Hello folks, I would like to introduce myself & get some input. I am going to purchase a pellet stove within the next month, I have never owned a pellet stove before. I am heating a 2000 sq ft Cape in NH. The home has a two car garage on the left side of the house with a large finished mudroom/sunroom connecting from the garage to the kitchen, the ceilings in the addition are cathedral, the back outside wall is sliding glass doors. The room is approx 12' X 15' with 12 ft ceilings. Currently we have a useless hydronic system & two 30k propane vent free stoves on opposite sides of the home. One stove is in the addition & the other is in the living room. The two stoves heat the home rather well but create so much moisture inside the home there is mold on the window sills if we don't keep up after it. The home was built in the 80's & is extremely tight, completely wrapped in vapor barrier which I know is great for heating but doesn't breathe. We also have an air exchanger in the home that is plumbed into the hot air ducting which literally runs 24/7 trying to bring the humidity down in the home to 50% I want to keep one of the propane stoves (the one in the living room) & replace the stove at the far end of the home with the pellet stove. I am hoping to run entirely off the pellet stove with some supplimental heat provided by the one propane stove if necessary.
Originally we thought about replacing the stove in the living room with the pellet stove but the room is very small & I feel it would be too hot in the room with the stove running enough to warm the rest of the house. The install would be much easier if it was in the living room though because that is an outside wall. The install in the mudroom will be a little more complicated because the vent will have to go straight up through the ceiling & the OAK going into the garage which I am not that comfortable with honestly. We do not use the garage except to store my muscle car which is only driven in the summer so there is no fuel smell or open gas. I had an installer come look at the house to give me a recommendation on the stove & install. He suggested the Quadrafire Classic Bay, he was the one who suggested installing the stove in the sunroom & putting the OAK into the garage. I asked about installing the stove in the basement & utilizing the ducting in the basement but he felt it wasn't worth the effort since it's more efficiant to heat the living area vs. the basement.
So my quandry is since I am going to perform the install myself is whether I purchase the Quadrafire as recommended & have the support of a local business or a used Harman P-61a or for half the price of either a refurb TimberRidge from AMFM Energy. I am extremely handy & don't mind getting dirty. I obviously spend a lot of time on forums like this learning & researching but travel for work, I am gone a night or two every week. I know the Harman is rock solid & will burn almost anything while the other two stoves will require more maintenance. I don't mind tinkering to get things dialed in but I don't want to be a slave to my stove, I really don't want to clean the stove every day. I don't have the time or energy with work & two small children. The price of the TimberRidge matched with the obvious support of Englander & this forum really have me leading that way plus it is literally half the money of my other two choices. I figure the 49-TRCPM is a great choice not because I want to burn multi fuels but the agitator should keep the burn pot a little cleaner helping with the daily maintenance. Am I correct in my assumption? Any input on any of this is greatly appreciated.
Originally we thought about replacing the stove in the living room with the pellet stove but the room is very small & I feel it would be too hot in the room with the stove running enough to warm the rest of the house. The install would be much easier if it was in the living room though because that is an outside wall. The install in the mudroom will be a little more complicated because the vent will have to go straight up through the ceiling & the OAK going into the garage which I am not that comfortable with honestly. We do not use the garage except to store my muscle car which is only driven in the summer so there is no fuel smell or open gas. I had an installer come look at the house to give me a recommendation on the stove & install. He suggested the Quadrafire Classic Bay, he was the one who suggested installing the stove in the sunroom & putting the OAK into the garage. I asked about installing the stove in the basement & utilizing the ducting in the basement but he felt it wasn't worth the effort since it's more efficiant to heat the living area vs. the basement.
So my quandry is since I am going to perform the install myself is whether I purchase the Quadrafire as recommended & have the support of a local business or a used Harman P-61a or for half the price of either a refurb TimberRidge from AMFM Energy. I am extremely handy & don't mind getting dirty. I obviously spend a lot of time on forums like this learning & researching but travel for work, I am gone a night or two every week. I know the Harman is rock solid & will burn almost anything while the other two stoves will require more maintenance. I don't mind tinkering to get things dialed in but I don't want to be a slave to my stove, I really don't want to clean the stove every day. I don't have the time or energy with work & two small children. The price of the TimberRidge matched with the obvious support of Englander & this forum really have me leading that way plus it is literally half the money of my other two choices. I figure the 49-TRCPM is a great choice not because I want to burn multi fuels but the agitator should keep the burn pot a little cleaner helping with the daily maintenance. Am I correct in my assumption? Any input on any of this is greatly appreciated.
