curtthegreat
Member
One thing I know about Menards is they will list a few brands, but not all of them over the phone. It's not their job to be too informed. I walk out and look over all they have and pick the exact pallet I want loaded on my truck.
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- Thread starter SunshineAcres
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jtakeman
Minister of Fire
SunshineAcres said:
That all depends on how you are running the stove(always on, Hi/Lo stat or On/Off stat) and what heat setting you are using. If you can provide a bit more info we may be able to assist.
We have three heat settings; 1-low, 2-med, 3-high. We're running at 2 and always on. draft fan is set at 4 out of 9, auger/agitator is set at 2 out of 9 and the room fan is always on. With those settings, our 2600 sf farmhouse stays around 71-75 depending on the outside temperature. Not sure what we could/should do differently. Any and all help/advice is welcome!
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
SunshineAcres said:
You are burning at a rate of about 9 lbs of pellets per hour. You are using a bag in about 4.44 hours. And you will use up the 320 lbs(8 bags) hopper fill in approx 72 hours. Or 2.67 bags a day. These are rough quess's only. Sounds like you will be feeding that Big thing pretty often. I think you will be in with the pellet pigs very soon. It likes to eat pellets. But thats the price you pay for have the super heat of a big stove or furnace. I go through 2 bags a day with my Omega when its very cold out too!
Am I close???
Is there a way we can slow our pellet usage down? At a rate of 2.5 bags per day, we'll need over 8 tons from Oct-March!
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
I don't see a way to install a T-stat to the stove so that's out. They don't give any feed rate differences from corn or pellet mode(Cr-3 or Pr-3). I guess all you could do is run the furnace on low as much as you can. Say just before bed time and when you are away from home.
Low feed rate is 5 lbs per hour so it would use less fuel. Running it on low as much as possible should lower your fuel usage.
Also I made a booboo in the math. Not sure what happened or where I goofed. Manual was saying hopper fill would last 72 hours. Best I could calculate is 64 hours.
Low feed setting.
5 lbs/hr x 24= 120 lbs per day divide by 40= 3 bags a day. Hopper fill would last 64 hours.
Medium feed setting.
9 lbs/hr x 24= 216 lbs per day divide by 40= 5.4 bags a day. Hopper fill would last 35.6 hours.
High feed setting.
13 lbs/hr x 24= 312 lbs per day divide by 40= 7.8 bags a day. Hopper fill would last 24.6 hours.
How many bags are you actually using per day?
Low feed rate is 5 lbs per hour so it would use less fuel. Running it on low as much as possible should lower your fuel usage.
Also I made a booboo in the math. Not sure what happened or where I goofed. Manual was saying hopper fill would last 72 hours. Best I could calculate is 64 hours.
Low feed setting.
5 lbs/hr x 24= 120 lbs per day divide by 40= 3 bags a day. Hopper fill would last 64 hours.
Medium feed setting.
9 lbs/hr x 24= 216 lbs per day divide by 40= 5.4 bags a day. Hopper fill would last 35.6 hours.
High feed setting.
13 lbs/hr x 24= 312 lbs per day divide by 40= 7.8 bags a day. Hopper fill would last 24.6 hours.
How many bags are you actually using per day?
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
Jay according to the manual that 6500 can run in automatic mode on a t-stat :
From page 13 of the manual:
The draft fan (exhaust) will come on as soon as the “ON” button is pressed. The fan will automatically adjust its speed
in accordance to the heat range setting. However, this speed can be manually operated by pressing the “Draft Fan”
arrows up or down. “Draft Fan” when pressed, the display will show “Df-A”, which is automatic. Press the arrows again
to adjust fan speed. When the furnace is in the manual mode, the optional thermostat will not properly control the unit.
When adjusting the Draft Fan setting, try only 1 setting above or below the heat setting.
From page 13 of the manual:
The draft fan (exhaust) will come on as soon as the “ON” button is pressed. The fan will automatically adjust its speed
in accordance to the heat range setting. However, this speed can be manually operated by pressing the “Draft Fan”
arrows up or down. “Draft Fan” when pressed, the display will show “Df-A”, which is automatic. Press the arrows again
to adjust fan speed. When the furnace is in the manual mode, the optional thermostat will not properly control the unit.
When adjusting the Draft Fan setting, try only 1 setting above or below the heat setting.
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
I saw that STB, But they don't actually say it reduces itself to low feed setting. They are kind of vague on it.
The Mode setting has some info too. Same page.
The “Mode” button is used to switch between manual and automatic mode. When in auto mode, the fans, auger, and
agitator will operate at preset intervals unless changed manually using the buttons mentioned above. When in manual
mode, the draft fan (exhaust) will operate at full speed (100%), so the air must be controlled with the damper just below
the viewing door.
Would the stat hook up to jumper location J7 nad J8? I don;'t see any other place to connect it. See page 19
Maybe contact US Stove for the scoop on this.
The Mode setting has some info too. Same page.
The “Mode” button is used to switch between manual and automatic mode. When in auto mode, the fans, auger, and
agitator will operate at preset intervals unless changed manually using the buttons mentioned above. When in manual
mode, the draft fan (exhaust) will operate at full speed (100%), so the air must be controlled with the damper just below
the viewing door.
Would the stat hook up to jumper location J7 nad J8? I don;'t see any other place to connect it. See page 19
Maybe contact US Stove for the scoop on this.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
It is a definite call to the folks at USSC.
The manual is as clear as mud, the j7 & 8 is likely to indicate that the damper is in the correct position to prevent the 6500 from heading into almost immediate over fire mode due to blocked output.
The manual is as clear as mud, the j7 & 8 is likely to indicate that the damper is in the correct position to prevent the 6500 from heading into almost immediate over fire mode due to blocked output.
I talked with USSC customer service today. Went to the furnace and got some help adjusting the settings, specifically the top heat output and pellet lb/hour. Was told to see how it goes and call back later to discuss if needed. Right after I made the adjustments, we lost power. Thinking I blew the electric in the house, I panicked but was soon put at ease when I found out my neighbor's lost power too. Figured I may have blown out the whole darn block but no, something unrelated happened. Whew! At any rate, power just came back on about 15 minutes ago so we'll see how it goes. Will keep y'all updated. What a journey this is turning out to be!
magsf11
Feeling the Heat
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