whats pellet stove will work for me 1600sqft house

[MB91575]

iam looking for a pellet stove to heat my 1600 sqft colonial with 3 bedrooms and bath upstairs.i was thinking about putting it on the first floor in the living room that is 24x12 with a double wide door that opens to the hallway and stairway.the house has all new replacement double pane windows and spray foam insulation on all exterior walls and upstairs ceiling.i was looking at the harman xxv and thought this should be more than enough but i would like to know what everyone thinks would be good. ps i also have a rinnai direct vent wall heater in the same room that would serve as backup or work in tandem. thanks for what ever info can be provided.

 

[AVIVIII]

The XXV would more than do it. In fact, the XXV would probably fall into the 'over-kill' category for you.

The first thing you need to think about is venting and how you are going to accomplish it.

Here is the link to the manual for the XXV:
http://www.hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/XXV.pdf

Read through the installation and venting section and that will help you determine a good spot to put it, or if you even have a good spot.

There are a ton of options out there that would be great for you, it sounds like you have a pretty tight, efficient house with a modest square footage and should have no problem heating it. I love my Harman and think that the XXV is BEAUTIFUL, so i don't mean to disuade you from it, but I was also looking at models offered by Enviro, St. Croix and Quadrafire.

Good Luck!

 

[jtakeman]

Here is a site that has some pointers on stove location. Watch the vid and check out the stove while your there.

http://www.pacificenergy.net/product_warmland_ps45_video1.php

 

[MB91575]

ive got 3 corners i could put it in and direct vent it.the best corner would be the one facing the doorway to the hall i would think.

 

[DexterDay]

If you wanted to save some money, you could buy an Englander (lots of help with them on this site- Techs) or a Heatilator. I recently looked at a Heatilator and was a Great stove for the price. Great heat, not the prettiest. (same internals as a Quadrafire, half the price). There are many other manufacturers out there that would "fit the bill". Look around and buy what 1. You like to look at 2. Has good dealer support 3. Has a reputable background and 4. Is gonna heat your house without Killing it. Wanna stay on a low to medium type setting. Not high 24/7!
Whatever you decide, make sure to fill us in on your purchase. Good luck and Happy hunting.

 

[Bigjim13]

The XXV would more than do it. In fact, the XXV would probably fall into the 'over-kill' category for you.

The first thing you need to think about is venting and how you are going to accomplish it.

Here is the link to the manual for the XXV:
http://www.hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/XXV.pdf

Read through the installation and venting section and that will help you determine a good spot to put it, or if you even have a good spot.

There are a ton of options out there that would be great for you, it sounds like you have a pretty tight, efficient house with a modest square footage and should have no problem heating it. I love my Harman and think that the XXV is BEAUTIFUL, so i don't mean to disuade you from it, but I was also looking at models offered by Enviro, St. Croix and Quadrafire.

Good Luck!

The XXV is a beautiful stove and would most likely fit your needs. I, and this is just me personally, would stay away from the XXV. Just do a quick search on this forum and you will find any number of threads about people with problems with the XXV. I have a feeling that in designing it to "look" really nice, somewhere along the line the functional part of it was cut back. This is how I see it and I am sure you will hear XXV owners who are very happy.

I was at a local hearth shop about a week ago and for what you will spend on the XXV, maybe even less, you could get the P61 or P68. These, again in my opinion, are much better stoves and will give you a good amount of heat output. They are super easy to clean and very low maintenance.

All this being said, you will get probably about 100 different responses as to what brand of stove you should get. I gave you my opinion but you will need to do your own research and find the stove that best suits YOUR needs.

 

[Don2222]

Here is a site that has some pointers on stove location. Watch the vid and check out the stove while your there.

http://www.pacificenergy.net/product_warmland_ps45_video1.php

Hey j very nice video on locating the stove and so true!

A Central location may be the toughest install but when it comes to heating the house it provides the very best results

 

[AVIVIII]

I was at a local hearth shop about a week ago and for what you will spend on the XXV, maybe even less, you could get the P61 or P68. These, again in my opinion, are much better stoves and will give you a good amount of heat output. They are super easy to clean and very low maintenance.

All this being said, you will get probably about 100 different responses as to what brand of stove you should get. I gave you my opinion but you will need to do your own research and find the stove that best suits YOUR needs.

I got my P68 for $300 less than an XXV and a P61 will save you another $1-200 off that. That being said the Harmans do tend to be a little on the pricey side, but they are by no means out of line. I was seriously considering an Enviro M55 but upgraded to the P68 for about $200, which realistically isn't anything when you are spending $3400...

Its been said 100 times before, but most importantly, buy from a dealer that you trust and are confident will provide you good service and are going to be there for you for the long haul.

