Does your stove give a low pellet warning?

[bungalobob]

Was just wondering why stoves, at least my Harman P68, and I am sure most if not all others don't have a low level wood pellet warning. Could it be that difficult? With these things being so sophisticated with their electronics, why can't they at least put this option on stoves? A quick thought in my head for an easy design would be a little pressure/rocker switch booted over so those irritating fines don't jam it up. It would be placed about three quarters down in the hopper. When pellets are on it everything is fine, once there are not enough pellets to keep pressure on the switch, it comes up and an indicating light comes on. Sure would make it easier than opening the hopper a thousand times a day. When the temps outside are steady its no problem, you have a good idea how much you are using, but when they fluctuate from the fifties to the teens the amount of pellets used is just a guess. Anyone already hve a warning with their pellet stove?

 

[doghouse]

On mine, the fire goes out. ;-P

 

[moralleper]

when the fire goes out i need to add pellets.

 

[hoverfly]

when you are filling the hopper throw in an M-80 3/4 of the way full, then fill to top.

when you hear KABOOM! you know you have 1/4 hopper of pellets left

Finger lady for half full, black cats for one quarter full, then a cherry bomb for empty........... :coolgrin:

 

[Souzafone]

My stove came from the factory with advanced technology that accomplishes this. On the front door, and on the lid of the hopper, are energy efficient panels that consume no electricity that allow the user to look right into the stove to check not only the fill level, but the amount of flame being generated. Yet another reason to buy a Harman.

 

[Souzafone]

Finger lady for half full, black cats for one quarter full, then a cherry bomb for empty........... :coolgrin:[/quote]

Finger lady? Yeah, I guess that would work for me too.....

 

[smoke show]

quadrafire mt vernon has low hopper warning

 

[MCPO]

A good idea theoretically , but not as useful in real practice since a pellet stove by it`s very nature requires a daily regimen of at least a quick visual / audio stove operation check . Not to mention that after a week or so familiarity with his stove most users would pretty know just how much it is going to need since the last refill. At least this is how it is with my Harman. It is so consistant on each and every setting I know by heart how often and how much it uses and any kind of low pellet warning would be simply redundant.
And how about the stoves that don`t allow pellets to flow smoothly out of the hopper? How accurate would a warning system handle that issue?
IMO there is enough electronics in a pellet stove and adding more only adds to the possibility of more things going wrong.
However I think a see thru window in the hopper lid would be useful and probably easy enough for any handy individual to make and install. This could be helpful for other family members that aren`t as familiar with the stove as others might be.

 

[smoke show]

not as useful during the heating season
very useful during the shoulder season when consumption is less
thermostatically controlled stove of course

 

[Skinn]

when you are filling the hopper throw in an M-80 3/4 of the way full, then fill to top.

when you hear KABOOM! you know you have 1/4 hopper of pellets left

Thanks for that, now you owe me a keyboard since I drenched mine in coffee!

 

[bungalobob]

when you are filling the hopper throw in an M-80 3/4 of the way full, then fill to top.

when you hear KABOOM! you know you have 1/4 hopper of pellets left

Good one, MacGyver, hope the janitor from your old high school is not a member of this forum. LOL!

 

[crausch]

My Harman Advance has something to monitor the pellet level in the hopper. It is not electronic and it is not mechanical. It still requires you to look at it the same as if a micro-switch would cause a light to come on. My Advance has a smoked glass hopper lid so I can quickly glance in and see my pellet level. High tech stuff huh...

 

[tinkabranc]

High tech hopper lid on my XXV too. ;-)

Just peek in as you walk by now and then.

 

[exoilburner]

My Harmon pellet furnace, located in the basement, has a photo sensor about 3/4 down in the hopper. It lites an LED on the furnace and on the thermostat up in the living area when the pellets are getting low. It has prevented a shutdown a few times.

 

[slls]

Seeing I spend a lot of time in the room when the stove sets, I have no use for another thing to go wrong.

 

[TomPajak]

tell me what you think of this low tech idea...drill pin hole through hopper lid..attach a tennis ball with a steel string secured tightly together slip the untied end through the hole and attach it to something highly visible...as the pellets drop down, so will the tennis ball and it will drag the other end towrds the lid...you could marker off 1/4's to tell you how much is left...if for some reason the tennis ball gets loose it will never feed through the auger..total cost shouldn't be too much

 

[Souzafone]

I can understand the need for a furnace, but are there that many stoves on the market that don't have glass lids?