New here. Looking into a pellet stove or multi-fuel. Many questions. Please help!

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BigBadJohn86

Member
Oct 10, 2010
48
Southern, IL
Hello, I am thinking of getting a pellet stove and want to find and buy one before the end of the year so I can also get the tax credit as well.
My home is 1000 sq feet, maybe a little more. I installed a small wood stove a couple years ago but between finding wood, splitting it, stoking the fire, cleaning up a bunch of ash etc, its a lot of work. I was looking maybe into a pellet stove. They look to be less work as far as keeping them filled and they leave much less ash to deal with from what Im told.

I was originally wanting a smaller pellet/multifuel central furnace to route in parallel with the duct work for my propane furnace but I would need to move the existing furnace, add on to the duct work, move my water heater further away, run duct work to the vent system, and then run a second exhaust pipe from the basement out the top of the roof. Simply too much work and rewiring/replumbing

Here is what I would like: A 4x,xxx-5x,xxx BTU unit with a moderate sized hopper (preferably 80lbs+) so I have to fill it less often
stand alone model
forced air/fan design with heat exchangers
Reliability and no major problems like motors that dont work very long, bad circuit boards, etc
Good efficiency
Actual degree of temperature thermostat controls of some sort are a bonus

I noticed the larger hopper stoves seem to be mainly pellets only. Why is that? I would like to get a multi-fuel stove because you dont know what the price of pellets will be in a few yeas and Id like a few options. But do they make multi-fuel stoves with larger capacity hoppers, or is it give and take?

How do you tell the difference between a good quality pellet and a lower quality one? Can you tell before buying?

Is there any one given source that is cheapest to get wood pellets? The cheapest Ive found so far is $3.50 for a 40# bag at Rural King

I was starting to look into making my own pellets but to make anything worthwhile to burn in a stove would it have to be primarily wood? Do they make these hardwood pellets out of wood shavings, saw dust, or wood chips?
What kind of pellet mill would I need to make my own? I think theres a sawmill within driving distance and I have 5 acres so if grass and leaves are acceptable, I have plenty of that


Can anyone suggest some good brands and models to look at? Im not wanting to break the bank but realize the cheaper ones probably arent the greatest. I thought I had found a few I liked but it seems even those got bad reviews. I have a sub to consumer reports and of the several they reviewed they all seemed to have every other review be negative complaining about filthy glass, stuff bouncing out of the burn pot, blower motors going bad, circuit boards going bad left and right.

Thanks for your help :)
 
BigBadJohn86, Welcome to the group. I am sure you will get lots to help answer the questions you have.

I am an Enviro Omega owner going on my 3rd season of use. Great stove that burns about anything and has a huge hopper(120 LBS.). Being that its 60,000 BTU's it might be a bit big for your needs. But the sister stove M55 is a good choice for you. Quiet, self cleaning burner, 80 LBS hopper and a large ash pan.

http://www.enviro.com/fireplace-products/pellet/freestanding-fireplace.html#m55

The M55 cast is another choice. But fancier(and more $).

http://www.enviro.com/fireplace-products/pellet/freestanding-fireplace.html#m55cast

The St Croix Lincoln is another choice for you.

http://www.stcroixstoves.com/mf-lincoln.php

Harman has the PC-45 which has been around along time. Only drw back is you need to change the burnpot when going from corn to pellets.

http://www.harmanstoves.com/products/details.asp?cat=stoves&prd=pellet-stoves&f=STVPPC45

Quadrafire has the Mt Vernon AE.

http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/MT-Vernon-AE-Pellet-Stove.aspx

If money is tight there are 2 stoves available that are much less in price. But you would need to be the service technician that works on it.

Englander 10-CPM(also the TimberRidge 49-TRCPM and Summers Heat 49-SHCPM) Available at Lowes and HD

http://www.englanderstoves.com/10-cpm.html

US Stove 6041/6041HF Available at TSC But only has a 60 LBS hopper.

http://www.usstove.com/proddetail.php?prod=6041

On pellets. Most are made from shavings and saw dust. Trying to make them from chips would need to use a hammermill to reduce the chips to dust. Otherwise the density would be low.

