I have mine set up to run off of a wireless remote T-stat. I keep it set at 70 degrees and that seems to do the trick unless the princess gets the chills.
Do You Turn Your Stove Down At Night?
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Too funny... saw a very similar question trending on reddit just now:
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/mgwj4/which_is_more_efficient_keeping_my_house_at_a/
"Which is more efficient, keeping my house at a constant temperature even when I'm gone, or repeatedly cooling and heating it?"
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/mgwj4/which_is_more_efficient_keeping_my_house_at_a/
"Which is more efficient, keeping my house at a constant temperature even when I'm gone, or repeatedly cooling and heating it?"
I like stove temp most of the time, just let the stove run all the time. This early part of the season I run on lowest settings and use about a bag in 24 hours. I to think it's important not to let the house drop in temp, I like to keep all insides of my house warm, I think in the long run this method might use less pellets and keep your home warmer. I am willing to try room temp set on manual to see if this method is even more efficient.
All my years, never use a T stat. I run the stove on Low during the day, and usually run medium at night. With the new Harman, i can adjust a lot more than the old 3 settings. I cant heat my whole house with the basement located stove, so furnace picks up the slack. But I can keep my house warmer, more economically with the pellets.
It's interesting to see how many people say it saves pellets by maintaining a certain temp. I suspect this is because pellet stoves have a heat up period that is much longer than a typical forced air furnace where the heat is almost instantly there. So, the old rule of thumb to set back the thermostat doesn't always apply when it comes to pellet burners. Of course, it all depends on the individual situation and the temperature variations in your particular climate from day/night and etc. Here in W. WA we don't get much sun, so we don't get much, if any solar warming thru the windows during the day. So, I have to run my stove all day long where someone that gets sun during the day might be able to turn theirs back. Of course the outside temp factors in as well. Lots of variables.
I have my stove hooked up to a thermostat, but not to set it back at night. I use it to turn the stove down when it gets too hot in the house.
No thermostat here.
Stove in the basement is the primary heater and it runs on stove temp all winter.
It keeps the first floor pretty comfortable until the outside temps get near or below zero.
When that happens, we just fire up the backup stove. ;-)
Stove in the basement is the primary heater and it runs on stove temp all winter.
It keeps the first floor pretty comfortable until the outside temps get near or below zero.
When that happens, we just fire up the backup stove. ;-)
No, Thermo set at 73 all the time. Stove gets shut off during the sunny days
because of all the glass on the south side of house.
because of all the glass on the south side of house.
Pellet-King said:HUH?, UP AT NIGHT LOW DURING DAY
If you get lots of Solar Gain, then this is very true. The last 2 nights we have ran the stove at night to keep the house at 73* and during the day (Wife kills it at 7 a.m.) its off. Dont kick it back on till..... Well, right about now. To lazy to start a fire tonight. Worked the last 3 months with about 3 days off. My 1st full weekend I can enjoy. So I am drinking Christmas Ale's (Great Lakes Brewing Co./umm the best) and relaxing with the kids.
We get lots of solar gain. Lots of Windows and a South facing house. So there are lots of variables that go into heating demands.
DexterDay said:Pellet-King said:HUH?, UP AT NIGHT LOW DURING DAY
If you get lots of Solar Gain, then this is very true. The last 2 nights we have ran the stove at night to keep the house at 73* and during the day (Wife kills it at 7 a.m.) its off. Dont kick it back on till..... Well, right about now. To lazy to start a fire tonight. Worked the last 3 months with about 3 days off. My 1st full weekend I can enjoy. So I am drinking Christmas Ale's (Great Lakes Brewing Co./umm the best) and relaxing with the kids.
We get lots of solar gain. Lots of Windows and a South facing house. So there are lots of variables that go into heating demands.
I agree, We usually open the curtain on the slider during the day. We easily see a few degrees just from solar. Now that free heat baby! ;-)
Mines in the finished basement on 2-1/2 right now with the outdoor temp at 25 and my stove will keep the house at 70. If I turn it down at night it would take too long to recoup in the AM so I leave it alone. When the temp drops further I`ll have to turn up the stove to maintain 70 on the main floor. I don`t think I could heat my 2400 sq ft any warmer than 70 (main floor) when it`s 0 outside unless I turn it to turbo mode and that would blow me out of the finished basement.
So I allow the furnace to supplement the stove in real cold weather for whatever zone needs it.
So I allow the furnace to supplement the stove in real cold weather for whatever zone needs it.
I run the stove on a LUX500 thermostat and have it set back at night and weekdays, but only 3 degrees.
71 degrees for the time periods we are home and awake, 68 when we are at work or asleep, on a 1/4 degree swing.
I then try and keep the feed rate of the stove adjusted so it runs continually without shutting off and restarting. It is a Lennox Bella that continues to run on low for an hour after the thermostat stops calling for heat, as opposed to shutting down immediately. I use a 1/4 degree swing so the thermostat will call for heat again sooner rather than later, hopefully before the stoves shuts off and has to restart.
