New Enviro M55 first burn ever

[Benski]

Its finally installed and heating up our unfinished basement (as, I hope, you will see in the attached picture). FYI, we own a 100+ year old house which only had a tiny crawl space that I began digging up in 2005 to a full 8ft deep (7 ft when finished) and underpin the foundation walls. Excavation is now 80% completed, thus the installation of this pellet stove.

I have bought 150 bags of wood pellets made by Granules LG in St-Felicien, Lac St-Jean, Qc, Canada. These pellets seem to be of good quality, I guess I'll have a better opinion next Spring!

So everything works well and we get plenty of heat. I'll let it burn longer tonight as I finished the install quite late last night.

I'll definitely come back later with more details and questions. I have a 30 ft tall SS chimney liner (4in dia) installed and I think I am having a little too much air drawn (flame has the blowtorch characteristics described in the manual)... I'll try to measure vacuum in the stove a little later.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[jtakeman]

Benski,

Keep us posted on how you like that stove and How the heat output is. I own one of its big sister stoves. Mine has been a pleasure so far.

You should do well with the LG pellet. They have been go for me in the past.

Glad you got it going and Hope it keeps you nice and warm.
jay

 

[Xena]

Sounds like a lot of work involved to
dig that basement out but the stove sure
looks sweet!

 

[imacman]

Benski, congrats on the install!

IMO, the flame I see in the pic doesn't look bad at all. Does the M55 have an intake air damper?

In any event, enjoy the heat, and keep us informed on how the new stove runs.

BTW, I agree w/ Jay.....LG granules are good pellets.

Yep Xena, that basement dig sounds like it was a LOT of work....my back is aching just thinking about it.... hh:

 

[krooser]

My dump could use that basement excavation... you free this weekend?

Nothing feels better than the first time you fire a new stove...

 

[Benski]

Benski,

Keep us posted on how you like that stove and How the heat output is. I own one of its big sister stoves. Mine has been a pleasure so far.

jay

I am very pleased with the heat output. Same as what I saw in a showroom while shopping. But it is just too warm outside to really know how it will do during the winter.

Are there any means of actually measuring the heat output? I can get my infra-red thermometer but I doubt this will help much. We have burned about 1 bag in the past 24h (shut down overnight, I had not told the insurance company yet!). So I am very happy, that's the most important for now!

I had read most of your Omega related posts before purchasing this one. The big factor for me that brought me towards the M55 was its weight and the height (my wife was a little concerned about filling the omega hopper that's some 6-8 in higher)... plus the heat output were quite similar.

Bye,

Ben

 

[Benski]

Yep Xena, that basement dig sounds like it was a LOT of work....my back is aching just thinking about it.... hh:

I haven't dug this all by hand... see pictures attached.

The house is something like 54'X28', so I couldn't do this all by hand, no way! I have so far something like 20 dump trailers taken away from the basement and brought back 1 load of clean 3/4" stones for levelling off the bottom of the excavation.

I am glad to have this heat in the basement now. I have only had 2X1000W baseboard heater in there for the last 6 years! I hope to cut my electricity bill in half in the next 12 months... we'll see how I do!

Bye,

Ben

 

[Benski]

I have just realized I again posted in Pellet Mill and Corn Crib while I had in mind to post in Hearth Room Forum.

I will try to be more cautious next time I start a new thread...

Bye,

Ben

 

[krooser]

I have just realized I again posted in Pellet Mill and Corn Crib while I had in mind to post in Hearth Room Forum.

I will try to be more cautious next time I start a new thread...

Bye,

Ben

You're in the right place....

 

[hearthtools]

That long horizontal vent run has me worried. Make sure you have a rise in the run
and you will need to clean that out about every 1 ton of pellets
with that long of a run I would have put a T clean out and not an elbo were you made the turn to go out.

 

[Benski]

Benski,
Keep us posted on how you like that stove and How the heat output is. I own one of its big sister stoves. Mine has been a pleasure so far.
You should do well with the LG pellet. They have been go for me in the past.
Glad you got it going and Hope it keeps you nice and warm.
jay

Here we are now 3 weeks into this heating season. I'd say I have used some 20 bags so far. I am very pleased with the heat output and can't wait for a good -20°C to hit the area for a couple days!

The mechanical thermostat provided with the stove is now installed and I have tried both the Auto OFF and Hi-Low modes. I like the Auto-Off feature to completely turn it off overnight when outside temperature is mild. When I wake up in the morning, I simply raise the thermostat setting and the stove turns on by itself. I love it!

I did not even empty the ash pan yet! Much better than I thought.

I'll be looking for switchgrass pellets as soon as my corn harvesting season is over.

