Advice please

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rusty0007

New Member
Feb 17, 2011
3
NW Arkansas
Hello all, need a bit of advice.

Currently I heat with a Fireplace Xtrodinair FPX 44. It's a beast. Overall, it has done everything it should. I do have a few complaints though. The jury is still out on the whole ' positive pressure' hipe, in my opinion. It heats the main part of the house quite well though. Problem is we have a large (1000 ft) bedroom that is down a hall (30 ft) and the heat just won't penetrate that door way. The rest of the house with is about 2500 remaining sq ft it heats well. Also, the ability to get overnight burns in the FPX is a challenge. Cold house in the mornings and quite a while to heat it back up.

I realize no matter what solution I go with I will still most likely have the heat problem in the back bed room. My wife and I are considering replacing the fairly new (3 yrs old) FPX 44 with a pellet or multi fuel solution. Mainly, wrestling with wood every season becomes a challenge. I usually cut 2 cords of wood oak and mix it with seasoned slab wood from a local sawmill. We usually go through about 4 2000 pound bundles of slab wood. It comes in 12 foot lengths and has to be cut up. Overall, the whole process it a pain. Those that have heated with an insert before also know that the daily shut down and shoveling of ash is not that much fun either. The dust in the house and bark everywhere has got my wife ready to look at other options.

My familiarly with pellet burners begin and end with my Treager Grill. I do know the idea of getting a Multi fuel insert is appealing. I really don't think tying myself to one type of fuel is a good idea. Other than that, I don't know what to even consider. Well, I guess I've started a list that is based on BTU's. Since the FPX is about a 90k BTU unit, I know I will be going backwards. My thought is that I'm not using 90k BTU's now so something around 50k should be enough. I guess. On the list so far is the Mt. Vernon by Quadrafire and the M55 by Enviro. I've heard of some quality control issues with Quadrafire aside from being pricey and don't know anything about Enviro. I'm sure that there are many other units I should be considering. Also, there might be some factors I'm not even aware of. Like how many zillions of tons of pellets am I gonna have to buy to heat my house? Stuff like that...

Also, what should my expectations be switching from the FPX to pellets? Those that have done it, is the juice worth the squeeze? Thanks in advance for your input. I really appreciate it.

~R~
FPX 44
 
I'm admittedly biased, but.............I'd recommend a stand alone wood stove.

-Soupy1957
 
How about a Harman XXV, or acentra.
They are both available as an incert, or a stand alone unit.
If you want to go stand alone you could also go for a P61, or a P68.
You could also look at Englander's 25-EPI, or 25-EP.
Englander makes a great stove, for a reasonable price.
 
justinc25 said:
How about a Harman XXV, or acentra.
They are both available as an incert, or a stand alone unit.
If you want to go stand alone you could also go for a P61, or a P68.
You could also look at Englander's 25-EPI, or 25-EP.
Englander makes a great stove, for a reasonable price.

XXV is NOT available as an insert. Are you considering putting a pellet stove into the bedroom? That's how you'll heat that area. If the FPX isn't cutting it I can't se how another heater would solve that if it's not in the room. Lastly, pellet stoves are not recommended to be installed in a sleeping room.
 
I've burned both wood and pellets. I burned wood for 15 yrs. Then went to an oil furnace, now heating with pellets for past 3 seasons. Pellets are "tame" as compared to wood. My experience is that pellet stoves are space heaters, except where the issue of insulation, air circulation, and square footage are all well addressed. We are able to heat with pellets alone except for when the outside temp get 15 F or less. Then the house gets cool unless we allow the furnace to kick in. My back rooms run about 67 F and the front rooms about mid to low 70's on the upstairs common areas and 75+ on the lower level where the stove is located. My house is sealed, I have a double entry, My thermopane window all have storm windows as does our atrium door. I pull insulated shades at night. I don't care to run the furnace because that heats the whole house which really is a waste of heat for two older folks in about 2200 sq feet.
We are in the process of putting a gas vented insert in our prefab fireplace (living room) second floor. Wife spends most of her day there so I only need to boost the temp 4-5 degrees when it is really cold outside. (that has been much of the time this past winter) plus we will have heat if the power goes out.
Pellet stoves are not plug and play. You will still have dust. you will need to vac out the burn chamber freqently. The heat is more even than wood, and fueling the unit depends on the size and access to the hopper. a bag or bag and a half in cold temps. a bag or less in cool temps. If you want your stove to run good, you need to give it a good cleaning after every ton of pellets burned. Some wait for every two, but I find the heat is much better and and the stove runs cleaner with more frequent cleanouts. Ck youtube for examples.
Another thing to ck is the cost. Sounds like you have the issue fo the cost of wood in good control. Check aroud your area for pellets. Consider what they cost now and have cost in the past couple of years. Don't know for sure, but I am willing to bet you will need 5-6 tons of pellets to compare it to what you are currently using for wood. Sorry for the ramblings.
 
