Pellet Stoves - NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE?

aquidneckheat · Nov 11, 2008

Hi everyone at Hearth.com,

I would like to share my story with you. I recently purchased a St. Croix York Pellet Fireplace insert, mainly because it is cheaper than Harman and was readily available.
I cannot speak for Harman products, but as far as St. Croix York's, my experience has been nothing but negative. In general, my experience with obtaining quality pellets, getting good service from the local dealer, and carrying the daily maintenance of the pellet stove insert has been horrendous.

I have been operating my new pellet stove insert for 1 month and here are my conclusions:

1. Good quality pellets (Premium, PFI certified) are VERY HARD TO FIND. Some manufacturers claim to have PFI certification, yet the amount of sawdust in the bag is tremendous, and the amount of ash produced is incredible. On average, I am seeing about 2 cups of ash per day produced. I am using Pennington and also another local brand. They are equally bad. Supposedly, the Drycreek pellets are best, but no one can find them. My dealer did not even have any pellets available for 2 months. The ones from Walmart, Home Depot, etc are even more terrible as they are usually wet from being left outside uncovered. They all claim to be PFI certified or to be Premium quality.

2. The quality of the St Croix York insert is terrible overall. The construction is very primitive, with what appears to be cheap metal. The paint chips off easily. The ash pan trays don't quite fit right. The seals around the glass door and ash pan door are difficult to close and seal tight. The control unit looks like it is from the 1970s. The thermostat also looks to be from the 1970s. The black surround is made from a very cheap metal and chips off easily. The blower is extremely noisy. The operating instructions look like someone typed them off, instead of being a nice manual. The operating instructions are confusing and the insert is very difficult to adjust.

3. The operation and maintenance are a nightmare. The daily clean up includes: 1) Cleaning the glass off a difficult to remove residue (white powder, and black / tan glaze). 2) Vacuuming the inside thorougly. 3) Emptying the ash pans. 4) Adding a 40-lb bag of pellets which I have to haul from my garage 50 feet away. 5) Cleaning up around the stove because of all the sawdust and mess created. 6) OPTIONAL: St. Croix recommends sifting the pellets using a 1/4" mesh sifter. But to do this takes way too long, about 10-15 minutes per bag. Total time in operating daily: 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Dealer support: Terrible. Did not set up the stove correctly. Difficult to get in touch with. From what I have read on these forums, this seems to apply to a lot of dealers.

5. Sifting stinks: I have seen on these forums various inventions for sifting the pellets - from a vacuum operated set up, to 1/4" mesh systems. I am just astonished that this is even necessary in this day and age. What are we, gold prospectors living in 19th century Nevada? The level of technology and support for pellet stove is very, very primitive.

As you can tell, I am very unhappy about my purchase. I wrote this article to warn anyone thinking of buying a pellet stove to beware. They are not as good as advertised! They are difficult to operate and require a lot of effort! Yes, they do not use a lot of fuel (about 1 bag a day to heat an 800 Square Foot area, at a cost of around $4-$5 per bag. If you live in a larger home beware, that the heat output of these stoves is usually not sufficient to heat an 1800 square foot home as they advertise (you need 80,000 to 100,000 btu/hr output, and these stoves only put out about 40,000 btu/hr max). The cost at $3,300 for the stove plus $700 for installation is too high considering what you are getting. A new gas furnace from American Standard that puts out 100,000 btu/hr costs less than $3k, and National Grid is offering it to me for $500.

I would love to hear everyone's experiences with pellet stove inserts. Am I a unique situation or is my problem common? The industry has to get much better and this forum as where that can start.

crausch · Nov 11, 2008

Wow...sorry to hear about your displeasure!

I just wanted to add that not everyone's exerience is as bad as yours. I love my stove so far. And obviously many others must or this forum would not be so active. While its true that pellets stoves may require more maintenance than some other heating appliances, this is something you must take into consideration prior to purchasing.

