buying a pellet stove.

[mkvrgti]

i know i have been on here before asking few questions here and there. don has told me that on the hudson river kinderhook i can up the btus with the stock board(maybe) or buy another. has any one else done this? not that i don't trust him. i am mainly looking for something with a big hopper so i can put it in my basement. but the enviro maxx, vistaflame vf170 and the kinderhook all have a 130lb hopper and from what i understand they all come from the same place. sherwood industries? the kniderhook is far less then the other two. i am from the portland area in maine so any dealers that would like to chime in also and give me advice and or prices you could pm me. i am ready to buy just havn't found the right stove to get. my house all together basement and first floor is about 2300 sq feet. it is a ranch. the basement is going to be insulated before winter.

 

[papa bears stove]

You might want to look at a Enerzone Euromax as well as the others you have already seen. The Euromax is a 70,000 BTU unit and you can run two separate ducts up to 25 ft to help get the heat upstairs. Also has a 125 # hopper. All in all make sure you research and decide on what you feel is going to work best for you.

 

[DexterDay]

The Euromax is the same as the Drolet Eco-65 but is slightly cheaper (like the Hudson River).

The Heatilator CAB-50 has a 120 lb hopper and 50,000 BTU's (All Quadrafire parts/same company) and the Englander 25-PAH has a 120 lb hopper, though it has less BTU'S. If a basement install, I would look at Max BTU.....

The Harman P-68 would be a Dandy. Although expensive. It is a workhorse thats tried and true (plus its a Cadillac). Smaller hopper, but your gonna be looking at it EVERYDAY! ! I have almost 120 in my Pellet Furnace and I still look and may add daily!

Your not gonna go really long extended periods unless its the early or late shoulder season. You may go a couple / few days. But the heart of Winter (from a basement) will be a 2-3 bag a day operation. (80-120 lbs). If you have a 120 lb hopper, its gonna need a daily feeding. Just my 2 pennies

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Also if you get the Kinderhook, you may want to check if it has the High Ash Stainless Steel burn pot. That can go 7-10 days before cleaning as opposed to 2-3 days with the regular burn pot liner.

http://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com/SS_Burn_Pot_Liner_High_Ash_EF2_EF3_Win_Mer_VF100_p/50-587.htm

 

[Don2222]

As far as the Kinderhook BTU setting goes, some Enviro boards have a jumper setting for 50k, 60k, or 70k BTUs.
The literature and other brochures on the Kinderhook are very conflicting on the BTUs it puts out. The Kinderhook is basically a redesigned HR West Point which is 70K BTU stove, so I suggested that maybe the new Enviro board in the new Kinderhook has this jumper setting. It does seem capable of going up to 70K BTUs but maybe this can be verified by a Salesman or Tech where the Kinderhook stove is sold.

If not then maybe the VF170 may be the best choice out of this bunch since it is clear that it is a 70k BTU stove.
See
http://www.dynamitebuys.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=2409

Below is a pic of the jumper setting for BTUs on the back of the Enviro Control Panel

 

[mkvrgti]

guess i will have to do some more digging around, i cant see it using 3 bags a day.... with a few air ducts and duct work.

 

[Don2222]

guess i will have to do some more digging around, i cant see it using 3 bags a day.... with a few air ducts and duct work.

Yes, typically they use 1 to 1.5 bags a day so a 3 bagger is a good choice!

Good Luck and please let us know what you get.

 

[DexterDay]

1 bag a day is possible, in the shoulder season. But heating from a basement the stove will eat more than that (contact local inspector before cutting holes and running ducts / you are removing a firestop by doing so / against code in most areas).

1 bag a day is 320,000 BTU's... Thats saying (with the stove running on High/Low) that its only going to use 1.7 lbs an hr? Or around 13,000 BTU? From a basement? Not happeneing. IMHO.

Im heating on a Main floor with the Quad and use more than that, in a newer house that is well insulated (2x6 construction). Most will tell you, that its gonna be a 2 bag a day. Shoulder season (1 bag a day) and Winter (2 bags/ at least).

Lots of people come here every year complaing there stove is eating 2-3 bags a day?!?! And want help because there dealer told them the stove will heat there house with a bag a day and all they have to do is set the t-stat (never any mention of weekly cleanings!? )

It would be different if you lived in another area. But Maine gets Cold as H#ll and your usage will surely be higher than the guy from a Milder climate. And again, your basement Is Not Finished yet.... And even when it does, getting it upstairs is still a PITA....

Again, just my 2 pennies. Based on the dozen people I know who burn pellets personally, (not based on the thousands of folks here who burn 2 bags a day / or more), none burn just a bag a day in the Dead of Winter. None. All upstairs stoves and some of there houses are much smaller than mine. My Parents house is around 1,200 sq ft and my buddies (Forum member barnyard840x) house is about 1,000 sq ft, they both use 2 bags a day (give or take).

