I am looking at the Harman xxv but have concerns about short cycling. I have a small very well insulated house and have been reading here and there on this forum things that lead me to think it will be hard to run this stove on low. Is there a better choice for my situation?
Need a stove I can run low btu (small stove)
- Thread starter manfred
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
How about the Harman P-38? I've got one and you can run that very low. I guess it depends on how many square feet you are tying to heat.
the XXV has a max output of 50,000 but/hr......they do make a P43, rated at 43,000 btu/hr, with basically hte same features, just looks different (they both are thermostatically controlled, autoigniting units)...the only smaller Harman is the p38, at 38,000 but/hr, but it doesnt autoignite, and is not thermostatically-controlled out of the box, though it can be.
personally I think you need to do a heat loss calculation, then figure out whatever stove you like puts out for btu running on low.
and take it from there.
if you have a stove that burns one pound per hour(on low) the btu output is gonna be somewhere around 6000-7000 btu.
and take it from there.
if you have a stove that burns one pound per hour(on low) the btu output is gonna be somewhere around 6000-7000 btu.
manfred said:
Personally I would go with a stove that allows a thermostat to be used. And a plus is one that has a stat and the Hi/lo feature. If your house is that tight you might just as well let it cycle with a stat in the warmer weather. I do that in the shoulders with my stove and Hi/Lo in the cold weather.
Enviro's Omega and M55 will burn on low with no issues at all. Mine burnes for a full week before cleaning. Of coarse the better the pellet used will also help with cleaner glass and less weekly ash amount.
By the way Welcome to the forum and keep us posted on what you finally decide to purchase.
Just my 2
jay
I have been using a vent free propane heater (blue flame type). It always ran very low. I have become wary of the co2 and this year heated my house with 2 electric space heaters. This did a pretty good job but is a little expensive. Like $50- $60 per month per heater and not as nice as a pellet stove.
By the way, I have lurked here for awhile but just my first time posting. Great forum!
By the way, I have lurked here for awhile but just my first time posting. Great forum!
I recommend the Quad Sante Fe or Castile. They both are max at 35,000 btu and burn well on low. Also, they work off of any thermostat no problems.
we have had excellent luck w/ the Lopi Pioneer for a small stove: Its feed maxes out @ 3.5 lbs/hr, so unlike a bigger stove, you can run it towards the mid/higher ranges without burning so low that your glass gets ditry and your pot cakes up w/ clinkers because of a low burn. It is very easy to clean, and a ridicuously simple setup to operate/ work on. The 55 lb hopper can run for a long time, even on higher feed settings, due to its lower maxx feed rate.. for small scale heaing, I would recommend it up there w/ the Harman 38 / 43 / accentra for ease of use/ cleaning (although the latter will be more frequent).
I looked at the castile on their site. I like the looks of it. I am just have not read much on the quadra-fire.
With all these pellets that can be good with one batch and not so good with the next. I would seriously consider a multifuel stove.. They burn Great pellets all the way to junk pellet very well. I forgot to put that in. If you plan on buying the best pellets you can get its not a biggie. But if you are frugal might want to consider it.
Hudson river makes a cute little stove that comes in either cast iron or sheet metal construction.
Rated at from 8200 BTU to 30K
I was in a similar situation with a house that is well insulated and takes little to heat it during warmer weather.
I bought a used Whitfield Prodigy II.
Is perfect for the moderate weather and when it gets cold I fire off another stove to help out.
Good luck with your choosing. Keep us posted
Snowy
Rated at from 8200 BTU to 30K
I was in a similar situation with a house that is well insulated and takes little to heat it during warmer weather.
I bought a used Whitfield Prodigy II.
Is perfect for the moderate weather and when it gets cold I fire off another stove to help out.
Good luck with your choosing. Keep us posted
Snowy
Well, no-one has replied that they run their Harmon xxv on low in manual . I was kinda hoping that was the case.
manfred said:
Manfred,
Do you know what the rated heating capability of your current heating system is?