My recommendation is to do your research first. Don't just go for something cheap, and don't jump into the decision to purchase a pellet stove blindly. All the items you list are items that are recommended that you consider prior to a purchase.

1. Make sure pellets are available locally. Be aware that there is a shortage this year.
2. Research, read reviews and compare stoves. Some stoves are more expensive, but there is a reason for this. Determine your needs.
3. Be aware that pellet stoves naturally require maintenace. Some stoves are easy to to clean than others and some require less cleaning then others.
4. Make sure the dealer you plan to purchase from can service them and doesn't just sell them.
5. Sifting isn't as much of a deal for some as it is for others.

Research, research, research!

Xena · Nov 11, 2008

I think a good part of your problem is that you bought
at a particularly bad time - stoves are higher priced and
pellets are higher priced and from what I'm hearing can
be difficult to find.

Another big part of your problem is that you're a newb
and not in the groove yet. One month is not enough time
to be well acquainted with the operation and simple daily
maintenance. I spend maybe 5 minutes a day if that
doing everything needed for the stove which includes cleaning
in and the area around it and loading it with pellets.
No way do I need to vac it out daily. Not even close.
I scrape the burn pot daily, scrape the heat exchange tubes
daily, and wipe the glass with a dry cloth daily.
Once a month I empty the ash pan and do a full internal cleanout
of ash pan, traps, above the baffle, behind the panels, etc.
(Ash pan is exceptionally huge on this stove though).

As for your comments about the workmanship of your stove.
Mine seems to be well constructed and no problems with paint
chipping as you have experienced. It is worth it to note that
before the paint has cured onto the stove, it is quite sensitive
and will peel if you bang it with something. Once it's cured it's
very durable. Beware of dripping glass cleaner on the paint though.
It will damage it. Ask me how I know.

I don't have a dealer so I can't comment on dealer problems.
Stove gets maintained and serviced by me and has been since new.

I can say the Mfg has been more than helpful to me and I would
place them as first rate. When I first got the stove they helped me
over the phone with some questions and problems I had setting up
the stove in t'stat mode. Then when my refractory panels crumbled and broke,
they were working on steel refractory panel replacements and sent me a prototype set.

All things considered, yeah, it sounds like a pellet stove
was not the right choice for you. They aren't for everyone.

Valhalla · Nov 11, 2008

I'm a wood burner for well over 30 years.

Pellet stoves have their place for some alternative fuel burners, particularly those that do not want
the kind of "work" that most wood burners have, and usually enjoy. Pellet stoves do
require a different kind of "work" and "maintenance." Each with it's own kind of routine.

There may be a time in my life when I will choose a pellet stove over a wood burner. Just, not yet.

A friend has an terrific Austroflam Rika Intregra II. It is very impressive technology; I really like it!

Choose wisely and burn safely.

kyburnr · Nov 11, 2008

Ditto what CODEBUM said.....

I don't have an insert, but my XXV has been pretty trouble free, I have burned approx. 16-18 bags. I have cleaned the stove a couple times, didn't have to, just did it. If I had not cleaned it, the ash pan would only be, maybe, a third full at the most. It heats approx. 1600 sq. ft of my house, the rest of the house is approx 100 years old and is cold. I have not tried to move any heat into that section because it is rarely used. I have not tried to run it long and hard yet and still it has kept rooms closest to the stove at 72 and back bedroom 68. It has also not been a problem to get premium pellets here. The closest place to me has run out, but my dealer, just a little longer drive, is setting on 60 + tons, most at 205.00/ ton. I can burn 40-60 lbs and not have any ash be pushed out of the burn pot into the pan. I think once the mills get caught up with demand, and price falls and availability increases, you may see much better results in heat output and maintenance with higher quality pellets. The quality of the insert and the level of service from your dealer......I guess you just have to deal with that. Hopefully you will get some replies from other St. Croix insert owners to help you out, and also there are some great stove dealers on here that really are helpful.

