Lessons learned in first year w/a pellet stove

[jp57]

This is my first year with a pellet stove and I'm learning as I'm going along (and reading this forum). Just a couple things that I'm starting to figure out:

1. Got to have a humidifier, or two, going with the stove running. Dry as all h3ll in the house without them.
2. "A clean stove is a happy stove". Self explanatory.
3. The stove can run all day and night. As long as it is properly maintained, she'll run just fine.
3. Buy pellets in advance of the winter. I only had about 30 bags going into the witner and with the real nasty, nasty cold we're having here in NE PA, it is nowhere near enough. Had to pay $7/bag yesterday at a dealer so I grabbed just enough to get me through this week. HD, Lowes, and TSC all are out of stock around me. I COULD drive an hour down to Bucks Pellets, but I would end up paying more in gas.

So...for next year...buy pellets early, keep the humidifiers running, keep the stove clean, and don't panic about the house burning down. LOL

Oh...and seriously look into adding a OAK.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Thats all common sense IMO.

 

[Peterfield]

Oh...and seriously look into adding a OAK.

OAK? What's that??

 

[jp57]

Thats all common sense IMO.

It really kind of is...but sometimes you can't see it if you don't go through it first, ya know?

 

[Fsappo]

It really kind of is...but sometimes you can't see it if you don't go through it first, ya know?

its a guy thing. Sometimes we need to suffer to learn

 

[SidecarFlip]

OAK? What's that??

O utside A ir K it

I like Oak pellets myself.

Most everything discussed on here is in your instruction/installation manual. I'm into reading myself. Makes life much easier.

 

[Randy Acton]

An OAK may help but probably not as much as you think. The humidity of a house heated with gas forced air is almost the same one heated with wood or pellet stoves. Over the last 5 days we have had constant 0 to -10 temps in Michigan. Two of those days we heated with wood and had 27% RH. 3 days we heated with gas ad had 26% RH. No OAK on the wood stove but we do have two cast iron tea ketlles full of water on te stove.

 

[maple1]

A stove shouldn't really act as a dehumidifier.

 

[Randy Acton]

Agreed maple1, I think OAK's are misunderstood ad generally not needed

 

[moey]

If you had a OAK it may help with the humidity level. Stoves don't cause dry air bringing in cold outside air and continually heating it causes dry air.

 

[Randy Acton]

moey you are correct in that bringing it in causes dry air, but heating it does nothing

 

[SidecarFlip]

The reason for using outside air for combustion is simply, why use heated room air for combustion and run it out the vent when you can use outside air and not be heating air to use for combustion. That makes no sense when most all stoves are equipped with outside air fittings (mandatory on a mobile home btw).

The stoves don't put out excessive btu's, why waste them on combustion air.....

 

[F4jock]

Heating air expands the distance between molecules and thus you have less moisture per unit volume, thus the air IS less humid.

If you want to have fun with pellets go to TSC and buy a few bags of equine bedding pellets. You'll be pleased. Several threads on the subject hereon.

Flipper is right. Get an OAK.

Other than that you've done well Grasshopper!

 

[bogieb]

Heating air expands the distance between molecules and thus you have less moisture per unit volume, thus the air IS less humid.

If you want to have fun with pellets go to TSC and buy a few bags of equine bedding pellets. You'll be pleased. Several threads on the subject hereon.

Just make sure that they aren't the dark pellets - you won't be pleased with those at all.

 

[F4jock]

Just make sure that they aren't the dark pellets - you won't be pleased with those at all.

Yeah. Good point. The blonder the better. I should know!

 

[SidecarFlip]

I know some good blonde jokes but I'll keep them to myself...

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Just make sure that they aren't the dark pellets - you won't be pleased with those at all.

Not true my lignetics where very dark and so far out performed my hamers and barefoots

 

[F4jock]

Not true my lignetics where very dark and so far out performed my hamers and barefoots

He means the Equine Bedding

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Ohhh lol I get it

 

[SidecarFlip]

He means the Equine Bedding

Dark would be whizzed on wouldn't it?

 

[Wilbur Feral]

Agreed maple1, I think OAK's are misunderstood ad generally not needed

I just sit here repeating to myself, "Do not take the bait. Do not take the bait. Do not take the bait.", over and over and over. Clearly there is misunderstanding. But not on the part of those who recommend an OAK.

BTW, the earth is not flat and the moon is not made of cheese, either. But feel free to argue that, too.

 

[bogieb]

He means the Equine Bedding

She

 

[bluhming]

In reply to TSC equine bedding pellets my experience this year has been med heat , lots of ash , lots of clinkers . When it hits zero house stays at 62 withTSC softwood bedding , when using quality hard wood pellets also purchased at TSC house stays at 68 .

 

[F4jock]

She

Sorry. Didn't look close enough at the post.

 

[F4jock]

In reply to TSC equine bedding pellets my experience this year has been med heat , lots of ash , lots of clinkers . When it hits zero house stays at 62 withTSC softwood bedding , when using quality hard wood pellets also purchased at TSC house stays at 68 .

You must have gotten the darker ones. Lighter ones burned very hot for me.