Hope I answered a few of the questions you had.

Again welcome and enjoy your stay with us!
jay
 
Jay gave you some good ideas.
I could add that each brand has its own good points and weak points. What you want or need will define what is most important for your situation.
Some people are willing to overlook performance because of the appearance of one model versus another.From what you describe you want a multi fuel stove but seem to be looking at pellets as the main choice.
I would suggest a Harman PC45 with a hopper extension. This will allow the stove to hold approx 140 lbs or more of fuel. If you are burning good wood pellets you can burn a ton before emptying the ash bucket.
It also has electric ignition and will start and stop by itself if you desire. it can be run in either room temp moce or stove temp mode. It is a prov en unit with no bugs. The igniter is very dependable.
If there is a weak point I would say it is the ESP probe which is a inexpensive item. The agitator will also have to be replaced at some point. The convection fan is a relatively cheap motor to replace if needed as is the blower fan.
They are a simple stove with lots less parts then some of its competition's.
I helped install a "45" that was pointed towards the furnace and the furnace fan caught the hot air from the stove and circulated pretty well.
If you know some people that have had a stove for a year they could tell you the good and bad points of what they have and maybe if they had it to do over they might suggest a different brand.
Are you good at doing your own maintenance or do you call a service person to fix things? If you are used to calling a service person make sure you check a dealers rep at how well he takes care of his customers. Some places are very good and other places install it and say good luck. If you are somewhat handy usually you will find good advice in this website.
There is a lot of different brands of stoves out there and most will work but take your time and narrow your choices down to what you want. If you want a cheap stove they are there. But like one dealer told me, This is a decision where you get what you paid for. With the gov paying almost a third it doesn't make sense to go cheap.
 
I looked at the models above. The Quadrant looks to be around $4K which is getting a little on the pricey side. It has a hopper of like 56 lbs with no extension
The 10-cpm and st croix have hopper capacities of 50-60 lbs with no extensions offered

I actually had been at Tractor supply right before making this thread. They had that US stove model on display. I think it was $1500 for the stove which is fairly cheap but has a 60lb hopper. I like the multi-fuel aspect of it is neat, but with this being a cheaper stove, there has to be some sort of catch like poor operation or failing blowers or augers or circuit boards. Does anyone know?

I am leaning more towards the Harman PC 45 and the model 55. They both offer hopper extensions
The Harman is definitely the better looking of the two and it seems to be low maintenance with a large ash pan and pot stirrer. If it wasnt exactly designed to burn pellets foremost, will it burn pellets just fine? I dont mind having to buy the extra burn pot thoughPlus the agitator would allow me to burn cheaper stuff if I wanted to. Does this have some sort of thermostat control? That would make this even more the better

The enviro model 55 looks to be low maintenance as well and has a large ash pan and option to add a hopper for the total of 160 lbs of pellets. Changing fuel types looks very easy with 3 buttons to select what best describes what youre burning.
The thermostat feature is a big bonus as well



Now getting on the subject of pellets. Can one make their own pellets cheaply and will burn sufficiently? Does anyone on this website do it? Im wanting to get a stove to save money on heating costs and want to get it as low as possible. If I made my own I wouldnt be as dependent on store bought pellets if they sky rocketed in price. I have 5 acres and lots of leaves in the fall and if I bag grass, I have so much I dont know what to do with. It takes a few days to burn it all so I usually dont bag
There is a saw mill a half hour from here maybe. I might be able to get saw dust etc from them for cheap. I havent looked into it yet
What kind of pellet mill would I be looking at and how much do I have to spend on one to get one just capable of making my own pellets? Are there multiple companies making mills or is there few? All I have been able to find so far are a chinese brand with a few models and it looks like thats all people are selling


Thanks
John
 
On the topic of maintenance etc, I am an electrician at a tire factory and I also do maintenance on my own vehicles whenever I can so unless this is a complicated machine requiring exacting tolerances, I should be able to do my own work
Now the general upkeep, I may try and test the limits of the ashpan etc as I can be lazy sometimes lol
 
John,

just one more thing to think about. If you read on this forum enough, you will find out that Englander has THE best Tech service of any pellet company. Mike Holton, who is the head of Englander Tech service, is a regular on this forum and will give help here, or on the phone, or by email....or you can speak with his other Tech guys.

