Managing too much heat with a new to me Piazzetta Sabrina

[woodyak]

I've been burning pellets forever(18 years?) with an older Breckwell P2700. It's pretty plain Jane, so I ran it on low pretty much full time from late fall to spring. On warmer days I'd turn it off for a bit. On colder days I'd crank it up a little. I have a 2000 SQ split ranch with the stove on the bottom floor with a big open stairway. This supplies the core heat for the house. Some areas run cold, while other areas run hot, and we're fine with that. The stove has been pretty cranky over the past few years to a point where only I could figure out how to run it. It broke on the coldest day of the year and I decided to stop maintaining it, so I picked up a used 2 year old Piazetta Sabrina.

I just hooked her up last night and I'm trying to figure things out. It burns WAY warmer than the Breckwell. Looking at the manual and various posts, it appears I will have to manage things a bit differently. I ran it on low all night and woke up to a very warm house. It's nice, but kind of too warm and I expect I'll be blowing through pellets, while keeping the house uncomfortably warm downstairs. I've been reading up on the stove on this forum, and will continue to do so, but I figure I'd post something to get some targeted advice.

I saw that you can adjust the pellet rate on these things. I guess I need a code to do that. Should I pursue that direction? I only burn the Douglass Fir pellets and it was never an issue with the Breckwell. I saw some posts that recommended only running it on P3 to keep things burning properly. I would expect that to be too warm.

Should I focus on using the temperature mode where it shuts own and starts at a specific temp? Is shutting down/restarting constantly an issue? Any advise on setting that up? I read the manual and didn't want to go too far in that direction if it's a bad idea.

What's up with the Energy Savings mode? It appears to just slow down the blower fan. Is that a useful feature?

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pascal_Maertens]

Piazzetta pellets stove A to Z recommendations

Hi there, I assume that you are a new Piazzetta owner, at this moment if you are on this forum it usually because you need help with your new stove, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Pascal Maertens I’m from Mont-Laurier, Quebec in Canada I’m also a certified Piazzetta technician. I...

www.hearth.com

 

[SidecarFlip]

Piazzetta pellets stove A to Z recommendations

Hi there, I assume that you are a new Piazzetta owner, at this moment if you are on this forum it usually because you need help with your new stove, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Pascal Maertens I’m from Mont-Laurier, Quebec in Canada I’m also a certified Piazzetta technician. I...

www.hearth.com

I went and read your sticky and all your comments. One I don't agree with and that is yopu are adverse to adding an OAK or a FAK or outside air kit or whatever you want to call it and I cry foul on the comment.

Why would you use already heated air (ambient air in a room) to provide combustion air when you can pull it from outside and not impact the output of heated air from a stove at all? I always run outside air and I've done a few installs for others in the past and they were all outside combustion air intake. In fact when the outside air is extremely cold and dense, outside air actually improves combustion inside a pellet or biomass appliance.

 

[Pascal_Maertens]

I went and read your sticky and all your comments. One I don't agree with and that is yopu are adverse to adding an OAK or a FAK or outside air kit or whatever you want to call it and I cry foul on the comment.

Why would you use already heated air (ambient air in a room) to provide combustion air when you can pull it from outside and not impact the output of heated air from a stove at all? I always run outside air and I've done a few installs for others in the past and they were all outside combustion air intake. In fact when the outside air is extremely cold and dense, outside air actually improves combustion inside a pellet or biomass appliance.

Well, I tried it and to me it made no difference and in the last 10 years I only had 2 customers that did put an OAK one is a friend of mine no one ever complain about it. You absolutely can't not do this with a North American stove because they dont have an adjustable exhaust fan. in my Piazzetta formation I did take a picture of a Harman Manual that say's
NOTE: In some cases, the draft may not go as low as .35
even with the set screw completely counter-clockwise. this means that you will have to deal with your own problem, sorry but the stove was not ment to be sold for you type of construction this issue will never happen with a Piazzetta because the exhaust fan as such a wide RPM range that you could invert completely the power levels. yes, you would be able to make a Power level P5 out of a power level P1 and a P5 out of a P1 crazy I know, but it is stupidly possible! and the reel reason why the OAK is used in the North American stoves as if you dont in a new construction ( air tigth ) you will get soot all over the glass, and 4feet wide outside at the chimney cap all around on the house. some have reported that they also had soot in the house on their walls this is a mess. in my country place I live it is quite a small place 14000 inhabitants. since the last 10 years we have sold over 400 Sabrina models from Piazzetta, 99% have been installed by the customers them self, I have made the start up for every one and never was I unable to meet the proper setting from the Piazzetta charts so... for a Piazzetta no need of an oak so this way when the stove stops no cold air in the house. If I wore to sale any North American made stove, I would say ABSOLUTLY you need an OAK. it's getting late I appreciate your comment we could discuss this for a long time but I'm getting tired have to work tomorrow take care, Best Regards.

 

[Washed-Up]

Using an OAK/FAK is pretty simple physics….just sayin

 

[SidecarFlip]

Using an OAK/FAK is pretty simple physics….just sayin

It is for me at least. Even my central furnace (Bryant plus 90) draws combustion air from outside.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I fail to understand why anyone would use pre heated air from a stove as combustion air when it's pretty simple to get combustion air from outside. Not like these stoves make a huge amount of heat in the first place... My central furnace is rated at 150K BTU input or about 3 times what the average biomass stove makes.

With only around 50K BTU available, makes no sense to me (at least) to use the heated air for combustion. Really counter productive far as I'm concerned.

 

[Washed-Up]

It’s the same thing as keeping your bathroom fan or stove top fan on constantly…you’re replacing heated air with cold air….somewhere in your house….but in the end…to each his own

 

[SidecarFlip]

I guess if cold birds are sitting on the vent, they are keeping their rear ends warm....lol

 

[stoveliker]

I've been following the debate, and while it's interesting, it doesn't answer the question of the OP. Unfortunately I don't know enough to help...

 

[SidecarFlip]

In reality I don't either but I will say that with me, there is never enough heat versus too much. Too much, I just shut down the stove like today, it's 55 and it's shut off.

 

[Pascal_Maertens]

I've been following the debate, and while it's interesting, it doesn't answer the question of the OP. Unfortunately I don't know enough to help...

Thank you, on my first comment, I tried to redirect the OP on a sticky post which contain most of the answer on Piazzetta product, I guess that there is some divergence's opinion on some lines but the overall witch is much more than just talking about an OAK, is pretty well good for any Piazzetta beginner!