Just dont want you to get a stove that burns 70,000 BTU an hour!! And think your only gonna be burning 13,000. Your looking into High HP units with the potential to Eat some Pellets! 70,000 BTU is a shade over 8 lbs an hour. So cranked up, that stove will CHEW through a bag of pellets in 5 hrs!! Or be able to eat up to 4-5 bags a day. . . . . Just a thought. Why get such a big stove, if you think your heat loss isnt that great?

 

[mkvrgti]

i am going by what i have seen with other family members are using an some people i work with. i guess time will tell. i understand more btus use more pellets.

 

[smwilliamson]

My Enviro Maxx used 3 bags a day heating from the basement. Thought that would be a good idea for warm floors....but my pellet consumption went up 1.5 bags a day. Back to stoves on the first floor.

Englander has a 120 hopper for $1400 new. Trusty little stove at 50,000 BTU. I have found these to be great basement heaters. Danson PelPro has a trusty 120 pounder...though the prices have gone up considerably since Aubuchon had them for $1700 or less

The Kniderhook is NOT a Maxx, even if it is made by the same company...its not the same stove ASFAIK

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The first thing to do is tighten up your house no sense in trading one fuel for another if you are chewing through a lot to start with and no sense in heating space you aren't already.

That having been said a stove that can pump out the heat (read eats a lot of pellets) can be operated on a t-stat (frequently in several modes these days) to match pellet eating to temperature needed.

Maine gets colder than He double l Dexter, considering that by popular conception the H place is well equipped with operational blast furnaces.

 

[Don2222]

My Enviro Maxx used 3 bags a day heating from the basement. Thought that would be a good idea for warm floors....but my pellet consumption went up 1.5 bags a day. Back to stoves on the first floor.

Englander has a 120 hopper for $1400 new. Trusty little stove at 50,000 BTU. I have found these to be great basement heaters. Danson PelPro has a trusty 120 pounder...though the prices have gone up considerably since Aubuchon had them for $1700 or less

The Kniderhook is NOT a Maxx, even if it is made by the same company...its not the same stove ASFAIK

The original Hudson River West Point control panel was 6.5 lbs/hr burn rate at heat level 5 which is the highest setting.
That is 156 pounds in 24 hours or 3.9 bags a day! Now from my experience running the Avalon Astoria in the basement of my 2200 sqft house with half of the 10 heat exchanger tubes ducted up to the livingroom and kitchen in southern NH using 6" ductwork, the 45k BTU stove keeps the house a comfy 72 Deg F upstairs and 78 Deg F downstairs of my split entry. The only time I needed to use heat level 6 which is a 5.5 lbs per hour burn rate (132 lbs in 24 hours or 3.3 bags per day) was when the temps dropped over night outside to -6 Deg Below Zero. Normally I use Heat level 2 which is 2.46 lbs/hr or 59.04 lbs in 24 hours or 1.476 bags per day in the cold winter.

Of course living farther north in a colder climate you may use more pellets too. good Point Dexter.

In my basement install I have finished walls with insulation. It is a walkout basement and all above ground. If the basement is NOT finished with only bare concrete or stone walls, they will suck up alot of heat! I have a friend who had an unfinished basement and had all the outside walls sprayed with closed cell spray foam! He said the difference was incredible!

Scott - What are your basement walls like? Did you duct your heat up?

 

[FyreBug]

The Euromax is the same as the Drolet Eco-65 but is slightly cheaper (like the Hudson River).

The other way around. The Drolet version is less expensive since it's rated at 65K BTU (Euromax 70K), has more of an utilitarian look and does not have the advanced electronics the Euromax has. If you want to see how the electronics works click here

Both are twin auger bottom feed.

 

[DexterDay]

The other way around. The Drolet version is less expensive since it's rated at 65K BTU (Euromax 70K), has more of an utilitarian look and does not have the advanced electronics the Euromax has. If you want to see how the electronics works click here

Both are twin auger bottom feed.

Thats what I meant, the Drolet is cheaper... Both are solid looking stoves

 

[Vinelife]

I love my Quad Santa Fe, I use Somersets and it heats my whole house .. when its really cold I will go through 2 bags in one day...

 

[Don2222]

I love my Quad Santa Fe, I use Somersets and it heats my whole house .. when its really cold I will go through 2 bags in one day...

I have a quad Santa Fe also that I picked up. It is truly amazing the amount of heat it puts out for a small stove! Being a small stove that must use a T-Stat means one thing. It is real stingy burning pellets! I like this stove too!