BTU output to the Castle Serenity and is heating 800-1000 square feet well, but these small stoves do require a lot of 'hands-on' while running, due to the small hopper. When the temps. get low, below 20 degrees, the stove here runs hot and fast, and requires frequent feeding.
If you can partition your living areas from the central hallway, 2 smaller BTU stoves may work, but if not, the central staircase may act as a giant 'heat sink' .
You may want to consider up-sizing the stove in the most used area to more BTU with a larger hopper capacity to start, if hands-on maintenance when running is a concern. Our plans are to search for a used, larger stove in the off-season, upgrade insulation, and install the Ecotech in the lesser used section of our smaller home to provide maintenance heat / back up / allow it to run at a lower setting.
I was just reading an article in the local paper here about the wood-burner change out program being offered in our area - a call to your utility company, county extension service, or local chamber of commerce may help to determine if a similar program is available to you..
I had two stoves in my 2500 square foot home that was built in 1850 something. I burned 8 tons and I really enjoyed doing so. However when the babies arrived I installed a geothermal heat pump. When you add up the cost of the two stoves, venting, installation and all that work you could be in the geothermal neighborhood.
Now I get a recreational ton of pellets every year or so. I removed one pellet stove and put it in my garage, the other is an insert and my backup heat.
Now I get a recreational ton of pellets every year or so. I removed one pellet stove and put it in my garage, the other is an insert and my backup heat.
how many bags a day does your p68 chew thorough? i just bought a new p68 and trying to keep a 3000sf single level house at 68-70 degrees and im doing 3 bags a day. i find stove mode is more consistant and i keep it on about 4-4.5 and i get 8-9 hours per bag. does that seem about right to you?
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
Yes it is right. On very cold days I will burn 3 bags a day in my P68 and 2 in my P43. This is when I hate my old home. 20+ degrees is manageable. 30+ days is what I like.
oh good, i thought i had a defective stove or something for a whileYes it is right. On very cold days I will burn 3 bags a day in my P68 and 2 in my P43. This is when I hate my old home. 20+ degrees is manageable. 30+ days is what I like.
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
I will say that on single digits or below I will switch to stove mode on 4 and then let my gas heat maintain the Temps so I don't get frozen pipes. Plus the outer rooms and upstairs is not so cold. They would be about 65.
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
One thing going I did learn is to not turn the heat down at night. I would use an additional bag to get the heat back up last year.
whats the most amount of bags you use a day? what are you using room or stove? whats your feed set to?
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
Both my stoves when above 20+ degrees stay on feed rate 3.5 typically depending on the pellets room temp auto manual and room temp around 72. Below 20 I switch to stove mode auto 4-5. Right now I am burning crappy pellets so feed rate is 2.5.
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