We have a 1940's farmhouse that is very hard to heat. We have a wood stove in our living room, but the floors are like an ice block all winter, so we thought we should put some heat in the basement. My husband is getting older and has abused his body in the building industry all his life, so we have decided to try a pellet stove rather than having to cut, split and haul even more wood into the basement. Knowing nothing about pellet stoves, I'm looking for advice. I've scanned several pages of posts on here and not finding much as far as general info for newbies or on basement applications, so thought I'd ask. These are the things I'm wondering about and would love feedback on:
- Are pellet stoves a good choice for a basement? I did read in one place they weren't, but they didn't explain why? Do they throw enough heat? Can someone who has one in their basement tell me how well it heats their house? And what size you run in order for it to work? How you have it set up? (ducts? leave basement door open? vents in floor? do nothing and the heat just radiates up perfectly?)
- What is the difference between a pellet stove and a pellet furnace? Do I have to have duct work on a furnace, or can I let it just 'blow' the heat into the basement? I've heard good things about the Harman P100 (I think it is called), and found a used one on Craigs List, but I don't have duct work. My husband thinks its overkill, but I think we need to go bigger rather than smaller because of the inefficiency of our house.
- What is your favorite stove with a large BTU and large hopper? Would like to be able to fill it once a day if possible. Keep in mind it's for the basement, so I do not care at all what it looks like and do not want to spend money for esthetics. I just want it to run hot and long and be reliable!
- I'm thinking I need 55-60,000 BTU for a little over 2000 sq ft of living space above our basement since the house is old, drafty and has crappy windows (we are replacing them as well, but only a few at a time as we can afford). Does that sound like the right output based on experience?
I will be shopping for a used unit via craigs list, as we can not afford a new unit and installation charges from a dealer. My husband is handy, so between that and this forum I think we can handle it. I just don't know what I'm shopping for. Thanks for any and all advice!
- Are pellet stoves a good choice for a basement? I did read in one place they weren't, but they didn't explain why? Do they throw enough heat? Can someone who has one in their basement tell me how well it heats their house? And what size you run in order for it to work? How you have it set up? (ducts? leave basement door open? vents in floor? do nothing and the heat just radiates up perfectly?)
- What is the difference between a pellet stove and a pellet furnace? Do I have to have duct work on a furnace, or can I let it just 'blow' the heat into the basement? I've heard good things about the Harman P100 (I think it is called), and found a used one on Craigs List, but I don't have duct work. My husband thinks its overkill, but I think we need to go bigger rather than smaller because of the inefficiency of our house.
- What is your favorite stove with a large BTU and large hopper? Would like to be able to fill it once a day if possible. Keep in mind it's for the basement, so I do not care at all what it looks like and do not want to spend money for esthetics. I just want it to run hot and long and be reliable!
- I'm thinking I need 55-60,000 BTU for a little over 2000 sq ft of living space above our basement since the house is old, drafty and has crappy windows (we are replacing them as well, but only a few at a time as we can afford). Does that sound like the right output based on experience?
I will be shopping for a used unit via craigs list, as we can not afford a new unit and installation charges from a dealer. My husband is handy, so between that and this forum I think we can handle it. I just don't know what I'm shopping for. Thanks for any and all advice!
