Getting A Pellet Stove In Central CT

[Aquion]

My wife and I purchased a 1700sf raised ranch in central CT a year ago. The house has electric heat. We got really lucky with the mild winter last year. Heating costs were only about $250/month. I'm worried about how much a cold winter is going to cost. I'd also like to be warmer this winter than I was last winter, so we are looking into buying a pellet stove.

I stopped by Fireworks Hearth and Home in Haddam over the weekend and looked at some stoves. They carry Leyden and Avalon stoves. After perusing the brochures I received, I have my eye on the Avalon AGP stove. I didn't get around to getting specifics on the price. I'm assuming that it will cost around $4,000 for the stove and installation. Does that sound about right?

We are planning on putting the stove in the basement (it's a finished basement). There is a vent down there that runs into a second flue in the chimney. I'm hoping to heat the whole house with the stove. Is this realistic? As I said, the house is a 1700sf raised ranch built in the 70s. The living room, kitchen and my son's room are over the basement. The master bedroom, a guest room and a bathroom is over the garage. I'm sure the rooms over the garage will be cooler than the rest of the house, but that's ok. The house seems to be pretty well insulated. We are having an energy audit this week, so hopefully that will help tighten up the house a bit more.

Finally, I've been pricing out pellets. There is a dealer the next town over that sells the following:
Maine: $259/ton
New England: $259/ ton
Country Pine: $269/ton
Hamer's: $299/ton
Greene Gold Premium: $289/ton.
There is also a $59 delivery charge for the first ton and $10 for every additional ton.

Are any of those pellets worth the extra money over the pellets I could get at Lowe's or Home Depot for $209-$219/ ton?

Thanks for reading this and for helping out a newbie!

-Aquion

 

[CT-Mike]

I don't have a lot of feedback on heating your home from the basement, but before shelling out $4K, check out Craigslist. I picked up a 1 year old Lopi Leyden for $2150 in Waterbury. This stove in brown enamel goes for over $4K on it's own. I used the money I saved to buy 8 tons of pellets.

There are deals out there.

 

[CT-Mike]

For example, here is a brand new Avalon with a ton of pellets of 20' of venting:

http://hartford.craigslist.org/hsh/3315139834.html

 

[jtakeman]

Basement installs can be tricky to get the air moving to the living area. Even a finished well insulated basement can be tough once the cold sets in. Seeing you have electric heat I assume you don't want to use it for back up. Just putting a stove down there and relying on natural convection could be iffy. Fans may help, But there is no way to be sure until you try. Before you dump the money, I'd at least consider a pellet forced air furnace that can have the heat ducted into the actual living area. See if its in the budget. The St Croix revolution and the Fahrenheit 50F aren't much more than pellet stoves. Its the ducting that might hurt the budget.

If not and you still want a pellet stove you might want a slightly bigger stove than the AGP, I would look for some thing over 50K BTU as they are rated by gross BTU and not the actual net BTU, Which is less depending on the stoves Efficiency rating. I personally don't think the Avalon AGP's 40K would be enough. Probably fine in the normal parts of winter, But it may struggle once it really hits home. JIC I'd go big or as big as you can afford!

I'm not sure on your local code(you'd have to check), There are a few stoves out there that allow ducting to be connected to them similar to a furnace. This could also be an option to move heat upstairs. But because of firestop concerns some towns may not allow them. Something to consider and to look into. Again ducting cost may be the kicker. But at least with these stove's you can always install the duct as you go. Same with the Fahrenheit 50F(it will require the optional diffuser).

Hamers are a good cold season pellet IMHO and burn hot and clean. NEWP is OK but considered middle of the road. Just so you know the Country Pine(made by Atlas=out of business) is no longer made and they are selling old stock. Should be fine if they haven't got wet. You can get the Maine(MWP) at Tractor supply for a bit less cash. Green Gold is the same pellet as Lowes Greene Team for slightly less as well.

 

[imacman]

....Are any of those pellets worth the extra money over the pellets I could get at Lowe's or Home Depot for $209-$219/ ton?........

It depend what the big box stores have. Check Lowes. If they have any Greene Team or Somersets, I'd stock up on those in a heartbeat.

 

[Millsk]

On the pellet front, you're gonna have to try them out and see what your stove likes. You can check out the pellet review site.. google wood pellet review.

There is a significant difference in pellets, though the price doesn't always define that. If the dealer is in the next town over go buy 5 bags of each and see what you like. Last year the $200/ton prices hung for a LONG time, so you may have some time to figure it all out.

 

[Aquion]

I went and looked at some Harman and Quadra-Fire stoves today. I really liked the QF Classic Bay 1200. While reading about Quadra after I got home, I learned about the Heatilator CAB50. A dealer in my area is offering them for just under $1400. The Quadra is about $1,000 more. Any thoughts on whether the Quadra is worth the extra cash? The large hopper on the CAB50 really sounds nice.

I'm thinking that we'll see how it does in the basement. If the results are poor, we'll move it upstairs.