Hello All!
Been reading this forum for quite a while trying to get caught up on pellet stoves, pitfalls, etc. Was wondering if I could get some thoughts/advice from you experts! Am looking to purchase a pellet stove, though there's still the thought in my mind of a wood stove...here's my situation:
Locality: Just North of MD/PA line (Gettysburg PA)
Existing Heat: Central Forced Air via LP Furnace. Also LP Insert
House: Colonial, Built ~1995, 2500k+ SF (maybe more like 2700?). First floor is 2/3 Open Floor Plan, "average" insulation and windows.
The fam: 1 wife, 2 little kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats -> safety and/or pet hair concerns??
Budget: Less than $5k...but 3k-4k more to my liking
Goals: Reliable. Decent looking. Enough BTUs to keep the first floor warm, maybe get a little heat upstairs. Stop giving all my money to the fascist propane suppliers.
I attached some pics of where i'm thinking the pellet stove (or possibly wood stove) could go.
Here are my conundrums:
Stove Location I already have the LP insert. I'm thinking i'd like to keep it in case of problems with the pellet stove, a free standing will be cheaper, and were i to sell the house maybe i take the freestanding with me and just patch up the ceiling/wall. Given that, probably won't go there, would look a little silly venting over the top of it. So then it's the main open area (pics with white walls). Think it would be better to put it in the corner in the room with the ceiling fan? I was thinking the corner to the left of the tv, and pipe directly up through the ceiling (no second floor / metal roof for that part). Since the second floor is NOT above that room, i suppose i'll lose some just through the ceiling. Thoughts?
Which Stove? I like the idea of the multi-fuels. I would probably only burn wood pellets, but do like the thought of the agitator, gives me a tad less cleaning, and fuel flexibility. House size dictates a fairly beefy unit. Here's some of my research and thoughts:
A. Englander 10-CPM -> 'bout $1800 for the TIMBER RIDGE equiv. Great price, looks ok, made in USA. Would need to find someone local to help me install. Do you have to deep clean this thing every few days or every week?
B. Mt. Vernon AE -> Got a quote from a local dealer installed for about $4500. Lot's of BTU's, battery backup, looks very good. Have heard things from other dealers/installers about igniters and other pieces going up. Have heard claims when they moved manufacturing to china quality went down hill. Is all that hearsay? Deep clean once a week?
C. Enviro Cast M55 -> Really like the look of this unit. Seems like people have had fairly good luck with quality so far. Got a quote from a dealer for $3800 just for the stove. Then about $700 for install and pipe. didn't even include OAK. Seemed a bit high to me...
D. Found a local Regent Dealer who quoted me about $3400 for the cast M55 equiv. But they aren't even really a pellet stove store, and are still looking for an installer, etc. Would probably need to look around for an installer, or give it a go myself with some help.
E. Wood burning stove -> Definitely would want someone certified for the install. Like the idea of operating if electricity out. I think a cord of "seasoned" wood is going for about $360 in my area. A ton of premium pellets about $235. Am worried about the install. If you can tell from my pictures, going to the roof of the house will be a fortune in pipe. I have the option of going out through the metal roof extended portion of the house, but seems like I'd have a lot of pipe sticking up past the metal roof to have a decent stack (need > 15ft stack for decent draft?). Might look a bit ridiculous and be a pain to maintain if the top is at or higher than man height.
Strange side fact -> The Enviro dealer was really pushing me towards a Hearthland Itasca for $2500, even though I was interested in the cast M55...was strange, and couldn't find anything about Hearthland except for their website.
Second strange side fact -> Every dealer I talked to said there's no real advantage to an OAK and recommended not to get it.
Install Would probably either pay for the install, or pay someone to help me with the install. I'm having a bit of a hard time evaluating dealers. Many in my area are relatively new and/or I wasn't impressed with the sales folks knowledge.
Sorry for the long post...any related or unrelated thoughts would be much appreciated! The wife tells me I'm over-thinking this, I'm starting to agree with her
.