Bye,

Ben

 

[imacman]

....The mechanical thermostat provided with the stove is now installed and I have tried both the Auto OFF and Hi-Low modes. I like the Auto-Off feature to completely turn it off overnight when outside temperature is mild. When I wake up in the morning, I simply raise the thermostat setting and the stove turns on by itself. I love it!.....

You'll love it even more if you replace that mechanical 'stat with a nice programmable one....then you won't even have to get up to turn up the temp....it will be done for you and the house will be warm already when you get up.

 

[jtakeman]

....The mechanical thermostat provided with the stove is now installed and I have tried both the Auto OFF and Hi-Low modes. I like the Auto-Off feature to completely turn it off overnight when outside temperature is mild. When I wake up in the morning, I simply raise the thermostat setting and the stove turns on by itself. I love it!.....

You'll love it even more if you replace that mechanical 'stat with a nice programmable one....then you won't even have to get up to turn up the temp....it will be done for you and the house will be warm already when you get up.

benski,

I have to agree with macman. This is by far the best thing I added to my stove. Once the thing is set, You will not have to worry about turning up the temp. Very neat feature! I let the temps drop to 68º when I am at work. Then at about 2 hrs. before I come home. I have it set to bring the temp to 72º. By the time I get home the house is warm. Same thing for nights I let the temps drop while we are sleeping. and raise it a few hrs before we get up.

Once you have it set for your schedule all you need to do is change the batteries once a year. I do it in the fall at daylite savings time.

Definetly worth the money!
jay

 

[defield]

Benski,

RE: FYI, we own a 100+ year old house which only had a tiny crawl space that I began digging up in 2005 to a full 8ft deep (7 ft when finished) and underpin the foundation walls.

Even with the mechanical help, that is a major project!

What process did you use to shore up the foundation walls?

The stove install looks great and LG Granules are good pellets. ( Burning them now, have three tons in the basement.)

Also, I agree with the others on a programmable thermostat. A nice addition that you will like.

Please keep us updated on money saved, amount of pellets used, and basement finishing.

Enjoy your stove,

Ranger

 

[Benski]

benski,

I have to agree with macman. This is by far the best thing I added to my stove. Once the thing is set, You will not have to worry about turning up the temp. Very neat feature! I let the temps drop to 68º when I am at work. Then at about 2 hrs. before I come home. I have it set to bring the temp to 72º. By the time I get home the house is warm. Same thing for nights I let the temps drop while we are sleeping. and raise it a few hrs before we get up.

Once you have it set for your schedule all you need to do is change the batteries once a year. I do it in the fall at daylite savings time.

Definetly worth the money!
jay

Could you tell me what brand and model of thermostat your are using?

I'll definitely want a progammable thermostat as the rest of the house is equipped with them. I also have one for an electrical in-floor heating on a ceramic floor. It was a must have feature with a cold basement. I now want to do without it as much as possible to save on hydro power

Thanks,

Ben

 

[jtakeman]

benski,

I have to agree with macman. This is by far the best thing I added to my stove. Once the thing is set, You will not have to worry about turning up the temp. Very neat feature! I let the temps drop to 68º when I am at work. Then at about 2 hrs. before I come home. I have it set to bring the temp to 72º. By the time I get home the house is warm. Same thing for nights I let the temps drop while we are sleeping. and raise it a few hrs before we get up.

Once you have it set for your schedule all you need to do is change the batteries once a year. I do it in the fall at daylite savings time.

Definetly worth the money!
jay

Could you tell me what brand and model of thermostat your are using?

I'll definitely want a progammable thermostat as the rest of the house is equipped with them. I also have one for an electrical in-floor heating on a ceramic floor. It was a must have feature with a cold basement. I now want to do without it as much as possible to save on hydro power

Thanks,

Ben

Hey Ben,

I'm using this one. Link:
http://www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx500e.htm

I purchased it at a HomeDepot on sale for around $30 or so.

This is a slightly more optioned model for just a bit more.
http://www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx9100e.htm

Both would work just fine.
jay

 

[imacman]

......I'll definitely want a progammable thermostat as the rest of the house is equipped with them......

Ben, what make/model programmable do you have in the rest of the house? If their standard millivolt units, why not just get another one of the same.....that way you already know how to program & use it.

But the ones that Jay mentioned above are good too. I have a Lux just like the Tx 500e he mentioned for my pellet stove...works flawlessly.

 

[gutterboy2ca]

Hey Ben, you might wanna throw that ole Pellet stove out(or sell it to me) once Hydro Quebec buys NB Power,you guys will have so much electricity you'll be givin it away to Maine/Vermont for free just to get rid of the Excess, hahahaha...OK, just kidding before someone thinks i was serious.

