Hi to everyone! I live in west Tennessee, near Memphis. I have a 2,400 sq. house (1200 up, 1200 down). I do not have a fireplace. I heat with propane which is getting to be very expensive. I want to install a pellet stove or wood stove but think pellet is the best for me. Seems like Harman and Quadrafire are two popular brands. I have a Quadrafire dealer 25 miles away. What are things I need to consider while determining which stove is best for me? I only need to heat my first floor (1200 sq. ft.) and let some heat migrate to the second floor. I appreciate any comments.
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dougand3
Minister of Fire
Welcome to forum, slclem. You cite expense of propane - pellets aren't cheap ~$200/ton when you order 15-20 tons. And pellet stoves require electricity. And availability of pellets varies greatly. You'll get more pellet answers in "the Pellet Mill" forum.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
slclem said:
Welcome slclem.
You might want to edit your post title to indicate that you are trying to determine what stove to purchase to heat a 2,400 sq foot house.
Folks here will chime in with both questions and some suggestions.
Questions might be like what kind of floor plan does the house have and placement of stairwells etc...
slclem said:
Welcome to the forum. There are MANY good stoves, so my recommendation is to find a dealer that is knowledgeable and has GOOD SERVICE!!
Yes, Harman and Quadrafire are good brands.
Another one I'd recommend are the Avalon or Lopi brand (Travis Industries). Solid stoves made in the USA. Easy to work on, easy to maintain, good heat producers. www.travisindustries.com There's a dealer near memphis in Jackson:
Chimney Doctor - Wood Heat
2405 Hwy 45 South
Jackson, TN 38301
(731) 424-0217
Another good brand is Envirofire: www.enviro.com/index.html
Here is the Travis Ind. website so you can take a look: www.travisindustries.com
Thanks for the comments and thanks for all the information on the forum. I ordered more propane yesterday and the fill up cost $659.00 which means I used roughly 300 gallons in 26 days. This has fueled my desire to get this done as soon as possible. Actually I have been planning to do this for 5 years and just put it off. I have talked several times with a stove company in Jackson, TN that carries Harman and Lopi stoves. For some reason I like the Harman Accentra however, I have not actually seen one in person. I will go there on Thursday to purchase something but I am focusing on the Accentra which they have in stock. I plan for them to do the installation. I have two locations for the stove, one being in the north east corner of my great room. Is it best to install a powered vent with discharge pointed down or a tee with vertical run and goose neck (both on the outside)? Does the horizontal design leave black soot on the exterior wall? My house is white. I guess more importantly, which is the best design.
your propane consumption seems very excessive.
I live in WI and was heating 2000 sq ft not including basement and my propane consumption was like 900-1100 per year.
also use it for hot water and clothes dryer.
I live in WI and was heating 2000 sq ft not including basement and my propane consumption was like 900-1100 per year.
also use it for hot water and clothes dryer.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
slclem,
Could you locate the rating plate on your propane fired furnace/boiler etc. so we have some idea of the BTUs your current system can produce.
Most pellet stoves have output levels that frequently pale in comparison to furnaces. There are pellet furnaces and boilers.
For example given ideal conditions my stove can burn around 5 lbs of pellets an hour which equates to a 42,000 BTU/hr input and will result in a net heat output of about 36,000 BTUs/hr. My boiler has an input firing rate of 75,000 BTUs/hr and likely about 65,000 BTUs/hr output.
My heat loss at -20°F is about 21,000 BTUs/hr.
Your money is likely better spent on insulation, aka, a permanent ton of pellets.
The venting system that is best is usually out and up or straight up. Now the straight up option results in what I call a house with a built in water leak but most houses have them (normally called a chimney, the other built in water leak is a skylight[even if it doesn't open]).
Any venting out the side of a building either straight out or out and up has to be properly installed if you want to keep as much soot as possible off of the siding.
For this and other reasons you may discover that where you want to put the stove may not be the best place.
Could you locate the rating plate on your propane fired furnace/boiler etc. so we have some idea of the BTUs your current system can produce.
Most pellet stoves have output levels that frequently pale in comparison to furnaces. There are pellet furnaces and boilers.
For example given ideal conditions my stove can burn around 5 lbs of pellets an hour which equates to a 42,000 BTU/hr input and will result in a net heat output of about 36,000 BTUs/hr. My boiler has an input firing rate of 75,000 BTUs/hr and likely about 65,000 BTUs/hr output.
My heat loss at -20°F is about 21,000 BTUs/hr.
Your money is likely better spent on insulation, aka, a permanent ton of pellets.
The venting system that is best is usually out and up or straight up. Now the straight up option results in what I call a house with a built in water leak but most houses have them (normally called a chimney, the other built in water leak is a skylight[even if it doesn't open]).
Any venting out the side of a building either straight out or out and up has to be properly installed if you want to keep as much soot as possible off of the siding.
For this and other reasons you may discover that where you want to put the stove may not be the best place.
It sure does....11 gals avg a day???? YIKES! Something doesn't seem right there unless he has the doors & windows open.no pane said:
My propane consumption has been like this for years. In weather with lows in 30s & 40s, fuel consumption is much less. When lows dip to teens and single digits, we seem to burn much, much more. Still, we use 1,000 - 1,200 gals a year. This is with thermostat on 67 during the day and 63 at night (downstairs), 65 upstairs. Maybe I will have HVAC company to inspect my furnaces.
