Which St.Croix Stove To Buy? Any Thoughts On These?

[Wi Thundercat]

Have been reading the forums for awhile as i am planning to purchase a pellet stove now that the prices are coming down. Have decided on a st.croix because of the luck friends and co-workers have had with them and the local dealer here for them are great! Was leaning toward a prescott exp, but the dealer also has an auburn corn unit w/pellet pot included for about $600 less. I know there are some trade offs between the two(versa grate, igniter) so i'm wondering what thoughts you forum members have about this. The members here are a wealth of knowledge as i have learned so much already! Thanks for sharing any thoughts! :coolsmile:Wi Thundercat

 

[woodsman23]

What you buy has to be your choice for sure. I bought a st croix afton bay and have been pleased with it from day 1. Only problem i have had is the igniter went out (broke it during cleaning somehow), other than that its a great stove and it burns pellet/corn mix also. They are all good stoves pick which one pleases you and your room where it will be installed.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Thanks Woodsman ! They are very simular in looks with the brass trim, but not sure about an igniter and versa grate being worth the extra $$$. Both will run on T-stat with the auburn only going to low fire where the prescott will shut down and refire with a call for heat. What is your opinion on the vesa grate system? T-Cat

 

[Xena]

I love my St Croix. Especially the EXP model
for the HUGE ashpan. I empty it once a month
and the ash is still about an inch away from the top.
Gotta love it. Been spoiled with this so don't think
I'd be a fan of a stove with a smaller ash pan.

edit: Oh and the huge hopper rocks too! Holds 2 bags of pellets.
Tough to beat for the price of these stoves.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Thanks for the reply xena! Ash pans are also simular in size, Just not sure about the versa grate and the igniter as these seem to be the main differences between the two units. Wireless T-stat seems to be the ideal setup as no wires to snake around! Where did you find yours? :coolsmile: T-Cat

 

[rickwa]

The auto restart would be handy if the area would over heat on a low burn. I have a lancaster which all the same guts as a auburn but it is in a smaller shell and i love it. It burns corn flawlessly. It is the easiest stove on the market to light manually i think. My wife runs ours with no problem when i am gone. Dump 1 cup of pellets in pot , squirt a little gell on top and lite. shut door and turn and leave for work!! it is seriously that easy. to me the versa grate and igniter are just parts that are expensive to replace when they break. if i was buying again i would not change anything. I only shut down every 2 weeks to clean.

 

[Xena]

... Wireless T-stat
seems to be the ideal setup as no wires to snake around! Where did you find yours? :coolsmile: T-Cat

You're welcome! I got the wireless t-stat from a vendor on ebay.

The ignitor for me is a must. I don't have time for fiddling
with gels and such even if it's fast like people claim I'd rather
not deal with it. I'm on the original ignitor here, (hope that doesn't jinx it!)

On the versa grate. Mine was noisy as hell so I disconnected it.
There are some folks on the forum who have removed it and greased it
then sealed the casing. My stove runs great without it so no point
in wasting time messing with it.

 

[dbjordan]

Upgraded from a 1996 Whitfield, and the ligniter is totally worth it! If it goes out my opinion may change, but right now I can not imagine how I got by before. As for the versa grate all I can say is mine works and is quiet. I do not get clinkers where I did with the Whitfield. But that could just be my set up/not right pellets for that stove, I cannot say for sure if the difference is the versa grate or not, there are too many variables.

 

[krooser]

I bought my Pepin used three seasons ago... it's been flawless. I bought it at Earth Sense in Dale... these folks know pellets stoves in and out. Great service ( I had them come out and clean mine once).

My Pepin will burn 50/50 pellets and corn but I've never done it. I like the versa-grate... mines been perfect and quiet. I think that's one of the main selling points for me. I don't have to open the door for a week or longer depending on the pellets I use.

Feed it good pellets and keep it clean and you'll be happy.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Hi rickwa! Those were my thoughts about the igniter.(over heating house on low burn) House is well insulated and pretty easy to heat, about 1500 sft. one story ranch. As for the grate, i have read alot of pros and con about them. Nice to know a person can run with out it! Thanks everyone for your thoughts on these units! Xena, what was the cost on the T-stat? Thanks again! :coolsmile: T-Cat

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Thanks Krooser! The more i think about it, the more i lean towards the prescott and the selkirk direct-temp venting like yours. :coolsmile: T-Cat

 

[Xena]

Thundercat the Skytech wireless is pricey.
I got it a couple years ago but I think it
was around $100 with free shipping.
There are a few vendors on ebay now
selling it for around that give or take $5 bux.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Was looking around ebay and saw them for $99.00 W/shipping. IMO it would be worth it not to have to run wires! Thanks! T-Cat

 

[krooser]

Thanks Krooser! The more i think about it, the more i lean towards the prescott and the selkirk direct-temp venting like yours. :coolsmile: T-Cat

You'll be happy with the Selkirk vent...mine is the set-up with the built in outside air ...

 

[Wi Thundercat]

You bet krooser! Dealer wasn't real familiar with direct-temp, but when i told them that is what i was interested in using for venting they checked into it and thought it was pretty interesting. Got back to me and said the same setup (up & out) would cost $40.00 more than regular selkirk pellet vent and would be more than happy to order it in for me. :coolsmile: T-Cat

 

[krooser]

You bet krooser! Dealer wasn't real familiar with direct-temp, but when i told them that is what i was interested in using for venting they checked into it and thought it was pretty interesting. Got back to me and said the same setup (up & out) would cost $40.00 more than regular selkirk pellet vent and would be more than happy to order it in for me. :coolsmile: T-Cat

Sounds good... I have a direct vent right out the wall. No problems with it... works fine. Some folks have more power outage problems and there's the potential of getting smoke into the house without a vertical vent but we seldom lose power here and you can always get a battery back-up (a good idea even if you have a vertical vent)...

What brands of pellets are available in your area?

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Have seen many brands around this area. Those that come to mind are uncle jeds, marth, indeck, fuel king,lumber jack pennington and pennywise? i think they were called. Sure there are more brands available. How about in your area, whats the big and best seller ?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I don't recommend stoves, but I do have a word of advise, well actually three.

1. Make sure it is slightly bigger in terms of heat output than you need, if you don't know the answer to that question. Find out, otherwise you'll likely be on here with a thread about not getting any heat or similar.

2. Make certain that there is more than one place that you can get parts from and that whoever you buy the stove from has an excellent reputation for standing behind what they sell. Otherwise you just bought a box of expensive and maybe non obtainable parts.

3. Be absolutely certain that they show you how to properly clean your stove. If they even hint that all you have to do is dump pellets in, turn it on, and empty the ash pan, best try the other folks.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Thanks for the reply smokey! House is around 1500 sft. and well insulated, quite easy to heat. As for the dealer they have an excellent rep for backing the products they sell. The first time i looked at these stove at the dealer, i spent about an hour with him as he went through the complete stove from top to bottom and how to run it and the cleaning procedures and couldn't stress enough that a " clean stove is a happy stove" ! Also said he would go through it with me again at pick up if i bought one for him. :coolsmile: Wi T-Cat