I do however, clean the glass , usually daily. Don't like seeing any ash or soot on the glass. That is really the only thing I don't like. Wish the glass would stay cleaner longer.

slls · Nov 11, 2008

Sorry about your experience, you need the oil or ng furnace to run, turn it on in the fall and shut it down in the spring.
I bought the right stove for me, manual fire pot dump, no need to open the door. I clean it once a day late in the afternoon, like doing it.

Burn mostly Energex, usually just sift the bottom of the bag . Yesterday with not much to do I sifted 2 complete bags and there was less than 1 cup fines, won’t do that again. I have burned 3 bags of Pennington's, burn hot but I thought they burned dirty.

As far as service I haven’t needed any yet, self install. I believe a DIY type person is more suited to pellet stoves.
This spring there will be lots of used pellet stoves for sale, other people with your same experience.
Good luck

HD41 · Nov 11, 2008

I am curious about the value and purpose of screening. I burned 3 ton of pellets last season in my Englander 25PDVC and never saw a need to screen or sift pellets. The Englander has a horizontal over and under bottom feed auger system. Is there something in the design of St. Croix and other stoves that make screening necessary?

eernest4 · Nov 11, 2008

aquidneckheat said:
Hi everyone at Hearth.com,

I would like to share my story with you. I recently purchased a St. Croix York Pellet Fireplace insert, mainly because it is cheaper than Harman and was readily available.
I cannot speak for Harman products, but as far as St. Croix York's, my experience has been nothing but negative. In general, my experience with obtaining quality pellets, getting good service from the local dealer, and carrying the daily maintenance of the pellet stove insert has been horrendous.

I have been operating my new pellet stove insert for 1 month and here are my conclusions:

1. Good quality pellets (Premium, PFI certified) are VERY HARD TO FIND. Some manufacturers claim to have PFI certification, yet the amount of sawdust in the bag is tremendous, and the amount of ash produced is incredible. On average, I am seeing about 2 cups of ash per day produced. I am using Pennington and also another local brand. They are equally bad. Supposedly, the Drycreek pellets are best, but no one can find them. My dealer did not even have any pellets available for 2 months. The ones from Walmart, Home Depot, etc are even more terrible as they are usually wet from being left outside uncovered. They all claim to be PFI certified or to be Premium quality.

2. The quality of the St Croix York insert is terrible overall. The construction is very primitive, with what appears to be cheap metal. The paint chips off easily. The ash pan trays don't quite fit right. The seals around the glass door and ash pan door are difficult to close and seal tight. The control unit looks like it is from the 1970s. The thermostat also looks to be from the 1970s. The black surround is made from a very cheap metal and chips off easily. The blower is extremely noisy. The operating instructions look like someone typed them off, instead of being a nice manual. The operating instructions are confusing and the insert is very difficult to adjust.

3. The operation and maintenance are a nightmare. The daily clean up includes: 1) Cleaning the glass off a difficult to remove residue (white powder, and black / tan glaze). 2) Vacuuming the inside thorougly. 3) Emptying the ash pans. 4) Adding a 40-lb bag of pellets which I have to haul from my garage 50 feet away. 5) Cleaning up around the stove because of all the sawdust and mess created. 6) OPTIONAL: St. Croix recommends sifting the pellets using a 1/4" mesh sifter. But to do this takes way too long, about 10-15 minutes per bag. Total time in operating daily: 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Dealer support: Terrible. Did not set up the stove correctly. Difficult to get in touch with. From what I have read on these forums, this seems to apply to a lot of dealers.

5. Sifting stinks: I have seen on these forums various inventions for sifting the pellets - from a vacuum operated set up, to 1/4" mesh systems. I am just astonished that this is even necessary in this day and age. What are we, gold prospectors living in 19th century Nevada? The level of technology and support for pellet stove is very, very primitive.