If so that is where you should start.
Then you can size the pellet stove to match.
I have 18,000 central air but it a little large.(cycles often). I have a 30,000 btu ventless propane wall heater that almost always runs on low. I believe I need about 30,000 btu but haven't seen that small of a stove I thought was a quality stove. My 2 small space heaters keep my house warm with a little backup from the propane heater when unusually cold.
well, at roughly 30,000 btu, thats not necessarily a "small" stove......rated stoves are given their ratings on a max burn in most cases, not an average burn.....plus factor in the efficenncy loss when the stove gets dirty, and I think the P43 or Accentra (40,000 BTU/hr) would do fine in the Harman line...even the XXV. We find that stoves just seem to "run best" when they are running at 50% or greater capacity....they seem to run at their optimal level there....just an opinion. And, like I said, they are thermostatically-controlled....I dont think they are going to scare you out of the room and/or house.
To replace the full 30,000 BTU capacity of that vent less gas unit you need a pellet stove that is rated between 35,000 and 40,000 BTU because of the efficiency differences.
Now you said your two small units do a good job can you locate their ratings and let us know them?
Now you said your two small units do a good job can you locate their ratings and let us know them?
My two small units are only 5000 btu each. They run full time lately. Weather has been in the low 20s at night and about 34 during the day. Ventless heater will come on once and awhile during the coldest weather.
Ok, that gives you a mid point of between 11,600 and 13,400 BTU as that is what seems to handle most of your needs.
So that little Lopi Pioneer is likely a decent fit as well and you shouldn't have to run it out of medium too often. So put that on your list as well.
The stove that Snowy mentioned is likely a good fit as well.
What you need to look for is a stove that can run cleanly at a low firing rate and has a number of heat ranges that allow a slow ramp up in firing rate and can run on a t-stat.
I'd also check out the Europa to see if it can operate on a t-stat in hi-lo mode, that stove can burn cleanly at a very low firing rate, its draw back is that it like the Harman P38 is a manual light device the last I knew.
So that little Lopi Pioneer is likely a decent fit as well and you shouldn't have to run it out of medium too often. So put that on your list as well.
The stove that Snowy mentioned is likely a good fit as well.
What you need to look for is a stove that can run cleanly at a low firing rate and has a number of heat ranges that allow a slow ramp up in firing rate and can run on a t-stat.
I'd also check out the Europa to see if it can operate on a t-stat in hi-lo mode, that stove can burn cleanly at a very low firing rate, its draw back is that it like the Harman P38 is a manual light device the last I knew.
Look at a Harman PC45. It has auto ignition, will start and stop on its own when set in room temp mode. You just set the temp you want and it will hold that temp.
You will also have the ability to burn multi fuel choices with out blending different fuels.
You will also have the ability to burn multi fuel choices with out blending different fuels.
.manfred said:
I have an xxv and I had many of the same concerns given that the space it was heating was 500SF. Since then I had opened up the space to the rest of my second floor about 1000 SF... but when I was running the stove for the small space I had no problem. I was running the stove in Room temp mode when it was heating 500 SF and it did cycle.. but that was back in October. Since the winter has hit I've been running it in stove temp mode, and I don't believe you'll have any trouble running it on low.
On extremely low (setting of 1 to 2) the glass gets noticeably dirtier so I'm not sure what the long term effects would be.. but I've been running the stove on 2.5 out of 7 (and 4.5 when in single digits outside) since expanding the space (most of the winter) and have had very little cleaning needed of the chimney after a ton of pellets.
Ultimately I think you should make sure you can have a tstat control and not really worry about it cycling for a small space. If you don't want to wear out the ignitor turn the auto ignite off and it will keep the fire going as minimally as possible until it needs more heat.
One thing I like about the Accentra is it's ability to keep a very small (low heat output) maintenance fire.
Very low pellet consumtion when it's idling.
Very low pellet consumtion when it's idling.
- Status
Similar threads
