where do I start, got 2800 bi level home trying to heat 2200 (yeah I know) stove is downstairs was fairly happy till now.....18 degrees got up this morning and was 60 in bedrooms and 64 in living room and kitchen (this is upstairs, stove in family room downstairs......been playing with settings, tired of that. moved temp sesing probe last night.....OBVIOUSLY that was a mistake, put it back where it was, I did that because I was using alot of pellets and family room was miserably hot. seems though we have to do that to keep upstairs warm (Porpane too much money) anyways, have harmon p68. what setting do you find out best. by the way our dealer never spoke of outside air, what is it do I need it?? and I dont know what the damper is or where it is or what to do with it....HELP
PLEASE HELP ME BUYERS REMORSE
- Thread starter Mackdog
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I'm no pro at this myself but I would get some fans to try and move some of that warm air around the house.
fishpole is correct. you need to put fans in cold rooms and blow toward stove area. this will pull that "wall" of cold air out and allow warm air in...Trust me this works!
jimcooncat
Member
Please see my thread here on outside air. I'm installing it today and will give an update on what I find out.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/28778/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/28778/
webbie
Seasoned Moderator
Remember that a pellet stove (or a wood stove, etc.) is a space heater and not designed to heat the entire house in any weather!
When I used to sell stoves, I often quoted a figure of 65-85% (of the heating) when folks bought them.
It is extremely cold and windy out today and even getting the house to 60 is an accomplishment! Yes - try to move the heat around, but if that does not work try a small electric heater (oil filled, etc.) to bring the particular room up a couple degrees. That will not use much electric.
LP has also come way down in price - so using a little will not hurt much.
When I used to sell stoves, I often quoted a figure of 65-85% (of the heating) when folks bought them.
It is extremely cold and windy out today and even getting the house to 60 is an accomplishment! Yes - try to move the heat around, but if that does not work try a small electric heater (oil filled, etc.) to bring the particular room up a couple degrees. That will not use much electric.
LP has also come way down in price - so using a little will not hurt much.
sinnian
Minister of Fire
1. No matter what luck some or a lot of people have had with pellet/wood stoves, they ARE NOT central heaters (whole house). They ARE space heaters (specific area/room).
2. Trying to move the air (warm and cold) in the house will help, but that is not the answer to your air question.
3. Combustible appliances need AIR for combustion to occur. Living space is NOT an acceptable means of air. The appliance either needs an outside air kit (oak) or you need to leave a window open a crack.
2. Trying to move the air (warm and cold) in the house will help, but that is not the answer to your air question.
3. Combustible appliances need AIR for combustion to occur. Living space is NOT an acceptable means of air. The appliance either needs an outside air kit (oak) or you need to leave a window open a crack.
save$
Minister of Fire
I too have a split level. A little over 2000 sq feet. Like the others said, you have to get that cold air moving toward the heat. I have a fan at the bottom of the stairs blowing toward the stove., but not where or when I would be sitting. I moved the furnace thermostat upstairs. So far the furnace kicks in only for a few minutes about twice daily. It hasn't been above freezing outside for the past 3 days. My lower level rooms are running about 74-76 and my upstairs rooms are around 72. I am burning about 1 and a half bags daily. I bought the material to put a floor grate in the far north room and pull it down to the lower level with an in line fan. Again, moving the air from the coldest to the warmest. cold air is easier to move and warm air will fill in the void. My goal is to even out the heat. I think it is more efficient to use the furnace to "top off the temp" or place some electric space heater in those hard to heat areas. I have one in my bath room. Don't like a chill after the shower! Other things also help. Limit entry to the double entry foyer. Pull shades down esp. in evening. I put storm windows and doors every one of my thermopanes. 12 inches of insulation in the ceiling. When I had the house resided, I had additional insulation put on, and had the house sealed for drafts. My next move is to put outside air to the stove. I wanted this during the $600. install, but my dealer just looked at my like I had two heads and said it was not needed. From what I am reading on this forum, it is exactly what is needed to make my stove perform better.
the fact that stoves are "space heaters" as you say, is the exact reason we went with a pellet boiler (Harman PB105). Wasn't interested in fans everywhere to push/pull the air.
I know this doesn't help your situation, but the advise others will give/ have given here will !! Best of luck.
I know this doesn't help your situation, but the advise others will give/ have given here will !! Best of luck.
I'm amazed at the number of dealers/installers that tell people they don't need an OAK. Stand in front of your stove. Watch the amount of air blowing through the burn pot. That air is LEAVING your house. Your house will REPLACE that air with cold air drawn in through leaky windows/doors/foundation/sill etc. It has to be preplaced, and will be, because no house is hermetically sealed, and if it was, the flame would go out and you'd suffocate. So with an OAK, there is a small pipe that brings air from outside directly into the stove. This means that you don't outside air into your living space, where it gets heated (somewhat) and then sucked into the stove, only to be pushed back out again. How much does it help? It all depends on how big the stove is, how high you run it, and how "drafty" your house is, but the point is you're not drawing all of the COLD, FRIGID "replacement air" into your living space.
Jim
Jim
I have the same trouble as the OP. My house is not as big, and fits into a little over half the space the stove is supposed to heat, but we have an old drafty home with crap windows. The last two or three days it has been in the mid teens and very windy overnight and only reaching the upper twenties with that same wind during the day. Running my NPI40 on 4 I can only keep the room it is in at about 65deg. I dont have a thermometer upstaris but its pretty cool up there. The air from the stove has to pass by a door with a single pain of glass that moves around in its frame to get up stairs. Even with that door wrapped I have lost any real heat by then. We have been setting our furnace on 66 which brings the temp of the entire house up, then the stove slows the temp drop enough that the furnace is only running two or three times overnight. We have steam radiators so they heat the house past the thermostat setting and hold heat for awhile. During the day the sun helps hold the temp up. We are using more oil than I hoped for, and we are not happy with the stove, but it is better than it would be without it. The dealer way over sold the ability of the stove to heat an entire house. The "space heater" conversation never happened. My own fault really though, lack of educating myself before hand. Dealer is sense out of business. Go figure.
