New and completely lost.

[redruby129]

Hello all!
I am new to the pellet stove world.. and lost at where to begin! I've been looking through some posts here and just still don't know what to do about our unit. We purchased a 1300 sq ft. split level home with electric baseboard heat and a pellet stove in the basement. Originally we were thinking of just converting to gas and not even bothering with the pellet stove, but since living here we are curious about keeping it. We both do not have experience using it. Right now we have a tentative date for a pellet stove company to come and take a look at it. We have an Avalon Newport Avanti. I have the owner manual, can't seem to find what year the unit is. The stove appears to be on some sort of heat protective mat. There is corrosion on the pipe and the unit itself. The unit is not centered in the room, but off to the side and the pipe is at a diagonal. Why might that happen?

There is a wire coming from the unit to a thermostat.. looks like the thermostat should be mounted to a wall maybe? Is that normal?

What should we do first? Wait to fire it up until the pellet stove company guy is here? Should we attempt it on our own? We have not purchased any pellets just yet.

I am hopefully attaching a picture to this post!

 

[Shane1]

From the looks of it I'd assume the pipe is angled because that's the way they fit. When installed they didn't have the right length pipe. You'd be fine to attempt to start it yourself you'd just have to give it a thorough cleaning. The rust shouldn't be an issue as long as it's only surface.

 

[Mt Bob]

Thermostat not mounted,rust on outside of pipe,wrong length pipe,I suspect was in storage somewhere and slapped in house to help sell the house.As you know nothing about these stoves,I recommend you do not run it until it has been checked out by someone that knows pellet.Grab 1 bag of pellets from store,as he/she may want to test fire it.

 

[railfanron]

Is that black square to the right of the stove a clean out for the chimney? If it is that's why they angled the stove so they could get to the cleanout door.
Ron

 

[corkman]

Look at back of stove and you should see a tag that looks like this. It will have a month and year punched.before you fire if up I would recommend you read youf manual from cover to cover to get familiar with the working of the stove. Give it a good cleaning and fire it up

 

[Lake Girl]

I would wait until the tech comes to check it out. Exhaust vent will need to be cleaned and see how it is vented into the chimney (as well as the condition of the chimney), stove needs to be cleaned as well. Make sure you pay attention to how he service it all so you can do this yourself in the future should you chose to.

Get a bag o pellets as Bob suggests so it can be put through it's paces.

If you don't have them yet, get smoke and CO detectors. Fire extinguisher is a good idea but place it away from the stove JIC..

Keep us posted and read the manual!

 

[alternativeheat]

I just saw this post . Given your situation and pellet stove knowledge and looking at that rusted vent, I'd wait to have it checked out. Meanwhile, read up, the manuals are pretty good, so is this forum. You're dealing with fire here, you want to know it's at least safe to light up. The time to find out isn't as the house fills with smoke from a stuffed up or collapsed vent system or other failed component. Go with the wise choice rather than the risky one.

 

[redruby129]

Thank you all for your replies! We had the technician come out today, he gave it a nice thorough cleaning and showed us how to use it. He thinks we'll get one more season out of it, but it's pretty old and very rusted. As for the vent pipe, he had no idea why they used that pipe and it was leaking smoke from multiple spots. We're getting a new one installed and will move the stove so that it's not off centered!

 

[alternativeheat]

Thank you all for your replies! We had the technician come out today, he gave it a nice thorough cleaning and showed us how to use it. He thinks we'll get one more season out of it, but it's pretty old and very rusted. As for the vent pipe, he had no idea why they used that pipe and it was leaking smoke from multiple spots. We're getting a new one installed and will move the stove so that it's not off centered!

A chipping hammer, wire brush and stove grade paint goes a long ways on a rusty looking stove. If it's safe to burn "one more season", I'd guess there is more life than that in it. Seems funny to state such a thing, knowing the stove is just about due to fail, but Not till next year. Of course you won't really know anything about the stove till it gets run and you can't do that very well without the new vent. I assume anyway.

 

[Lake Girl]

Were you able to find out how old the stove is from the tag on the back? Is the venting just run into the chimney as it looks like it is? Did he clean or recommend cleaning the chimney also?

I am guessing the tech is anticipating a potential future sale. Stove operation is the more determinate factor. Budget would be the next consideration. As alternativeheat mentioned, a wire brush, sandpaper and high temp paint can go a long way. Moisture from the basement and ash create a corrosive environment. Many folks here put a container of desiccant in the fire box during the summer to control moisture. Dehumidifier in the basement if necessary.

Will be a good learning experience for you to determine if a pellet stove is the right choice for you. Send us a pic of your first light up and keep us posted!

 

[corkman]

Can you elaborate on how he came to the conclusion that there was only a year left in the stove. I hope you guys stepped outside to have this conversation and didn't discuss in front of the stove. No stove should should have to hear that