New Pellet Stove!

[Avalon]

I've been lurking in these forums since early December, absorbing every bit of information I could find, and finally decided to officially say "Hello".

First let me thank you for the wealth of information that has guided me around some of the typical pitfalls of a new stove owner. It pays to do your homework!

This past December (Dec 30th, actually. Woohoo! Tax credit!) I purchased my first pellet stove, after much research and comparison shopping.
I settled on the Avalon Astoria, due to the 7 year warranty, 115 pound hopper, and ash-pan that only needs to be emptied once every few weeks. It's been a good 2+ months so far, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. In this 2488 sqft fixer upper home, the oil furnace hasn't been used even once since the stove came online!

I vented it with a 4" stove pipe with one 45 degree bend and a straight 4' horizontal shot out to a 45 degree downward termination cap.

Here are a few pictures of the hearth pad I made for it, a sweet hammer drill I used to cut through 4 courses of brick, and the stove setup. Enjoy!

(P.S. I know the curtain looks close to the stove, but it's well outside the recommended distance and that side of the stove doesn't even get warm)

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Welcome to the forum Avalon.

I trust you are going to get a surge suppressor on that puppy if you haven't already.

I've gone the fixer upper route in the past, didn't do that with this place.

Looks like you have an old timer. Enjoy, I miss the second house we fixed up.

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

that is one sharp looking stove!

 

[Avalon]

Good point about the surge protector. I just read some good posts on surge protectors and will pick one up from Home Depot or Walmart tomorrow.

Yes, the house is quite a challenge. I'm putting my vast array of handyman skills to work all the time.

Right now I'm working on cementing the other half of my basement so I can start stocking up on pellets. I've got my eyes on that pellet-pig status!

(Oh, and if the walls look funny in the pictures, it's because the 8" base boards/molding were all removed for reconditioning.)

 

[Fsappo]

Nice job on the hearth, buddy. You got a good stove also. Enjoy it.

 

[Wachusett]

Good looking stove, old fixer uppers are fun..........sometimes. Pellet stove always fun. Careful with those curtains so close to stove.

 

[aburress1223]

Nice stove/love that hearth pad. ENJOY

 

[Xena]

Love the whole setup, wonderful job congrats!

 

[imacman]

Good point about the surge protector. I just read some good posts on surge protectors and will pick one up from Home Depot or Walmart tomorrow........

Congrats on the new stove, and welcome to the forum. I loved my Astoria, and sometimes wish I still had it....that huge hopper is the BEST! But I wanted more of a multi-fueler, and can't complain on the 10-cpm.

As for the surge protector, don't cheap-out on it in HD or Lowes....get a good one to protect those electronics....control boards are VERY $$$$$.

Here pics of my Astoria from a few yrs ago....did a little "dress-up" painting on it too:

 

[Vinelife]

I like the way the stove looks and the fact it has such a broad range of btu output and large hopper. My question is how do the stack up compared to harman and others ... and how much does the astoria usually go for ??

 

[imacman]

....My question is how do the stack up compared to harman and others ... and how much does the astoria usually go for ??

The Travis Ind. stoves are a much simpler design compared to the Harman, but still put out great heat. If you do a search of the Astoria, I think you'll see that most people that have them, love them. I personally NEVER had any problems with mine....nothing broke or wore out. I kept it clean, and it kept me plenty warm.

As for price, maybe one of the other owners can chime in on that....I bought mine used from a dealer going out of business.

 

[Don2222]

Good point about the surge protector. I just read some good posts on surge protectors and will pick one up from Home Depot or Walmart tomorrow........

Congrats on the new stove, and welcome to the forum. I loved my Astoria, and sometimes wish I still had it....that huge hopper is the BEST! But I wanted more of a multi-fueler, and can't complain on the 10-cpm.

As for the surge protector, don't cheap-out on it in HD or Lowes....get a good one to protect those electronics....control boards are VERY $$$$$.

Here pics of my Astoria from a few yrs ago....did a little "dress-up" painting on it too:

Nice paint job Imacman. Good idea!

Here is my Astoria with the Rope Lights and Candles on the Tiled Mantel I made!

 

[jtakeman]

Welcome to the forums, Nice looking stove.

Enjoy the warmth!

 

[Vinelife]

So iceman, you had an Astoria ?

 

[DexterDay]

So iceman, you had an Astoria ?

I'm guessing you meant imacman? Although there is. Member named Iceman

 

[Avalon]

Well, my Astoria is now protected with Belkin BE107201-08 surge protector with the following specifications:

Max Engy Dissipation: 2320 Joules
UL Clamping voltage: UL 1449 400V
Response Time <1 ns

Thanks for the complements on the hearth. It was a fun project and a chance to cut some tiles with a
wet saw. I was very pleased with the results.

Hank Hill: I called around to a few Travis Industries dealers, and the cheapest I could find it was $3,426.
It seemed like an awful lot at the time, but the 30% government refund sure helped take the sting out of it.

Imacman: Nice job on the painting. It really makes it a show piece.

Don: That's an impressive "mood lighting" affect you've made around your Astoria with the tile and rope lighting.
I'll have to get some neon ground-effect lighting for my hopper to compete with you!

(Edited to correct Hank's name)

 

[Vinelife]

Its hank hill..lol

 

[rehabbingisgreen]

Love the hearth, looks great!

 

[imacman]

So iceman, you had an Astoria ?

If you meant me, the answer is yes. It was my first pellet stove, and it was a very good performing, low maintenance stove. Never had to replace or fix anything on it. I DO miss the huge 120lb hopper.