Been reading this forum for quite a while trying to get caught up on pellet stoves, pitfalls, etc. Was wondering if I could get some thoughts/advice from you experts! Am looking to purchase a pellet stove, though there's still the thought in my mind of a wood stove...here's my situation:
Locality: Just North of MD/PA line (Gettysburg PA)
Existing Heat: Central Forced Air via LP Furnace. Also LP Insert
House: Colonial, Built ~1995, 2500k+ SF (maybe more like 2700?). First floor is 2/3 Open Floor Plan, "average" insulation and windows.
The fam: 1 wife, 2 little kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats -> safety and/or pet hair concerns??
Budget: Less than $5k...but 3k-4k more to my liking
Goals: Reliable. Decent looking. Enough BTUs to keep the first floor warm, maybe get a little heat upstairs. Stop giving all my money to the fascist propane suppliers.
I attached some pics of where i'm thinking the pellet stove (or possibly wood stove) could go.
Here are my conundrums:
Stove Location I already have the LP insert. I'm thinking i'd like to keep it in case of problems with the pellet stove, a free standing will be cheaper, and were i to sell the house maybe i take the freestanding with me and just patch up the ceiling/wall. Given that, probably won't go there, would look a little silly venting over the top of it. So then it's the main open area (pics with white walls). Think it would be better to put it in the corner in the room with the ceiling fan? I was thinking the corner to the left of the tv, and pipe directly up through the ceiling (no second floor / metal roof for that part). Since the second floor is NOT above that room, i suppose i'll lose some just through the ceiling. Thoughts?
Which Stove? I like the idea of the multi-fuels. I would probably only burn wood pellets, but do like the thought of the agitator, gives me a tad less cleaning, and fuel flexibility. House size dictates a fairly beefy unit. Here's some of my research and thoughts:
A. Englander 10-CPM -> 'bout $1800 for the TIMBER RIDGE equiv. Great price, looks ok, made in USA. Would need to find someone local to help me install. Do you have to deep clean this thing every few days or every week?
B. Mt. Vernon AE -> Got a quote from a local dealer installed for about $4500. Lot's of BTU's, battery backup, looks very good. Have heard things from other dealers/installers about igniters and other pieces going up. Have heard claims when they moved manufacturing to china quality went down hill. Is all that hearsay? Deep clean once a week?
C. Enviro Cast M55 -> Really like the look of this unit. Seems like people have had fairly good luck with quality so far. Got a quote from a dealer for $3800 just for the stove. Then about $700 for install and pipe. didn't even include OAK. Seemed a bit high to me...
D. Found a local Regent Dealer who quoted me about $3400 for the cast M55 equiv. But they aren't even really a pellet stove store, and are still looking for an installer, etc. Would probably need to look around for an installer, or give it a go myself with some help.
E. Wood burning stove -> Definitely would want someone certified for the install. Like the idea of operating if electricity out. I think a cord of "seasoned" wood is going for about $360 in my area. A ton of premium pellets about $235. Am worried about the install. If you can tell from my pictures, going to the roof of the house will be a fortune in pipe. I have the option of going out through the metal roof extended portion of the house, but seems like I'd have a lot of pipe sticking up past the metal roof to have a decent stack (need > 15ft stack for decent draft?). Might look a bit ridiculous and be a pain to maintain if the top is at or higher than man height.
Strange side fact -> The Enviro dealer was really pushing me towards a Hearthland Itasca for $2500, even though I was interested in the cast M55...was strange, and couldn't find anything about Hearthland except for their website.
Second strange side fact -> Every dealer I talked to said there's no real advantage to an OAK and recommended not to get it.
Install Would probably either pay for the install, or pay someone to help me with the install. I'm having a bit of a hard time evaluating dealers. Many in my area are relatively new and/or I wasn't impressed with the sales folks knowledge.
Sorry for the long post...any related or unrelated thoughts would be much appreciated! The wife tells me I'm over-thinking this, I'm starting to agree with her
