Looking at pellet stoves

[lmholmes11]

Hello everyone. I have a 20x40x 8' high insulated work shop. I want a pellet stove mainly because I can get hardwood pellets for pretty close to free. I am looking at the Englander 25-PDVCH and the Vogelzang 5770, and the PelPro PP130.

Now, I realize these stoves aren't as sought after as say, a Harmon but just curious as to what you all have to say. Thanks!

 

[Bioburner]

Well the Pelpro is from the same parent company as Harman. Well the Englander is Englander and the last stove is from US Stoves.
To bad you didn't start the search earlier. I saw some nice used stoves for sale last summer.

 

[rich2500]

Any of those stoves should get the job done.Probably give the edge to the Englander because of customer service how ever it is less BTU but should be enough for that size building.

 

[jzm2cc]

PP130 is a nice stove, Englander is quite a bit less BTU but a solid unit. Not a fan of Vogelzang units. I'd look for a used $200-400 dollar Craigslist stove personally. I use a used Lancaster corn stove for my shop which is a bit smaller than your's. This stove is quite small but has no problem heating like a larger unit and i use pellets instead of corn.

 

[Mt Bob]

Pelpro would be my last choice.Englander has excellent customer support,Being a workshop,you should have a large stove,to heat it up quickly.But you may find a suitable unit on local/craigslist sales,An old austroflamm puts out way more heat than the new ratings, would work fine.Englander has great customer support,check out amfm energy for refurbished units.

 

[lmholmes11]

Thanks everyone. One thing I forgot to mention is I will be heating it all winter. Hopefully keep it on the 1 or 2 lowest settings. One thing I wish these stoves had is an ash tray. I may modify the one I get and fabricate one in to make cleaning easier.

 

[Gavin641774]

lots of Englanders for sale on craigslist in northern Michigan.

 

[jzm2cc]

And several Harmans for sale in Northern Michigan too, which is unusual for this time if the year.

Obviously a reflection of cheap propane and/or people getting tired of lugging pellets around. Nice Heatilators, and Quadrafires, for sale on Craigslist as well.

 

[alternativeheat]

The Castle Serenity has gotten lots of good reviews and also comments from owners here at the forum.
TSC online has it on sale right now for $799, I don't know how much shipping would be but you could probably ship to a store and pick it up, if you have any TSC stores out your way. Anyway, it's rated for up to 1500 sq ft and your space is 800. If the place is insulated ( you said it was), it should be fine. Here is a link: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...able-pellet-stove-carb-compliant?cm_vc=-10005

A good used Harman P43 would heat that place well.

 

[womaus]

This Craigslist offer and a couple of well placed circulation fans would keep your 800 square feet quite comfortable. 2 tons of pellets and all of the accessories included in the price.

Harman Pellet Stove P-43
Fully Automatic w/thermostat control.
Includes: Extension Pellet Hopper, ceramic tile hearth, 6.5hp Ridgid pellet cleaner/vacuum which allows you to vacuum transfer your pellets from one area to another; while they are being cleaned.
Unit is still hooked up and works perfectly. See it run before you buy it.
Includes approx 2 tons of Somerset pellets.
Over $4,000 invested in, will sacrifice for $2,000 firm.

(broken link removed to https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/for/5885298509.html)

 

[Gavin641]

That's not to bad a deal on that Harman along with 2 tons of sets ash vac and everything.Buy quality the first time and you will never regret it as I had to learn from experience just how cheap some stoves are made and the junk parts they put on them.

 

[dozerdean]

I found a used 5500M us stove on Craigslist for 400 dollars to heat my garage. Leave it on # 1 setting stays around 65 degrees.

 

[lmholmes11]

Yeah I have been scrounging craigslist also. Just thinking if it's worth it taking advantage of these sale prices right now. Yeah I thought about the Castle stove at USC but on their website they didn't have very many reviews. It's probably between the Castle, or the Englander because it's parent company is Harman. Or, a craigslist find.

 

[jzm2cc]

As far as I know, Englander is on their own, not tied to HHT (Quadrafire, Harman, Pelpro). Many have had great luck with AM/FM Energy for those stoves, free shipping last time i checked.

