Newb purchasing questions

[Beowulf27]

Let me first apologize since I'm convinced the info is here but I cannot find.

Basic scenario is we have some property with a small home and would like to use a pellet stove. Total area < 1000 sq ft. This house is old and poorly insulated (mobile home with an addition) and is temporary, we will eventually (3-5 years) build a new house there.

We only spend some weekends at the property and have a heat pump to maintain a minimum temp of 50 while we are gone. The heat pump is pretty useless at truly heating the home but we're gone too long for the pellet stove to be primary and my wife would never go for flames while away.

Once we build a new house we will likely go to a furnace and the pellet stove will move to my future 800 sq ft workshop.


So the questions:
Is there a rule of thumb for BTU/sq ft?

We are in north Georgia and there are very few retail outlets for pellet stoves. The places I have found only have one or 2 models and are asking MSRP. Is MSRP the norm or inflated? Are there good online sales companies?Are there any good sales outlets in the Gainesville, GA area?

Kind of in line with last question, it seems from what I've read the models sold by Tractor Supply, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. are considered inferior units? Am I interpreting this correctly?

Is there any advantage (deals) for buying now in the middle of summer?



I'm sure I'll think of more but thank you for your patience.

 

[Lake Girl]

Welcome to the forum What stoves have you looked at and/or researched? Do you have any friends or family that have pellet stoves? They do require regular maintenance of ash removal, burn pot cleaning that are in relation to how much you burn. Venting and internal smoke pathways are usually cleaned after every ton burned.

US stoves, Englander (Timber Ridge, Summers Heat), Drolet and PelPro are fairly straight forward stoves with few bells and whistles. They do not have the on-site warranty customer support that the more expensive stoves from a dealer would offer (usually phone support with part installation by owner). The more expensive stoves usually have programmable features, more aesthetic appeal and dealer support (research the dealer though - not all are created equal).

AM/FM Energy carries Timber Ridge (Englander) seconds that are factory refurbished and somewhat less expensive. http://www.amfmenergy.com/manufacturer-refurbished-stoves.html Harman has coupon offers ($100 off now). Not sure about other brands so would recommend checking their websites.

What kind of budget do you have in mind? For a mobile home, stove will have to be mechanically fixed to the floor and have an outside air kit (required for NFPA now anyway). You will need floor protection (depends on stove). Surge protection, fire extinguisher, smoke and CO detectors also need to be purchased to keep you and the family safe!

Since Georgia is a bit more temperate than where I live, really can't say on the BTU/sq. I'm sure you will hear from others...

 

[rich2500]

aside from everything Lake Girl said your situation would be a great fit for a Castle Serenity,It has a small footprint so you won't loose much living space, fairly cheap upfront investment since this is only a place you use ocassionally and it will heat that 1000sq. foot easily.

 

[Pellet-King]

First off they sell pellet's in georgia?, second for all the cost's involved wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a mini split a/c/heat unit?, there some selling for $650 on ebay and are easy to install, pellet's are alot of work, cleaning, buying stacking etc.....or get a better heat pump, your in the land of the endless summer!!

 

[Beowulf27]

Thank you for the responses.
Yes, we have some cold weather and even snow here in the northern part of the state. Heat pumps don't cut it when temp is below 40 - 50.

We are trying to keep expenses down since all our money will go into the new house build, so budget is a concern. New Heat pump is several thousand $$ plus has to be supplemented with electric strip heating when too cold out. I've read about maintenance and repairs and not terribly concerned about that. Only other choices we have are wood or propane, I've had propane heat before ans never wish that again. It used to cost $4-500 per year to heat my home in north Florida with propane, I can't imagine what it's like here.

I have looked at Quadrafire and Harmon since that is what the local folks sell, but not thrilled with the dealer.

One concern on the less costly units is that I read on some that the thermostat only lowers the flame and does not turn it off. Since the area is so small I think even lowered it will get too hot. Oh, we do have a hearth, the addition to the MH has a hearth and chimney, I'm guessing there was a wood stove there at one time.

One last thing in favor of stove IMO is I like flames, soothing.

 

[begreen]

Times have changed. A good heat pump works fine well below 40-50F. It is just the cheaper and older style units that don't heat well. Our 2 stage heat pump can heat our whole house down to 24F without the resistance heat strips kicking in. There are mini-splits work well down to -5. Northern GA is a good location for heat pump heating with a modern system that has a high HSPF. A good mini-split from Mitsubishi, Fujitsu or Daikin is super efficient and often will cost less to run than other fuels.

 

[Beowulf27]

Wow I had no idea that heat pumps could do that. Maybe I'll reconsider the split system. Thank you begreen.

 

[begreen]

We have folks in Nova Scotia reporting that they are heating with a heat pump. There is a lot more discussion on them in the Green Room forum here.

 

[Owen1508]

Let me first apologize since I'm convinced the info is here but I cannot find.

Basic scenario is we have some property with a small home and would like to use a pellet stove. Total area < 1000 sq ft. This house is old and poorly insulated (mobile home with an addition) and is temporary, we will eventually (3-5 years) build a new house there.

We only spend some weekends at the property and have a heat pump to maintain a minimum temp of 50 while we are gone. The heat pump is pretty useless at truly heating the home but we're gone too long for the pellet stove to be primary and my wife would never go for flames while away.

Once we build a new house we will likely go to a furnace and the pellet stove will move to my future 800 sq ft workshop.

So the questions:
Is there a rule of thumb for BTU/sq ft?

We are in north Georgia and there are very few retail outlets for pellet stoves. The places I have found only have one or 2 models and are asking MSRP. Is MSRP the norm or inflated? Are there good online sales companies?Are there any good sales outlets in the Gainesville, GA area?

Kind of in line with last question, it seems from what I've read the models sold by Tractor Supply, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. are considered inferior units? Am I interpreting this correctly?

Is there any advantage (deals) for buying now in the middle of summer?

I'm sure I'll think of more but thank you for your patience.

First off welcome

I just recently serviced two unit in Blue Ridge Ga. just up the road from you ( a Harmon and a Breckwell) It gets plenty cold enough to burn pellets up there.
If you don't mind the Drive you can go to an outlet store in Chattanooga
American Hearth and Patio Warehouse
www.americashpw.com

ADDRESS: 5013 Rossville Blvd
Chattanooga, TN
37407
TELEPHONE: (423) 867-5544

Good store and owner with more then a few manufactuers
They do not have any installers or field service, but are knowledgeable and very helpful
I know they carry Jotul, VC of course USSC and more all fuel types.
Not too sure if I would say "discount" but good choices and know their stuff

I know there is also a big stove shop in Murphy NC as well just unsure of the name.

Happy Hunting

Edit: Also stopped a the BEST BBQ place I've been to in a while in Cherry Log GA (Pink Pig)

WOW