Englander 2,200 sq. ft. Pellet Stove Model # 25-PDV

[nick123]

Hey All,

I am thinking of getting this pellet stove in September for my 1400 square foot uninsulated craftsman style home in Upstate Central NY. I am currently heating with oil and hating it. I would love to buy a Harman but just cant foot the bill for one. What are your thoughts and advice on this? I don't want to be cold again this winter. Any recommendations? Help!!


Thanks
Nick

 

[mralias]

Any reason why you have not insulated your home first? I might put my money there first otherwise you may be pumping that good heat right out the walls.

 

[ericofmaine]

Any reason why you have not insulated your home first? I might put my money there first otherwise you may be pumping that good heat right out the walls.

X2. That said, I have that stove and love it! The stove is easy to maintain and repair, and having Mike Holton from Englander on this site makes any tech support questions easy.

Eric

 

[nick123]

In a perfect world I would like to insulate first and that is in the works for the future. I am going to be upgrading the electrical box and wire when I rip the plaster out to insulate so that is why am waiting. There is insulation in the attic. I'm just wondering will this stove do the job and is it reliable. Also I am wondering what brand pellets work best with it. There is a New England pellet mill about 5 miles from my house. Are these quality pellets?

Thanks
Nick

 

[St_Earl]

NEWP? haven't used them. but iirc, they get pretty mediocre reviews here.
but (also iirc) the englander will burn just about anything.

the cheaper you can get them, the better they get.

i'm sure someone with direct experience of both those pellets and that stove will comment.
i'm curious if the plant does any direct retail sales. i'm *fairly* sure the mwp plant here doesn't.

burn a few/several bags before committing to a ton or more.
i don't have that luxury. but it's a good practice.

 

[imacman]

If you want to save even more $$ on the pellet stove, seriously consider getting a re-furbed unit. They are done right at the Englander factory, and the Senior Tech is a member of this forum.

IMO, the PDV will do the job, but is an older design. You might consider the newer 10-cpm multi-fuel (literally will burn ANY pellet), or the EP series. Both units are the newer single-auger design. They also have free shipping to a loading dock near you, or right to your door for a small fee.

Take a look:
(broken link removed to http://www.amfmenergy.com/manufacturer-refurbished-stoves.html)

 

[DexterDay]

X2 on what imacman says. I would go with the 25-EP if your only looking to burn pellets. Has a better heat exchange system. But if your looking to burn multi fuel, them the 10-CPM would be the one.

I bought from AMFMENERGY and it was a pleasure. Great stoves at a great price point. Mine was Brand new (factory second) and I got it at refurb pricing because of a small blemish that could barely be seen.

The PDV is. Good heater. But the new series does On/Off and High/Low. Which helps depending in the outside temp. ThenPDV only does High/low and won't shut itself down all the way and restart.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

actually with an uninsulated home (by the OP's admission) i would first warn that a pellet stove in a badly insulated space is going to have to work hard and run literally constantly. what i would look at for this space is a 25-PAH unit. 120 lb hopper will give longer burn times the "give up" heat wise isn't too much between it and the 22(i actually run one in my home (pah))

nick, let me ask you this, what are you heating with (i know its oil)but is it central? boiler or air? freestanding oil stove?) and what do you average monthly for cost? im trying to get a feel for what it will take to heat your space.

BTW feel free to PM me or e mail , look in my sig line for addy

 

[nick123]

Thanks all for the input. We used about 415 gallons of oil this past winter. We kept the thermostat at about 60 degrees. My first winter in this house.I also ran two oil filled radiant space heaters and am able to close off rooms for zone heating. I felt cold all winter. Our electric bills Nov $200, Dec through March no less than $300 per month, and April $200. Now I'm torn about which model to get. I'm looking for realiabilty/efficiency, and high heat output. I was originaly looking at a wood stove(Model # 30-NCH) but since I work many hours and the wife will be there during the day I decided agianst it. All models mentioned in this thread are under consideration.

Thanks
Nick

 

[nick123]

Mike.... I have forced hot air. Thanks for your help!

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Thanks all for the input. We used about 415 gallons of oil this past winter. We kept the thermostat at about 60 degrees. My first winter in this house.I also ran two oil filled radiant space heaters and am able to close off rooms for zone heating. I felt cold all winter. Our electric bills Nov $200, Dec through March no less than $300 per month, and April $200. Now I'm torn about which model to get. I'm looking for realiabilty/efficiency, and high heat output. I was originaly looking at a wood stove(Model # 30-NCH) but since I work many hours and the wife will be there during the day I decided agianst it. All models mentioned in this thread are under consideration.

