Any Opinions on the Castle Serenity Pellet Stove?

[mickmc]

I just bought a Castle Serenity stove to replace a St Croix Lancaster that is probably 7-8 years old. The Lancaster still works well (I replaced a fan on it last year, the only problem we ever had with it in 5 years after buying it used), I was just worried that it was reaching the age where more expensive stuff might start failing.

There's not a ton of info on them out there- you see them for sale on e-bay, Amazon, and at places like Home Depot and ACE Hardware, often for about $1000. I'm a guy that has to read reviews to see what potential problems people are having with whatever I'm considering buying. The approx 20 reviews I found on different sites were very positive, around 5 stars for the most part, much better than reviews for other basic pellet stoves like Englander and US Stoves on the same sites. They are supposed to be simple to keep clean, reliable, and repair parts are said to be affordable compared to other stoves, and they also have a built in thermostat. The negatives are the small hopper (35 lbs, just like my Lancaster) and a 30K BTU output. Ace had a promo code online for 15% off purchases over $200, so the stove was delivered to my local store for about $910 total, including tax. I figured I'd better buy one before it gets cold and stock sells out.

Anyhow, now that I made the leap, anyone have experience with this stove?

 

[mickmc]

No experience with these stoves to relate? I figured maybe a few people on this forum might have them, considering their affordable price. As mentioned, mine seems to run alright (it's still new, obviously). It's still pretty warm here in NC and there isn't much need for heat yet, but once the weather cools down and the stove has had a chance to do some heating, I'll try and remember to post my experience with it.

 

[Arti]

I was hoping that someone would chime in on this thread.. The Castle is one of the stoves I had considered last year when it got so cold in this area. We put a Pellet Furnace in instead. These look like a really nice heater.

 

[mickmc]

Yeah, I agree. I bought mine based on the positive reviews (there didn't seem to be any real negative reviews on any of the sites of retailers that sold them). It'd be nice to hear from someone who has had one for a while to see if they agree, or if there are any quirks to look out for.

 

[rich2500]

Installed my serenity last Feb. Used it the remainder of last heating season with no problems.I'm very happy with the stove. It's quiet, very easy to clean,throws great heat,hopper is a bit small but not a problem for me,the only thing I would like to see changed on the stove is to make the draft adjustable without having to remove the side cover.I made mine adjustable with a rod out the side of the stove but it should come factory like that.I would also say that I would put Ardisams customer service right up there with englander.any questions fire away

 

[mickmc]

Thanks Rich- I may have some questions as the winter goes along. It's still pretty mild weather here in NC, so my few times starting it up have been more to see how it ran rather than a need for serious heat. I like it. The ash pan design is kind of clunky though- it seems like they could've made that simpler to use, and so the ash from the bottom of the firepot would fall directly into it (those ashes fall below the firepot into an area which has to be vacuumed to be cleaned?). It looks like it is designed more to collect the fly ash.

 

[rich2500]

Yeah I know what you mean by the ash pan, I'm coming from a stove that had no ash pan so I'm fine with it. I do like that it is contained wirhin the stove,It's one less gasket to have a leak

 

[rich2500]

No the serenity does have any such holes in the firebox.

 

[rich2500]

There is an exhaust chamber to the left of the burnpot at the very bottom of the firebox behind the ashpan.I can get my shop vac hose into that chamber all the way to the exhaust blower to clean it out.That's the only chamber in the entire firebox.very simple to keep clean.

 

[rich2500]

I don't see how it could follow a similar path, it would be impossible as the top of the firebox is sealed steel box. The only possible place for the exhaust to be pulled out is that chamber in the bottom,From the best I can tell the plate in the top of the firebox gets heated and the convection fan blows across that plate pushing the heat out the top vent
If you want photos of the firebox I can take some.

 

[pell it]

Photos would be great. I have been looking at the Serenity as a second stove. I thought I remember reading about cleaning and blockage issues with them. Maybe the design has been updated.

 

[rich2500]

I tried taking photos but they dont'show up very well, only camera i got is my cell phone. Yes the castle stove prior to the serenity did have issues with passages getting blocked but that was addressed with serenity,as mentioned the only passage to clean internally is the exhaust in the bottom of the firebox(which you can get a vacuum hose in) the rest of the firebox is a solid steel box,other than the pellet drop chute and fresh air intake. Maybe one of the other serenity owners could get pics with a better camera.

 

[rich2500]

Finally torn down the serenity for a cleaning so here are the pics of how I added an external draft adjusting rod. the rod I used is threaded on the end, just drilled a hole in the adjusting gate and put the rod through with a nut, I had to bend the rod to get it so it would come out the side of the stove through one of the existing holes in the left side cover.I used a brake adjusting grommet from a car for the rod to slide through. Works great so now I can adjust he intake air on the fly.

