Harman ACCENTRA 52I Pellet Insert - newbie questions

[leftydog12]

We installed a ACCENTRA 52I PELLET INSERT in October and have been running it since it got cold. We have about 2000 square feet we are trying to heat. We have had temps in the teens the last week and just want to make sure we are running the stove as efficiently as possible.

Anyone have suggestions on what to set the stove at to get the most amount of heat using the least amount of pellets? Curious to what others set their stoves at and pellet usage.

Also the we have the stove in our living room that opens up into a second story loft. Our upstairs stays nice and toasty as the heat rises, however the areas of our home furthest away from the stove are 8 to 10 degrees cooler. Any suggestions for keeping the heat downstairs? We have an older ceiling fan but it doesn’t seen to be helping to keep the heat downstairs. Wondering if we should invest in new ceiling fan and curious how others move heat around their homes.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Peterfield]

It is harder blowing heat sideways as it likes to rise but before purchasing fans, try operating the stove with the fan on high speed. I just read a post from a 52i owner that did that and he was able to get the heat distributed in his home without needing to use external fans.

 

[thundercracker]

1st time burner with a 52i installed in october too. it was cold last night in mass, had the stove set about 1/2 between 65 and 70 degrees, feed rate 3.5, blower probably at 80% (not all the way cranked up). i filled up the hopper around 10pm last night, and by 8am this morning, i topped up the hopper with about 1/2- 3/4 of a 40lb bag. have a 2100 sq. ft house, the upstairs was pretty good at 65degrees, not in all the rooms of course. i dont do anything to circulate the heat, other than keep the bedrooms doors open, and possibly close some of them to help direct the warm air into the other rooms.

i'm going to guess, once the winter really starts and my stove is on 24/7, i'm probably going to use 1.5 - 2 bags/day. but the house has been really warm, and all the girls in the house enjoy the stove much more than i thought. i started with 3.6 tons of lacretes, but will probably need at least one more ton to get through this winter.

i'm not yet sure if i'll have to turn on the upstairs heat, i think i probably will. i'm very interested in seeing how much oil this stove saves me.(yes yes, i know the oil prices are cheap now)

 

[F4jock]

We installed a ACCENTRA 52I PELLET INSERT in October and have been running it since it got cold. We have about 2000 square feet we are trying to heat. We have had temps in the teens the last week and just want to make sure we are running the stove as efficiently as possible.

Anyone have suggestions on what to set the stove at to get the most amount of heat using the least amount of pellets? Curious to what others set their stoves at and pellet usage.

Also the we have the stove in our living room that opens up into a second story loft. Our upstairs stays nice and toasty as the heat rises, however the areas of our home furthest away from the stove are 8 to 10 degrees cooler. Any suggestions for keeping the heat downstairs? We have an older ceiling fan but it doesn’t seen to be helping to keep the heat downstairs. Wondering if we should invest in new ceiling fan and curious how others move heat around their homes.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Room temp mode, 70f set, feed at 4, fan about 80%, igniter on auto. What I've found with my Accentra insert is that room temp sensor placement is VERY important to good temperature control.

 

[lbcynya]

Anyone have suggestions on what to set the stove at to get the most amount of heat using the least amount of pellets? Curious to what others set their stoves at and pellet usage.

Welcome. BTU is BTU, you can't produce more heat with less pellets. You have a larger space, so fan speeds should be on high to insure the stove can do it's job. The only waste of pellets is overheating the living areas. Find a temp that seems to keep you comfortable and try to maintain it.

No way to compare pellet usage unless we lived in the exact same house. Just too many variables for this question to be answered logically. Weather conditions are a totally separate set of variables.

Keep your stove and piping clean. This will do more to insure you are getting efficiency than the urge to fiddle with the knobs.

 

[lbcynya]

Room temp mode, 70f set, feed at 4, fan about 80%, igniter on auto. What I've found with my Accentra insert is that room temp sensor placement is VERY important to good temperature control.

Igniter on auto is good for shoulder seasons, but not ideal for dead of winter (unless your stove rarely shuts off on Auto). Your house is always losing heat, so you will get a benefit from maintenance burn between calls for heat. Also keeps your stove up to temp, so you're not reheating that before pumping good heat into the house.

 

[Husky]

I'm also a new owner of an Accentra 52i insert. I am trying to heat 2300 sq. ft. I have a 2 story pretty open layout home with cathedral ceiling in front of home opened to the second floor. I've been able to keep the front of my home 71 and the upstairs bedroom farthest away at 67. I was afraid cathedral ceiling would hurt me but I actually think it is helping me get heat to the second floor. The back of my home, family rm./kitchen, where the stove is located, temp running around 75. I am going through about 2 bags a day. Pretty cold the last few nights but I have been able to maintain this heat for the past few days. Furnace has not been turned on yet this season.

Temp mode / Using skytech wireless thermostat in series with temp probe
Feed rate 4
Auto ignition
Burning Dry Creek Pellets