Pellet Stove Homework, help me out guys

Basement dweller here...

I heated my house from the basement with a wood stove for 8 years now, my house is about 20% bigger (around 1,450sq ft) - I replaced the wood stove in basement with an Enviro Maxx unit 2 years ago and couldn't be happier. It cost me just over $900.00 last year to heat my entire house, 72 degrees 24/7 all Winter.

I also have 2 levels above the basement and have absolutely zero problems keeping the house a consistent temperature. Heating your house from the basement is possible (there are plenty of members here who do it), but you just need to have realistic expectations, do your homework (which includes local codes, etc. when applicable) and think outside of the box. I kinda lucked out since the duct work / registers were already in place when I bought the house - I also have basement steps acting as a cold air return, an insulated basement and ceiling fans.

Before I made the switch I spent countless hours reading through threads here on the subject and basically narrowed my pellet stove choice down to the P68 and Maxx (or Maxx-M). The reason I went w/the Maxx as stated earlier is that it has a 455cfm convection blower - it has the horsepower to push all that heat through the ducts. The P68 is a great stove, but it simply doesn't have enough convection blower cfms to do the job - I cannot stress this enough. Also, the Maxx series can hold 3 bags of pellets in the hopper.

If I were starting from scratch then i'd consider a pellet furnace as well, since they are designed right from the start for this purpose (don't have to worry about any code violations as well fooling around with registers, etc.) Below is a link to the duct kit which Enviro offers for the Maxx line.

HTML:

http://www.enviro.com/product_notes/1323930425-Maxx%20Heat%20Distribution%20Kit.pdf

Well now that you've had a good dose of reality delivered to your computer screen welcome to the forums (funny farm) where we are more than willing to discuss (and argue) just about anything even remotely related to producing heat with a pellet burner.

I''ve got the Drolet ECO 65 as well. Ducted from the basement. It has a 500 cfm blower. I have connected 1 duct from plenum to my family room above. Register air temps are approx 145 on setting 3 and 155 on setting 4. My particular setup is working great. 70 to 74 on main level. 66 to 70 upstairs and heat pump stays off. Upstairs heat pump has come on occasionally at night during the low teen temps. Approx. 800 square foot of finished basement. 1400 main level and 1400 upstairs. I also have an open foyer which helps move air upstairs and the basement stairs serves as a return.

Running pellet FURNACE here, because I already had oil FURNACE and ductwork installed. If I'd started with an oil BOILER, I would have sistered a pellet BOILER. That being said, if I'd had the option of a free standing unit on the first floor, I woulda gone that route.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences, set-ups, and advice. I have lots to digest.

So after reading all your posts and multiple other threads here, I believe that the Enviro Maxx-M will be my best option for a few reasons.
1) It's a giant stove w/ 130lb. hopper and 60,000 BTU
2) It can be fitted with a duct kit
3) It has a 455 CFM blower (which I will need to get heat from the basement.

I think if I buy one for this season, I will have it installed in the basement, learn how to run/clean it, and enjoy a warm basement for this season (what I'm leaning towards right now)

Check out the specs on the Drolet. I believe it is pretty much the same as enviro maxx. I was actually looking at the enviro maxx first before I bought the Drolet. http://www.costco.ca/Drolet-ECO-65-Pellet-Stove.product.100002986.html

Thank you DV, there are NO dealers in my area

There are a number of places in Maine where you can get Drolet stoves. Just a question of how far you are willing to go, oh the stoves are self service IIRC.

Made appt. today for installer to come look at my House and hopefully give me some ideas for a good install location (basement)

Anyone here use/heard of Victorian Enterprises stove installers? They are out of Epping NH

Epping, NH? Are you in the Berwicks or something? I got my stove from Alternative Heat Source in Naples. So far, they have been fantastic, and the sell Enviro.

I'm dealing with http://www.nordicstove.com/ in Dover, NH. They do not install stove but they do service them. They use 2 different installers and Victorian is one.

If you have hot water heat, I'm not sure why you're not considering a boiler. This is my first season heating with a Harman PB105, but I've been very happy with it. Maintenance is easy. It has a hopper that holds four bags of pellets, and it delivers heat throughout the house without any compromises. My stove vendor was not able to plumb it in, but it was easy to find a good heating contractor to do the job.

@ Mr._Graybeard, How much work (cleaning/maintance) is involved with your PB? Don't think I looking to replace my furnace, just add another cheaper heat source.

I scrape the burnpot every few days, empty the ash pan maybe every couple weeks. There's also a trap for fines and a small ash trap under the burnpot that I hit every couple of weeks, which is probably a lot more attention than they need.

So I've decided to go with the Enviro Maxx-M and will be ordering it this week. Several of you have mentioned adding the duct kit, not sure what the difference is but it says 'Maxx only, not for the Maxx-M' Anyone know why? Would if fit the Maxx-M?

http://www.enviro.com/product_notes/1323930425-Maxx Heat Distribution Kit.pdf

They don't specify the Maxx M is all. But the Maxx and Maxx M share the same outer skin. I have asked a dealer and he said it does fit. You should be fine!

Link to the dealer I know answer!

http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/...-pick-up-venting-supplies.80517/#post-1028234

I see that some people say it does fit, is there anyone hear running the Maxx-M with this kit?

I also think I'll have a OAK installed.

Friend of mine used them in Kittery for an install in 2010. Owner did the eval and sent some kids for the job. Not the best install work. Rather sloppy actually.

IE: They forgot to bring OAK set up, had to run to HD to get what they needed. I found the outside air tubing to be the wrong size for a Harman and they ripped the tubing at the inlet so it was not drawing all the air from outside: fixed that last year-sort of. They half-arsed the wall thimble to the sheet rock. We finally redid it correctly recently by installing dry wall anchors. Those should have been used from the get go. Also even though they used ICC venting, it leaks and had to seal it with tape.

love the guys at Nordic . i didn't buy my stove there but i bought my GMG pellet grill there .

i bought my stove over at The Fire House Stove Shoppe in Epping also recommend highly

@ gbreda, Thank you for the reply, good to know. I had another installer come over and he will be doing the job. He is also letting me get all the supplies myself to save me a little money. We will get the stove in place and he will give me a list of what to get. This will also allow me time to run power from the panel for the stove.

And they sell good pellets too...... Plus I'm getting a free ton with my purchase.

Hmmm, never tried them for pellets. What do they carry and at what price? Had I gone with Enviro, I most likely would have bought from Nordic

They have Spruce Point, PWI, & LG's

Love the Spruce Pointe, but too much $$ this year. The MWP softies are doing just fine.

How much are they getting for the Spruce?

I believe $300/ton, still cheaper than oil, lol.