Jumping in head first and needing help

[jasonkacz]

Looking into buying our first pellet stove. But I know nothing about what brands have been around for years or what ones have just popped up over the last year. The dealer near me sells Harman and Quadra fire I believe. The big box lumber yards sell England’s and Pelpro. Not really asking which one I should buy just want to make sure that if there is one I should stay away from I guess.
I’m willing to spend a little extra if it’s going to make the difference in buying another one in 15 years vs 3 years. Also what is the life expectancy of a pellet stove?
Also I would like to know what options are a must have on one. I have noticed that some of the units come with a thermostat hook up and some don’t. I like the idea of battery backup too but not many of the ones I have looked at have their own system to install. Would I be better off buying a 1000w inverter and making my own or hunt around to find a unit that has one as part of a package?
We were looking into getting one with the bay window style design. Any pros or cons to that?
From what I’ve looked at online the venting has to go through the roof? I was hoping that I could vent it out of the side of the house. Is there a special kit for that or isn’t that an option?

Recap:
Question 1: Brands not worth buying (ex. limited/hard to find parts, Company out of business)
Question 2: Life expectancy
Question 3: Options
Question 4: Bay window Design Pro/Con
Question 5: Venting

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Welcome to the forums.

Venting options are dictated by the stove you decide to get. Most modern setups can go out, out and up, up, or up and out.

If the stove maker says you can do a direct horizontal vent the only special thing about the vent is that horizontal terminating vents must use a horizontal cap and should not be on the prevailing wind side of the house.

Vents are also limited in their lengths, number and types of bends etc.... if you exceed these limitations you will have at least poor burns and a lot of additional cleanings, at worst ...

 

[AVIVIII]

1: Good luck. I like Harman. I bought a P68. I love it. Thats All I'm saying there....

2: Keep it clean and surge protected and it will operably last a long time. Realistically, there are a lot of motors, sensors and relays all of which are somewhat life limited. The steel firebox will classify it as a 'stove' forever, but things will break and need replacement. Most parts are on a 2-5 year warrantee in general.

3: The Thermostat capability was the biggest reason that I put in a pellet stove instead of a wood stove. By the time we come home at night, the house is already nice and toasty. As far as back up, 700w+ UPS should buy you enough time to get a generator hooked up. Oh yeah, get a generator. I am playing with a battery back-up/inverter/charger/solar/wind design; my 7500w generator was cheaper...

4:I doubt there are any operational pros or cons to those bay windows besides more to clean, but if you are set on having them, they will limit your brand/model selection. I personally wouldn't buy based on looks alone, but it may be a deciding factor for you.

5: I have a direct vent that goes straight out the wall behind the stove. Its easy to instal, saves a lot of $$$ on install materials, easy to clean and with the Outside air kit (OAK) it still gets a great draft with ZERO vertical run. Most vent pipe manufacturers and some stove companies make a kit. You will have to maintain specific clearances from walls, windows, doors, ground, vegetation and roofs depending on which way you go. You will also have to have it inspected.

6: There is a lovely search field on the top of the page. Everyone here is always very willing to help, but many first-timer style questions can be answered with a quick search.

Good luck on your search!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

A couple of things you need to be aware of.

1. There are basically two kinds of stoves, those that you take complete care of and those that have dealer support. If you are not handy, are adverse to getting into the stoves guts, or are in general hands off you need to do as much as if not more research on the dealer you get your stove from than the actual stove. The stoves without dealer support are usually found at large chain retail outlets.

2. A lot of stoves actually use renumbered off the shelf parts when it comes to blowers, various sensors, igniters etc ... there is a fairly well established after market parts supply line. Some of the harder to find parts have resulted in repair services or other work arounds. As a result a lot of old timers are still burning. Now that being said I am not pushing getting an older or used stove, just wanted you to know what is out there.