As you can tell, I am very unhappy about my purchase. I wrote this article to warn anyone thinking of buying a pellet stove to beware. They are not as good as advertised! They are difficult to operate and require a lot of effort! Yes, they do not use a lot of fuel (about 1 bag a day to heat an 800 Square Foot area, at a cost of around $4-$5 per bag. If you live in a larger home beware, that the heat output of these stoves is usually not sufficient to heat an 1800 square foot home as they advertise (you need 80,000 to 100,000 btu/hr output, and these stoves only put out about 40,000 btu/hr max). The cost at $3,300 for the stove plus $700 for installation is too high considering what you are getting. A new gas furnace from American Standard that puts out 100,000 btu/hr costs less than $3k, and National Grid is offering it to me for $500.

I would love to hear everyone's experiences with pellet stove inserts. Am I a unique situation or is my problem common? The industry has to get much better and this forum as where that can start.

Want to fall in love with your pellet insert all over again?

Just try driving around all summer long ,looking for downed trees to cut up with your chain saw & then lift the heavy rounds into your pick up truck or trailer. And keep making trips back & forth until you have moved all of the tree, chunk by chunk on to your property.

Next you get to sort the wood & resaw any pieces too long to fit into your log splitter.
Now spend all your free time for a month, splitting the rounds into splits & filling wheelbarrows
full of splits & take them into your woodshed & then stack them up ,nice & neat.

Now wait 1 year for the wood to dry out & season, before it is ready to be burnt.

Now lug 2 wheelbarrows a day into he house, during burning season, so you can keep the fire going 24/7

Remember to get up at 3 am to put more wood on the dying embers so that when you wake up at 8 or 9 am , the house is 72 and not 55

Keep feeding the fire every 3 or 4 hours ,all day long.

YOU WILL probably thank god that you bought a pellet stove ,instead.

I have both the pellet & the wood stove. I hate cleaning my pellet stove because i have to scoop the ash out of the tiny ash trap with a empty hard pack cigarettee box that has the front cut off. That is the biggest thing that will fit into my ash trap.

I believe that my pellet stove was designed to be cleaned by a ash vac only so some day I'll have to pony up the $300.oo for one.

Bottom line, it sounds to me that you don't have things bad at all but you don't have anything
really bad to compair it to, so you think its bad.

Your situation is about par for the course so just be happy of the money that you are saving from the cost of fuel oil.

If you really can't stand it, turn the oil burner on for an hour to warm up the whole house.

I even do that on the really cold winter days, when its 10 degree with a 20mph wind out.

The body gets tired of always being chilly, especially when you are north of 60 yrs, so we have warm up days with the oil burner. Then its back to the wood stove, the pellet stove & sometimes both going at once.

I had two days ,last winter when I ran the wood stove & the pellet stove & the oil burner,all at once for 1 hour.

Xena · Nov 11, 2008

HD41 said:
Is there something
in the design of St. Croix and other stoves that make screening necessary?

Nope. I've run 9 brands of pellets through mine and
never screened or sifted anything.

eernest4 · Nov 11, 2008

hi zita , whats up!
how you doing?

MCPO · Nov 11, 2008

aquidneckheat said:
Hi everyone at Hearth.com,

I would like to share my story with you. I recently purchased a St. Croix York Pellet Fireplace insert, mainly because it is cheaper than Harman and was readily available.
I cannot speak for Harman products, but as far as St. Croix York's, my experience has been nothing but negative. In general, my experience with obtaining quality pellets, getting good service from the local dealer, and carrying the daily maintenance of the pellet stove insert has been horrendous.

