Cast Iron or Steel Pellet Stove

[mikehug]

I am debating getting a Harman Accentra stove which is made out of cast iron. Has anyone hear good/bad things about cast iron instead of steel? Anything I should know about buying cast iron?

Thanks

 

[defield]

mikehug,

I burned wood for many years before purchasing a pellet stove. The wood stoves were cast iron and I always appreciated the qualiy of the castings, the looks of the cast pieces, the mass for smoothing out the heat cycling, and the resale value.

When doing "due dilligence" before purchasing the pellet stove last year, I learned that the dealer, the warranty, the stove's reputation, and proper fit for the application were very important. The question of steel or cast iron is less important with a pellet stove because of their heating characteristics.

The stoves that my wife and I liked best, for many reasons, happened to be the Harmon Accentra and the Lopi Leyden, both have cast iron components.

From the wording of your post it sounds as if you are questioning if cast iron is a good material for a stove. The castings for a quality stove are of excellent quality and will last many years without problems or undue maintenance issues.

Ranger

 

[defield]

mikehug,

One more thought. . . .with a cast iron wood stove, if the stove is really COLD, starting a roaring fire can possibly damage the castings. the stove should warm gradually.

With a pellet stove, again because of the way they burn, that is not a concern.

In this area, stoves made of cast iron parts are generally considered to be superior to steel, last longer, and hold their value longer. ( The same with oil boilers.) ( There are always exceptions to both, that is why I stress "generally")

Ranger

 

[mlwschultz]

Before we got our pellet stove we were thinking of the Harman Accentra - we liked the look & the fact that we could get the hearth pad for it & it would be a small footprint, but after talking with the dealer he thought that this stove would have to work too hard for our house (ranch, big great room with high ceilings) & we ended up getting the XXV & we love it We're considering a 2nd stove & were in the showroom last week & one thing we noticed with the steel stoves (looking at the P68 that was burning in the showroom) was that the top was much hotter than the XXV and the sides were too hot to touch (you'll notice in the specs that the clearances are greater on the steel stoves). So there's radiant heat there as well as the fan pushing out the hot air. With the cast iron stoves it's strictly the hot air flow as the sides & top are barely warm (the dealer said that the fans are totally different due to the design of the stoves, that explains the CFM difference in the fans). So consider the situation where you want to put the stove and whether or not the side heat is a problem for you (kids, pets, clearances, etc.) and/or you want the radiant heat. If the stove surface heat is an issue, stick with a cast iron stove. The other consideration is which stove do you like the looks of. We were considering the Advance for the 2nd stove, but didn't like it at all when we saw it. Now we're actually thinking of the P68 for the 2nd stove, or else we'll get another XXV.

 

[bjr23]

I gotta chime in here. I've not been pellet stove shopping that long and I wound buying a used stove, a Whitfield Advantage. What I've found is looks should be included along with the size of space to heat and all the to hot to touch criteria. The ONE thing I wanted was ACCESS for maintenance, cleaning the fans and removing brickwork walls. These stoves have to be maintained and how hard they are to work on is my primary concern along with cost of parts. I getting along in years and as my age increases my income decreases along with some motor and mental ablitities just aren't what they were and I want to STAY warm. I need dependability; ease of service and be able get parts reasonably priced and if it looks nice, great. The steel fire box with removable tin sides were just what the doctored, for me. I don't want, or need a bunch expensive electronics, programmable thermostats or execesories. I will have to purchase 3" brush on the skinny snake like handle rod $35-$40 for flu cleaning. Just my thoughts on what make a good stove. bjr23

 

[Fsappo]

mikehug,

I burned wood for many years before purchasing a pellet stove. The wood stoves were cast iron and I always appreciated the qualiy of the castings, the looks of the cast pieces, the mass for smoothing out the heat cycling, and the resale value.

When doing "due dilligence" before purchasing the pellet stove last year, I learned that the dealer, the warranty, the stove's reputation, and proper fit for the application were very important. The question of steel or cast iron is less important with a pellet stove because of their heating characteristics.

The stoves that my wife and I liked best, for many reasons, happened to be the Harmon Accentra and the Lopi Leyden, both have cast iron components.

From the wording of your post it sounds as if you are questioning if cast iron is a good material for a stove. The castings for a quality stove are of excellent quality and will last many years without problems or undue maintenance issues.

Ranger

I have to agree 100% with what Ranger says. I would buy from a dealer you feel you trust and buy based on specs and warranty.