Hello! I have recently purchased a new home. The home came with a pellet stove. My wife and I have never had a pellet stove and are still a bit confused by it. We are used to the traditional heating - wood stoves and propane furnaces. We do also have a propane furnace and baseboard heating in the house - but really could use this pellet stove to get the job done on subzero nights to efficiently heat the house throughout! We live in the Bitterroot Valley in Western Montana. We love the house and were disappointed to see this "wood stove" that we had to "plug in".
We have been using the pellet stove, but it has been a pain. Auger jams, burner section piling up with rock hard soot, difficulty starting, massive flare ups that set off the smoke detectors in the house. We fully plan on installing a traditional wood stove when we have the finances to do so, not only due to our difficulty with the pellet stove, but mostly due to the fact that it needs AC power to run. If the power goes out and it is 10 below - we are screwed with the pellet stove. Every other heat source ALSO needs AC power. ALSO pellets are a rip off. It is like $170 - $210 dollars a ton. I can get a permit here for $13 dollars and harvest 7 cords of wood up in the hills to heat my home for nearly two years with a traditional wood stove that requires no AC power! Im only in my late 30s and hope to split wood till I die, BUT could only see the advantages of a pellet stove for possibly the elderly or disabled. But alas, I am stuck with it now.
The seller failed to leave me any documentation on the pellet stove. Based upon the labels on the unit I have concurred that it is partially constructed in Alberta by Canadian Comfort Industries (CCI) and for the electronics by Danson in Louisiana. I have found no model number, nor any other helpful info to use in troubleshooting or just basic operation. To be more specific, on the RH side of the pellet stove, there is a user control panel to operate the device, labeled "Accutron II". There is an 1-877 number on a label that I called. I got a sweet gall in the S.E. USA that had no idea about pellet stoves. What the Monkey?
I do now understand that there are a myriad of pellet selections. I have been pulling my hair out by using the ton of pellets left by the seller. They are Rocky Canyon red fir pellets. Made in Graingeville, ID. NOT impressed. Very pricey at almost $200/ton. I tried a few bags of Blazer that I bought at Home Depot for much less. That was a noticeable improvement.
I also understand that people in other parts parts of the country may not be able to head up into the hills with a chainsaw and pickup truck/trailer and slay trees for nothing. I apologize for maybe not understanding the reasons that other folks may benefit from a pellet stove. I just see little logic in having one where I live. I DO have a small guest cottage on the property that I could put it in. Maybe stick it in there and keep the baseboard heat going to prevent freezing...and let family/guests spark up the pellet stove as they wish. I also have a big 30x40 shop - but feel that it is underkill for heating that building with 14 foot ceilings.
I AM being very pessimistic AND hyper critical of my pellet stove. I am really a laid back guy - but lose my head when a heating source for my family is not functioning properly and have no respect for it when its a wood stove that needs power to operate!
Any advice from "can it you fool!" to "let me help" will be greatly appreciated! Maybe even "I'll buy it from ya!" would be cool. I love to barter
. I'll trade it for a .44 mag or a .45-70 lever action. Maybe some powder or bullets. Horse? Sheep? Hot tub. LOL please help me with my computer controlled wood stove! Beleive it or not I have a degree in engineering and licenses in Aircraft Maintenance. I deal with logic and specifics everyday and dont want to go home and troubleshoot a friggin fireplace
! I want to come home from work, love on my wife and kids, and darnit.....go outside and split wood if I need to! Id rather split wood in ten below than curse a pellet stove while I shiver.
Any advice for this young/stubborn homeowner would be greatly appreciated and I will not combat with sarcasm if I can't help it!
We have been using the pellet stove, but it has been a pain. Auger jams, burner section piling up with rock hard soot, difficulty starting, massive flare ups that set off the smoke detectors in the house. We fully plan on installing a traditional wood stove when we have the finances to do so, not only due to our difficulty with the pellet stove, but mostly due to the fact that it needs AC power to run. If the power goes out and it is 10 below - we are screwed with the pellet stove. Every other heat source ALSO needs AC power. ALSO pellets are a rip off. It is like $170 - $210 dollars a ton. I can get a permit here for $13 dollars and harvest 7 cords of wood up in the hills to heat my home for nearly two years with a traditional wood stove that requires no AC power! Im only in my late 30s and hope to split wood till I die, BUT could only see the advantages of a pellet stove for possibly the elderly or disabled. But alas, I am stuck with it now.
The seller failed to leave me any documentation on the pellet stove. Based upon the labels on the unit I have concurred that it is partially constructed in Alberta by Canadian Comfort Industries (CCI) and for the electronics by Danson in Louisiana. I have found no model number, nor any other helpful info to use in troubleshooting or just basic operation. To be more specific, on the RH side of the pellet stove, there is a user control panel to operate the device, labeled "Accutron II". There is an 1-877 number on a label that I called. I got a sweet gall in the S.E. USA that had no idea about pellet stoves. What the Monkey?
I do now understand that there are a myriad of pellet selections. I have been pulling my hair out by using the ton of pellets left by the seller. They are Rocky Canyon red fir pellets. Made in Graingeville, ID. NOT impressed. Very pricey at almost $200/ton. I tried a few bags of Blazer that I bought at Home Depot for much less. That was a noticeable improvement.
I also understand that people in other parts parts of the country may not be able to head up into the hills with a chainsaw and pickup truck/trailer and slay trees for nothing. I apologize for maybe not understanding the reasons that other folks may benefit from a pellet stove. I just see little logic in having one where I live. I DO have a small guest cottage on the property that I could put it in. Maybe stick it in there and keep the baseboard heat going to prevent freezing...and let family/guests spark up the pellet stove as they wish. I also have a big 30x40 shop - but feel that it is underkill for heating that building with 14 foot ceilings.
I AM being very pessimistic AND hyper critical of my pellet stove. I am really a laid back guy - but lose my head when a heating source for my family is not functioning properly and have no respect for it when its a wood stove that needs power to operate!
Any advice from "can it you fool!" to "let me help" will be greatly appreciated! Maybe even "I'll buy it from ya!" would be cool. I love to barter
. I'll trade it for a .44 mag or a .45-70 lever action. Maybe some powder or bullets. Horse? Sheep? Hot tub. LOL please help me with my computer controlled wood stove! Beleive it or not I have a degree in engineering and licenses in Aircraft Maintenance. I deal with logic and specifics everyday and dont want to go home and troubleshoot a friggin fireplace! I want to come home from work, love on my wife and kids, and darnit.....go outside and split wood if I need to! Id rather split wood in ten below than curse a pellet stove while I shiver.Any advice for this young/stubborn homeowner would be greatly appreciated and I will not combat with sarcasm if I can't help it!
