Hey all,
This is how I spent my Thanksgiving morning. With a little help from a buddy of mine I managed to finish my new (Used) Pellet Stove install.
We picked up the stove last May. It was sitting at the end of someones driveway with a $100.00 price on it. I stopped and took a look at it. It was clean and had been well cared for so I took a chance and bought it without knowing if its electronics were any good.
Well spring turned into summer and summer into winter and I checked the level of oil in my 275gal tank. I had a 1/2 left but I started checking out local oil prices. $3.00 per gal and up.
I decided I had to get the stove running.
I called several chimney sweeps and stove shops in the area to get the unit installed. Most of them would only install what they sold. The one Chimney sweep that did call me back said he could get out to my place mid to late December to schedule the job for early February. I decided that would cut into my beer and tool funds too much and decided to tackle the install myself.
The help here was invaluable. All my questions were answered and you guys gave me the confidence to proceed and where to start.
Lisa my Wife and I decided on a location and after looking at various hearth pad options we decided to make our own. As it was a corner install I cut a 3/4" sheet of BC plywood to distribute the weight of the hearth and stove over a greater area. Over that I layed in a 1/2" sheet of Durarock concrete board. I used this for two reasons. One because it is a solid fireproof sheet that embers couldn't pass. Two, I needed a good substrate to bond the thinset to. Next we set out prick pavers in a pattern we liked. I rented a big brick saw for 1/2 a Saturday morning. I built a red oak surround to contain the bricks and then sanded it all in with polymeric sand. Cool stuff. Just sweep into brick crack, vibrate (I used a palm sander) then mist with water. In 2-3 days it is cured like tile grout. The advantage is that you spread it dry. I was worried the grout would get into the rough surface of the pavers.
Next we moved the stove onto the new hearth and using a plumb bob to the vent riser we planed where the roof cut was going. I used 3" Pellet Vent Pro pipe and a cathedral ceiling hanging box. The pipe hangs from the cathedral ceiling box. There is a weather flange and a storm collar that goes on next. The vent needs to be 2' above anything within 10'. In my case 34" got me past the peak.
Here is the vertical stack going out the ceiling box.
And a few shots of the unit in operation. And the hearth.
If I have my numbers right. I have about 150 heating days in my area. I would normally use 800 gallons (3 fill ups) of oil for a season. At $3.00 a gallon that would be $2400.00 to heat the house plus the cost of electricity to run the heat blowers and the actual furnace.
A bag of mixed hard and softwood pellets runs about $5.00 per bag. I just bought a ton (50 bags) for $260.00 I should need three tons for the year. So I should be able to heat the house for about $780.00 for the season. And still have the oil system in place for backup. Thats about 700 gallons of oil I won't be buying this year.
Total costs
$100.00 for stove
$120.00 for hearth stone and install materials
$350.00 for vent kit
$260.00 for ton of bagged pellets to get me into January
$65.00 new Rigid shop-vac with a HEPA filter for cleaning out stove.
I don't own any trees on my property. So a wood burner was out of the question for us. Plus I grew up heating with wood. I don't miss the cutting, splitting, and stacking. And I won't miss the dirt, dust, and insects that always seems to be around a wood stove.
Stove model is an Enviro EF2 it is a little beat up but runs great.
Fire/Building inspector was here today and my install passed with no problems.
We ran the unit over the weekend (just to test it out) and I was able to maintain a hot 78 degs (fine for Lisa but too hot for me). Sunday I adjusted it a bit and was able to get the house comfortable at 72.
Thanks for looking, and to all those that helped me out.
Feel free to ask if any questions.
---Nailer---
This is how I spent my Thanksgiving morning. With a little help from a buddy of mine I managed to finish my new (Used) Pellet Stove install.
We picked up the stove last May. It was sitting at the end of someones driveway with a $100.00 price on it. I stopped and took a look at it. It was clean and had been well cared for so I took a chance and bought it without knowing if its electronics were any good.
Well spring turned into summer and summer into winter and I checked the level of oil in my 275gal tank. I had a 1/2 left but I started checking out local oil prices. $3.00 per gal and up.
I decided I had to get the stove running.
I called several chimney sweeps and stove shops in the area to get the unit installed. Most of them would only install what they sold. The one Chimney sweep that did call me back said he could get out to my place mid to late December to schedule the job for early February. I decided that would cut into my beer and tool funds too much and decided to tackle the install myself.
The help here was invaluable. All my questions were answered and you guys gave me the confidence to proceed and where to start.
Lisa my Wife and I decided on a location and after looking at various hearth pad options we decided to make our own. As it was a corner install I cut a 3/4" sheet of BC plywood to distribute the weight of the hearth and stove over a greater area. Over that I layed in a 1/2" sheet of Durarock concrete board. I used this for two reasons. One because it is a solid fireproof sheet that embers couldn't pass. Two, I needed a good substrate to bond the thinset to. Next we set out prick pavers in a pattern we liked. I rented a big brick saw for 1/2 a Saturday morning. I built a red oak surround to contain the bricks and then sanded it all in with polymeric sand. Cool stuff. Just sweep into brick crack, vibrate (I used a palm sander) then mist with water. In 2-3 days it is cured like tile grout. The advantage is that you spread it dry. I was worried the grout would get into the rough surface of the pavers.
Next we moved the stove onto the new hearth and using a plumb bob to the vent riser we planed where the roof cut was going. I used 3" Pellet Vent Pro pipe and a cathedral ceiling hanging box. The pipe hangs from the cathedral ceiling box. There is a weather flange and a storm collar that goes on next. The vent needs to be 2' above anything within 10'. In my case 34" got me past the peak.
Here is the vertical stack going out the ceiling box.
And a few shots of the unit in operation. And the hearth.
If I have my numbers right. I have about 150 heating days in my area. I would normally use 800 gallons (3 fill ups) of oil for a season. At $3.00 a gallon that would be $2400.00 to heat the house plus the cost of electricity to run the heat blowers and the actual furnace.
A bag of mixed hard and softwood pellets runs about $5.00 per bag. I just bought a ton (50 bags) for $260.00 I should need three tons for the year. So I should be able to heat the house for about $780.00 for the season. And still have the oil system in place for backup. Thats about 700 gallons of oil I won't be buying this year.
Total costs
$100.00 for stove
$120.00 for hearth stone and install materials
$350.00 for vent kit
$260.00 for ton of bagged pellets to get me into January
$65.00 new Rigid shop-vac with a HEPA filter for cleaning out stove.
I don't own any trees on my property. So a wood burner was out of the question for us. Plus I grew up heating with wood. I don't miss the cutting, splitting, and stacking. And I won't miss the dirt, dust, and insects that always seems to be around a wood stove.
Stove model is an Enviro EF2 it is a little beat up but runs great.
Fire/Building inspector was here today and my install passed with no problems.
We ran the unit over the weekend (just to test it out) and I was able to maintain a hot 78 degs (fine for Lisa but too hot for me). Sunday I adjusted it a bit and was able to get the house comfortable at 72.
Thanks for looking, and to all those that helped me out.
Feel free to ask if any questions.
---Nailer---
