Deciding on a new pellet stove

[JellyFish]

Hello,
I have spent a lot of time researching stoves to heat our walkout basement. The basement is about 900 sf and has a large family room, bedroom, laundry and bathroom. The bedroom has a wall mounted gas heater in it. The main floor of the house overhangs the basement by 18" all the way around and according to 2 different stove companies we can not use a wood a burning stove because the horizontal distance is to far. So we are looking at pellet stoves.

First money is an issue and I would like to keep it as low as possible but recognize I don't want to buy garbage and replace it 3 years later. I would like it to be between $900 and $1500

Right now I am debating between: Castle Stove Serenity - $899, Vogelzang 5570 $999, King Pellet Stove 5500m/5502m $1,099, or Quadrafire Santa Fe $2,100.

I am 98% sold on the Castle Stove Serenity but I really wish it worked off a room thermostat which is why I have the Quadrafire Santa Fe on the list because it does. My other hesitation of the Castle Stove Serenity is the location of were the vent will terminate. It will be under a large deck. I have confirmed with the other 3 manufactures this is not a an issue, the pipe just has to terminate 24" or more below it. Talking with Castle Stove they just say that the manual states "D: Minimum 7’ clearance above any grade when adjacent to
public walkways. NOTE: Vent may not terminate in covered walkway or breezeway." See attached photo of location.

I like that the Vogelzang and King Pellet have larger hoppers, I can pick them up today at the tractor supply store. But I have read they have lots of issues, cheap quality, and expensive parts.

Any help would be great, thanks

 

[jertola]

I am not farmiliar with all of the stoves you listed. However I would stick away from garbage to avoid headaches and cold nights in the future. The quadrafires are nice stoves but I see you are stretching with price on that one. I'd consider looking at englander stoves as well. They aren't to expensive, parts are usually readily available, and there are a lot of people on here who are very knowledgeable with them. If you go to amfm energy, they sell timber ridge stoves (which I believe are rebranded Englander stoves). There is one for $1500 that lists will operate off a thermostat in the description and includes free shipping. Just something to consider. As far as your clearance, I'm pretty sure it just needs to be 24" away from that deck and any door or window. Hope that helps

 

[jzm2cc]

Fire up your local Craigslist and search for a used Heatilator Cab50 or PS50. Most of the stove's parts are standard Quadrafire stuff, automatic on/off operation, super easy to clean, holds a lot of pellets, good heat output, 3 BTU setting, and i bet you can find a good one for close to $600. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Arti]

Had a King pellet stove it worked well however I didn't feel that it was going to last a long time. Purchased a used quad santa fe and my personal thoughts are that it will last a long time, It works well although the hopper could be bigger, fire pot sometimes is hard to dump overall very happy with both stoves. I like the control setup on the quad better also the fire-pot and heat ex-changers seem to take the heat better.
Can't comment on the other choices as I have no experience with them.

 

[Jonkman]

HI JellyFish,

I posted this one another thread ( https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/online-store-recommendations.156974/#post-2106498 ) you may want to check that thread out.

Here is my post on what I would do for under $2000.....hope is helps.

If I were to buy a new stove right now for under $2000 I would recommend the Castle Serenity which Ace Hardware has online for $899 right now (ends October 31st). Free delivery to a local store:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=28687896

Or if you need more BTU and a larger hopper, I would get the Pleasant Hearth Pellet Stove with a 120lb hopper and 50,000 BTU.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pleasant...-Hopper-and-Auto-Ignition-PH50CABPS/203726438

OR

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pleasant...0-BTU-s-with-120-LB-Hopper-PH50CABPS/28471183

Just my opinion of course...

 

[Jonkman]

Oh, one more thing...I would recommend a pellet stove that puts out more BTU than what you think you need, so it doesn't have to run 24/7 to keep up, my mistake was going too small....my stove has a hard time keeping up. Of course your area is only 900 sqft so you will probably be fine with most stoves.

 

[bags]

If it was me I'd be looking ate the Quad, Castle Serenity, Cab 50. I run Harman stoves but have done a bunch of research and these are my choices in that price range. I'd entertain Englander too but read up on all you are thinking about. Really I'd likely go with the Castle if bought for $1,000 or less. Not sure where pricing is on these mentioned above now.

 

[JellyFish]

Thanks everybody for your help. I am going to go with the Castle Stove Serenity and for venting thanks to the forum I came across Fire Flame Stainless Steel vent kit http://fireflamestoves.com/Accessories.htm

 

[rich2500]

Are you aware that the fire flame vent is just straight out the wall, there will be no rise.Glad you decided on the Serenity, great stove.

 

[JellyFish]

Yes, I am not terribly to concerned about it because the outlet the stove will plug into is on a backup circuit. I was more concerned about getting close to the deck.

 

[Jonkman]

That is a cool little vent kit, never seen that before, I love the built in fresh air intake.

Congrats on the decision to go with a Castle Serenity, hopefully it works well for you. Do you have an Ace Hardware nearby so you can save $100 and free shipping to their store?