New Member intro and a few questions

[jbmaine]

Hi all,
I've been living in southern Maine for the last 13 years. I've had an old Warner woodstove in my basement since we've moved in to suppliment our oil heat. I put some grates in the floor and installed fans to pull more heat up to the main floor of the house. The woodstove throws a lot of heat, but isn't very efficent. My wife is home all day, but due to health issues, can not go up and down the basement stairs to keep the woodstove burning so I basically just run it nights and weekends. I would like to upgrade to a stove that I can basically keep running 24/7. From what I have been reading, it seems like a pellet stove might fit the bill. I am sure it must be covered somewhere in the forum, but thought it would be easier if I just asked.

If I understand correctly, pellet stoves have an air intake in the back. Does this have to be connected to the outside?

Could I hook a pellet stove up to my chimmeny through the same pipe my woodstove is now connected to?

I know a pellet stove uses electrity to run the auger. Would it be harmful to run it off of a generator if the power goes out?

I sure there are many good brands of pellet stoves on the market. Are there any that I should stay away from? Brands that have had a lot of issues, etc.

My basement is 28 x 52 as is the main floor of the house. I would like to keep the stove in the basement to heat both areas. Is there a certain size range I should be looking at?

If you can think of any other issues that are important that I forgot to ask, please feel free to let me know.

Thank you in advance for all your help. Looking through this forum has been an eye opener to the amount of knowledge and expertise you are willing to share. My wife and I really appricate it.

Thanks again,
Jb

 

[Dune]

Hello jbmaine and welcome. No answers for you, but a question. Are you buying all your firewood? With a pellet stove, not only must you pay for electricity, but also pellets. I personaly scrouge all my firewood, which makes a pellet stove completely out of the question for me. Good luck, you will certainly find your answers here.

 

[jbmaine]

Yes, I do buy all my firewood. I go thru around 4 cords a winter. This is only a guess on my part but from what I have read it seems I could run a pellet stove 24/7 for around the same $$ it costs to burn my old wood stove nites and weekends.
Thanks
JB

 

[woodsman23]

Hi all,
I've been living in southern Maine for the last 13 years. I've had an old Warner woodstove in my basement since we've moved in to suppliment our oil heat. I put some grates in the floor and installed fans to pull more heat up to the main floor of the house. The woodstove throws a lot of heat, but isn't very efficent. My wife is home all day, but due to health issues, can not go up and down the basement stairs to keep the woodstove burning so I basically just run it nights and weekends. I would like to upgrade to a stove that I can basically keep running 24/7. From what I have been reading, it seems like a pellet stove might fit the bill. I am sure it must be covered somewhere in the forum, but thought it would be easier if I just asked.

If I understand correctly, pellet stoves have an air intake in the back. Does this have to be connected to the outside? Do you need one well if your house is very tight then yes you need one. (some will argue this)

Could I hook a pellet stove up to my chimmeny through the same pipe my woodstove is now connected to?. Yes i believe you can do this others will answer better on this one

I know a pellet stove uses electrity to run the auger. Would it be harmful to run it off of a generator if the power goes out?. Make sure you use a proper generator (pure sine is key) also the blowers run off electric.

I sure there are many good brands of pellet stoves on the market. Are there any that I should stay away from? Brands that have had a lot of issues, etc. There are several brands that have issues but some have been doing better as of late, Harmon is a great choice also st croix and some others are great stoves

My basement is 28 x 52 as is the main floor of the house. I would like to keep the stove in the basement to heat both areas. Is there a certain size range I should be looking at? Your saying your heating over 2900sqft thats a big order for any stove. There are many brands but you should be looking for a 60-70k btu pellet stove to do that much heating.

If you can think of any other issues that are important that I forgot to ask, please feel free to let me know.

Thank you in advance for all your help. Looking through this forum has been an eye opener to the amount of knowledge and expertise you are willing to share. My wife and I really appricate it.

Thanks again,
Jb

 

[peirhead]

I am relatively new to the pellet stoves but I wanted to have multiple reasons for getting a stove...I didn't (and still don't) think there is one compelling reason to get a pellet stove....
- If I had room for a good wood pile I probably would have gone for a wood stove (particliarly if I had access to free/cheap wood)
- We also wanted to reduce humidity in the house as our furnace is in the garage and our air exchanger is under sized.
- Our family room downstairs was always cold....with an open stairwell to the main floor and hot water radiators any heat we put in the room just went upstairs....the pellet stove gives enough radiant heat to make the room comfortable even if most of the heat goes upstairs.
- we wanted a "pretty" old fashioned wood stove so aesthetics played an important part of our decision...when comparing technologies and looks we were down to the Quad Castile and the Harman XXV.
- Finally we thought we might save some money if oil stayed high and pellets stayed low...hhmmm probably broke even there!!

