the usual pellet stove questions

[cdodge04]

I currently have the 12-FP Englander wood stove but I'm returning it due to the fact that it just isn't what I wanted. I looked at Lowes and saw the 1,500 sq foot pellet stove for around $1,300. I believe the model number is 55-SHP10L.

My house is around 1,300 sq ft, it isn't insulated very well. I usually close off 2 bedrooms and only let a little heat into the back wash room just enough to keep the pipes from freezing back there. The house is 1 story, the attic is insulated extremely well, the foundation under is a rock wall type foundation and isn't insulated well at all. I'm working on putting some insulation in the basement between the floor joices and spray foaming up any cracks in the foundation.

I searched through the forum for answers to my questions but never really found exactly what I was looking for. I'm sure that you guys get tired of answering the same questions over and over...but here I am to add to the mess...

My question(s) are:

Can I just vent a pellet stove up through the chimney that I have in place for the wood stove? The chimney for the wood stove is one of those through the roof kits with double walled 6 inch pipe. It isn't vented through the brick chimney as the oil furnace is vented through that. The metal bestos chimney is around 15-18 ft long from the top of my wood stove up to the top of the roof. I have read other threads on the site trying to do my homework so that I wouldn't have to ask, but I never really found a definite answer that I was completely sure of.

Another question, I have read a lot about the 55-SHP10L pellet stove but I'm still a bit weary of it. I bought the 12-FP wood stove which is one of the lower end wood stoves Englander makes and am completely unhappy with it. I'm nervous to pick up this pellet stove and be completely unhappy and wish that I had gone bigger. The woodstove I have doesn't heat my house well at all!

I know HD is out of pellets right now and ordering them may be tough. I'm trying to look around and make sure that pellets are still available before I go out and purchase the stove as spending that much money on a stove and then not being able to buy heat to put it in it is going to be a bone head thing to do.


Thanks guys,
-Chad

 

[rap69ri]

I have that same model stove, and it has kept my house plenty warm. I'm heating about 1500 sq ft with no problem at all. It ran it last year from Nov to April 24/7, and the only issue I had was the bottom auger wasn't centered in the tube. Once that was fixed that the stove was quiet. You will need to be handy and become very familiar with the stove and how it works, but this forum is a great place for help and info.

I know HD sells a 3" to 6" adapter which in theory should allow you to connect the pellet pipe to the wood stove pipe. I haven't seen this done personally, but I don't think it's a big deal as long as you have a good draft.

 

[cdodge04]

Out of curiosity do you know how many tons of pellets you used last year? Is your house well insulated?

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[rap69ri]

I burned 3.5 tons last year, and my house is insulated fairly well but by no means air tight. A thermostat is now connected to the stove which will hopefully decrease the amount of pellets I use.

 

[teamorange]

Hey RAP, 3.5 tons, were you strictly using the pellet stove the whole time or did you also have another heat source? And what setting did you keep the heat on during the day? I am FINALLY installing my stove tomorrow. So I am curious to know the setting. And how quick does the house heat when you turn the stove on? Sorry for the questions, getting excited about finally turning this thing on, hahaha

 

[imacman]

CDodge,

yes, you can go into a wood stove flue. I did it with my install. I went from a 4" pellet stove into the 8" wood stove pipe. Here's a pic, and if you have any other questions, PM me.

 

[cdodge04]

Beautiful set up Mr. Macman. I'm glad to see that it can be done with ease. I am leaning more and more toward a pellet stove. Just gotta convince the woman of the house!

 

[cdodge04]

Rap,
Do you know the BTU rating for these stoves? I don't see it on the website and I looked at the owners manual, didn't see it there either.

 

[rap69ri]

Hey RAP, 3.5 tons, were you strictly using the pellet stove the whole time or did you also have another heat source? And what setting did you keep the heat on during the day? I am FINALLY installing my stove tomorrow. So I am curious to know the setting. And how quick does the house heat when you turn the stove on? Sorry for the questions, getting excited about finally turning this thing on, hahaha

I also have FHW oil, but that was only run on the coldest days for 20-30 min to make sure my pipes didn't freeze. The stove was pretty much left with a pellet feed setting of 3 and the blower from 3 to 6. I very rarely increased the pellet feed rate. I now have a thermostat installed on my stove so hopefully my pellet consumption will drop some.

If the house was cold it would probably take awhile for it to heat up. You could probably get it up to temp quicker using your boiler/furnace, and then use the pellet stove to maintain that temp for the rest of the season. I burned about 100 gal of oil last winter so I definitely saved $$$ using pellets. My stove has already paid for itself.

 

[rap69ri]

Rap,
Do you know the BTU rating for these stoves? I don't see it on the website and I looked at the owners manual, didn't see it there either.

I believe the pdvc model is 42000 btu.

 

[cdodge04]

How does your electric bill reflect the use of the stove?

 

[rap69ri]

How does your electric bill reflect the use of the stove?

I really didn't notice it. In the summer I have a TV outside and 2 kegerators going, so the pellet stove isn't noticed on my monthly bill.

 

[cdodge04]

Can anyone weigh in on the difference between the Englander 25-pdvc vs Summers Heat 55-SHP10L. I thought they were the same stove, but there is a $200 difference between the two HD vs Lowes??

 

[bobswworld]

Hi, this might be for Mike to do but her it is

http://www.englanderstoves.com/products.html

I have the 55 shp10 model and the owners manual right in front me which covers the 25-PDVC as well as the 55-TRP10

I am heating with mine right now and so far very happy with it, but have only seen upper 30's so far and only overnight. The truth has yet to come. I am only running on setting 1 or 2 so hopefully when it gets cold the upper numbers will help.
here is the pdf link of the owners manual
http://www.englanderstoves.com/manuals/25-PDVC.pdf
hope all is well

 

[rap69ri]

Can anyone weigh in on the difference between the Englander 25-pdvc vs Summers Heat 55-SHP10L. I thought they were the same stove, but there is a $200 difference between the two HD vs Lowes??

There is no difference between these other than trim. If HD and Lowes carried the same brand you could price match, so they're trying to be smart here.