71 degrees for the time periods we are home and awake, 68 when we are at work or asleep, on a 1/4 degree swing.
I then try and keep the feed rate of the stove adjusted so it runs continually without shutting off and restarting. It is a Lennox Bella that continues to run on low for an hour after the thermostat stops calling for heat, as opposed to shutting down immediately. I use a 1/4 degree swing so the thermostat will call for heat again sooner rather than later, hopefully before the stoves shuts off and has to restart.
I've got my Quad Castile on a programmable thermostat. I let the temp drop to about 65 deg. F at 10:30 PM and back up to normal starting at 04:30 AM.
It does take a while to get back up to temperature in the morning, however my house is a Cape Cod style, and while I sometimes read that others have trouble getting heat to the second floor my heat zooms right up to the sleeping area. If I don't have the temp drop at night it will be too warm during the night. I run the Castile on the medium heat setting all the time.
This year I might try not dropping the temperature as far when the real cold air sets in.
It does take a while to get back up to temperature in the morning, however my house is a Cape Cod style, and while I sometimes read that others have trouble getting heat to the second floor my heat zooms right up to the sleeping area. If I don't have the temp drop at night it will be too warm during the night. I run the Castile on the medium heat setting all the time.
This year I might try not dropping the temperature as far when the real cold air sets in.
thedude110
Feeling the Heat
I've been burning for about a month, so take it FWIW.
I set at 72 during the day, and it keeps most of my house at 69.
I turn it down to 67 at night (or when I'm not home -- which is a lot!), and it keeps most of the house at 64 (63 on colder nights).
It may be more or less efficient, but I only want comfortable heat when I'm like, conscious and present.
I set at 72 during the day, and it keeps most of my house at 69.
I turn it down to 67 at night (or when I'm not home -- which is a lot!), and it keeps most of the house at 64 (63 on colder nights).
It may be more or less efficient, but I only want comfortable heat when I'm like, conscious and present.
Last night I left the thermostat up instead of turning it down. It was pretty chilly here but It didn't look like I used any more pellets than I usually do. When it gets real cold, I think I'm just going to turn the stoves down to medium or low and let them just chunk along all day. Like you all have been saying, every house is not the same so I will experiment to see what I think works best.
helismash said:
For example, with 2 stoves, having one that runs on Low all day (CB 1200) and the other on a T-stat. So it only kicks on when temps get colder than your set-point. Or vice versa, Santa Fe on Med running 24/7 and the Classic Bay on a T-stat (using it on Low or Med).
Even when I use my Quad on the stat, I still use Low. It stays on longer, but the house gets warmer and when it turns off, it stays off longer.. Getting a good Soak temp, is important if you want a more comfortable house.
Took me 3 yrs to get to where I am now. And gonna change it all up.
On a completely unrelated side note: Christmas Party tonight
! And......Fahrenheit Avatar to return tomorrow... Picked up the 4" pellet vent from Eric this morning. Stand up guy. Great dealer with great pricing......
DexterDay said:helismash said:
For example, with 2 stoves, having one that runs on Low all day (CB 1200) and the other on a T-stat. So it only kicks on when temps get colder than your set-point. Or vice versa, Santa Fe on Med running 24/7 and the Classic Bay on a T-stat (using it on Low or Med).
Even when I use my Quad on the stat, I still use Low. It stays on longer, but the house gets warmer and when it turns off, it stays off longer.. Getting a good Soak temp, is important if you want a more comfortable house.
Took me 3 yrs to get to where I am now. And gonna change it all up.
On a completely unrelated side note: Christmas Party tonight
Fahrenheit Avatar to return tomorrow... Picked up the 4" pellet vent from Eric this morning. Stand up guy. Great dealer with great pricing......
So when running the stove on medium or low, can I assume that the burn pot will look a little darker in color due to not being burned as hot? Also, what other things will I notice by turning the stove down?
I have also read where other people have bypassed the thermostat so the stove runs all the time. With my stoves, if I do that, how would I shut it down? Would it not just be best to turn the thermostat all the way up instead?
Sorry about all the questions guys, I just want to learn.
helismash said:DexterDay said:helismash said:
For example, with 2 stoves, having one that runs on Low all day (CB 1200) and the other on a T-stat. So it only kicks on when temps get colder than your set-point. Or vice versa, Santa Fe on Med running 24/7 and the Classic Bay on a T-stat (using it on Low or Med).
Even when I use my Quad on the stat, I still use Low. It stays on longer, but the house gets warmer and when it turns off, it stays off longer.. Getting a good Soak temp, is important if you want a more comfortable house.
Took me 3 yrs to get to where I am now. And gonna change it all up.
On a completely unrelated side note: Christmas Party tonight
Fahrenheit Avatar to return tomorrow... Picked up the 4" pellet vent from Eric this morning. Stand up guy. Great dealer with great pricing......
