Where to install new pellet stove and Harman or Quadrafie stove?

[fazzer]

Hello, my first post. This is probably a question asked many times. I live in northeast PA, and heat with oil heat. I have a well kept 1200 sq ft. Rancher with a 600sq f. finished basement. All windows are vinyl and new bay window and front door. my question is to cut down on my oil heating bill where is the best place to put my pellet stove in which I need to purchase and what size. We do spend alot of time in our finished basement, but need to live upstairs getting ready for work and sleeping. Also not sure what size to get. I thought maybe 30 to 40,000 for upstairs. or if installing downstairs maybe 50,000 btu or so. If i installed downstairs I would install some 3or 4 drop ducts into the drop ceiling to heat the upstairs and leave the door to the basement open. Also what in your opinion is the most reliable, easiest to clean the Harmon or Quadrafire. I work lots of OT in the winter months and my wife would have to tend to the stove. Thanks for your future answers, Mark.............................................

 

[MCPO]

Hello, my first post. This is probably a question asked many times. I live in northeast PA, and heat with oil heat. I have a well kept 1200 sq ft. Rancher with a 600sq f. finished basement. All windows are vinyl and new bay window and front door. my question is to cut down on my oil heating bill where is the best place to put my pellet stove in which I need to purchase and what size. We do spend alot of time in our finished basement, but need to live upstairs getting ready for work and sleeping. Also not sure what size to get. I thought maybe 30 to 40,000 for upstairs. or if installing downstairs maybe 50,000 btu or so. If i installed downstairs I would install some 3or 4 drop ducts into the drop ceiling to heat the upstairs and leave the door to the basement open. Also what in your opinion is the most reliable, easiest to clean the Harmon or Quadrafire. I work lots of OT in the winter months and my wife would have to tend to the stove. Thanks for your future answers, Mark.............................................

My Massachusetts 1200 sq ft ranch and 800 sq ft finished basement configuation is probably very similar to yours. I do have a new 2nd fl addition but those 3 rooms and bath get heated by a zone off the oil furnace.
I have always had a 35,000 + BTU stove of one type or another in the basement and with the stairway open plus 2 vents that go thru the floor I can heat the finished basement to 72-75 with some heat to go up the stairs and thru one floor register and the cold air return from the other one at the end of the hall.
It always worked pretty good but the truth is one stove in the finished basement isn`t going to perform miracles heating the next floor either.
Depending on the temperature outside The furnace will come on to augment whatever heat does flow up to the first floor.
I`m hoping my Harman pellet stove works as good as my wood stoves always did.
One thing for certain is that a large stove running high is going to blast you out of the basement especially if you are going to try to get heat upstairs unless you can transfer that extra heat to the next floor efficiently. And that`s where the rub comes in.
Personally I think I`d have to install another stove on the first floor to eliminate the oil heat altogether.
A small one in the basement and another one or larger upstairs.
Hope this helps.
John

 

[sylvestermcmonkey]

Hi Fazzer, I too considered the Harman and QF stoves - they're both excellent choices and are about as easy to clean as they come. My decision hinged on the reputation of the dealer, and I simply couldn't find a Harman dealer in my area.

If you decide to put the stove in the finished basement, I wouldn't count on convection alone to adequately heat the upstairs. I don't think you'll be satisfied with vents in the floor and keeping the basement door open - it's likely you'll want to move more air. You didn't mention if your oil furnace is a forced hot air system. If it is you have some ability to circulate air wherever your ducts are installed. The key word is circulate - it's just as important to remove air from a room as it is to supply it with air.

I'm using my pellet stove in the main floor and keep the forced air circulation fan operating constantly. I haven't used it during the coldest days of the year yet but so far the idea seems to work. I expect there will be a 15° - 20° difference between rooms though.

The capacities you mention sound about right but there are many variables in determining an adequate size. I just think bigger is better.

If you're anywhere near Stockertown I can recommend Hearthstone - very knowledgeable, competent, nice, honest folks. They sell QF but not Harman.