 

[Engineer2]

Hi, I'm thinking of switching to a pellet stove. How much does the P61 and P68 cost?

 

[Bigjim13]

Hi, I'm thinking of switching to a pellet stove. How much does the P61 and P68 cost?

It will vary a bit from dealer to dealer, but 2 weeks ago at my local dealer the P61a was around $2700 and the P68 is around $3000. That does not include installation and if you want a hearth pad. When we had out P61A installed about 3 years ago it was about $3500 for the stove, installation, extra piping (we went up our chimney instead of out the wall) and the hearth pad.

FWIW I believe the P61A to be a great stove as is the P68.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

ive got 3 corners i could put it in and direct vent it.the best corner would be the one facing the doorway to the hall i would think.

You need to pay attention to the prevailing wind, you never vent into the prevailing wind, so you may not have three corners that you can use. As was mentioned prior pay attention to the venting requirements.

They are very important.

 

[BillM2]

I have a 2,000 sq ft, two story house that's 100 years old with average insulation for the age of the home (in most walls, attic could use more). We are new to pellets, coming from a house with a great wood burning fireplace insert (free wood everywhere on our property!) and a System 2000 boiler. In late December, we installed an Englander 25PDVC bought from Lowe's for about a grand, plus pipes, materials around $400. The unit does a nice job of heating the house - particularly downstairs - 68 to 70 degrees most days. Upstairs is normally in the mid 60s during the day to low 60s at night. We've had -10+ readings a few nights this year. I do burn oil as well in the morning and evening for a couple of hours per day both for heat and to keep pipes warm.

My advice would be buy something along the lines as the Englander, perhaps a little larger. If any regret, so far, was I could have bought a larger pellet stove but it would have taken up more space in the dining room where it's installed. My plan is to do the stove service at the end of the season, and since it's disconnected, remove it to the garage for the off season. I've got a 600lb hand truck for the task. At least that's the plan.

Keep in mind, if you have water heat now, your heat and domestic water pipes will need to be well insulated to prevent freezing up when you're not using your boiler.

 

[Mr. Heat Miser]

iam looking for a pellet stove to heat my 1600 sqft colonial with 3 bedrooms and bath upstairs.i was thinking about putting it on the first floor in the living room that is 24x12 with a double wide door that opens to the hallway and stairway.the house has all new replacement double pane windows and spray foam insulation on all exterior walls and upstairs ceiling.i was looking at the harman xxv and thought this should be more than enough but i would like to know what everyone thinks would be good. ps i also have a rinnai direct vent wall heater in the same room that would serve as backup or work in tandem. thanks for what ever info can be provided.

My house is approx. 2400 sq. ft. 8 room, (4 bdrm, 2-1/2 bath) colonial, 2x6 construction, harvey double pane windows. I recently bought the Harman P35i fireplace insert, and installed it myself. I ran a stainless steel liner from the mounting frame to the top of the chimney and put a cap on the top. I was concerned that the P35i might not even be able to heat my entire 1st floor because the btu rating is only 35,000. To my surprise, the P35i easily heats my entire first floor, and by late afternoon/evening the heat is finding it's way to my 2nd floor. My familyroom has the fireplace in it and is the room we spend most of our time in at night. This room has a large double wide doorway that goes into my kitchen, which is rather large and open. The family room has a high ceiling (approx. 12' or so) and there is a ceiling fan in the center of the room. Keeping this ceiling fan on medium does a nice job of evening out the room temperature, and circulating the warm air through the double wide door into the kitchen and through the rest of the house. I have the ceiling fan set to pull air up. This works because it draws the cold air from the floor up to mix with the warm air, and avoids the feeling of wind blowing down on you which causes evaporation and makes you feel colder. I don't use any other circulating fans besides the ceiling fan.

If you have an existing fireplace consider the inserts. I chose the insert for a number of reasons including: it doesn't take up any floor space in my room, it turns my cold drafty fireplace opening into a major heat source, it placed the stove in the coldest room of the house, there was a large doorway near the stove for the heat to migrate though to the rest of the house.

As for the P35i insert, I am very pleased with it so far. It is a very simple stove, easy to clean and maintain. The maintenance is actually less than I was expecting, and I keep my stove really clean. I grew up with a Whitfield, so I was already familiar with the routine maintenance that is required when you have a pellet stove.

So, all in all it is the placement of the stove and the air circulation you acheive that spreads the heat throughout the house, rather than cooking one room, and having the rest of the house feel cold. My little P35i does a very nice job of heating my house, so the XXV should be more than enough for you. Good luck and keep us posted on how you make out!