Thanks everyone for the input. To clarify, I am conceding that the back bedroom will have to be supplemented with the propane furnace, which is on a separate zone. I don't plan on adding anything in that bedroom at all. Until I add some sort of ventilation system to move air from one side of the house to the other (creating pressure/vacuum) that situation won't improve, no matter what heat source I go with.

So essentially, I'm looking for a solution to heat the main part of the house, 2500 sqft or so.

Save$: Thanks for the description of pellet heat. It doesn't sound like it really puts the heat out like wood does. This FPX will get crazy hot, but it takes an hour or so and the right mix of wood. Cleaning a pellet stove doesn't sound like its a big factor considering we have to shovel this thing out every 24 hours into a large metal trash can. It's a mess. Also, to clarify, even though I get these huge bundles of slabwood, not all of it is usable. Out of each bundle I get about 1 to 2 rick of usable wood. The bundles are pretty cheap, but require quite a bit of work from the sawmill to the living room. Then the split wood, we all know about that. Me, I've been heating with wood most of my life, I'm used to it. My wife, not so much. She's the type that really doesn't appreciate the mess but loves to be warm. Hehe. Clicking a thermostat and having heat come out sounds appealing to her. Since we have had such a hot unit, I just don't want her to be disappointed with pellets. Since our alternative is propane, I don't think money is as big of factor. Besides, there is a cost to wood, time and money, but I realize pellets will end up costing more. Is the convenience worth it? Thanks so much!


~R~
 
smwilliamson said:
justinc25 said:
How about a Harman XXV, or acentra.
They are both available as an incert, or a stand alone unit.
If you want to go stand alone you could also go for a P61, or a P68.
You could also look at Englander's 25-EPI, or 25-EP.
Englander makes a great stove, for a reasonable price.

XXV is NOT available as an insert. Are you considering putting a pellet stove into the bedroom? That's how you'll heat that area. If the FPX isn't cutting it I can't se how another heater would solve that if it's not in the room. Lastly, pellet stoves are not recommended to be installed in a sleeping room.

SORRY, I saw a pic of the acentra insert and mis took it for
A XXV. It was early in the morning and I wasn't awake yet.
Still you don't need to yell in caps to correct me.
 
Yes pellet heat is not wood heat, but its consistent heat. All the time. I heat my whole house with a unit that's rated just under 50,000 BTU's. House is a 2,180 sq ft Ranch. My wife has learned to clean ours on the chance that I'm away on a weekend. They take a little more maintenance, but obviously don't mind getting your hands dirty. If you get a larger unit, 50,000 and above, I wouldn't imagine you will have to use it on a very high setting. If you run it 24/7 you get a better "soak" temp. This is where someone recommends something. I'm not gonna recommend anything, all stoves are pretty good. Depends on what your likes and dislikes are. Look for a Good dealer, that should be one of your main selling points. My buddy just had a situation with a "bad dealer". They got everything straightened out. But man, was it a mess.
Good luck and keep us posted on your decision..
 
Dexter, thanks for the info. it sounds like you use about 5 tons of pellets per year. I don't know how your climate or house compares to ours though. I'm wondering if thats a realistic number for us to assume we will use? We live in NW Arkansas, where the winters will surprise you. We have a pretty cold stretch from Dec 1 to end of Feb where temps are routinely below 20 degrees and often times colder. Three months or so of cold, then fairly mild with cold nights and days in the high 40s to 50's. The house is about 12 years old and decently insulated.

Also, it looks like you have added a pellet furnace as well. Is that something that you needed to do? I'm leaning towards the Quad Mt Vernon. I hear they have most of the kinks worked out. It's an expensive gamble though. I really don't need trouble, like anyone I guess. Again, thanks so much for the help.
~R~
 
Just bought the furnace last month. Plan on installing this weekend. As far as the pellets go, I do use over 4 tons a year. This year pellets were pretty cheap. Got 5 tons at $177/ton and 3 at $175/ton. If you can find a good pellet for fairly cheap, you will obviously get your return back quicker. Most folks who use "just pellets" use between 3-6 tons a year. Some use less. (I don't know how). Some use more. (Large outdoor boilers, furnaces, etc).
My house is 15 yrs old and well insulated. Only put the furnace in to supplement the bedrooms for next winter. We have a baby on the way, due in May. My 9 year olds room stays pretty warm, but the babies room is the farthest away, and I would like to keep it above 72 all the time in there. I have not used my LP furnace in 2yrs. Savings is phenomenal.
The Mt. Vernon is a great stove (some have had there problems). But those that don't have any issues love the heat and technology that the stove has. My CB 1200 heats our whole house on the low heat setting. With the Mt. Vernon, you shouldn't need to run on a high setting. Its a beast of a stove. Almost 70,000 BTU's is a lot. If your house is pretty well insulated I think you will be happy with a Quadrafire. "Nothing burns like a Quad". LOL. And if you burn 4 tons a year. Let's say, at $200/ton. That's $800. I was paying almost $4,000 a year in LP. Only costs between $7-$15 a month in electric to run, depending on model and level your running on. I love the whole "pellet burning" process. I'm very happy with the results we got. If your willing to do some work, every weekend or every other weekend. Then you and your wife will both be happy campers.
 
justinc25 said:
smwilliamson said:
justinc25 said:
How about a Harman XXV, or acentra.
They are both available as an incert, or a stand alone unit.
If you want to go stand alone you could also go for a P61, or a P68.
You could also look at Englander's 25-EPI, or 25-EP.
Englander makes a great stove, for a reasonable price.