I have been operating my new pellet stove insert for 1 month and here are my conclusions:

1. Good quality pellets (Premium, PFI certified) are VERY HARD TO FIND. Some manufacturers claim to have PFI certification, yet the amount of sawdust in the bag is tremendous, and the amount of ash produced is incredible. On average, I am seeing about 2 cups of ash per day produced. I am using Pennington and also another local brand. They are equally bad. Supposedly, the Drycreek pellets are best, but no one can find them. My dealer did not even have any pellets available for 2 months. The ones from Walmart, Home Depot, etc are even more terrible as they are usually wet from being left outside uncovered. They all claim to be PFI certified or to be Premium quality.

2. The quality of the St Croix York insert is terrible overall. The construction is very primitive, with what appears to be cheap metal. The paint chips off easily. The ash pan trays don't quite fit right. The seals around the glass door and ash pan door are difficult to close and seal tight. The control unit looks like it is from the 1970s. The thermostat also looks to be from the 1970s. The black surround is made from a very cheap metal and chips off easily. The blower is extremely noisy. The operating instructions look like someone typed them off, instead of being a nice manual. The operating instructions are confusing and the insert is very difficult to adjust.

3. The operation and maintenance are a nightmare. The daily clean up includes: 1) Cleaning the glass off a difficult to remove residue (white powder, and black / tan glaze). 2) Vacuuming the inside thorougly. 3) Emptying the ash pans. 4) Adding a 40-lb bag of pellets which I have to haul from my garage 50 feet away. 5) Cleaning up around the stove because of all the sawdust and mess created. 6) OPTIONAL: St. Croix recommends sifting the pellets using a 1/4" mesh sifter. But to do this takes way too long, about 10-15 minutes per bag. Total time in operating daily: 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Dealer support: Terrible. Did not set up the stove correctly. Difficult to get in touch with. From what I have read on these forums, this seems to apply to a lot of dealers.

5. Sifting stinks: I have seen on these forums various inventions for sifting the pellets - from a vacuum operated set up, to 1/4" mesh systems. I am just astonished that this is even necessary in this day and age. What are we, gold prospectors living in 19th century Nevada? The level of technology and support for pellet stove is very, very primitive.

As you can tell, I am very unhappy about my purchase. I wrote this article to warn anyone thinking of buying a pellet stove to beware. They are not as good as advertised! They are difficult to operate and require a lot of effort! Yes, they do not use a lot of fuel (about 1 bag a day to heat an 800 Square Foot area, at a cost of around $4-$5 per bag. If you live in a larger home beware, that the heat output of these stoves is usually not sufficient to heat an 1800 square foot home as they advertise (you need 80,000 to 100,000 btu/hr output, and these stoves only put out about 40,000 btu/hr max). The cost at $3,300 for the stove plus $700 for installation is too high considering what you are getting. A new gas furnace from American Standard that puts out 100,000 btu/hr costs less than $3k, and National Grid is offering it to me for $500.

I would love to hear everyone's experiences with pellet stove inserts. Am I a unique situation or is my problem common? The industry has to get much better and this forum as where that can start.

Your experience might be well below the average negative experience but probably not too far off . Pellet stoves aren`t for everyone either since service usually stinks from most dealers. Those who burn pellets are prone to exaggerating how much heat they get from them and how much money they are saving. Any actual savings are realized from less heat in the outer areas of the house than what their central system provided.
In spite of the recent improvements in pellet burning technology and advantages over burning cordwood it`s still a reasonably crude alternative that lacks industry standards.
However to be fair , most people are under the expectations that a pellet stove is a whole house heater when it just isn`t. It`s nothing more than a very costly noisy space heater that uses electricity and won`t run if the power goes out. And to top it off pellets aren`t cheap anymore and haven`t been available since the early spring.
Personally, I`ve got a perfect running used Harman ($500) and 4 tons of pellets that need no sifting. Can you imagine how I`d feel if I had problems?