 

[GT_Sharp]

Appreciate the pictures of the draft adjustment modification. I am in the process of acquiring a Castle Serenity for my shop. I had ordered one online a couple weeks ago thru ace hdwe using the 15% off coupon and they cancelled the order this past Sunday via email. No explanation given why. So I went ahead and ordered it thru Home Depot Monday. Supposed to be ready for pickup 'tween 3-11 and 3-16. Anxious to get it. Will start a new thread with results when applicable. Thanks again for posting info on this pellet stove.

 

[scelder]

Installed my serenity last Feb. Used it the remainder of last heating season with no problems.I'm very happy with the stove. It's quiet, very easy to clean,throws great heat,hopper is a bit small but not a problem for me,the only thing I would like to see changed on the stove is to make the draft adjustable without having to remove the side cover.I made mine adjustable with a rod out the side of the stove but it should come factory like that.I would also say that I would put Ardisams customer service right up there with englander.any questions fire away

Speaking of customer service, have you had the need to order parts yet? Do we know if parts are readily available for the stove? I looked on Ardisam's website and Castle's website and they are pretty bare-bones.

For $999, I could almost buy 2 and have on as a spare - but why take the chance?

 

[rich2500]

parts are readily available right from Ardisam, only parts I needed to date was exhaust blower gasket for annual cleaning and I ordered an exhaust blower as I start to build my spare parts inventory as i would with any stove. received the parts in 2 days, exhaust blower was $ 69.95 and exhaust gasket $ 10.00

 

[rich2500]

Appreciate the pictures of the draft adjustment modification. I am in the process of acquiring a Castle Serenity for my shop. I had ordered one online a couple weeks ago thru ace hdwe using the 15% off coupon and they cancelled the order this past Sunday via email. No explanation given why. So I went ahead and ordered it thru Home Depot Monday. Supposed to be ready for pickup 'tween 3-11 and 3-16. Anxious to get it. Will start a new thread with results when applicable. Thanks again for posting info on this pellet stove.

Good deal I'm sure you will be pleased with it.

 

[Old Spartan]

I have been very satisfied with my Serenity. It certainly does not have all the bells and whistles of some other stoves .. BUT .... for the price I would not expect all the bells and whistles and decided that I did not need them.

It has worked pretty much flawlessly this season keeping us toasty on even the coldest nights. It is not choosey about the pellets we serve it, is extremely simple to clean, and more than adequate to our needs.

I would recommend this stove to anybody as an inexpensive alternative to some of the better known stoves.

 

[scelder]

parts are readily available right from Ardisam, only parts I needed to date was exhaust blower gasket for annual cleaning and I ordered an exhaust blower as I start to build my spare parts inventory as i would with any stove. received the parts in 2 days, exhaust blower was $ 69.95 and exhaust gasket $ 10.00

Were you able to order from a catalog (online or other) that they provide you access to, or did you have to go through a tech support person?

I've just never liked being at the mercy of tech support from one company, but this sounds like a deal that might be worth it.

 

[rich2500]

I downloaded the parts breakdown of the stove from the website. To order parts I just look up the part # call Ardisam give them the part # and that's it. No need to talk to tech support.

 

[mickmc]

Just figured I'd chime in here. After using the Serenity all winter, it has performed well and I would buy it again. My main dislike is that if the electric goes out for even a few seconds (as sometimes happens here), it shuts itself down. Additionally, the settings revert to the default. My previous St Croix would detect the heat and keep operating when the power came back. It's usually not super cold in Raleigh, but with small dogs, I'd hate to be gone all day and come back to find the stove had shut itself off sometime 8 hours before in the morning because of an electrical blip. I know you can set up a generic battery back up, but don't like the idea of spending a few hundred dollars for something like that.

Otherwise, the stove has been good. It's more efficient than the St Croix in my opinion, and I set the blower pretty high even on the first heat setting, because it pumps out a good amount of heat.

Just an observation for people looking for parts- very similar stoves, probably from the same factory, are sold under different names. And I have seen the exact same control board used on several different stoves, including the Comfortbilt P22, which someone here in Raleigh retails, so that makes me think the same blowers and auger may also be used in various stoves sold under various company names, which will make sourcing them easier when the stove needs parts.

 

[3650]

I bought my 3650 from Ardisam. They have great customer service or at least that was my experience with my stove. Don't know anything about the Castle Serenity. I looked at it and didn't care for the hopper size. Mine is 60 lbs. and it is too small for my needs. I have no idea how a 40 lb. would be useful unless you are home all day long to fill it. Everyones needs are different though. The price is good as usual with Ardisam. I bought mine from the refurbished for $650.