For someone who is handy and knows his way around machines and tools, the Englander is hard to beat. You can even get one of their 10-cpm models refurbished by Mike & his team fairly cheaply and with full factory warranty.

Send me a PM if you want more info.
 
http://www.hernironworks.com/conifer.html got the 111 in my cellar. itll burn up to 20hrs at a low rate. constant fire burns clean & can burn for a month be4 grates have to be cleaned. control my fore with a Magic Heat with no probs. 111 is only a burner, not UL listed ithink, but once set up, u cant beat the cost of the heat. sawdust requires 2x storage space of wood.
mfrs. bake moisture out of the pellets, homemade pellets might be tricky 2 burn due to high moisture where the fire can go out & reignite in a stove full of gas= boom
@4k Europa is most efficient stove & doesnt self-ignite. Englander 25pdvc is fun toy to play with, my 1999 model has survived well
 
When I read and hear stuff like this:

"I just did a nice good cleaning on the stove in prep for the first burn of the season tonight. house got to 59, so it’s finally time. First fire, won’t kick on the convention blower after 30 min of ‘start’ flame. Probably that damn snap switch on the blower again (replaced last year at start of season).let it sit for a few hours to cool and cleaned the blower and snap switch again to double check it before heading to the dealer tomorrow. I need to buy a pipe cleaner brush and wanted to see what their prices for energex american’s are (the only brand they sell currently)
Now, i have a smoke leak coming from my exhaust pipe. I didn’t disconnect it or anything to clean it (i have a trap door on the bottom of mine that i just open and bang out… still need to do the brush when i get it)So, needless to say, i’m not burning tonight. I still haven’t gotten any pellets yet (have a few bags left over from last season).I’m bummed out right now. I actually said to myself, ‘screw it, just use the furnace this year’. guess we’ll have to see if warranty will cover that switch again. lifetime warranty on the stove, but i don’t think all these misc parts are included in that. It never ends.
"

I am more and more convinced that burning wood was the less complicated, less expensive, more reliable way to heat my home!

-Soupy1957
 
~*~vvv~*~ said:
http://www.hernironworks.com/conifer.html got the 111 in my cellar. itll burn up to 20hrs at a low rate. constant fire burns clean & can burn for a month be4 grates have to be cleaned. control my fore with a Magic Heat with no probs. 111 is only a burner, not UL listed ithink, but once set up, u cant beat the cost of the heat. sawdust requires 2x storage space of wood.
mfrs. bake moisture out of the pellets, homemade pellets might be tricky 2 burn due to high moisture where the fire can go out & reignite in a stove full of gas= boom
@4k Europa is most efficient stove & doesnt self-ignite. Englander 25pdvc is fun toy to play with, my 1999 model has survived well
My homeonwers insurance doesnt require me to clear installing a stove with them or anything and there is no rate increase but anything I install must be UL listed
 
BigBadJohn86 said:
~*~vvv~*~ said:
http://www.hernironworks.com/conifer.html got the 111 in my cellar. itll burn up to 20hrs at a low rate. constant fire burns clean & can burn for a month be4 grates have to be cleaned. control my fore with a Magic Heat with no probs. 111 is only a burner, not UL listed ithink, but once set up, u cant beat the cost of the heat. sawdust requires 2x storage space of wood.
mfrs. bake moisture out of the pellets, homemade pellets might be tricky 2 burn due to high moisture where the fire can go out & reignite in a stove full of gas= boom
@4k Europa is most efficient stove & doesnt self-ignite. Englander 25pdvc is fun toy to play with, my 1999 model has survived well
My homeonwers insurance doesnt require me to clear installing a stove with them or anything and there is no rate increase but anything I install must be UL listed
homemade pellets may void UL listing where UL never tested pellets of higher moisture content
 