ssupercoolss · Nov 11, 2008

if you are looking for something with no maintenace, you should not consider anything that burns wood, be it pellets, logs, or pallets. burning any kind of wood comes with some level of dedication to figuring a schedule with your appliance, and being able to adheare to it. i have burned 2 plus tons every year in my pellet stove for the past 4 years. my stove has run flawlessly for that time period as well, except for a control board that was shorted out due to a power surge. poor me for not having a surge protector on it. i am confident that i could put rocks in my hopper and they would make it into the burn pot. my stove seems very well built, but before i bought it, like anything else, i did a ton of research on the internet about that stove. i went to the dealer, saw it, made him turn it on....etc. point blank, i knew what i was buying. i run pellets that my stove likes to run, not the pellets i like to buy. i spend 10 seconds pulling the lever to dump the ashes everyday, and maybe every other day actually open it to clean the heat exchanger. i pull my stove apart about once a month and do a very good vaccuuming. just like cars, the Kia might not be excactly like the cadillac that you really want. i am really sorry if i sound a little bitter, but working with alternative heating sources does actually mean you may have to put forth some effort.

humpin iron · Nov 11, 2008

Buyers remorse...............The bitter after taste of the sweet low price

JBlank912 · Nov 11, 2008

This is my first year with the Pellet Stove and I had some issues that all got worked out. The Pennington's I purchased ended up being last years (Home Depot had them in there Distro and didn't warn me before delivery) so they had a high dust/fines content. Pennington has made good on it and in the mean time, with advice from someone on this forum, I shake the bag, dump some pellets and shake and dump some more. This forces the fines to the bottom of the bag. I hold back 1-2 lbs per bag and put that on the side. Then once a week while watching TV I sift those to get what I can from the bags. As for cleaning, I have a Lopi Yankee, I open the door, pull the tray over the ash pan and sweep the ashes into it, brush out the fire pot and close it all back up. Once a week or so I give it a more thorugh cleaning. The glass I clean each 1-2 days depending on my mood. The only part I find totally unexpected is I have to empty the hopper 1-2 times a week to get the fines that got away from me and vacuum them out so the auger does not jam.

But honestly, its 5-10 minutes a day between ash, glass or filling and 30 minutes for the weekly thorough cleaning. The weekly sifting I find relaxing (guess I'm weird) :gulp: . I also researched the stove heavily before buying one and particularly this one. I knew what I was getting into. Had no desire to deal with wood, chopping, gathering and stacking. A 40 lb bag a day (or 2 depending on the weather) is not too bad considering the savings.
Also the room that has the stove was always somewhat cold no matter what I did with the oil, now its toasty warm. The stove handles the whole hose - TV/Great room is where the stove is, dining and kitchen get plenty of heat from it as does the office. Living room is hardly used so low 60's is fine there as overflow from the stove. Master bedroom is upstairs and I still open the windows a little up there because the heat just keeps going up. Spare room is just that, a spare room-close the door and set the themostat to low 50's.

I couldn't be much happier.

j00fek · Nov 11, 2008

this is my first year with a top feed stove, i used to have a p61 which was bottom feed, ill have to say that my stove burns more efficiently than the bottom feeds.

i hear you on the pellet quality issue, the good ones are hard to find, when people arnt hoarding them buying 4-5-6-7 tons and creating the pellet panic of 2008 here in maine
i have not had any dealer related issues to date, except that i have get the exhaust blower replaced after 20 bags (athens pellets

) but this issue was bound to come up later im sure
i have never sifted any pellets in the 5 years i have used a pellet stove, i have always burnt green team, but once i got athens the maintenance has gone up 100%, again this is pellet quality issues not the stove. now im having to vacume out the hopper after 10-15 bags due to the dust in these horrible pellets.

your situation is not new as many people that i have talked to this year with new stoves have had dealer issues, im sure this is due to the demand that was brought upon them with oil @4.25/gal, as many dealers are small mom and pop operations here in maine.

PA Harman P 61A · Nov 11, 2008

I have nothing to say but good about pellet stoves. I have had pellet stoves for 5 years now and never had a problem. I am sorry to hear abut your misfortinues. I would not let one bad apple from the tree ruin your opinion on pellet stoves.

