guidance on which stove to buy and where to put it

[Stan Milgram]

I'm looking for some help choosing a stove and figuring out where to put it.

Some background...

The wife and I just moved into a new home - 1680 sq feet of living space. Finished room in lower level. Main level has open concept living / kitchen area, hallway which leads to bathroom and 3 bedrooms. Master bedroom is at the end furthest away from living area. Propane, forced air heat. The propane is getting very expensive.

Regarding placement: Ideally, we would have the stove on upper level in the living area. But the thermostat is on that level and the geniuses who installed the heating system only put in that one zone. So the room on the lower level gets 4-5 degrees colder. The lower level room does have heat but it only comes on when thermostat upstairs calls it.

So if I put the stove on the upper level, I'll have the same problem because the heat won't sink into the basement (right?)-- and it may be even worse because the heat will never turn on due to the thermostat reading always staying high.

Should I just put the stove in the basement and open some registers in the upper level floor? Perhaps the heat will just rise from the basement and up the stair well.

Either way, will the heat make its way down the hall to the last bedroom?

I'm looking at Harman's since they get good reviews and have been around for a while. Probably a P61A or P68. Not sure. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[mikkeeh]

Pellet stoves are NOT plug and play. So if you’re new to pellet stoves, be prepared to spend some time tinkering, to get things right. That being said, Harman seems to be the least labor intensive, although one of the most expensive.

I would probably install in the lower level, with a ceiling fan in that room. You have to remember that pellet stoves are space heaters, not whole house furnaces. You should get reasonable heat upstairs, some, but not so much. In the bedroom.

I have a 1400sqft ranch, built in 2006, with unfinished basement. Initially I installed the P43 in the basement. It did a reasonable job. The second year I moved it to the main floor. It sits in one corner of open living area, ...bedrooms are on the opposite ends of the house. I can keep the livin area toasty, with the back bedroom at about 65.

I eventually added a smaller Serenity in the basement.

My furnace is electric heat pump, with propane as EM heat. My propane use is almost zero.
P61 is a great stove...but all those btus come at a price. In my area, propane prices are down significantly from when I moved in in 2011, In cold weather you’ll burn at least 2bags a day...$4/bag. In weather warmer than about 25 degrees, it’s cheaper for me to run the heat pump. Lots of variables.

Best of luck.

 

[johneh]

Remember a pellet stove is a SPACE heater it is not designed to heat your whole house
That being said I would install it downstairs and hope the heat will move upstairs
Also buy a stove with more BTU output than you think you will need . You will be thankful for it in very cold weather
Welcome to the forum

 

[Stan Milgram]

Thanks for the responses. I do wonder if the P68 will heat all 1680 sq ft if its in the basement. I thought they were rated for 2,000 sq ft. ??

If not, maybe I'll get a P43 for the main level and and very small stove for the basement. Lots to think about...

 

[Nitro-Fish]

If you are on the fence about the P68 being able to get the job done, remember there is very little difference in the dimensions of a P43 compared to the P61 or P68 (1-1/2" in width vs. the P61 & P68, 3" in height to the P61, 4" in height to the P68 and 3/4" in depth to the P61 & P68), all three have the same 10" from base of stove for the exhaust. I don't know the price differences between the P43 and the P61/P68 in your area (or even in my area for that matter, still running an old manual light P61 that is 20 yrs old!), but if you are not above experimenting and the cost difference is not too much, you could start with the P61 or P68 in the basement & if it doesn't do what is needed, just move it upstairs & get your smaller stove for the basement as mentioned.

BTW, the P68 is rated for 1500 to 3900 sq ft. and the P61 is for 1300-3500 sq ft

 

[Washed-Up]

I think a P61 or P68 would work very well in your basement...cost wise, a P61 is a bit cheaper..

 

[fmsm]

Remember a pellet stove is a SPACE heater it is not designed to heat your whole house
That being said I would install it downstairs and hope the heat will move upstairs
Also buy a stove with more BTU output than you think you will need . You will be thankful for it in very cold weather
Welcome to the forum

Be careful about buying too much stove. If your stove is running too low you will get a dirty burn.