The subject of making pellet has been discussed many times. I had the chance to watch a home owners pellet machine system work as a stove dealer was going to start selling them along with his stoves.
That demonstration was a complete failure so we tried it out to see just what capabilitys it had. We tried wood shavings, sawdust, Dried Distillers grain, and a mixture of different products. This took over a week of playing with it and we ended up with junk pellets.
You need to grind the raw material into a dust, then you feed it into the pellet machine, Then you have to let the pellets dry before you use them. By the time you get them into a bag half of them would break into small pieces and fines.
It was interesting but made a 5.00 bag of pellets look like a bargain.
How many people here make their own pellets?
 
Hi,
Wood and Pellets are definitely for different types of consumers. Still, I don’t want you to believe that pellet heating is easier or less work than wood heating, this is NOT the case.
Yes, pellet heating is less “physical” work, but from what I heard, getting a pellet stove is like getting yourself into a new hobby! Don’t get me wrong, pellets are definitely the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to burn wood; but maintenance work needs to be done on a very regular basis. Ashes are like dust, and they will find their way on every single part of the stove and they need to be removed frequently.
If you’re looking for pellet stoves, don’t forget to take a look at the Osburn Hybrid-45MF and their exclusive blower combex technology You can find more info here: http://www.osburn-mfg.com/product.aspx?CategoId=5&Id=539 All the best!
 
Just got off the phone with light brite, a fireplace and lighting company. I priced the Harman PC 45
If I went with the better paint finish, added a hopper extension, ordered it with the nickel or stainless finish and the other bells and whistles, and paid for installation and a through and up the wall chimney, it would cost me a little over $4K it looks like
I was told that everything on the ticket with the stove qualifies for the tax credit, so I would get a good chunk of the maximum $1500

Im still going to look at the other models and get some prices on them.
 
I am new with pellets, since last Monday, don't know if you looked at the Quadra-fire brand but I got a Santa Fe to heat up a little over 1500 sq. foot. I just got a programmable thermostat this weekend at lowes and hooked it up. It burns really effiecient and clean so far. Hardly any maintenance, just 5 minutes here and there.

I paid $2700 for it with no bells and whistles, just plain old stove and got a free ton of pellets for the special they had if you bought one before 10-2. I also plan on using the tax credit with this. Great time to buy.

Good luck! ( ps- I did have a problem of low flame but a small adjustment and better pellets are helping that)
 
"noticed the larger hopper stoves seem to be mainly pellets only. Why is that? I would like to get a multi-fuel stove because you dont know what the price of pellets will be in a few yeas and Id like a few options. But do they make multi-fuel stoves with larger capacity hoppers, or is it give and take?"

Also, Quads can run on 50/50 corn and pellets but I have to do more research on that. I don't even know where to get corn where I live.
 
The last time I did a price check the M55 was going for around $3000. Pipe and frills were extra. Hold 80 pounds and with the hopper extention your looking at 160 pounds. Ash pan holds well over a ton before empting. Got a few members here using them and don't hear any negitives from them.
 
pelletqueen77 said:
"noticed the larger hopper stoves seem to be mainly pellets only. Why is that? I would like to get a multi-fuel stove because you dont know what the price of pellets will be in a few yeas and Id like a few options. But do they make multi-fuel stoves with larger capacity hoppers, or is it give and take?"

Also, Quads can run on 50/50 corn and pellets but I have to do more research on that. I don't even know where to get corn where I live.

If you want to run 100% corn in a Quad conventional unit, they are a pain to keep the fire pot clinker cleaned out. You really must clean this clinker out twice per 24 hour period or you will have very deep piece of cement!!! :)

AR
 
Do pellet stoves make a lot of dust in the house?
 
BigBadJohn86 said:
Do pellet stoves make a lot of dust in the house?

That depends on the brand of pellets you choose. Some brands are rather dusty and some are not. If you pour them slowly into the hopper it's not so bad. Some try to only fill when the stove is off or on low convection fan. This will help keep the dust down.

Much better than firewood bugs.
 