Observations from having run the stove since January.....maintenance/cleaning every 2 -3 days takes 15 minutes, love everything about the stove and how it performs IN OUR HOUSE....but there will be a different experience for everyone..

by the way we do not have an outside air kit as we do have a balanced air exchanger system...but many will suggest having it...be sure to understand the issues before you decide against one....good luck!!

 

[rap69ri]

If I understand correctly, pellet stoves have an air intake in the back. Does this have to be connected to the outside?

There is an air intaken the stoves. Different brands say it's mandatory to connect it to the outside, while others do not. Some people say it makes a difference, and others say it doesn't. If you have an old drafty house you can usually get away with it.

Could I hook a pellet stove up to my chimmeny through the same pipe my woodstove is now connected to?

I would assume that code in your area is similar to most places and say that you can't use the same pipe for both stoves. You can use an adapter to convert your pipe from 3" to 6" if you no longer plan on using your wood stove.

I know a pellet stove uses electrity to run the auger. Would it be harmful to run it off of a generator if the power goes out?

The auger usually require a pure sine wave output. If your generator has this than it's fine.

I sure there are many good brands of pellet stoves on the market. Are there any that I should stay away from? Brands that have had a lot of issues, etc.

Stay away from any manufacturer that is going out of business, and any stoves that you can't get parts for. I have used and recommend Harman, Lopi, Quadrafire and Englander. I like the older Whitfield stoves, but some parts are tough to find.

My basement is 28 x 52 as is the main floor of the house. I would like to keep the stove in the basement to heat both areas. Is there a certain size range I should be looking at?

Heating your house with a pellet stove from the basement is typically not a good idea. They are more or less space heaters, so should be used where you're going to want heat.

 

[jbmaine]

Thanks for the responces everyone. I like to keep some heat in the basement to keep it comfortable for my winter hobby ( woodworking) but with the grates in the floor and fans I can send most of the heat to the main living area, plus my wife likes the warm floors. I would be replacing the woodstove so only the pellet stove would be connected to the flue. I have a double flue chimney. The other flue is for the furnace. I am only trying to supplement the furnace so even with a pellet stove I'm sure the furnace would run on the coldest days. As for outside air, the pellet stove would be in the middle of the basement so It would be a 12ft run to the nearest outside wall. Is this normal to do? I would buy a better woodstove but moving and stacking firewood is getting to be a real pain and backing a truck full of firewood over my lawn is really tearing it up ( this year it got stuck, massive ruts). With pellets I could move a few bags at a time. Would a surge protector help with voltage on a generator?
Thanks
JB

 

[jtakeman]

Welcome to the forums jb, Its a nice place we have here!

You really don't need to get ride of the woodstove. You could keep it for backup(as I did). You could put the pellet stove on any exterior wall and direct vent it outside. All you need is a wall thimble to exit the outside.

Anyway. How drafty is your house? Or how old is it?

I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket with the pellet stove either. I would look for a multifuel stove. With the price of pellets and there limited availability in places. It would be better to keep more than one option open. The future holds more options for fuel choices from what I am hearing.

just my 2
jay

 

[Wet1]

Welcome to the forum.

I would think twice about the pellet stove. Pellet prices have been all over the road that last several years, and heating the house from the basement with a pellet stove can not only be quite costly, but it can also be a real workout for the pellet stove (although, not that they cant take it). In fact it should be much cheaper right now for you to heat with oil than with pellets. Also keep in mind 4 cords of hardwood doesn't equal 4 tons of pellets. A cord of hardwood will typically have about 20 to 26 million btu (depending on the species), where as a ton of pellets is right around 16.5 million btu... so it will take about 5.5 tons of pellets to equal 4 cords of hardwood. I know cord wood is significantly cheaper in southern New England than pellets as well, but you'll have to look closely in your area to see if the same is true (I suspect it is).

I would consider looking into buying a Blaze King "King" wood stove. It has a cat (super efficient) and a thermastatic damper so it will burn much longer than your wood stove, plus burn less wood doing it. You could very easily load this stove once or twice a day, and burn less than the 4 cords you're burning now... plus not have the electrical costs and issues associated with pellet stoves.

 

[jbmaine]

Thanks for all the info everyone. You've given me alot to think about.
JB

 

[dac122]

Hi all,
I've been living in southern Maine for the last 13 years. I've had an old Warner woodstove in my basement since we've moved in to suppliment our oil heat. I put some grates in the floor and installed fans to pull more heat up to the main floor of the house. The woodstove throws a lot of heat, but isn't very efficent. My wife is home all day, but due to health issues, can not go up and down the basement stairs to keep the woodstove burning so I basically just run it nights and weekends. I would like to upgrade to a stove that I can basically keep running 24/7. From what I have been reading, it seems like a pellet stove might fit the bill. I am sure it must be covered somewhere in the forum, but thought it would be easier if I just asked.

If I understand correctly, pellet stoves have an air intake in the back.
Does this have to be connected to the outside?

