New Corn/Pellet Stove Owner

[Richmarti12]

HI
Just wondering if anyone can help with the following. I just purchased an Englander 10-CDV corn/pellet stove for 1350.00. Good price? Anyone I want to install it in my unfinished, damp basement with plans to heat my 1200 square foot, one level home. Is this a good idea? The stove is for 2200 sq ft, my home is 1200 square ft., is the stove too large. Will it help with moisture?
Thanks,
Rich

 

[BrotherBart]

It is a fantastic price if it is a new stove. Since you can vary the burn rate/heat range then overheating the place isn't an issue. I don't think it is going to do much for moisture reduction since ESW units require outside air intake. The moisture should travel upstairs with the heated air though and that should be a welcome thing in winter.

 

[packerfan]

Personally, I would install it upstairs if possible. My reason for this is that although heat rises, it will be hard to move it upstairs. If you place it in the basement, you will have to burn fuel at a much higher rate to warm the upstairs, rather than if you installed it upstairs in the first place. More fuel=more $$ to run it. If installing in a basement, remember that you also will have to haul all your fuel down the steps as well.

If you do install it in the basement, I think the hot air from the blower will certainly help to dry out the air. I have to run a humidifier in my house to add to the humidity level, as the forced hot air definitely dries things out.

My stove is also rated for 2200 sq. ft. , and it does an ok job even with below zero temps in my 1500 sq.ft. house. I do however constantly run a fan to move the air around as it gets a little bit cooler in the basement.

 

[Richmarti12]

Thanks for the info...
Also wondering if you can help with a concern my wife and I have regarding safety. Are they safe to operate? Does having a pellet stove increase home insurance rates? I just paid 3.69 a gallon for oil and one of the reasons for purchasing the stove to to cut heating costs. Can I expect to see a reduction in the cost of heating my home? Thanks for your help.

 

[packerfan]

When installed properly according to manufacturers specifications, they are very safe to operate. All the fire is self contained within the stove. Just make sure it is installed correctly and everything should be fine.

My insurance company didn't have a problem at all, and rates stayed the same.

As far as a reduction in heating cost, in my area I can get a bag of decent pellets for less than you paid for 1 gallon of oil. I can make that bag of pellets last a full day. How long does it take you to burn a gallon of oil? When it gets real cold here (below zero) I burn through about 2 bags a day, when it is around 25 degrees or warmer I get by on about a bag a day, maybe a little more. Your experience may differ though, depending on the size of your house, floor plan, where you install the stove, insulation, and whatever else.

 

[bilder]

Regarding pellet consumption: I am heating a fairly well insulated 2 story house at 68-70 degrees on no more than 4 tons of hardwood pellets. Pellets were bought this past fall at $215.00/ton. If you have forced hot water baseboard heat be careful with pipes that may be exposed to outside air. Found out the hard way that you need to run the baseboard heat occasionally if you have pipes that run near an outside wall to prevent pipe freezing. I have a friend with a similar size house as yours and he uses 3 ton per year to heat to 68-70 degrees. I would agree that stove should be placed on the first floor. Good luck!

 

[newpelletstove]

Thanks for the info...
Also wondering if you can help with a concern my wife and I have regarding safety. Are they safe to operate? Does having a pellet stove increase home insurance rates? I just paid 3.69 a gallon for oil and one of the reasons for purchasing the stove to to cut heating costs. Can I expect to see a reduction in the cost of heating my home? Thanks for your help.

Hey Richmarti -

I installed a new pellet stove last month. I am happy with it. My insurance company increased my yearly premium by $25, which I thought was no big deal. I agree with the others - if the stove is installed properly, including the venting, they are totally safe to operate. My stove (Harman XXV) is hot on the front only, and warm (not dangerous) on all other sides/top.

Good luck !!

 

[drizler]

We put one in for winter 04/05 and raised out insurance to full value which had appreciated greatly in the previous 10 years. It cost us another 150 a year most of it towards the nearly doubled full replacement value. Not a big deal at all. The only thing I would watch out for is directly in front. It is so well dispersed and blown about that you can forget that the front can be 350F in places much of the time. Not much really but enough to ignite things like pillows and papers placed nearby if kids or cats should get to fighting or it otherwise gets knocked around while no one is present. Your overheat switch will take care of any other misadventure. I just try to keep mine clear of objects that can get knocked up against the front or in back where the pipe goes into the wall, speaking of curtains and such things. The big thing is making sure that the ins company has it on the record and all the clearances are proper or you will be left out in the cold in the event of a claim regardless of what caused the fire. I pretty much leave mine running all winter whether someone is home or not and have had no problems yet except for it going out.