I checked the tag on my 1st floor gas pack last night. It said the input btuh is 100,000 and the output btuh is 80,000. I will check 2nd floor furnace tonight.
My square footage for the first floor is approx. 1,400 (not 1,200 like I previously stated). Second floor should be approx. 1,000.
I had this house built in '87. While it does not have 6" insulated walls, it is insulated to some degree. I am sure I could have done better then regarding insulation. If I knew then what I know now, I would have.
I still want to purchase a stove of some type (or at least I think I do). My previous house had a fireplace and I added an insert with blowers and it was a very comfortable set-up. I cut back a few places while building my current house in '87 and a fireplace was one. I have regretted that decision since. Now is the time I need to do something. I do not want to have a fireplace installed (money wise) and have been interested in pellet stoves since I saw my brother-in-law's 6 or 8 years ago. I do not want a wood burning stove because of the venting requirements which would run above my 2nd floor roof line (not good maintenance set-up for me). I think a pellet stove is best for me as I can maintain much better. I have a generator with a separate panel wired to my house panel in case of power outages. Thus, the elec. power needs of a pellet stove does not concern me.
I am looking at the Harman (Accentra) and Quadrafire (Classic Bay). I need something to help heat 1400 feet down stairs and supplement heating upstairs. I can close off two rooms upstairs and reduce the area needing heat to one bedroom, a bathroom and hall which would reduce the area to approx. 600 sq. ft.
Which heater is a better choice?
I checked the tag on my 1st floor gas pack last night. It said the input btuh is 100,000 and the output btuh is 80,000. I will check 2nd floor furnace tonight.
My square footage for the first floor is approx. 1,400 (not 1,200 like I previously stated). Second floor should be approx. 1,000.
I had this house built in '87. While it does not have 6" insulated walls, it is insulated to some degree. I am sure I could have done better then regarding insulation. If I knew then what I know now, I would have.
I still want to purchase a stove of some type (or at least I think I do). My previous house had a fireplace and I added an insert with blowers and it was a very comfortable set-up. I cut back a few places while building my current house in '87 and a fireplace was one. I have regretted that decision since. Now is the time I need to do something. I do not want to have a fireplace installed (money wise) and have been interested in pellet stoves since I saw my brother-in-law's 6 or 8 years ago. I do not want a wood burning stove because of the venting requirements which would run above my 2nd floor roof line (not good maintenance set-up for me). I think a pellet stove is best for me as I can maintain much better. I have a generator with a separate panel wired to my house panel in case of power outages. Thus, the elec. power needs of a pellet stove does not concern me.
I am looking at the Harman (Accentra) and Quadrafire (Classic Bay). I need something to help heat 1400 feet down stairs and supplement heating upstairs. I can close off two rooms upstairs and reduce the area needing heat to one bedroom, a bathroom and hall which would reduce the area to approx. 600 sq. ft.
Which heater is a better choice?
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
What you need is something that nets about 80,000 BTUs to heat downstairs from what you just provided. That is where you should be starting from, not a particular brand. But it is your money not ours.
BTW for gas heat that is a horrible efficiency rating.
Still looks to me like insulation retro fit will pay you back rather well and then think about a pellet stove.
BTW for gas heat that is a horrible efficiency rating.
Still looks to me like insulation retro fit will pay you back rather well and then think about a pellet stove.
curtthegreat
Member
Welcome to forum, slclem. You cite expense of propane - pellets aren’t cheap ~$200/ton when you order 15-20 tons. And pellet stoves require electricity. And availability of pellets varies greatly. You’ll get more pellet answers in “the Pellet Mill” forum.
15-20 ton would last you about 5-6 years, living in Memphis area. I would guess you'd burn arond 3 ton a year.
15-20 ton would last you about 5-6 years, living in Memphis area. I would guess you'd burn arond 3 ton a year.
save$
Minister of Fire
Either you have major heat loss issues or the efficiency of you gas furnace is poor. Getting a pellet stove is often a good alternative, but like your gas furnace, you will be disappointed with it unless you are sure you are not loosing heat to excess. No matter how you heat your home, please make sure to do an energy audit first. You can hire these done, but you also can do a good audit on your own. Please see: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/home-energy-audits-part-1 Another tool for consideration is the new Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector, about $50. Looked it up on Amazon and noted it has a 5 star review.
You will find no end to the people who will tell you that a pellet stove is a space heater. Every situation is different. But if you can control your heat loss issue, then you should be able to heat at least one level of your home with a pellet stove. There are many folks on this forum who will tell you that they have satisfactory home heating results. Also keep in mind that there are many who are very disappointed. Look for a dealer with good recommendations. Try to buy local. If I were to get another stove, I would look to find one that that is a multifuel burner. There seems to be a higher level of satisfaction from those on this forum who have stoves that are not so fussy about the fuel.
You will find no end to the people who will tell you that a pellet stove is a space heater. Every situation is different. But if you can control your heat loss issue, then you should be able to heat at least one level of your home with a pellet stove. There are many folks on this forum who will tell you that they have satisfactory home heating results. Also keep in mind that there are many who are very disappointed. Look for a dealer with good recommendations. Try to buy local. If I were to get another stove, I would look to find one that that is a multifuel burner. There seems to be a higher level of satisfaction from those on this forum who have stoves that are not so fussy about the fuel.
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