I guess I had a bit of an advantage going to pellets because I've heated with wood for years. We've been in our current home for 15yrs, heated primarily with wood for most of that, used to burn about 4cords/yr. So I know about moving air 
Have you sealed with windows with that 3M film?...before we could afford to have the windows replaced about 8yrs ago, I would seal up almost every window in the house with the 3M film and a hair dryer around the end of October. Made a HUGE difference in this house. 8yrs ago we did all new replacement windows so no need anymore.
Jim
Have you sealed with windows with that 3M film?...before we could afford to have the windows replaced about 8yrs ago, I would seal up almost every window in the house with the 3M film and a hair dryer around the end of October. Made a HUGE difference in this house. 8yrs ago we did all new replacement windows so no need anymore.
Jim
ours are usually wrapped by now, but it has been a crazy fall. The worst ones are done, but we need to get to the others still. You are right it makes a big difference
Btw...off topic, but...
My wife and I both love Eastern Maine, being from Maine myself. We seriously talked about moving to Lubec
Jim
My wife and I both love Eastern Maine, being from Maine myself. We seriously talked about moving to Lubec
Jim
Lubec huh? Eastern Maine is great except for the job market, and general economy which is awful in the best of times. Even worse down as far as Lubec.
Here's an update...
Yesterday morning I called the dealer and asked him about the outside air, told him I bought a Harmon P68 from him in October. He said about 50% of his customers do outside air, he said you don't have to do it but if you do, it makes the stove about 5% more efficient. yIKES, 5%, IS THAT REALLY IT??? My dealer was nice but he seemed elusive. He wanted us to buy the stove but didn't want to tell us that what we were trying to do wouldnt work. We are staying warm, just burning thru some major pellets. More then I thought I guess. I researched and took the plunge. Found this website after the fact. I want to be happy with the purchase, I just want to figure this dam stove out.
Does cracking the window really help??????? I am not oppsoed to doing that because it is so hot in the family room anyways.
We did plastic our bedroom windows. Our house is only 8 years old but we have major condensation problems in that area anyways.
I gave the stove a good cleaning this morning. WOW, was it ever dirty. We did small cleanings several times since we hooked up on October 8th but wow, the heat exchanger area was just full of thick ash. My pellets (Propellets) burn nice and hot but I guess they are very ashey.
I am saving money, staying warm in the daytime but can't figure out if I'm satisfied or not. I just can't figure out what to set my stove on to keep us warm but not fly thru the pellets. I just can't tell you that sometimes it seems like they last unbelieveably long and other times even at the same low temps outside we fill it and turn around and it's empty again.
Yesterday morning I called the dealer and asked him about the outside air, told him I bought a Harmon P68 from him in October. He said about 50% of his customers do outside air, he said you don't have to do it but if you do, it makes the stove about 5% more efficient. yIKES, 5%, IS THAT REALLY IT??? My dealer was nice but he seemed elusive. He wanted us to buy the stove but didn't want to tell us that what we were trying to do wouldnt work. We are staying warm, just burning thru some major pellets. More then I thought I guess. I researched and took the plunge. Found this website after the fact. I want to be happy with the purchase, I just want to figure this dam stove out.
Does cracking the window really help??????? I am not oppsoed to doing that because it is so hot in the family room anyways.
We did plastic our bedroom windows. Our house is only 8 years old but we have major condensation problems in that area anyways.
I gave the stove a good cleaning this morning. WOW, was it ever dirty. We did small cleanings several times since we hooked up on October 8th but wow, the heat exchanger area was just full of thick ash. My pellets (Propellets) burn nice and hot but I guess they are very ashey.
I am saving money, staying warm in the daytime but can't figure out if I'm satisfied or not. I just can't figure out what to set my stove on to keep us warm but not fly thru the pellets. I just can't tell you that sometimes it seems like they last unbelieveably long and other times even at the same low temps outside we fill it and turn around and it's empty again.
save$
Minister of Fire
You know, if I were in your situation and wanted to stop the guessing, I would get a pen, paper and clipboard and start writing down such things as amount of pellets use, room temp, outside temp and stove settings. then start looking at other influences, such as how the air is moving from area to area, fan use. then other energy Conservative behaviors such as pulling shades and closing off unused rooms. Look at all behaviors and structural influences. Written down, they have more real meaning and do influence being consistent with things that make a positive change.
Good luck with your stove.
Good luck with your stove.
hi melkyleb2000,
I had a lennox winslow pellet stove installed last week. I have a 1000 sq. ft. chalet, on the lowest setting my living room stays about 68*, (the natural gas furnace thermostat is in the hallway just off the living room) When I turned on my ceiling fan, the thermostat went up 2* in a very short period of time. If I remember correctly there are mini fans that can be installed over bedroom doors complete with metal venting etc. I dont think they use much electricity, you might install a couple of those, or one in one area, to see if it helps.
I had a lennox winslow pellet stove installed last week. I have a 1000 sq. ft. chalet, on the lowest setting my living room stays about 68*, (the natural gas furnace thermostat is in the hallway just off the living room) When I turned on my ceiling fan, the thermostat went up 2* in a very short period of time. If I remember correctly there are mini fans that can be installed over bedroom doors complete with metal venting etc. I dont think they use much electricity, you might install a couple of those, or one in one area, to see if it helps.
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