new pellet stove buyer- questions compare to gas?

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mbhoakct76

Member
Hearth Supporter
Sep 18, 2008
10
ct
well im looking to buy a insert model, last year i looked into price and it just wasnt worth it but im rethinking it . First off i have a gas furnace for most heating and some electric as back up in bedrooms - my costs per month last year were always under $300 per month in heating costs while averaging $250. The stove im looking into is smaller - the breckwell p23i at $1700 new its a good deal , so its rated at 37500 btu MAX - anyone have experience with these smaller inserts and do they really throw good heat or is it going to leaving some heat to be desired??? my house is 720 sq ft down and 720 upstairs.
Since i spent so little on heat in the past , im expecting to have this stove on low feed alot of the time, or maybe even turned off while im at work - does anyone think this is going to be a problem turning it off daily , such as will it maybe take away its efficiany or cause more wear on the starting parts?
I see mostly comparisons to oil and propane heating , so im just curious does anyone have any experience with switching over from gas and elec? is it really that much more money saving?
And a big negative point about this stove is there is no ash pan (which i found common in many insert models), so im just wondering what others personal experience is with how often it needs to be cleaned out because of the lack of the ash pan!!?? Its my understanding its more time consuming if there is no ash pan. The manual for this unit states cleaning ashes is required only 2 times monthly - but i read so many threads that conflict from daily cleaning to cleaning every ton or half ton? ..so im kinda looking for a bottom line on cleaning requirements from people who may have a breckwell stove about this size? or educated guesses based on your experience with your stove.
all info is much appreciated!!! thanks in advance!
 
I just installed a p23 freestanding today test ran it and it really throws a ton of heat. Its really well made and nice and quite while operating. Thats about all the info I can give since its new to me. I have an 1100sqft raised ranch with the stove in the living room. Good luck!
 

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