Thanks
Nick

hmm, thats a bunch for that low a stat setting(at least it seems that way to me) and supplementing as well. whatever you put in you will be running pretty hard to keep up with heat loss. woodstove would probably be better than pellet as far as performance in a poorly insulated structure simply due to the radiant type of heat over convection(which is what you have now with FHA. but if the worry is the spouse having to babysit the woodstove then its a consideration we must look at. gonna have to be the 22 or the PAH in my mind gonna be a big gun needed. way i see it in the near term the thermostat option advantage of the PAH is less important as you wont be using one until we get insulated. i figure the only uptick in the PAH at this point is the larger hopper so spouse will not have to mess with reloading. with the P-22 she may have to if you need to run higher settings to overcome heat loss.i figure you will be burning at a minimum 2 bags daily basing on your oil consumption possibly a little more.

good news is as you are able to add insulation your heating load will come down appropriately as its done (was that way with my house as ive been renovating it) FWIW im a strong proponent of insulating its the biggest "bang for the buck" as far as heating (and cooling) bill reduction gets. also you may need to supplement the pellet heat with some oil when it gets stupid cold, but, you wont have to run the electrics which are probably eating you up on electric as well. IMHO they are more expensive for what you get from them than oil (though i may be wrong if they are like the edenpures)

i see your home is in central NY you will need at least 4 to 5 ton of pellets for a winter i expect judging from your oil outlay. for your typical winter (a guess but i think a decent one members feel free to correct me if im off on this)

hope this helps ya nick

 

[imacman]

.....in central NY you will need at least 4 to 5 ton of pellets for a winter i expect judging from your oil outlay. ........

If he's gonna run that thing w/o any additional insulation, in his location I'd say 5 tons. If it's a cold winter up there, he's gonna need it, and if not, he has extra for next winter.

My 2 cents.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

If he's gonna run that thing w/o any additional insulation, in his location I'd say 5 tons. If it's a cold winter up there, he's gonna need it, and if not, he has extra for next winter.

My 2 cents.

thanks IMAC, good to have input from a resident in that climate. im with ya on the 5 tons , was in my range, thing is 415 gal of oil in my mind is a chitload but the i haven't heated in his climate before. down here with a slightly smaller ,possibly a bit better insulated (but no means well insulated yet) home, i use 2 to 2.5 as a standalone source. i know its colder there , i know winter is longer, but i cant extrapolate "how much more" not having lived there, which is why i asked for help from the members on this. i like your call on it

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Mike.... I have forced hot air. Thanks for your help!

NIck, thats why we're here, BTW (shameless plug) i honestly do appreciate your looking at my product line, regardless of which product you pick, if its mine you can feel confident, I'll stand behind it. my word on that

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Another suggestion is a good used stove. Harman and Englanders are two of my favorite used stoves because they work!

 

[briansol]

I'll second the insulation thing. While it sound since to do the stove first, I think you'll still be unhappy with the home's worth.

 

[Murphy118]

Nick,
I have had the 25-PDV for going on 5 seasons now. It heats the first floor (1500 ft2) of my house admirably. If you are a "tinkerer" then maintenance/cleaning/repairing will be absolutely no problem for you, and with Mike always here, you'll be fine. Just remember whatever you get, keep it clean, greased, and clean,,,,, did i mention to keep it clean??

Good Luck,
John

 

[Lake Girl]

Welcome to the forum. Just a thought until you get caught up with the insulation ... once the snow hits bank your foundation with it. It makes a big difference with our house as we sit on a rock. Foundation work this year will include spray on insulation

 

[slls]

Last year 2 ton 19 bags, 60 gal HHO. Thermostat 70 deg 24-7. Weatherization makes all the difference, took many years, but got it done.

 

[nick123]

Thanks all for your input. I have decided its going to be the 25 pdv or the 10 cpm. Any thoughts on which is better? I do not have plans to burn corn. I am thinking the 10 cpm will be more flexible with different pellets. Also I believe the BTU out put on these two is similar. Any input is appreciated. Buying this weekend.


Thanks
Nick

 

[imacman]

Thanks all for your input. I have decided its going to be the 25 pdv or the 10 cpm. Any thoughts on which is better? I do not have plans to burn corn. I am thinking the 10 cpm will be more flexible with different pellets. Also I believe the BTU out put on these two is similar. Any input is appreciated. Buying this weekend.


Thanks
Nick

Not bashing the 25pdv at all....it has been a solid performer for Englander for MANY years, but it's still the older 2 auger design. The 10-cpm and the EP series are all the more "modern" single auger design. Also will run Hi-Lo or On-Off on a stat.
I have burned everything but cherry pits in my 10-cpm (including the terrible Curran, Inferno, and NEWP pellets), plus grass and coffee pellets, and it just keeps running.

 

[nick123]

Just took the plunge. Ordered the 25 PDV online through Home Depot. Thanks all for your help and input. I'll update later with pics etc.

Nick

 

[imacman]

Just took the plunge. Ordered the 25 PDV online through Home Depot. Thanks all for your help and input. I'll update later with pics etc.

Nick

Any reason why you didn't get a refurb from AMFM Energy? You would have saved a lot of $$ and gotten the same quality stove.

Should have been about $600 cheaper.....that's almost 3 tons of pellets.

 

[nick123]

imacman the reason I didn't go with AMFM was because of a cashflow issue (i work in sales) and being able to throw it on a HD card.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

no worries, just glad to welcome another into the ESW family.

remember if you run into any q's feel free to give me a yell