Burn on high?

[JennaT717]

Hello everyone!!

We are new to the pellet stove world! Any advice on what setting to burn at would be great! It has 9 levels and we have been using 5... I don't want to build too much creosote so I am wondering if we should burn on a higher setting and then lower it? Is it ok to keep it on a low setting all day (when we are home of course)? It is not hooked up to a thermostat...THANK YOU!

 

[bags]

Which stove do you have? Might want to list it in your avatar signature. I run my stove on low for days at a time or weeks without issue. This is mainly during the beginning and end of the heating season.

 

[JennaT717]

Thank you for the suggestion - I will list it... It is a 55-TRP10

 

[johninwi]

A properly burning stove won't make any cresote, watch the fire, it should be a a bright yellow and lively, lazy and orange needs more air. The ash should also be a light grey, not black, and brush off easily. The low setting will be fine, the fire should be the same just smaller.
When i got my stove i only ran it while i was watching it for the first few fire's, the longer i had it the more i trusted it, you'll probaly do the same.

 

[JennaT717]

Thank you so much!!

 

[bags]

There are many here with your stove but i am fairly unfamiliar with it since I do not own your make and model. It is also good to list it in your thread title say for example: What is the best setting to burn my 55-TRP10 or something like that. By the way, Welcome! Hang out and read up. You can also use the search bar above right and plug you question in there and it will take you to many discussions about what you want to know.

You can safely run your stove 24/7 all heating season long whether you are home or not. Asleep or not. I do without any concerns. Just to be safe invest in a CO detector and be sure your smoke detectors work and have good batteries. Also get a surge protector for your stove if you do not have one already.

 

[vgrund]

Rather than a surge suppressor, I recommend a UPS. Living in a wooded area, our power pops off once in a while for short periods. This would get you through that. If you have an automatic standby generator, it'll also get you through the period between power outage and generator start without interruption. Each of my two stoves is on a dedicated UPS. They are the sort one can find off the shelf at Costco.

 

[bags]

Yes a UPS is the way to go and that's what I have as well. An APC 750 which was about $100 bucks locally but if you look they can be bought for as low as $69.00. I believe Bogieb bought hers on Ebay for that or possibly Amazon.

 

[FirepotPete]

UPC are a good investment but a word of caution. Even though most people buy and use them for computer power backup most of the smaller models do not give sinusoidal protection. The control boards on most modern pellet/bio stoves need the protection from the sine wave spiking. A good protection strip with a high joule rating plugged in after the UPS will cover everything. Now if you get into the larger UPS units they will protect but most under $250 do not. Just depends on how much one wants to spend. I all ready had a APC 500 so I wasn't going to go out and spend more, just added a good protection strip, you can get single units also that are a little cheaper. Even when using these smaller units for computer power backup I would add more protection than they come with. A lot cheaper than a $500 board.

 

[bogieb]

Yes a UPS is the way to go and that's what I have as well. An APC 750 which was about $100 bucks locally but if you look they can be bought for as low as $69.00. I believe Bogieb bought hers on Ebay for that or possibly Amazon.

Amazon - from Schneider Electric I believe. They run specials on a regular basis, so if it high right now, give it a week or two and they'll probably go on sale again.

 

[MT Griz]

Pellet stoves are rated by their highest BTU output. That being said, you will not/should not be running at max BTU output all the time. Kind of like a teenager driving an old car. at max rpm all the time......eventually something has to give. Pellet stoves do a great job regulating themselves, but push them too hard and you will ultimately be dealing with issues. Clean on a regular basis during the heating season and do your annual maintenance; your stove will provide years of warmth and comfort!

 

[wally1234]

Rather than a surge suppressor, I recommend a UPS. Living in a wooded area, our power pops off once in a while for short periods. This would get you through that. If you have an automatic standby generator, it'll also get you through the period between power outage and generator start without interruption. Each of my two stoves is on a dedicated UPS. They are the sort one can find off the shelf at Costco.

Correct me if I am wrong, the point of the UPS is to give you time so you can shut off the stove gracefully. Not intended to keep running hrs as the UPS only gives out X amount of juice.