 

[Benski]

Ben, what make/model programmable do you have in the rest of the house? If their standard millivolt units, why not just get another one of the same.....that way you already know how to program & use it.

But the ones that Jay mentioned above are good too. I have a Lux just like the Tx 500e he mentioned for my pellet stove...works flawlessly.

All my other thermostat are for electric baseboard heaters, so they use line voltage. They are UPM brand which I never liked. So I'm happy to give a try with another brand!

Ben

 

[Benski]

Hey Ben, you might wanna throw that ole Pellet stove out(or sell it to me) once Hydro Quebec buys NB Power,you guys will have so much electricity you'll be givin it away to Maine/Vermont for free just to get rid of the Excess, hahahaha...OK, just kidding before someone thinks i was serious.

Cheap electricity is a sad thing. We are litterally wasting it in resistive heaters, what a shame!

We could do so much more to create more value with that power.

That's a reason I chose to move on pellets. I know this is the way to go for the long run. Plus I could grow my own source of energy on the farm and some day get some $$ for it. In the meantime, you, as a good canadian citizen, likely contribute to our welfare revenues during this period of low commodity prices (pigs) and high production costs (fuel, seeds, fertilizers).

Bye,

Ben

 

[Benski]

Hey Ben,

I'm using this one. Link:
http://www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx500e.htm

I purchased it at a HomeDepot on sale for around $30 or so.

This is a slightly more optioned model for just a bit more.
http://www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx9100e.htm

Both would work just fine.
jay

Thanks Jay,

It could not be clearer!

Bye,

Ben

 

[Benski]

Benski,

Even with the mechanical help, that is a major project!

What process did you use to shore up the foundation walls?

Ranger

The old foundation walls are made of large stones 24 to 30in thick and fall 4 to 5 feet below outside ground level. So we dug inside flush to the stone wall all the way down to 8 feet deep. I even went a little further towards the outside of the house (about 12 in) at the footings depth. Then I poured a 24in wide footing with a key formed in the concrete and 3/4in rebar sticking out of the footing every 2 ft. After that (a week later) I installed horizontal rebar, framed a wall inside the house (a concrete form actually) and braced the whole thing with wood stakes and 2X4 every 2 ft on the perimeter. I had in some places, 66in high in the form, and concrete pushes extremely heavily on the forms. But everything held together and I have a really nice and straight wall now. I missed 1/2 yard of concrete, so this is the reason you still see a wall framing in my above picture of the stove, the concrete will need to be added next Spring.

Anyways, I'll draw a skematics later on to explain a little better.

Our native soil here is good solid clay. I have extensive experience in that kind of work and would not recommend that this be done by an average homeowner as a week-end diy. Doing that, the way I described above, in granular soils like sand or sensitive clays could lead to disasters. There are underpinning methods for these cases... but I think it's far beyond the scope of my original question here

Bye,

Ben

 

[Benski]

That long horizontal vent run has me worried. Make sure you have a rise in the run
and you will need to clean that out about every 1 ton of pellets
with that long of a run I would have put a T clean out and not an elbo were you made the turn to go out.

Good point. I didn't think about that. When I remove the elbow to clean the chimney, I'll install a T clean-out. That way, I will only have to remove the cap and slide my 2in shopvac tube inside!

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Benski]

A little reporting of the first real cold stretch of the year:

Has been down to -23°C this morning and stayed to -15°C or so during the day.

The good thing is that I cranked the thermostat to MAX, filled up the stove (with 100% LG Pellets) at 6h00AM this morning, set it up at 5 (Max setting) on Premium Pellets setting and it took exactly 13 1/2 hours to empty the hopper.

Since I put 2 bags in the hopper, it gives 5,93 lbs/hr. I think the specs said a little over 6 lbs/hr at this setting. Ok for me.

House is some 1300sq ft. Basement is the same dimension, but unfinished and not insulated (as mentionned above).

The stove maintained the house at a very pleasant temperature around 72°F. The only issue is that the heat comes up from the basement by the stair case (middle of house), so the outside walls tend to be too cold (condensation forms in the windows).

I am therefore using the baseboard heaters to get the windows dry. And I let a dehumidifier work all the time until moisture drops to 45% (currently at 55%).

I might consider installing a few floor registers later on.

So, overall, I am still very pleased with the stove. I am a little passed 1,5 tonne gone through the stove since 21 October. At the end of december, I will record my exact consumption and find the degree-days of heating for my area. I would like to find a relationship like # of degree-days/bag of pellets, for my house.

Average degree-days of heating for my area = 4500.

Bye,

Ben

 

[anka]

About 4 bags a day then (24hrs). Thats a lot of pellets!