Which pellet Stove to replace a woodstove?

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jmp2204

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Aug 19, 2012
28
hi folks , i am considering replacing my Odette woodstove with a pellet stove.

looking at the used market and researching stoves , it seems they are all high maintenance.Some are considerably better than others. I burn 4-5 cubic cord of wood a year (depending on the wood possibly more) My wife likes the idea of the pellet stove ,less mess ,hassle dust/ashes etc.I generally buy my wood cut and split ,(when time permits i cut it myself , but usually 1 cube cord a year myself) so cost or fuel won't make much difference


Do pellet stove generally heat as well as a wood stove?
I am not afraid of having to repair any part of a pellet stove myself as i am a mechanical tradesperson , but which stoves are the best quality ?(and of course I'm trying to get as much heat as i can out of it.)

what about used? i see what appears to be higher end stoves going for less than half price on the used market, is it worth it? (remember i can fix things myself)
Example
MT Vernon quad-fire 2004 model 1000$(cnd) are they good? is this a fair price ,ad says hard time starting it sometimes . the newer AE model seems highly rated ,but were these good?

(why I am considering used ,is i do not want to drop a bunch of money to discover , they cannot compete with my woodstove ,can of want to test first.)


feel free to offer any opinions

Thanks Kevin
 
Welcome aboard Kev, not familiar with Odette, post up a photo, the pellet stoves you mentioned are decent units. Be prepared for others to chime in, just getting the ball rolling for you:cool:
 
Need more info.... What size house (sq ft), how well is it insulated, whats the lay-out (Ranch/ Split level), Etc???

Are you planning on putting it in the basement? Is that where your wood stove is?

An energy audit will tell you your heat loss (if you ever had one done)???

The Mt. Vernon AE is a fine stove, but the earlier models were slightly troublesome. The 04 Mt. Vernon is non AE and is a decent stove. Harman makes the Cadillac of stoves (although Enviro, Quad, St. Croix, Englander all make great models).

Welcome to the Forums. I have both pellet and wood.... Wood is nice, but Pellets are my choice. Its easy heat.. Simple, Efficient, and automated.
 
1800 sq/ft 1930's built low insulated 2 storey .hard to heat house. I know re insulating the attic would really help....... this stove would likely sit where my woodstove sits in the kitchen and the heat would need to be pushed (doesn't really tell u much without a diagram lol) no energy audit done

another stove i have saw used , funny thing is googling the pictures for Harman the only one I found brought me to a thread on this site ow are these units .Apparently works fine $950 picture is it worth a chance for 950 2.5 hrs away? attached they don't know the model other than it's a Harman A.jpg
 
It is an Invincible, not sure if RS. They are built like Sherman Tanks and heavy. Looks to be in decent shape but I think you could do better.
 
hi folks , i am considering replacing my Odette woodstove with a pellet stove.

Do pellet stove generally heat as well as a wood stove?
I am not afraid of having to repair any part of a pellet stove myself as i am a mechanical tradesperson , but which stoves are the best quality ?(and of course I'm trying to get as much heat as i can out of it.)

what about used? i see what appears to be higher end stoves going for less than half price on the used market, is it worth it? (remember i can fix things myself)
Example
MT Vernon quad-fire 2004 model 1000$(cnd) are they good? is this a fair price ,ad says hard time starting it sometimes . the newer AE model seems highly rated ,but were these good?

Thanks Kevin

Hi Kevin

I heat my whole 2k sqft house very comfortably with my pellet stove installed in the basement. I removed the VC FA288CCL consolidated dutchwest federal design Coal/Wood stove with catalytic combuster that was not heating the house very well and put the pellet stove in it's place! I was amazed at how evenly and warm it works. I have a Travis Avalon Astoria wood pellet stove. Travis stoves are at the top of the list as being the most reliable since they do not over gadgetise it with sensors and switches etc. I have had my stove for 3 seasons with no problems. It does crank out the heat!

So good luck
Fixing them can be fun and money saving if you have some good tools!
Here is my cheap $90 exhaust blower replacement pics and videos! The original exhaust blower was 15 years old and still going good, just a little noisey!
The OEM blower costs alot more but is also the Same Fasco blower that just mounts right in easy.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/lopi-pioneer-bay-exhaust-blower-fan-replacement.89209/
 
It is an Invincible, not sure if RS. They are built like Sherman Tanks and heavy. Looks to be in decent shape but I think you could do better.
yup, Invincible, but to be sure, we need to see the controls.......the RS and the Invincible T....the T had an adjustor knob, the RS didnt. They are built like a tank, parts still available. $950 maybe.....but given the age, $950? Offer them $600? I think thats a fair price........
 
photo.JPGphoto (3).JPG P61A Harman Pellet Stove what is this worth new ? bought in 2010 used 1 season apparently is 2000 too much for it? (with all piping and hearth or whatebver you call it for a pellet stove )
 
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P61A Harman Pellet Stove what is this worth new ? bought in 2010 used 1 season apparently is 2000 too much for it? (with all piping and hearth or whatebver you call it for a pellet stove )
You are better off with the P-61A than the Invincible. The A is a plus, auto ignite. Give an offer, 1500. Workhorse of a stove and easy to maintain.:cool:
 
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You can buy a new one for close to that price. Where are you located?
 
3200 down here. Are there any Harman dealers in your area? Aye. Sorry had to do it
 
yes there are, huh ! sorry had to do that too and it's ehh btw the way. lol and when people i know say ehh after there statement/question i respond ending it with "B" lol. should be worth 2g's with all the trimmings (pipes ,floor piece etc..) sounds like this unit was bought with lots of ptions as well
 
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If you get it for 2 its well worth it where you are located. We are here to help you and we love pics.:cool:
 
Worth 2g's. Heats our colonial fairly easy. I'd still make an offer. Can't hurt if you can get it cheaper.
 
thanks and Pix above are the unit in question
Sorry I missed them, looks almost new. Try for 2, nice unit, you will be happy. What have you been using for your primary heat? Electric. oil. gas ???
 
wood stove , oil furnace 1/2 tank of oil/year 4-5 cube cord wood

Wow, that is good 1/2 tank of oil per year. I use a full tank. I have a 275 gallon tank. Is that the size you have? If so how do you save on DHW? Our current oil price is $3.39 per gallon.


Oil Price is $3.399*
Effective for next-day's deliveries
and subject to change.
Gallons
Price Per Gallon
Total
Fill
$3.399
To Be Totaled
250 Gallons
$3.399
$849.75
200 Gallons
$3.399
$679.80
175 Gallons
$3.399
$594.83
150 Gallons
$3.399
$509.85
100 Gallons
$3.499
$349.90
 
200 imp gallon Imp gallon is larger than a US gallon .(20% larger) don't currently know the price likley around 1.20 /l x 3.8 = 4.56 /US gallon ($ cnd) stupid expensive

Hoping the pellet stove can replace the woodstove with at par heat +
 
pellets , not sure yet , I do know i will look for quality hardwood ,I aasume that is the thing to burn in these ?
 
Harmans are not fussy, they will burn any brand, I personally am biased to hardwood. Make sure you check out what they were burning and why they want to sell.
 
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