Heat Source for Seasonal Camp - Pellet Stove or Heat Pump?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.

1Dawn

New Member
Aug 19, 2014
1
Maine
We have a seasonal camp and are looking for a heat source (it is currently unheated & we want to extend the time we can use the camp). We are considering either a ductless heat pump or a pellet stove. It is about 800 square feet of space, with most of the space in the great room. Which system will be able to heat the camp quickly when we are there and when temperatures are below freezing outdoors (and probably indoors)? We would not keep the camp heated, just heat it up when we are there. Recommendations? Will a pellet stove be able to operate in those temperatures? Thanks for your input!
 
I brought a older Whitfield Quest to camp last fall to help heat a 16x24 party tent. Kept things livable when the rain and temps went down to the lower forties. Simple and being used was cheap.
 
Im a big fan of heat pumps but if your just there for short periods of time I would lean towards a pellet stove and probably 3-4 hydronic electric baseboards. If you dont put in the baseboard Murphy's law will takeover and youll get there some weekend and freeze your ass off because the pellet stove is not working.
 
We have a seasonal camp and are looking for a heat source (it is currently unheated & we want to extend the time we can use the camp). We are considering either a ductless heat pump or a pellet stove. It is about 800 square feet of space, with most of the space in the great room. Which system will be able to heat the camp quickly when we are there and when temperatures are below freezing outdoors (and probably indoors)? We would not keep the camp heated, just heat it up when we are there. Recommendations? Will a pellet stove be able to operate in those temperatures? Thanks for your input!
Heating a camp part time to me is crying wood stove actually. Very easy to heat 800 sq ft with any style stove though. The Pellet stove requires scheduled maintenance, a radiant only wood stove less so but more routine fillings. With pellets you need to store pellets someplace dry. With wood you stack some wood under a tarp keeping an air space.

The camps we go to in Maine use propane wall heaters and or stoves. One we stay in has a propane living room stove with ceramic wafers in it and it heats the cabin very very well which is not an insulated winter unit. Fall gets cold up there but they shut this cabin down over the mid winter. Actually we are staying in that cabin next week, can't wait to go ! I would consider propane for seasonal heating if I owned a cabin. It's expensive fuel but available and easy. For weekend stays or even a week at a time, who cares, it's not that expensive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: briansol
I have the luxury of having both in my seasonal home that is about 1100 sf. I often find that the heat pump (ductless mini split w/A/C) does the job quicker than the pellet stove. I use both but never at the same time unless it's the dead of winter and I walk in to 25 degrees.
 
Depending on how cold it is , it could be cheaper to use the heat pump on warmer days and both on cold days...the one I am looking at is the LG LS240hsv3 as it is the only heat pump that can output 18000 BTU on a -20C day and 27000 btu on a 8C day for a 2kw input only.
 
Fwiw. you can double the noted btu of a mini split, in terms of real feel. the better choice would be the mini split with a wood stove. You would then have AC as well and heat without power. We use our mini split all year around and would be lost (and broke) without it......
 
  • Like
Reactions: hyfire
Fwiw. you can double the noted btu of a mini split, in terms of real feel. the better choice would be the mini split with a wood stove. You would then have AC as well and heat without power. We use our mini split all year around and would be lost (and broke) without it......

I agree here you need to have both, never have only one source of heat............
 
I am curious as to why you are not considering a woodstove....I would have thought you'd have lots of fuel available at a camp??
 
  • Like
Reactions: briansol
I would use the heat pump with a wifi T stat. LG is the only unit that offers a dry contact so you can use a generic wifi T stat.
 
Well I like the new Wiseway cause it's 42,000 btu output super fast start and warm up , radiant simple to operate , will never let you down. Bummer it does need a vertical chimney of sorts
 
I would think you want to go with a wood stove that does not depend on electricity. Falling tree limbs have a higher probability of an electric outage for camps. Pellets stoves can be expensive.

This wood stove is under $400 but may cost another $600 for the the stove pipe.

[Hearth.com] Heat Source for Seasonal Camp - Pellet Stove or Heat Pump?
 
  • Like
Reactions: briansol
I would also go the woodstove route. Or, if you have gas at the area, get a big propane tank and use it for cooking and heat
 
Status
Not open for further replies.