I'm new and Dumb...

[Tenpounder]

So my situation leads me to purchasing a new pellet stove and i have some questions for any one willing to lend there advise.
I purchased a house that had a wood stove that was removed. I figured the chimney liner was cracked and they removed it because of that. No big deal.... I new I would have to reline the chimney with Stainless what ever I purchased.
So I'm looking into either and Enviro Empress, Quadra fire Castile or Mt Vernon, Or Lopi Leyden. Leaning at this point to the Enviro or Mt Vernon.
So im looking for input on these units (I have looked at the stove reviews).
My questions are;
1. Can I run an OAK up my 20ft chimney and have the intake and exhaust that high together?
2. Has anyone run an OAK up a chimney?
3. How good are these units?

Thanks for any input.

 

[whlago]

First of all can't be all that dumb because a) you're buying a pellet stove AND b) you are on this forum. I can only tell you what I've read and my own experience and I have heard you can run OAK up the chimney (I'm sure the good folks will tell you the best way to do this). I have an Enviro M55 and am very happy with it. It is a free standing unit (not an insert) so I'm not sure which one you are planning. Anyway welcome to the forum and I'm sure many will chime in with some real answers.

 

[DirtyDave]

Welcome to the forums first off.
they are all good units. My personal choice is the Lopi / Avalon brand for thier low emissions and I live around a bunch of freaks, who are all up in everyone elses business.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Welcome to the 'nut house'. Does your fireplace have an ash door clean out on the floor? If so, run the OAK out there as I have done with my Castile. My Sante Fe is in a fireplace that doesn't have an clean out so my only option is to go out the chimney. The installation manual shows how to do that. The main thing is to point the OAK outlet downward and keep it a certain distance from the exhaust. No big deal. You don't need expensive pipe/hose for this run. I have all the stuff to do it but I am missing one thing > the ambition to do it. I got hose from Advance Auto that is used to duct exhaust manifold heat back to the carburetor or intake manifold. From that I will go from 2" to 3" flex aluminum tubing that I got from McMaster Carr. At the top, you could use PVC pipe to make the 180 degree turn or have an exhaust shop bend one for you.
Of course, you will see here that the use of an OAK is still questionable for some brands, such as Quads, since they are not really sealed well enough to take full advantage of the OAK. Have fun researching and reading all the opinions.

 

[Mike D]

I have had the Lopi Leyden since 2008 and love it (so does my wife, which is important ). Does a good job of heating my home and keep the oil man at bay. Easy to use, easy to clean. The only issue I've had so far is replacing the ignitor after 2 1/2 years, but I believe that is a common replacement part on pellet stoves.

 

[BradH70]

I have an Enviro M55 insert. The exhaust is running 24' up a 6" stainless liner that was previously used for a wood stove. The M55 puts out some serious heat and is less complicated then the Mt Vernon. My Brother-in-law has the Mt Vernon and I find it difficult to navigate the controls and understand what the stove is really doing, but I guess this would come over time if I used it more frequently.

I do not have the M55 connected to an OAK mostly because I have not had the time to install one, nor do I have the Quad connected to an OAK because it is not sealed well as tjnamtiw pointed out. I have not had any issue heating the house in this configuration. I actually like the fact that the stoves are causing fresh air in to be pulled into the house due to no OAKs being connected.

 

[jlupi]

Of course, you will see here that the use of an OAK is still questionable for some brands, such as Quads, since they are not really sealed well enough to take full advantage of the OAK. Have fun researching and reading all the opinions.

Isnt the the reason for an OAK to burn outside air and not create a negative pressure in the house by drawing air from other leaks in the house? If so sealed or not its going to pull from the easy and close source of air (the oak) and not depressurize the house.

 

[jtakeman]

Welcome! No dumb questions here(unless you don't ask them.

How much square feet do you have to keep warm and will this stove be the only form of heat?

 

[DexterDay]

Welcome! No dumb questions here(unless you don't ask them.

How much square feet do you have to keep warm and will this stove be the only form of heat?

Much more info needed.

The sq ft as Jay said. Also, is this a Single story, split level, 2 story, etc.. Good insulation, windows, etc..

The Empress and the AE are pretty far apart in terms of heating capacity. So knowing what you have, will better help choose you a stove that is sized right.

Its always better to have a bigger stove that can run on a low to medium setting. Than a small stove, that will have to run wide open to keep up. Any newer stove will accept a t-stat and will only produce heat when needed and called for. So the old thought of buying a big stove and it overheating the house is untrue. You'll want the added BTU's when the real cold gets here.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Well new and dumb, welcome to the funny farm, run by the old and dumb for anyone who happens to stumble down the rabbit hole.

Lewis Carroll, we have you beat in the loony tune department.

1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. I don't do stove recommendations most any stove can be gotten to work decently after that it is a matter of being able to keep up with the buildings heat loss.

 

[letsblaze]

Welcome to the frey, may your pellets burn hot and clean.
As for the stove yes we need a bit more info on the house and location of the stove.

