1st pellet stove.heatilator Eco cab50...only heats one room

[DDJR]

I'm new to wood pellet heating. I've noticed that pellets put out much more heat with much less fuel than wood stoves. I guess I'm concerned that my flame isn't high enough and that I have way more ash over night than everyone else here has, but that all seems fixable. My biggest concern is that the rest of the house isn't being heated, while the room the pellet stove resides in is 84°. I have been putting the stove on high and placing a fan in front of it also on high to move the hot air from room to room but this doesn't seem like a good set up. My wife feels that we shouldn't have to put the stove on high or use anotherfan to move the air. I feel we do. The first floor stays at 69,70,or71 with the fan method. But the breeze "feels" cold on our skin. And makes everyone's eyes water and is louder than the TV,etc. Without the extra fan, using just the blower motor on the cab50, our dining room becomes sweltering and the rest of the house frigid. If I wait long enough, will the heat make its way to the rest of the house?
Our house is 2400sqft, two stories with a central stairway. Our heat has always been propane forced hot air. I prefer pellet stove over propane any day of the week. The pellets I have are in a dark green bag called warm front. It has been pretty cold lateley. We go through a bag per night. It all sounds pretty close to everything I've read here, so I'm not too concerned. I would just like this cheap efficient heat that is so pleasant to look at to be more consistent throughout the house.
Also, the installers told me it is not a good idea to Leave it on high for long periods of time. Is that true?

 

[pell it]

Put the fan on the floor blowing cool air into the stove room instead. The cool air will be heated by the stove and will help disperse the hot air out of the stove room. (creates a convection cycle in the house) It may take some experimentation to find what works best, but it generally works better to move the cool dense air along the floor than the heated thinner air up higher.

As for not running on high for extended periods, I can't speak for your stove directly, (as I have a different one) but my stove runs on high for days at a time when the temps dip down to the single digits. My stove is a bit undersized for the space I am trying to heat with it! If a stove is burning properly, and not building up ash and crud in the burn pot, I see no reason to not run it on high.

If I remember correctly, Warm Front pellets are NEWP and can be ashy little buggers with less than spectacular heat output.

 

[Tonyray]

I'm new to wood pellet heating. I've noticed that pellets put out much more heat with much less fuel than wood stoves. I guess I'm concerned that my flame isn't high enough and that I have way more ash over night than everyone else here has, but that all seems fixable. My biggest concern is that the rest of the house isn't being heated, while the room the pellet stove resides in is 84°. I have been putting the stove on high and placing a fan in front of it also on high to move the hot air from room to room but this doesn't seem like a good set up. My wife feels that we shouldn't have to put the stove on high or use anotherfan to move the air. I feel we do. The first floor stays at 69,70,or71 with the fan method. But the breeze "feels" cold on our skin. And makes everyone's eyes water and is louder than the TV,etc. Without the extra fan, using just the blower motor on the cab50, our dining room becomes sweltering and the rest of the house frigid. If I wait long enough, will the heat make its way to the rest of the house?
Our house is 2400sqft, two stories with a central stairway. Our heat has always been propane forced hot air. I prefer pellet stove over propane any day of the week. The pellets I have are in a dark green bag called warm front. It has been pretty cold lateley. We go through a bag per night. It all sounds pretty close to everything I've read here, so I'm not too concerned. I would just like this cheap efficient heat that is so pleasant to look at to be more consistent throughout the house.
Also, the installers told me it is not a good idea to Leave it on high for long periods of time. Is that true?

some recent comments on the Warm front pellets. (broken link removed to http://www.woodpelletreviews.com/warm-front-wood-pellets.html)

 

[RyansCAB50]

Max out you feed rate and adjust down till you get a flame about 8 to 12 inches above the bottom of the glass. Proper flame height is in the owners manual. You also want to keep this stove as clean as possible.

 

[DDJR]

Thanks for the tip, guys!

 

[Lake Girl]

pell it beat me to it ... fan blowing cold floor air towards the stove. It doesn't have to be gale force winds either In our case, we put in-line fans into ducting from old system to draw heat from other rooms and push out vents in stove room.

How open is your first floor? Where is stove located compared to stairway? Need upstairs warmer? Could try ceiling fan at the top of your stairs to draw warm air up, one at floor level to push cold air down. Sometimes you have to try a few different options to see what works best... Give them long enough tries to see how it really works.

 

[DDJR]

Max out you feed rate and adjust down till you get a flame about 8 to 12 inches above the bottom of the glass. Proper flame height is in the owners manual. You also want to keep this stove as clean as possible.

8-12" above bottom of the glass when its at its peak or constantly? Mine goes up then down over and over. Seems like no Noe likes warm front pellets!

 

[DDJR]

pell it beat me to it ... fan blowing cold floor air towards the stove. It doesn't have to be gale force winds either In our case, we put in-line fans into ducting from old system to draw heat from other rooms and push out vents in stove room.

