Secondary heat.. pellet stove questions

[hockeypuck]

I have a 1900 sq ft ranch. Main portion of home is 1300 sq ft heated well with a wood insert. The rest of the home is cut off from the rest by a narrow hall way and would like to put a pellet stove in. I have posted before but have a picture above to help. I have been looking used, but so tired of crappy stoves full of issues or people thinking they have a winning lottery ticket. Pretty sure I am going to go new. Based on this my choices are as follows:

1. EnviroEmpress
2. Lopi Lyden
3. Harman accentra

Question is, do you think the enviro will be up to the task? I would rather run a stove at a low setting for most of the day than have it cycle on and off. Can the Enviro burn many types of pellets or should I be looking for a bottom feed for a "dump it and forget about it mentality".

Couple of things to add about the family room.. it is built on a slab and I would give insulation rating a 5 out of 10.. 1 being a 1800 farm house with original single pane windows and 10 being a 2x6 construction with foam insulation.

 

[jtakeman]

I'd say, Of the 3 listed the Harman Accentra is the most forgiving on sub par high ash fuels. All 3 are good units and do very well with top shelf brands(.2 to .6% ash content). But all 3 will still need a daily swipe of the burnpot to keep the holes clear. The higher the ash content the more you will need to be hands on. Note: The Empress can be made to burn higher ash fuels with the high ash burnpot liner.

If you want a set and forget stove check out the multifuel units with the self-cleaning burnpots. Pretty much keep um filled and a weekly cleaning with them.

 

[hockeypuck]

I'd say, Of the 3 listed the Harman Accentra is the most forgiving on sub par high ash fuels. All 3 are good units and do very well with top shelf brands(.2 to .6% ash content). But all 3 will still need a daily swipe of the burnpot to keep the holes clear. The higher the ash content the more you will need to be hands on. Note: The Empress can be made to burn higher ash fuels with the high ash burnpot liner.

If you want a set and forget stove check out the multifuel units with the self-cleaning burnpots. Pretty much keep um filled and a weekly cleaning with them.

Thank JT,

but what about burn duration... am I correct to want a stove that stays on constantly at a lower feed rate than cycling on and off...? I am thinking about ignitors burning out but I know that you want to make sure you have the stove running at optimum temperatures.

 

[jtakeman]

Thank JT,

but what about burn duration... am I correct to want a stove that stays on constantly at a lower feed rate than cycling on and off...? I am thinking about ignitors burning out but I know that you want to make sure you have the stove running at optimum temperatures.

Depends on who you ask here, And is open for drawn out dabates even!

I am a cycler(on/off) with a stat. I save fuel while away and have it fire up just before I come home. I also have it cool down at night when sleeping to again save fuel Stove fires up just before I get up to have it warm again. Plus I get great solar during the day so not as much heat loss. Exception is very cold nights where my Enviro goes to high/low stat mode to help keep up with the heat loss. Also saves some work on the igniter. Note: My stove doesn't struggle to over come heat loss, It easily recovers. Smaller units may not be as forgiving!

But many just run 24/7 slow and steady. It also depends on if someone is home all day. If your out and about, Letting it cycle down while you are away/sleeping is where you save fuel(just like the big furnaces).

If you plan on a stat unit, Then the Enviro/Lopi might be a better fit.

 

[subsailor]

but what about burn duration... am I correct to want a stove that stays on constantly at a lower feed rate than cycling on and off...? I am thinking about ignitors burning out but I know that you want to make sure you have the stove running at optimum temperatures.

I'm not sure about the Accentra, but the Harman P series can be run in Room Temp mode with the ignitor set to manual, and the stove won't shut down. When it's not calling for heat, the stove will maintain the lowest possible burn until it calls for heat again. They can also be set to Stove Temp mode where the stove will maintain a set temp and also will not shut down. The difference being when set in Room Temp, the stove will ramp up if the temperature drops. In Stove Mode, the stove will just sit there and maintain the preset temp, no matter what the temp in the room is.

 

[subsailor]

Depends on who you ask here, And is open for drawn out dabates even!

