New guy, intricate questions.

[MaineBiker]

Hi everyone my name is Tim ( HIIII TIM ) and Im a researchaholic. Yada yada yada, I have issues. Blah blah blah. So anyway, Here... We.... GOOO!

So I've had a Pleasant Hearth PH50CABPSL for the last year or so. Great little stove for what I paid, but the blower started to fail and the finish started to come off and severe rust inside and out ( Manufacturer told me to pound sand, Lowes is exchanging out for a new stove this coming weekend)

We will be getting a Summers Heat 55-SHSSP01 which by all accounts is VERY similar. I went to look at it today and it is one VERY rugged unit compared to the previous one. The BIGGEST difference is the control setup. This allows you to control the stove by ambient room temperature, and by a manual setting ( low, medium, and high )

But, the one thing I noticed today was.... wait for it.... building suspense.... a USB port on the right side. I know right? This to me ( as a techie/IT Admin/DIY kind of guy ) means a world of possibilities. I'm sure the manufacturer intended this port for diagnostics and other various manufacturer things, but if it can be utilized for other things this makes me happy ( Ala Raspberry Pi, temp sensor, remote access, schedules )
Now I know I can connect a remote thermostat to the unit ( not sure where yet, more on that once I get the thing in the house ). This remote thermostat is per the manufacturer and only certain models of thermostats are acceptable. I can do this, buuuut, how could would a Raspberry pi with some basic software controlling my pellet stove from anywhere in the world be? ( publish webpage, port forwarding on my router, get to it from my phone ) Yes I know I COULD use a nest, but I am cheap, and I like to do things on my own.

My question is ( Sorry it took SOOOO long to get to the point ). Does anyone else here have a pellet stove with a USB port, and if so what have you discovered you can do with said USB port?

Separate question all together here. I cant find ANY power consumption statistics for anything close to these stoves... My guesstimate is roughly 180-300 watts. Was going to place a LARGE battery backup ( used, but replace the batteries ) to get a run time of about 1 hr or so. Any thoughts? Guesstimates more accurately guessed than mine?

I also plan on getting a Inverter Generator ( Probably the Generac 2000 ) which gives out SUPER smooth beautiful power that I'm sure the pellet stove will love.

 

[Cory S]

Most stoves will generally consume about 150-200 watts during constant operation. This excludes any automatic ignition starts obviously. For example, my Harman P61A is drawing 137-141W as we speak with the distribution blower on medium. When the auger cycles on, it goes to 210W for 13 seconds. AVG monthly cost to run the stove will be between $7-10.00/month.

I would suggest a smaller generator instead of battery back-up. A good large battery back-up system will cost almost as much as a small Honda/Yamaha Sine wave generator in the 1000-2200W range. Plus, you can use it for other things in your home during a power outage. It may come in handy for home projects, camping, etc also! $799-$999 will buy a good efficiency compact generator.

I own this one.

 

[NYBurner]

I'm not sure what you're question is? What is it that you hope to control via the pi?.....just a cheap wireless thermostat with wifi integration?

The pellet stoves are quasi 'basic', so if you're thinking the USB is a comm port to hack in....there probably isnt much worth tinkering in there. If you're thinking it could be a power source for pi, that would be cool but the stove requires a plug itself so you could just plug the pi in there.

Most of the thermostat enabled stoves already allow for a hi/lo run function and/or on off functionaility......and most of the wireless thermostats allow 7 day user programming. Is there something else you had in mind?

 

[hossthehermit]

I have an empty pellet bag that you can put your issues in, if that would help ...............

 

[TimfromMA]

I like my battery backup. Most of our power failures are short in duration so I can keep the fire burning. I have a generator that I can hook up if the outage looks like it will outlast the batteries.

 

[MaineBiker]

If the port is used for diagnostics, why couldnt the same port be used to control the unit? The Raspberry Pi would be the head end to control said pellet stove. This could be accessed remotely so I could adjust settings on the pellet stove without being home.

And to Hossthehermit, where bouts in Maine you from?

 

[hossthehermit]

Waldo County

 

[MaineBiker]

Augusta here.

 

[jintoreedwine]

If the port is used for diagnostics, why couldnt the same port be used to control the unit? The Raspberry Pi would be the head end to control said pellet stove. This could be accessed remotely so I could adjust settings on the pellet stove without being home.

And to Hossthehermit, where bouts in Maine you from?

I am in the process of trying to graft Raspberry PI functionality onto my 25-PDV, however the 25-PDV stove has no USB port or really any easy feedback mechanism, which is truly the main issue with creating remote control software. As such I am limited to wiring the PI into the control panel and having a camera show me what the current settings are on the display screen.

The new smart stove you are asking about seems so awesome, I'm not even sure what the real benefit of having remote control would be ... . That said, it is so new I don't think anyone even knows what the USB port is for or if it is even possible to get usable output from it -- sure would be neat to know!

All of that said, my main concern with any stove modifications like that would be what the insurance company might think should something go wrong (even if it wasn't the fault of the PI.) That hasn't stopped me from tinkering, but it is in the back of my mind...

 

[Bioburner]

While fire may be fairly simple, stick it a box and control the feed and air inside ones house is what will make the manufacture wish they had not let the owner, most with marginal abilities to change a stoves algorithms. With Quadrafire having a issue with stoves blowing last season I would not want anyone screwing with the stove controls.

 

[jintoreedwine]

While fire may be fairly simple, stick it a box and control the feed and air inside ones house is what will make the manufacture wish they had not let the owner, most with marginal abilities to change a stoves algorithms. With Quadrafire having a issue with stoves blowing last season I would not want anyone screwing with the stove controls.

To be fair, I am simply allowing myself to do the remote equivalent of pressing the up and down buttons that are already on the side of the stove, I'm not reinventing the firmware on the stove controller. I realize that some will still think this is too risky, but I think that what I am doing is still relatively safe in the scheme of things. I am not bypassing any of the stoves built in safety mechanisms or even attempting to implement them myself. I've seen folks on this forum modify their fire pots and whatnot, to me, that is far more dangerous than simply allowing myself to change the heat range when I am not home. Most trust a thermostat to do that for them, who is to say that the $50-$100 thermostat is perfect? The software on that was probably written by someone just like me....

 

[MaineBiker]

It's the cool factor. I may just bite the bullet and do a Wifi Thermostat to do this for me... Sigh. me trying to be cool and innovative. LOL

 

[edge-of-the-woods]

Hmm. I wish that I got a more classic wood insert now instead of the flush-faced one. I could try and bake a raspberry pie on it. Mmm. Pie.

 

[NYBurner]

To be fair, I am simply allowing myself to do the remote equivalent of pressing the up and down buttons that are already on the side of the stove, I'm not reinventing the firmware on the stove controller. I realize that some will still think this is too risky, but I think that what I am doing is still relatively safe in the scheme of things. I am not bypassing any of the stoves built in safety mechanisms or even attempting to implement them myself. I've seen folks on this forum modify their fire pots and whatnot, to me, that is far more dangerous than simply allowing myself to change the heat range when I am not home. Most trust a thermostat to do that for them, who is to say that the $50-$100 thermostat is perfect? The software on that was probably written by someone just like me....

I think its a cool idea, and if youre comfortable with the undertaking it should be fun. Keep us updated!