How open is your first floor? Where is stove located compared to stairway? Need upstairs warmer? Could try ceiling fan at the top of your stairs to draw warm air up, one at floor level to push cold air down. Sometimes you have to try a few different options to see what works best... Give them long enough tries to see how it really works.

Is first floor is like a race track. Our kids year around it all the time. There is a stairway and fireplace in the center and all outside rooms are open to each other via doors and doorways.stove is in an outside corner of the house, kitty cornered. Outside of this room is the staircase. I guess its like an "o", all rooms have two outside walls. I will try a fan on the floor pushing cold air towards the stove. Thanks again for the tips!

 

[Lake Girl]

Is first floor is like a race track. Our kids year around it all the time.

Sounds like the old days here ... youngest babies are now 21

 

[RyansCAB50]

Never used those pellets but my flame holds somewhat steady after burning awhile but it says in the manual to give I think 15 minutes or something after adjustment

 

[Husky]

I run my stove on high and move the air with two small fans in the corners of my two doorways leading to the rest of the house. It is going to be different with every set up though. When my fans are running it warms up the front of the house by 7-10 degrees. When they are off the family room and kitchen are real warm and rest of house is cold. Here are some picks of my situation. I swear by these little fans. They are very quiet and move quite a bit of air.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D1J9H0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[DDJR]

Wow guys thanks or all the replies! I like the little fans, I'll get some. I have the fan on the floor blowing at the stove. Seems to be working about the same as putting the fan in front of the stove so far.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Lets dissect your comment a bit (and paragraph it as well).......

I'm new to wood pellet heating. I've noticed that pellets put out much more heat with much less fuel than wood stoves.

**No, they don't. Chunk wood stoves output much more heat than a pellet unit A true wood stove burning chunk wood can handily heat your entire home if sized correctly. Only a pellet furnace tied into your duct work and properly sized can heat your home. Bottom line is any pellet stove in stock form is a space heater, nothing more.

I guess I'm concerned that my flame isn't high enough and that I have way more ash over night than everyone else here has, but that all seems fixable. My biggest concern is that the rest of the house isn't being heated, while the room the pellet stove resides in is 84°. I have been putting the stove on high and placing a fan in front of it also on high to move the hot air from room to room but this doesn't seem like a good set up.

**The space heater scenario again. You must run it hard (maximum output) and move the heated air with auxillary fans to heat the rest of the house and depending on square footage and insulation levels, probably only marginally at best.

My wife feels that we shouldn't have to put the stove on high or use anotherfan to move the air. I feel we do.

**You are correct, you wife isn't. Be nice an agree and go get some fans anyway and/or invest in stand alone device to cucle your central fuenace blower to redistribute the heat and/or run the furnace blower on blower only........

The first floor stays at 69,70,or71 with the fan method. But the breeze "feels" cold on our skin. And makes everyone's eyes water and is louder than the TV,etc. Without the extra fan, using just the blower motor on the cab50, our dining room becomes sweltering and the rest of the house frigid. If I wait long enough, will the heat make its way to the rest of the house?

**Again, go with the fans or suffer..... Your eyes are watering and you 'feel cold' because the RH (Relative Humidity) is way too low in your house. You 'feel' cold because you are aspirating moisture from your skin to make up for the lack of moisture in the air, That aspiration cools your body and makes you 'feel' cold. Invest in a humidifier or two, stragitically placed in the house. Increasing the RH will make it 'feel' comfortable, your eyes won't water and you nose will work better too.

Our house is 2400sqft, two stories with a central stairway. Our heat has always been propane forced hot air. I prefer pellet stove over propane any day of the week. The pellets I have are in a dark green bag called warm front. It has been pretty cold lateley. We go through a bag per night. It all sounds pretty close to everything I've read here, so I'm not too concerned. I would just like this cheap efficient heat that is so pleasant to look at to be more consistent throughout the house.

** I heat with propane too and I prefer the pellet stove but I also realize it's limitations and plan accordingly......

Also, the installers told me it is not a good idea to Leave it on high for long periods of time. Is that true?

**My only comment is your 'installers are FOS. No reason not to run any Warnock-Hershey certified pellet or multifuel stove flat out for extended periods, they are designed and tested to do just that. I've run mine hard as it will run for a solid month (this winter) with proper maintenance and cleanings of course. Keep in mine that every pellet stove / multifuel appliance, is a mechanical and electronic device and as such, has to be properly maintained or it will fail in pretty short order.

 

[Husky]

Wow guys thanks or all the replies! I like the little fans, I'll get some. I have the fan on the floor blowing at the stove. Seems to be working about the same as putting the fan in front of the stove so far.

Tried it the way you are doing it and always seemed to have cold air blowing on us and way to loud. These fans you can't tell they running and we don't feel a draft at all.

 

[DDJR]

Wow, a whole month? I'll leave mine on high tonight. I clean the firebox out everyday and scrape and vacuum. What else can I do to it to keep it running well?