XXV is NOT available as an insert. Are you considering putting a pellet stove into the bedroom? That's how you'll heat that area. If the FPX isn't cutting it I can't se how another heater would solve that if it's not in the room. Lastly, pellet stoves are not recommended to be installed in a sleeping room.

SORRY, I saw a pic of the acentra insert and mis took it for
A XXV. It was early in the morning and I wasn't awake yet.
Still you don't need to yell in caps to correct me.
what do expect,,,he's a MASSHOLE
 
justinc25 said:
smwilliamson said:
justinc25 said:
How about a Harman XXV, or acentra.
They are both available as an incert, or a stand alone unit.
If you want to go stand alone you could also go for a P61, or a P68.
You could also look at Englander's 25-EPI, or 25-EP.
Englander makes a great stove, for a reasonable price.

XXV is NOT available as an insert. Are you considering putting a pellet stove into the bedroom? That's how you'll heat that area. If the FPX isn't cutting it I can't se how another heater would solve that if it's not in the room. Lastly, pellet stoves are not recommended to be installed in a sleeping room.

SORRY, I saw a pic of the acentra insert and mis took it for
A XXV. It was early in the morning and I wasn't awake yet.
Still you don't need to yell in caps to correct me.

Be lucky I didn't key lash you for your spelling of INSERT or Accentra or the poor grammar to use "A" before XXV instead of "An". Now pipe down and thanks for contributing. :)
 
I heat my whole house with my Sante Fe ...if its 0 out it will still keep the house around 68 seeing its not too windy...
 
Just for your info ... Don't choose an enviro m55. We had purchased a brand new Enviro 55 multi-fuel pellet stove. Poorly manufactured. Here is the list of problems I had. From the factory, this stove had a bent steel agitator shaft which caused a loud grating noise. Even when this shaft was replaced the agitator remained very noisy. This stove at the lowest setting (#1), would suddenly start spilling pellets into the burn pot like a slot machine, causing the burn rate to reach dangerous temperatures, so hot you could not touch the stove. The auger motor and the bearing on the agitator squeals incessantly, keeping us awake during at night. The glass pane smokes up within two days of burning, to the degree you cannot even see the flame, no matter what the air trim was set at. And finally, the stove extinguishes on it's own, without reason. This stove was dangerously out of control and after two months for the safety of my family, I had my dealer take it out. I have recently read other forums and so many other people have had the same problems. It' s interesting though that our dealer says enviro claims they have no problems with this stove.
 
We havent looked back since our install, 2008 Quad Mt. Vernon AE (free standing). We usually burn 5 tons of pellets a year. Heat 2900 sq. foot colonial, which was built in 1994. Extremely happy. Minor issues, cracked baffle and 1 burned out igniter (covered under warranty). Heat is great. I usually catch the wife cracking a window here and there. House is always warm, used to be chilly when trying to limit oil usage before the stove purchase. Winter of 08 we spent almost 4000.00 in heating oil. Oil prices were through the roof @ the time, so the pellet stove purchase was a no brainer for us. I couldnt afford the 800-900 oil bill every month. GOOD LUCK-----------

FYI---I use a fan downstairs to push some of the heat into an addition we have or it gets too hot upstairs.
 
Tucker1966 said:
Just for your info ... Don't choose an enviro m55. We had purchased a brand new Enviro 55 multi-fuel pellet stove. Poorly manufactured. Here is the list of problems I had. From the factory, this stove had a bent steel agitator shaft which caused a loud grating noise. Even when this shaft was replaced the agitator remained very noisy. This stove at the lowest setting (#1), would suddenly start spilling pellets into the burn pot like a slot machine, causing the burn rate to reach dangerous temperatures, so hot you could not touch the stove. The auger motor and the bearing on the agitator squeals incessantly, keeping us awake during at night. The glass pane smokes up within two days of burning, to the degree you cannot even see the flame, no matter what the air trim was set at. And finally, the stove extinguishes on it's own, without reason. This stove was dangerously out of control and after two months for the safety of my family, I had my dealer take it out. I have recently read other forums and so many other people have had the same problems. It' s interesting though that our dealer says enviro claims they have no problems with this stove.

Did your installer install the feed restrictor in the hopper? All of the problems you are experiencing can be eliminated with this part. Setting this stove up should be done by someone experienced with the stove. This stove is one of my favorites.
 
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