So when running the stove on medium or low, can I assume that the burn pot will look a little darker in color due to not being burned as hot? Also, what other things will I notice by turning the stove down?
I have also read where other people have bypassed the thermostat so the stove runs all the time. With my stoves, if I do that, how would I shut it down? Would it not just be best to turn the thermostat all the way up instead?
Sorry about all the questions guys, I just want to learn.
The burn should be about the same on all settings for a Quadrafire. They definitely have enough airflow to the pot. May be a little darker, but that could be pellet quality also..
As for the T-stat, it depends on the stat you are using. I have used the Quadrafire Smart stat and currently use the Skyteck 5301. Both have a Thermo mode (turns on and off depending on set-point) and then an On or Off mode.. I just set the stat to "On" and the stovr runs constantly.
If using a standard stat, then you would just turn it all the way up, so the stat is never satisfied. Takes lots of experimentation. But with 2 stoves, even if 1 cant keep up, then when the house temp drops, the other stove (set on a T-stat) will kick on a take up the slack.
Installing my Fahrenheit furnace today. May not get it done, as I have ran into some little problems. But should be done in a few days (complete install, including ductwork)
DexterDay:
Thanks for the info. I'm going to turn up the stat and give it a try. I have the Santa Fe downstairs and the Classic Bay upstairs in the family room. It's like the better stove should be downstairs but I wanted that one for the family room. The Santa Fe was kind of an unexpected purchase but I'm glad I did it. That thing just chugs along and the one upstairs does not run a lot. I imagine as the temp drops, the one in the family room will run more.
Bought 4 bags of Lignetics hardwood pellets from TSC today to try and I am going to run to Home Depot and try some of the Stove Chow brand.
Thanks for the info. I'm going to turn up the stat and give it a try. I have the Santa Fe downstairs and the Classic Bay upstairs in the family room. It's like the better stove should be downstairs but I wanted that one for the family room. The Santa Fe was kind of an unexpected purchase but I'm glad I did it. That thing just chugs along and the one upstairs does not run a lot. I imagine as the temp drops, the one in the family room will run more.
Bought 4 bags of Lignetics hardwood pellets from TSC today to try and I am going to run to Home Depot and try some of the Stove Chow brand.
Helismash- You have 2 good units. Should be no Propane/Heating oil/Electric heat (whatever you have) needed with those two. For whatever reason you purchased the 2nd stive, I say Bravo to you. Pellet stoves are space heaters. So having 2 you will be more likely to accomplish your heating needs.
I think the best part to pellet heat is finding the most efficient way to heat your home. I have done a lot of tightening up around the house (windows, insulation, caulking, plastic film over windows for winter, double layer of drywall throughout the entire house, including ceiling, door seals, general sealing around sill, exterior caulk/silicone around windows, and the geatest thing an OAK).
An IR gun helped me tremendously with finding leaky spots. Our house is 17 yrs old this year. So it had pretty good insulation as it was. But anytime you can add to that, you will benefit greatly.
Congrats on the stoves.. Here is a pic of my 2nd stove (still working on it/gonna take a few days/need other parts).
I think the best part to pellet heat is finding the most efficient way to heat your home. I have done a lot of tightening up around the house (windows, insulation, caulking, plastic film over windows for winter, double layer of drywall throughout the entire house, including ceiling, door seals, general sealing around sill, exterior caulk/silicone around windows, and the geatest thing an OAK).
An IR gun helped me tremendously with finding leaky spots. Our house is 17 yrs old this year. So it had pretty good insulation as it was. But anytime you can add to that, you will benefit greatly.
Congrats on the stoves.. Here is a pic of my 2nd stove (still working on it/gonna take a few days/need other parts).
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Nice looking stove! Good luck with the install. I'm sure that baby will do you well! I am looking forward to figuring this all out. I think even better than the money savings is the fact that I am not giving my money to big oil. I would rather spend my money on pellets that I know are made in America! As soon as I get the tankless hot water heaters, I can pretty much ditch the oil furnace all together. Now I just have to figure out how to keep the basement warn so the pipes don't freeze.
helismash said:
Use the search function at the top pf the page if you have any general questions. A product known as Thermgaurd may work for application? Do a search and take a look at it.
As for the furnace I am hoping it works. Im only feeding into one line of ducts. Its basically split into 2 main lines, the South side, and the North side. The bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen are fed by the North line. Thats the side I am tying into. The South side is the Family room, dining room (where the Quad is), and Living room. Going to put both on programable T stats. So the Quad starts up in the a.m. 1 hr before the Fahrenheit is programmed to shut down and have the Fahrenheit start up 1 hr before we go to bed in the evening, before the Quad shuts down. So for only 2 hrs will both stoves run at the same time. Or thats what I have in my head.. May be nothing like that. Only time will tell.
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