 

[DDJR]

Husky, I've seen those little fans in the dollar store... I'm going tohave to grab a handful of them!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Wow, a whole month? I'll leave mine on high tonight. I clean the firebox out everyday and scrape and vacuum. What else can I do to it to keep it running well?

Lots of comments about 'scraping' on here. I've never scraped anything inside my stove that I've had for at least 10 years now (probably closer to 12). I don't get that part at all. Scrape what?

 

[Lake Girl]

Lots of comments about 'scraping' on here. I've never scraped anything inside my stove that I've had for at least 10 years now (probably closer to 12). I don't get that part at all. Scrape what?

You run a different fuel mix than most Sidecar ... mix of corn and pellets? I know for my stove, there is more build-up when it is in modulation mode for longer periods. More build-up when using hardwood pellets too.

 

[BrotherBart]

Pretty simple. Scraping the ash and or crap off of the holes in the burn pot so air more easily can ignite pellets for a more complete burn.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Well, I'm here to tell ya that this year I did burn corn and pellets but this year was the first in the last 5 that I did because corn has been too costly until this season.

My druthers is to run straight corn with just a smidgeon of pellets (and hand sanitizer) to get the old girl going.

My iron clad rule is if corn is above $3.75 a bushel, I don't burn it because pellets are cheaper but in as much as pellets appear to ber going up in price, I may have to adjust my ceiling price a bit (depending on what Propane does price wise next fall.

If pellets get to be too much and corn stays low (which I supect it will) and propain gets stupid again, you'll find me roasting straight field corn, it's nice to have options.

I could do chunk wood too but thats too much work and I don't have time. I prefer to cut it into saw logs and pile it out by the road for people to pick up...and they do. I have around 70 acres of mixed hardwood so I'm always trimming and cleaning up storm damage.

I really got the multifuel stove so my wife could deal with it when I wasn't home (before I retired anyway). Much easier to deal with than say a chunk wood stove or a coal furnace in the basement.

Pellets or corn, I've never scraped anything with this caveat... I run 2 burn pots, one is soaking in a pail of water while the other is in the stove. The one in the water, the hard carbon deposits just float off the pot, no scraping, banging or cussing needed. Swish it around in the bucket, dry it with a towel and install it in the cleaned (vacuumed stove) and I'm good to go for another week of burning.

Seems a whole lot easier to me than scraping or chipping or whatever people do....

 

[BrotherBart]

I call "scraping" opening the door, placing the small trowel in the burn pot, pulling forward and closing the door.

Not much work or drama involved.

 

[xSpecBx]

Unfortunately the only way to determine the best way to get heat around your house is by experimenting. You are going to have cooler spots in the house, thats just the way it goes.

When i first got my stove i was running ceiling fans on reverse figuring it would pull the air out. Instead it was just swirling the air around and keeping it in my living room. Shut them all off and the heat move around naturally.

How is the insulation in the house? May be worth better insulating the attic if the second floor is cold. An energy audit may be worth it if you havent done one already.

 

[bogieb]

Unfortunately the only way to determine the best way to get heat around your house is by experimenting. You are going to have cooler spots in the house, thats just the way it goes.

When i first got my stove i was running ceiling fans on reverse figuring it would pull the air out. Instead it was just swirling the air around and keeping it in my living room. Shut them all off and the heat move around naturally.

How is the insulation in the house? May be worth better insulating the attic if the second floor is cold. An energy audit may be worth it if you havent done one already.

xSpec is right, everyone's house is different. I have a tower fan at the start of my hallway (on opposite side of living room from stove), that I run the only top fan on medium (it isn't a strong fan). I have that fan angled so that it is aimed toward the top of my bedroom door. There is also a small corner fan in the top left corner of that doorway.

Along with the ceiling fan going (I have no idea what direction), the heat spreads thru my house. If you have fans close to the stove, try moving them out and away as you want the cold air to move so the warm air can replace it. When I first started, I tried a fan blowing air out of the bedroom (you can see the white fan being used as a door stop, but found it actually drew more cold air up from the garage underneath, and once I turned it off, the room became much warmer.

I only run my Harman on high fan. The St. Croix has its own set of rules and runs the fan according to the feed setting (#1 not a lot of fan, #3 setting and the fan kicks up quite a bit).

 

[DDJR]

So i kept the pellet stove on high all night... one fan on the floor blowing into the room on medium, one tall fan directly in front of the stove on high blowing out of the room. Entire house was at a comfy 69-70. A few cooler spots here and there. I loved it. With propane forced hot air its hot then cool then hot then cool all night long. Pellets,constant temps.

 

[DDJR]

I can't see not scraping the inside of the stove. A fine grayish white powder seems to coat everything, and if I don't scrape it off I'm afraid it will build up and fill the entire box. removing the baffles can be a pain in the butt, but it's not too bad. My flame seems to go from there early above the top of the burn pot to 12 inches or so at its peak. It is not a constant sized flame. Maybe that's just how my stove runs? Maybe that's just how these pellets behave? Whatever, it does the job and I love it