 

[vgrund]

Pretty much. You can measure your stove's demand and determine how long it might run on a UPS. If you catch it during a start cycle (using the igniter), it will be less. Mine runs a very long time on a very pedestrian UPS. That said, for me it exists only to bridge the gap between the loss of main power and my automatic generator starting, about 12 seconds.

 

[wally1234]

What if you don't have a UPS.. Can you ruin your stove? I heard smoke "can" build up in the house

 

[vgrund]

It helps to have a decent vertical run of venting to avoid that issue. Overall, I wouldn't lose much sleep over that concern.

 

[bogieb]

My P61 has a decent vertical run and will vent naturally. The Hastings would smoke up the house because it has very little vertical rise (maybe 12"). Haven't tested the P43, but have it on a UPS so hope it does what it should; Harmans "should", if on a recommended UPS, sense the difference and shut itself down gracefully while on the battery (other stoves may or may not do the same - the Hastings would just run until the battery gave out if it had the chance). The manual will tell you what UPS choices Harman recommends. You can always test to see if it will smoke by pulling the plug while it is running if you are worried about it.

 

[rcook430]

I too was sceptical of running my stove while not home when it was new. Now I do it all the time without any thought. Maintained properly they are very safe.

 

[wally1234]

Pellet stoves are rated by their highest BTU output. That being said, you will not/should not be running at max BTU output all the time. Kind of like a teenager driving an old car. at max rpm all the time......eventually something has to give. Pellet stoves do a great job regulating themselves, but push them too hard and you will ultimately be dealing with issues. Clean on a regular basis during the heating season and do your annual maintenance; your stove will provide years of warmth and comfort!

How does someone run a stove/insert at max BTU? By putting the heat on max? I keep my heat on 73ish but with the fan on just about max?

1. Will I burn my fan out?
2. Does putting a fan on max make the stove/insert use more pellets?

 

[vgrund]

UPC are a good investment but a word of caution. Even though most people buy and use them for computer power backup most of the smaller models do not give sinusoidal protection. The control boards on most modern pellet/bio stoves need the protection from the sine wave spiking. A good protection strip with a high joule rating plugged in after the UPS will cover everything. Now if you get into the larger UPS units they will protect but most under $250 do not. Just depends on how much one wants to spend. I all ready had a APC 500 so I wasn't going to go out and spend more, just added a good protection strip, you can get single units also that are a little cheaper. Even when using these smaller units for computer power backup I would add more protection than they come with. A lot cheaper than a $500 board.

Better safe than sorry. Our power is a little flakey at times. I installed a whole-house surge suppressor at my electrical panel.

 

[bags]

I run my distribution blower at max almost all the time. Concerning blower motors it is better that they run more than a bunch of stop / start or off and on. Less wear and tear that way.

You acn use more pellets that way depending on the temp dial and how you run. In some modes it needs to be at 4.5 - 5 to run or it will shut off.

 

[wally1234]

Better safe than sorry. Our power is a little flakey at times. I installed a whole-house surge suppressor at my electrical panel.

Nice! I would love to do that.. How much did it cost you? Part and install

 

[vgrund]

The part was $47. I installed it myself. It was very easy. http://apps.geindustrial.com/publibrary/checkout/DET-734?TNR=Brochures|DET-734|generic

 

[Polar Bear]

I am still only running my stove on setting 1. Never seen a hinter of an issue. Burn on!

 

[vgrund]

We are cranking our two stoves at Medium mostly with a stint on Medium-High in the mornings. Winter temperatures arrived in my town this week and it is a big house. We could get away with less if we had more of an up and down box colonial style, but ours is more of a sprawling Cape design. Convection certainly works but I believe it would be more efficient with a different layout. Our stoves are reliable and I have no concerns about running them on any setting. Fire away!

 

[bostonfan49]

What if you don't have a UPS.. Can you ruin your stove? I heard smoke "can" build up in the house

...free standing stoves are more susceptible to smoke i.e. back draft, than inserts which usually have enough natural draft to draw out the remains smoke...remember, as MT Griz said, religiously keep your stove clean and you will have much less problems long term...Bill