Avalon pedelton new to me stove

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Welderman85

Feeling the Heat
Nov 1, 2017
352
Chesaning MI
Hello I was given a used avalon pedelton insert for my fireplace. My house is a 19012 square ft split level. With the fireplace in the basement. Would it be worth my time to install it in my house. I found a blower for it that would help move the heat. Thanknyou
 
For a 19000 sq ft house the Pendelton might barely be a room warmer. We need a lot more details about the house and the fireplace to comment.
 
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Hope so. 19000 sq ft falls in the vicinity of a facility. Regardless, the Pendelton is a small insert. It will still be mostly a room warmer in a 1900 sq ft home too.
 
What kind of details would you like
Is it really 19000 sq ft? If so how big is the room it is going in? What would you be hoping to accomplish with the insert?
 
What kind of details would you like
The actual house sq ftg and fireplace dimensions (H, W, D). Is the fireplace room close to and open to the stairwell going upstairs?
 
Sorry yes its 1900 but it's a trilevel or split level whatever the correct term is. So the 1900 also includes the basement. I will have to measure the fireplace when I get home. And it's on the back wall of the basement but probably 20 to 25 feet from the stairs. The main reason for the install would be so my wife can relax by the fire. And maybe not run the furnace as much
 
The Pendelton is small so it fits most fireplaces. Due to the small firebox capacity it will not put out a lot of heat for very long. It would be ok for night and weekend fires, but not much of a whole house heater.
 
This would be my first go at wood heat. And we both work during the day so it would probably be lit most nights and the full weekend. I would like a bigger inset but this was given to us so I thought I would give it a shot.
 
It will be important to have a good supply of fully seasoned wood on hand. That is a rare commodity from most wood sellers, no matter how it is advertised.
 
That's the main reason I finally told my wife I will install it. Lol I have a 5 acers of woods that had a lot of dead standing ash. Plus a few elder and maple I took down. I cut and split it all over the last few years and now it just sits. I have it protected from the weather but don't want to see it go to waste so I figured I could get some heat out of it. And if we like it a up grade to a bigger insert in a couple years would be to bad.
 
My main concern was that but would just be a waste of my time installing it. It needs new air tubes , fire brick and a good clean up. I might through a blower on it to help with heat output.
 
I was going to ask the condition of the stove? If it has been abused, you would be better off looking for another or buying new. There are some reasonably priced mid-sized inserts around $1K. Note that the liner install may add $2k unless this is DIY.
 
I would like to try and do the install myself. I'm sure I will have a bunch of questions about it though. The stove needs a little love but I don't think it's to bad. Am I an idiot for installing such a small stove. Also how do I tell if it was abused
 
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I would like to try and do the install myself. I'm sure I will have a bunch of questions about it though. The stove needs a little love but I don't think it's to bad. Am I an idiot for installing such a small stove.
Even a small stove like that will help reduce the furnace useage. The question is how much will it cost to fix that one compared to a larger one that would be more effective? The install doesn't matter that much because the majority of that work could be reused if you decide you need a larger one.
 
I'm all for saving something from the scrapyard if it still has good life after some TLC. But one needs to be sure there are no safety or operational issues with the insert first. It's a small stove but it will put out some heat that will warm up the area and make it more cozy. If the goal is to get your feet wet and try out wood burning, then it may be a fun project. Just make sure the stove doesn't have more serious problems like cracks in the secondary manifold or stove body. If there are no surprises then the cost of repairs may be around $200. I'd replace the door gasket too. Get the gasket and tubes from a Lopi dealer.
 
Now I will dumb but what's the best way to inspect for cracks and what is the secondary manifold
Lol sorry I was a city kid and now I'm trying to learn
 
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Just closely inspect every part of the stove inside and out for any cracks or warping. If you find any on any part that is not replaceable I would not bother with it
 
Thank you very much for all your help. One more questio . How hard are they to install correctly. I had a company come out last year and clean and inspect the fireplace and flue. But when I asked about installing it he seem like he didn't know how to do it correctly. I stopped and a another stove store today and he said he was really backed up but the install would be easy for me to do
 
Thank you very much for all your help. One more questio . How hard are they to install correctly. I had a company come out last year and clean and inspect the fireplace and flue. But when I asked about installing it he seem like he didn't know how to do it correctly. I stopped and a another stove store today and he said he was really backed up but the install would be easy for me to do
The ease of install varies allot. I can be done an insert install in a couple hours or it can take more than a day. Allot depends on wether or not the stainless liner fits easily in your clay liner.
 
Thank you very much I have to see what the wife wants to do and I'm sure I'll be back soon with a ton of install questions
 
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Thank you very much I have to see what the wife wants to do and I'm sure I'll be back soon with a ton of install questions
Measure the ID of the fireplace flue while getting the fireplace dimensions.