3 questions for the experts! ready to make my move

[Superglyde]

Hey all, been lurking for a couple years and finally joined. My wife is tired of schlepping wood and dusting ash everywhere so she wants the woodstove insert gone and a pellet inserted in its place.
1. does a pellet heat as well as my woodstove? I can't see how, but people swear it heats better. I have a napoleon 1402 thats a couple years old and it never heated as well as a very old englander I had (it had 4 blower exhausts..one on each side and and one each top and bottom) thought it burned wood a bit faster, the napoleon never did get my house warm on very cold days.
2. I'm going to buy the new harman accentra 52i. I'm pretty handy but is this a install job I can do myself? massive brick chimney, 10X10 terra cotta liner, only about 15 feet high (fireplace is in the one story addition). I plan on putting in the OAK as my house leaks like a sieve.
3. figured where to buy the stove and got a good deal, but where to buy the exhaust pipe, oak and cap? oh..and is it okay to terminate the OAK intake halfway up the chimney instead of running to the top and pulling back exhaust?
Thanks much!
Carl

 

[jtakeman]

Pellet heat is a bit different. Its a slower steady heat and not the blast ya get with wood. But its more consistent. With no rush to get a fire going, The house will already be warm when you get home.

You'll still be dusting if you just dump the pellets in like most of us do. Choose the pellets that have the least dust or build a cheap pellet vac system to de-dust them.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Boooo....

 

[StihlHead]

I do not know about less heat from a pellet stove. I have been near some that are cranking and they can get really hot. Pellet stoves are great for some people. If you like a thermostat type controlled heater, they are better then wood stoves. Just fill the hopper and you are set with a few days of heat. However, they are noisy with the blower going and the auger crunching pellets. The pellets are also not cheap, and usually going up in price with increasing global demand. You have to buy, take delivery and store the pellets in a dry place as well. Several tons on pallets takes up a lot of space. And you have to lug bags of pellets into the house. And you have to clean the stoves of ash, and tinker with them. And when the power goes out, you are screwed with a pellet stove. They need electricity for the blower and auger to run. Lastly they are not very aesthetic; a blasting pellet stove is not very romantic or something you are going to gaze into to contemplate the world like you can with a quiet burning wood fire.

Sorry, I do not know anything about stove pipes for them. OAK is the best option in my opinion though. I would stick with wood myself, but I also know the reality of needing to keep the wife happy. Maybe explain that pellet stoves may not be what she really wants, ahead of time?

 

[jtakeman]

Boooo....

Wait, Don't booo. Some of use pellet heads were once wood burners and still have our woods stoves as back up. Pellet stove don't run without power!

IMHO, Keep the woodstove and add a freestanding pellet stove. You'll enjoy the best of both worlds.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I hear ya, I just love my wood.....enjoy what you want

 

[DexterDay]

Wait, Don't booo. Some of use pellet heads were once wood burners and still have our woods stoves as back up. Pellet stove don't run without power!

IMHO, Keep the woodstove and add a freestanding pellet stove. You'll enjoy the best of both worlds.

X2... Between the 2? If I could have just one? Pellet wins. Wood is to much work and to dirty.

To the OP. the new Harman is the Cats meow. If your looking for a good stove? You found it. Liners are easy to install, as are most stoves. Post your questions here and they shall be answered.

 

[flynfrfun]

If your house is that leaky, I doubt you will like the pellet stove. I'd spend the money on insulation first. Pellet stoves are just oversized space heaters. It won't put out gobs of intense heat like the wood stove. Therefore, it may have trouble overcoming your leaky house. At first I was really disappointed with mine as the heat output seemed a lot less than I thought it would be ( I grew up with a wood stove). But, left to do it's job, it will keep the house warm, but it takes time (hrs) to warm up instead of the near instant heat of a wood stove. For us it is working out great as the mess of a wood stove is out of the question and our house is insulated well. Also pellet stoves smoke a lot less which was important for me since I live in a subdivision and didn't want to smoke out my neighbors.

 

[Bioburner]

Insulation usually has the fastest payback of any home heating dollar. A lot of areas have some rebate on upgrades. I've done wood, try get it to burn over that weekend your gone or that 12 hour shift you work. The dog may be entertained by the carpenter ants but not the old lady. I maintain an elderly couples stoves and the wood units take about as much work to keep running but have more wear and tare on the home, let alone the getting, storing and seasoning of wood.

 

[Superglyde]

Thanks all, no overwhelming statements that pellets heat as well as woodstoves, but non to the other way either. So I go to my local guy to keep money in the community, and he will not put the stove on sale or discount. So i'll go up the road and buy one for 10 percent off. Also, he wants 1100 for parts and labor and to install. I believe I can do this. My chimney is one story, just shy of 15 in length from hearth to top of terracotta liner.
Where should I get the exhaust pipe, what size, 3 or 4 inch, and how long? and I guess I need pipe for the OAK. Should I run it also all the way up or is halfway up the chimney sufficient to pull outside air rather than house air? cap and cover?
I already have the plate where the damper was for the woodstove so I guess I can run both pipes thru the oblong hole and rockwool around it.

 

[nailed_nailer]

Superglyde,

Follow your stove manufacturers installation instructions and Venting size requirements and you will be all set.

Check for local code enforcement/ your insurance company.

I did well buying my Venting from http://www.dynamitebuys.com/ Call for best pricing. They beat their own web posted prices by quite a lot.
Not affiliated but happy customer.

Good Luck,
---Nailer---

 

[imacman]

I did well buying my Venting from http://www.dynamitebuys.com/ Call for best pricing. They beat their own web posted prices by quite a lot.
Not affiliated but happy customer.

Good Luck,
---Nailer---

I Agree w/ nailer about Dynamite Buys...great company to do business with.

In addition, to also throw some business to our Hearth friends, Eric at Kinsman stoves will give a discount to Hearth.com members. A great guy to deal with. Call the Brookfield #:

(broken link removed to http://www.kinsmanstoves.com)