Panhandler · Nov 11, 2008

HD41 said:
I am curious about the value and purpose of screening. I burned 3 ton of pellets last season in my Englander 25PDVC and never saw a need to screen or sift pellets. The Englander has a horizontal over and under bottom feed auger system. Is there something in the design of St. Croix and other stoves that make screening necessary?

This is the 4th season I've burned a 25PDVC and have never sifted a bag. Of course I never heard of that until I found this forum in August. This stove doesn't seem to be bothered with fines. I'm sure the auger design has a lot to do with it. I think the "play" in the lower auger allows the fines to not be a problem.

Souzafone · Nov 11, 2008

OK, here's the flip side. We bought our stove 4 years ago, going with a Harman because it was the most widely available, most idiot proof design that was built to last (cast iron). I scrape the burn pot daily, clean the glass weekly with what's in the ash pan on a wet cloth, empty the pan once a month, clean the stove thoroughly mid winter and after the season, at that time also brushing the pipes and removing the cleanout tee. We buy fuel off season, delivered. With the fluctuations in oil pricing I figure we're pretty immune, and the time it was supposed to take to recoup our investment ended up being much less than the 10 years anticipated. At this point we're ahead of the game, and the house is warmer to boot. A little research and the physical effort to move the fuel is a small price to pay for the security of knowing my heating costs are paid for until the next decade.

crausch · Nov 11, 2008

LMAO...I never heard it put that way before Souzafone "most idiot proof design", but yeah, thats must be why I like my Harman so much.

ducker · Nov 11, 2008

I wonder what type of heating you used as your primary source before.. I'm guessing oil/gas, and not wood.

I used wood for the past 2 seasons as my main source, and gas as a supplement, despite getting a new high eff furnace when I moved in to this house.

The amount of effort/strength/energy required to run my pellet stove vs. a wood stove is amazing. I love the pellet stove!!

To switch from Gas/oil to a pellet stove, yes you will be spending a lot more time with your primary heating source, because before it required no effort on your part (turning up the thermostat - that's it)

Your post seems par for the course for someone who jumped in when Oil/Gas prices were creeping up in the summer w/o really thinking what you were getting in to.

insuranceman1 · Nov 11, 2008

aquidneckheat said:
Hi everyone at Hearth.com,
4) Adding a 40-lb bag of pellets which I have to haul from my garage 50 feet away.

I am sorry but how did you think the pellets would get in the stove? I also have to carry the pellets in my home, how on earth did you figure they would get in there?

I am very happy with the choice of a pellet stove. I have the empress and so far clean up is no problem...I also knew that I would have to do this. I didn't buy it and think I would plug it in and that would be it.

webbie · Nov 11, 2008

aquidneckheat said:
Hi everyone at Hearth.com,

I would love to hear everyone's experiences with pellet stove inserts. Am I a unique situation or is my problem common? The industry has to get much better and this forum as where that can start.

I wish I could say your experience was one-of-a-kind, but it isn't. Rather you are part of a silent minority (or possibly majority) who is looking at your experience from your perspective. Most folks honestly don't share their true feelings...and for that, I thank you. Folks should know all the pros and cons and make their decisions based on that.

If you look over my answers and posts for the past 6 months, I have been cautioning against folks buying relatively expensive pellet units with the idea of saving money as the main or only reason....especially when compared to Natural Gas or other relatively inexpensive fuel sources. There are many potential reasons why one might want a pellet appliance - believe it or not, some people ENJOY the chase of getting good pellets, tinkering with the stove, etc. I know, I know - you have better things to do. But let me mention one word:
Boats

Well, since you live in Portsmouth you might just have one - and if you fish the cost per lb of what you catch might be $500 when everything is figured in. Same probably goes for hunting. Folks get all the outfits, the days off of work, the rifles, the 4 wheel drive, etc. etc. - Hey, how much do you think it cost Cheney to bag those ducks in Texas?