A couple things to add. If you are going to cut down the trees, trim them, block the trunk, split it, stack it to dry then load them into something and drag them into the house to burn I am guessing that is just a little more work then carrying a couple pails of pellets into the house.
That also brings up the rest of the equipment you will need for burning wood.
Chain saw with a number of extra chains, the nohow to sharpen the chains
Some basic knowledge of how to drop a tree
A splitter,
A pickup to haul the wood back home.
A place to stack wood in order to let it dry
Some knowledge about cleaning your chimney.

Comparing that to cleaning a pellet stove makes most decent pellet stoves a snap to clean.
You should be able to clean most pellet stoves in less then 1/2 a hour at the most
John, You mentioned a Harman PC45 with all the trimmings at 4,000.00 What did they charge for the (pellet kit)?
 
rona said:
A couple things to add. If you are going to cut down the trees, trim them, block the trunk, split it, stack it to dry then load them into something and drag them into the house to burn I am guessing that is just a little more work then carrying a couple pails of pellets into the house.
That also brings up the rest of the equipment you will need for burning wood.
Chain saw with a number of extra chains, the nohow to sharpen the chains
Some basic knowledge of how to drop a tree
A splitter,
A pickup to haul the wood back home.
A place to stack wood in order to let it dry
Some knowledge about cleaning your chimney.

Comparing that to cleaning a pellet stove makes most decent pellet stoves a snap to clean.
You should be able to clean most pellet stoves in less then 1/2 a hour at the most
John, You mentioned a Harman PC45 with all the trimmings at 4,000.00 What did they charge for the (pellet kit)?
Pellet kit? I asked the guy about the pellet pot but he said he couldn't find anything about it so we figured it came with the stove?
 
There usually is two pots that come with the stove as standard equipment. But there is a special kit available that gives you yet another pot and end plate that you can use. It is used in place of the agitator. The ashes generally flo over the back using this system. The kit also has a different plate that fits in front of the exhaust fan. Using this plate changes the amount of air being moved through the pot increasing the BTU's to 50,000.
I sold 29 PC45s this past year closing out a stove store that a friend owned after he passed away. I sold all the stoves for 1850.00 plus tax and have probably half a dozen pellet kits left. We burn mostly corn around here but if corn prices go up some will switch to pellets.
I was curious as to how much these kits were selling for as I never found a price for these kits.
just for information purposes there was a lot of information on burning different types of grain and other materials put out by a fellow from Canada. They had done a lot of testing and did a few modifications etc that made the 45 burn more efficent.
Ask your dealer if he has heard of "dip switches". If he hasn't I might be reluctant to buy from him. He should have known about the "pellet kit" anyway.
I sent you a PM yesterday about the stove. You should have seen a small flashing square beside private message on your Hearth.com home page.
 
rona said:
A couple things to add. If you are going to cut down the trees, trim them, block the trunk, split it, stack it to dry then load them into something and drag them into the house to burn I am guessing that is just a little more work then carrying a couple pails of pellets into the house.
That also brings up the rest of the equipment you will need for burning wood.
Chain saw with a number of extra chains, the nohow to sharpen the chains
Some basic knowledge of how to drop a tree
A splitter,
A pickup to haul the wood back home.
A place to stack wood in order to let it dry
Some knowledge about cleaning your chimney.

Comparing that to cleaning a pellet stove makes most decent pellet stoves a snap to clean.
You should be able to clean most pellet stoves in less then 1/2 a hour at the most

I take it this is a reply to soupy's post. I agree with ya rona. One thing I can count on is when I get home from working a long hard day. The house is toast warm. The last thing I would want to do is have to haul in wood and build a fire. I can crack a beer and relax. Just before bed I fill the hopper and good for over 24 hrs.

Thing I hated the most about burning wood was the 2 AM wake up call. Half a sleep I always seemed to drop a split on me toes! Maybe when I got nothing better to do I would go back to wood burning. But My busy life likes the pellet stove much better. I never had the room to have 3 years supply on hand before it was properly dried anyway.

Seems soupy likes to poke at us pellet burners. Must not have anything better to do? :) hehe!
 
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