 

[Tenpounder]

Thanks for all the input! i think all of you have opened my eyes a bit. Here's my info

The house is 2200sq Ft, 1984 build, 2 story colonial, faces south, existing stove hearth on west wall, north side of house.
stove is will be free standing. replacing a removed Vermont casting wood stove.
The stove will not be use as the primary heat source. I have a natural gas furnace in the basement. but would consider using the stove as the primary source.
The chimney liner is 7inch ID and has a few cracked tiles. Chimney is approx. 20 feet up from the wall inlet.
Here's the void in the living room that needs to be filled....

Thanks again everyone.

 

[imacman]

IMO, any of the stoves that have the same look as the Leyden,Empress, etc will look great in that spot.

As mentioned above, keep the stove on the big side......you might be surprised at how much you like having it running and heating the house.....it's just a very cozy heat.

 

[BradH70]

Looks like a great spot for an Enviro M55 Cast. I'm heating 2,200 sq/ft with an M55 insert, used 4 tons of pellets last year for the whole heating season.

I would recommend adding a stainless liner to the flue before installing the pellet stove. Just makes everything safer and much easier to clean.

 

[JBWheel]

Don't forget to at least check out the Harman models such as the Harman Accentra stove at a dealer to see it face to face and compare.

We were looking to get a Mt. Vernon insert and actually went to purchase it. We ended up with a Harman Accentra insert from the same dealer. We have a similar style and size home and it's working out great. I could hear the cries from the oil delivery man throughout last winter.

You should find out the cleaning procedures, temperature setting options and other basic functions to actually use the stove in person from the dealer/sales person. These things helped us make the decision rather than just reading the comparisons in specs, manuals, etc.. Good luck.

 

[jtakeman]

First step is to get a feel for the dealers you have close by and check some prices on the stoves that you seem to like. Budget?

Second is stove size/gas usage. If you want to just want to warm the living room and use the gas to heat the rest? Just about any stove would do. Or if you want to heat as much as possible with pellets go as big as possible.

Personally I think the XXV or the M55 cast would look sweat there! A nod to the M55 cast as it could fill either roll. I know NG is cheap now, But better to plan ahead JIC the price goes threw the roof. Another reason to stay on the large size. If thats the case the P61/68 or Maxx/ Maxx M are big dogs that are probable "heat the whole deal" units. To be fair there are quite a few big units on the market these days. Price point and looks will be high on the list when choosing the unit too!

Also try to stay with the multifuel units. They are a bit easier(not as picky) on pellet quality. The affordable pellets are generally not as clean as the high dollar stuff. Plus the multifuelers have self cleaning burnpots so there is less fiddling with them on a daily basis.

Keep us posted!

 

[Heaterhunter]

IMO, any of the stoves that have the same look as the Leyden,Empress, etc will look great in that spot.

As mentioned above, keep the stove on the big side......you might be surprised at how much you like having it running and heating the house.....it's just a very cozy heat.

+1. I think you'll end up trying to reduce the natural gas to 0 usage for heat once you get into burning pellets. At least your not burning oil. $3.50 a gallon isn't my cup of tea. I'm obsessed with trying to get my furnace to 0 usage of oil. Maybe a hybrid electric water heater will be the answer

 

[Tenpounder]

Thanks for the help every one. Think I'm going to pull the trigger on an M55. Anyone ever run an OAK up a 20 foot Chimney?

 

[smwilliamson]

No No No No No. Not the M55. (personal opinion) LOVE the Leyden. But you can do the Enviro if you wish. Yes. OAK in chimney, here's what you do. Run the 4 inch liner down and make all yer connections as you would BUT at the top of the chimney, instead of sealing the termination collar to the clay flue, raise it up with a box made out of angle iron, the kind with the holes in it (painted so it doesn't rust). Then mount the collar to that. Punch another hole in the chimney hearth for your oak and take the combustion air from inside the chimney....your make up air will come from the top. NOW...if you have an exterior clean out you could just simply open the door and for go all of tha tupper collar work OR you could install an exterior clean out door....or simply punch a hole straight through the brick to the outside air...but that often ruins the aesthetic of the chimney down the road.

 

[smoke show]

No No No No No. Not the M55. (personal opinion)

I'd like to hear your personal opinion.

 

[jtakeman]

I'd like to hear your personal opinion.

So would I, We have several members here that have them and don't hear many complaints. Mine has been a work horse, But I didn't drink the Harmone cool-aide!

 

[CtPaul]

I am about to run an OAK up the chimney! I order the parts yesterday.
I am going to do it similar to the way Scott suggested. I have an old fieldstone chimney so no clean out door. I don't want to try to drill / remove stones in the back of my hearth. (too thick and non uniform). I already have a full liner running up for my exhaust. Now I will run an aluminum intake hose 10' or so up into the chimney. Make a block off plate just above the stove (seal and insulate it). Then install a cap on top of chimney that is vented to let outside air into the chimney.

Hey the Harman Koolaid tastes great!

 

[smoke show]

We have several members here that have them and don't hear many complaints.

While they may not be complaining, there is a fair share of posts w/problems. just sayin. To each his own.

 

[CtPaul]

Some of the problems I saw were people tried to run intake all the way up the chimney. Also some people were having problems with really cold intake air. That is why I'm going to run a shorter intake pipe and hopefully the intake air will be warmed a little by the exhaust pipe running up the chimney

 

[jtakeman]

While they may not be complaining, there is a fair share of posts w/problems. just sayin. To each his own.

All stoves have there nitches. Good example would be the AE.