Supplemental heat advice (want rec. on a small pellet stove)

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SE Iowa

New Member
Jan 17, 2008
212
SE Iowa
I have a room 18'Wx24L'x9'H room on the north side of my house above a walkout basement. I have all radiant floor heat in the house and this room has its own thermostat. It is the only room on the first floor that has carpet (i.e. insulation blanket). It also has 4 larger double paned windows, 2 facing north and 2 west. We are in a high wind area on the edge of the plains and have a large windchill "problem". We have noticed that this room's heat is on quite frequently (no shocker here) but that on the 1-2 really cold weeks a year (-20F at night with 15-30 mph winds and highs of -5F to -10F), we can not get the room up to anything over 65-68F. We do have a NG fireplace for supplemental heat which works BUT I am trying to get out of the fossil fuel game. IN addition the fireplace is not anywhere nearly as efficient as our hot water system so we do not like to run it non-stop (Yes, I'm cheap!). Just thinking I would like to switch to a pellet stove that requires little "fiddling" and is not too expensive including install. I would imagine we would use it more during all winter if it was more economical. Any suggestions.
 
whats your budget?
imo a pellet stove is a big investment to heat one room for a few cold days.
 
I agree with Smoke Show....a big expense IF you had planned on buying a new unit. If you only plan on using it for a few weeks a year, then I highly suggest you buy a used unit on someplace like Craigs List....some people even include the pipe when they are selling.

Let us know if you come across something.......
 
Could you describe the condition of those windows and of the insulation of your basement walls below that room?
 
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