There is some debate here whether necessary in all cases. IMHO it is just safer, but you can certainly
see how it goes first without one. Of course check you local codes.

Could I hook a pellet stove up to my chimmeny through the same pipe my woodstove is now connected to?

If the wood stove is going away, yes you can hook it up. There is no way of knowing if the stove will perform
correctly. Pellet stove work on a forced draft rather than a passive draft like wood stoves.
Most are designed to use 3" or 4" pipe, so dumping it into larger volume pipe may affect drafting.
Check with the manufacturer of the model you are looking at.

I know a pellet stove uses electrity to run the auger. Would it be harmful to run it off of a generator
if the power goes out?

No, a surge protector will not clean up the "dirty" output from a generator, but a UPS might. If you must use
a generator get one with the cleanest output, as mentioned. A UPS is a good backup until you can get
home to fire up the generator.

I sure there are many good brands of pellet stoves on the market. Are there any that
I should stay away from? Brands that have had a lot of issues, etc.

You will probably be constrained by what is available in your area, but because most installs are unique
I would experiment with different brands once you are up and running.

My basement is 28 x 52 as is the main floor of the house. I would like to keep the stove in the basement
to heat both areas. Is there a certain size range I should be looking at?

The HVAC/R guys would say go do a Manual J, but that's a little overkill here IMHO. Knowing the max BTU output
of you current wood stove will help guide you.

If you can think of any other issues that are important that I forgot to ask, please feel free to let
me know.

Yes, do you have a dry place to store 3-4 tons of pellets? Otherwise you will have to buy them a little
at a time.

As a final note this is the perfect time of year to find a used stove at a great price. I would start lurking
immediately.

 

[Dr_Drum]

Welcome to the forum.
I would think twice about the pellet stove . . . .

I gotta agree with Wet1. If I had it to do over, I'd likely go with a regular wood stove. Quiet, more heat, no electricity, and you wont become a hostage to the Pellet Industry. I don't use an outside air kit and my stove runs perfect. As for the generator, I had to use one for several days last winter and noticed a slight audible humm from my blower motor when on slower speeds. Most home generators produce a messy power supply signal.
Mike -

 

[schwaggly]

new to board.

only question is how do I convince the wife to let me get a fireplace insert?
I currently have a blower grate.

 

[jtakeman]

new to board.

only question is how do I convince the wife to let me get a fireplace insert?
I currently have a blower grate.

Welcome schwaggly,

You might get more answers starting your own thread.

I had a friend that had a stove and we went to check it out. The lack of cutting splitting stacking and hauling-restacking helped. At the time I was switching. Wood was $165 to $185 a cord/ Pellets were around $175 a ton.

Stress the lack of working on the wood might get it for you. Spending more time with her and the family??

Good luck
jay

 

[defield]

SCHWAGGLY,

Can you find out what the efficiency rating is for your blower grate?

I would doubt that it approaches the efficiency of a pellet stove.

Another selling point, pellets are much cleaner to handle, store, and get into the unit that will burn them than firewood.

Don't forget the income tax rebate . . . .

Good luck.

Ranger

 

[schwaggly]

I'm not interested in a pellet stove. I get 2 to 3 cords a year for free and see no reason to start paying for pellets.

 

[jtakeman]

I'm not interested in a pellet stove. I get 2 to 3 cords a year for free and see no reason to start paying for pellets.

Then don't ask a Q in the pellet/corn forum.

You should ask in the hearth room. Or specify a wood insert anyway.

You will get the answers you are looking for here!

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewforum/2/

 

[fluemasterjr]

Jbmaine pellet stoves are a great way to heat your house but trying to heat your house from the basement is going to be almost impossible when looking for a dealer look for one that does the installs and service in house and that is knowledgeable about the product they are selling.

 

[schwaggly]

oops, I jumped in on a new member thread. I figured thats how I introduce myself. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[schoondog]

Welcome to the forums jb, Its a nice place we have here!

You really don't need to get ride of the woodstove. You could keep it for backup(as I did). You could put the pellet stove on any exterior wall and direct vent it outside. All you need is a wall thimble to exit the outside.

Anyway. How drafty is your house? Or how old is it?

I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket with the pellet stove either. I would look for a multifuel stove. With the price of pellets and there limited availability in places. It would be better to keep more than one option open. The future holds more options for fuel choices from what I am hearing.

just my 2
jay

This is a great idea. This way if the pellet stove doesn't work well for you it can be removed and sold, recouping your investment. Always good to have options and now when your not home a pellet stove will burn all day,even heat, and wifey won't need to be running up and down stairs. if pellet prices skyrocket or power goes out for extended period, you could fire up the wood stove. I think your going to need a big pellet stove, maybe a Breckwell ? Large hopper will assure you can run for long periods (12-24 hrs.) Keep your pellets dry!

2 more cents! Schoondog