Anyway, the point is that burning a pellet or wood stove have a large recreational component along with other potential reasons.

The same advice I gave back in the thick of things applies now. If a person has the extra cash and really WANTS a pellet stove...then they should buy one. But running out and spending 4 or 5K installed on a stove or insert with the assumption that it is going to save big bucks is, in most cases, not fiscally conservative. I know....you convinced the wife that that new Grady-White was going to keep the family in Stripers forevermore.....

Anyway, thanks for the perspective - I should make it required reading! If, after folks read the good and the bad, they still want a pellet stove...well, then they should buy one. But it is important to be informed.

webbie · Nov 11, 2008

humpin iron said:
Buyers remorse...............The bitter after taste of the sweet low price

BTW, Humpin, St. Croix is a pretty well known stove and considered decent quality. Not cheap either, especially installed.

A lot of the problem, IMHO, seems to be the dealer and the pellets, etc. - in other words, the entire customer experience was lacking. That is a problem in our industry....and although it does not show up as much with wood because there are many less variables (parts to go, etc.) and also wood stove folks are even more DIY (in general) than Pellet stovers.

woodsman23 · Nov 11, 2008

here is my thoughts on your purchase of a St Croix insert. You thought you would save a bundle, get more heat, it will look great (which it does by the way). You found out is was much more work than you thought ex: "i have to carry in a 40 lb bag every day" WAaaaaaaaa how else do you think the stove is going to get loaded??. Then you go on bashing a excellent stove maker and you have not even used the stove long enough to rate it period. ex: blower is to noisy, paint is falling off control unit looks like its from the 70's cheap metal etc... You also have the worse pellets ever made "Pennington" junk as are PA pellets. Dry creek pellets are made 15 miles from my house and they are hard to get even here but can be found. Daily cleaning of the glass WAAA again it's wood hello. Also the manuals you say are junk are below and are very well done and show you everything you need to know so thats just you not being a happy camper. I understand your dilemma, you thought is was going to be like turning on the gas for the winter and found out things are different and they are. St Croix makes a great stove and nothing about my Afton Bay seems like cheap metal. I start it and leave it and that's all i do UNTIL it's time to clean it once a week. It throws out enough heat for my house and i have had nothing but great compliments on the stove from all my friends and neighbors,heck my neighbors went out and bought the very same stove and we have both been burning for 2 years and have no complants. Below is a pic of your insert, it is a great looking pellet burner if you have everything adjusted right then simply call St Croix and ask them for some help and be surprised they want to help always. If not then Maybe a gas fireplace is the way to go. If i can assist you in any way please PM me and i will help you out. Like some others have said it's not for everyone...

http://www.stcroixheat.com/prod_inserts_york.htm

http://www.eventempinc.com/stcroix/downloads/dig2/York_Insert_Installation_Manual_12-05.pdf
http://www.eventempinc.com/stcroix/downloads/dig2/York_Insert_Operation_Manual_12-05.pdf

tmiraglia · Nov 11, 2008

Easy guys, the poster knew he'd have to carry his pellets. It just became more annoying to him when the total experience was negative. I remember when my wife moved our first ton into the basement, she was a little concerned. My advice to you is to stick with it a bit, as some of these issues may work themselves out. I would feel free to make specific posts about your questions, and seek out the advice of those others running St. Croix. For example, I run a Harman, and cleaning the glass is really easy, and I don't even do it every day. If St. Croix's are more difficult, someone out there will have a good tip to make it easier. The other St. Croix owners will tell you what their cleaning rituals are. Maybe you are doing more than you have to. At the end of the day, you may not be interested in pellets - or maybe you will use your central heating system to keep the house at 64 and your stove to keep your family room at a comfy 75. Good luck. The good people on this forum will really help you out.

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