But many just run 24/7 slow and steady. It also depends on if someone is home all day. If your out and about, Letting it cycle down while you are away/sleeping is where you save fuel(just like the big furnaces).

As you said, this could create a big debate. I was told by an oil company owner many years ago that setting your t-stat back by more than 3 degrees at night actually burns more oil than leaving it alone. I peronally think it's more cost effective to maintain a temp constantly than to let the house cool and then try to warm it back up.

 

[jtakeman]

As you said, this could create a big debate. I was told by an oil company owner many years ago that setting your t-stat back by more than 3 degrees at night actually burns more oil than leaving it alone. I peronally think it's more cost effective to maintain a temp constantly than to let the house cool and then try to warm it back up.

I see the big debate starting already!

My current setup on average cools down about 3 degrees in 5 hours and only takes about an hour to regain the stat temp. 4 hours of fuel saved IMHO! It doesn't work for everyone, But it does for me and I'm running with it. The exception is very cold nights where the heat loss is much greater. Then I go to the hi/lo which is maintained low heat(high if needed) to keep up with the heat loss.

I think trying it both ways and doing what works for you is about the best answer one could give for the question asked by the OP. Every setup has different conditions that effect whether or not this will or will not work.

 

[subsailor]

I think trying it both ways and doing what works for you is about the best answer one could give for the question asked by the OP. Every setup has different conditions that effect whether or not this will or will not work.

I agree 100%. And every stove is different.

 

[smoke show]

I like hockey. just sayn. Good luck on stove choice!

 

[TheMightyMoe]

As you said, this could create a big debate. I was told by an oil company owner many years ago that setting your t-stat back by more than 3 degrees at night actually burns more oil than leaving it alone. I peronally think it's more cost effective to maintain a temp constantly than to let the house cool and then try to warm it back up.

""Furnace/Boiler thermostat setback rant""
IF A BOILER IS PROPERLY SIZED, setting back saves money. You are having one long run (Instead of wasting fuel for every on/off cycle), you are heating a colder zone. (More heat transfer from hot to cold, = effiency gain).

If it is over-sized, you will still have many runs, possibly more then just maintaining the heat to begin with.

BTU is a BTU, if you can transfer more using the same amount, you are gaining effiency.
""End Rant""

I can't argue this with a pellet stove, because I don't have the personal experiance/knowledge to back it up.

The main reason you save money setting back with a boiler is, you have less starts, and every start wastes a little bit of fuel, and if it is properly sized, you will get one long clean burn, with no burner cycles.

With pellets however, if you run in manual room temp mode, and don't exceed your setpoint by more then a degree , I don't really see how you save much fuel cycling on/off, because starting up and getting to heat distribution mode will waste pellets. However, if the stove is off a good amount of time (This is the number I'm not sure of/don't know), then I could see how cycling off/on would save you on pellets. Likewise, setting back a good 8 hours, should result in savings either way, as you are heating a colder zone, and gaining more heat transfer.

IMO.


As for which pellet stove to pick... I think Jake summed it up well.

My concern is the room is quite small SQ FT wise, and will probably overheat quite quickly, even on a maintenance burn, and depending on heat loss, it might stay that way. If this is the case on/off might be the best route. I noticed you liked keeping the room @ 58*, do you keep it this cold to save money on oil, or is this your comfort range?

 

[hockeypuck]

I do it to save money...thanks for everyone's reply. I will keep you updated.

 

[richkorn]

Leyden does not have a hi/low setting and will only turn on/off with a stat. Empress has hi/low and on/off.

 

[FyreBug]

You may want to look at the Osburn 5000 or Enerzone Eurostar. You can adjust the feed rate on manual as little or as much as you'd like.

However, on a stat you can tell it to go on 'Pilot' mode and stay there (minimum feed rate) or adjust the pilot mode on time before the unit shuts down entirely. We've designed and certify these units to run on the worst pellets you can find (Typically switchgrass or bark).

If you want to see how it work, here's a few videos i've stitched together.







All the best and let us know how it goes.