first post, noob to stove heat

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gonzo499

Member
Dec 8, 2010
3
slc, UT
hello all. i stumbled accross this site while browsing for pellets and i am impressed. i really wish i would have looked for this kind of thing before i bought my stove and installed it-there are a few things now that i probably would have done differently... like a direct horizontal vent-apparently that is not the way to go. in fact, my first question is: because of the direct vent do i need to cut in an intake from outside for the combustion air? as of now it is just pulling in air from the room.
let me give some background, i have a small two level home with a gas furnace in the attic and a tstat downstairs and a coldblooded wife that requires it to be 75 degrees in whichever room she happens to be occupying. my gas bill every winter has been so outrageous i decided to try something else. a buddy of mine knew someone that was selling a pellet stove so i picked it up without doing any research on wether it is a respectable stove or not. it turned out to be a whitfield freestanding profile 30. (i still have no idea if it is a respectable line of stoves or not-if anyone has an opinion on it please share it with me, good or bad) ive had it burning for a week and so far it seems to work ok.

A few of the things ive been wondering have already been answered just from a few moments of investigation on this site--thanks--
a couple of the other questions i have:

-see above question about direct vent/ comb air

-pellets seem quite regional, i have never seen nor heard of many of the brands of pellets you folks back east have named-are there any members on here that are in the utah/rockies area? my uncle tells me that a local distrbutor called "white flame" is the ticket-anyone have feedback on these or know of some that are better in the area? one nice thing about them is they are avalable for 185/ton. that is about the best price ive seen around.

-is it true that it is better to burn higher less often than lower for longer periods of time?

-any recommendations on a good and fairly inexpensive wireless tstat?

wow, i just realized how long this post has gotten-ill call that good for now. sorry for the novel and thanks for any help!
 
Welcome gonzo499
I can't answer your direct vent question someone will be along to answer that question soon. The pellets are regional I can only get Heaters brand that are 100% pine from the bark beetle trees @ $200.00 a ton. Walmart has there brand but there price are higher. I found some lignetics at true value for $7.50 a bag way to high. I burned 130 bags last year and saved close to 500 gal propane. We have a propane fire place in the den and pellet stove in living room so far this winter the furnace has been idle. I think you will really like the savings and warm heat from the pellet stove.
 
Welcome to the forum gonzo499,

A number of pellets tend to be regional. There are some that travel long distances and end up where they do because of demand or the manufacturer is trying to establish a larger market. There are a number of very good west coast pellets that we would love to see on the east coast if the price was able to be justified.

If you visit the websites of the various pellet makers you frequently find a dealer locater.

You can also check woodpellets.com and see what they are carrying in your area, sometimes there will only be home delivery if the purchase is a full trailer load.

A google search using your town/city name and wood pellets may locate some other local dealers.
 
A fresh air vent (OAK/outside air kit) is a good idea.

Some houses are vented well enough that plenty of fresh air enters without issue but, others are sealed up fairly tight.

If your not sure, add the OAK

The Whitfield stoves are a good brand.

As far as pellets go, these stoves will burn just about any brand available without issue.

I have two whitfields and run mine on nut shells.


Good luck with your new stove and welcome to the forum.

Snowy
 
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