If you do buy in Northern Mi from CL and have problems let me know as I may be near by and could help.

 

[mudeprived]

Yeah I have been scrounging craigslist also. Just thinking if it's worth it taking advantage of these sale prices right now. Yeah I thought about the Castle stove at USC but on their website they didn't have very many reviews. It's probably between the Castle, or the Englander because it's parent company is Harman. Or, a craigslist find.

You want a review on the Serenity from someone who has it and it's their first stove?

IT IS AWESOME....once you get it dialed in. It will heat that space no problem as it heats my 960 square ft house on setting one and I have walls everywhere.

It's cheaper than most stoves, easy to clean, and has multiple settings/adjustments via a small electronic display. You can run it manually on 5 different settings, run it on Temperature mode so it follows the temp selected, or set it on a weekly schedule so it's fully automatic. I hear it's not picky about pellets too.

 

[rich2500]

I can tell you that there are many Castle Serenity owners on here and I don't recall a single one of them being disappointed with the purchase.I started out with an Englander and they have good customer service.I also have a Castle and their customer service is the best in the business. I have experience with both stoves your considering. 9yrs with the Englander and 3yrs.with the Castle and I would highly recommend the Castle.

 

[lmholmes11]

Awesome thank you for the first hand experience. How often do you have to clean the ash out?

 

[mudeprived]

Awesome thank you for the first hand experience. How often do you have to clean the ash out?

I only went through a bag (4 days, a few hours here and there) and had very little ash in my ash hole (lol). Maybe 1/16" layer in the pan. The pan is pretty deep too. I've read that some people clean it every day while others wait a few days. I will be cleaning mine every time I shut it down for whatever reason so it runs efficient.

 

[rich2500]

Awesome thank you for the first hand experience. How often do you have to clean the ash out?

The ashpan is decent sized so you can go about a week before emptying the ashpan, scrape the burn pot daily depending on the pellets but you don't have to shut the stove down for that.

 

[Lake Girl]

Many have had great luck with AM/FM Energy for those stoves, free shipping last time i checked.

They are refurbished stoves direct from England Stove Works so they are a reduced cost. Mike, stoveguy2esw, is a member here and is the head tech at ESW. (broken link removed to https://amfm-energy.myshopify.com/collections/timber-ridge-brand-new-factory-seconds-or-manufacturer-refurbished-stoves)

 

[bags]

I would be seriously considering the Castle Serenity. They were on sale here at HD last I looked for $699 and you can pick up at the store. Not sure if the sale I saw is still good but Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware would be places to check too.

Great bang for the buck stove and seem to be very dependable and fairly easy to deal with. Also easy to clean. You just need to figure out what you really want to spend budget wise. A good used stove could be the answer too.

I'm a huge Harman fan here and they can be scored in good condition for deals if you look. Lots of variables to think about but you have many options for heating 800 SQ FT with an 8' ceiling height.

 

[Swed]

I have had the Englander 25-PDVCH since 2010 I recently started smelling smoke in the house which has me much concerned (new door gasket arriving tomorrow) as I have used high temp caulk on the blower in the back and taped all the pipes (don't suspect the pipes but to play it safe) I also noticed a clear tube in the back had split open due to all the heat. So over the years I am not sure it is holding up great but to be fair I have it on all the time and for the thousand dollars I paid for it I think I got my moneys out of it. For what you are using it for, I think you will be happy. As you said though, its not a Harman or one of the high end brands which I just started discovering what a difference they are (thermostats, schedules, ash bins) The Englander has no ash pan so if you use it frequently chances are you will need to shop vac it out once a day. All in all its an ok stove and should be fine for what you are using it for.

 

[STANG302]

I am on my second winter using a VG5770. It replaced my Quadra Fire Sante Fe which did not have enough BTU's for my old farm house. The VG5770 was a cheap way to get higher BTU's and has been problem free.

There are a few things that annoy me. First fans are quite loud compared to the Sante Fe and my parents Harmon. Second there is no ash pan, but problem was eliminated by the purchase of an ash vac.