New stove installed - Now I have questions - Enerzone/Drolet-65

[MIoutdoors]

Hello. I am a basement dweller, posted about 2 months ago with "which stove" type questions. Anyway, about a month ago I had a Enerzone Euromax (almost the same as the Drolet-65)Installed in my basement. I just fired it up for the first time yesterday (other than the quick test after the install) and am trying to dial everything in.

As I mentioned in previous threads, My house is 2000 sqft with a full (unfinished) walkout basement. My office is in the open, unfinished basement and I spend 8 hours a day down there. I need some suggestions.

I currently have the stove running on "thermostat mode" with the intention of keeping the basement warm while still pushing heat into the open concept living area via an open stairwell. The stove sits directly in front of the open stairwell (about 15 foot away). I decided to opt out of the "plenum kit" this winter to see if I can get the stove working to my satisfaction without it. Not sure that I will be able to get enough heat upstairs without it. Suggestions on moving heat to the upper level before it gets sucked up by the exposed concrete walls?

I am looking for suggestions on stove settings as well. I have read the manual, but this thing has so many settings it is very confusing. Currently it is running on the highest combustion setting and also the highest fan speed. It is EATING pellets like crazy. I would say 3 bags in 24 hours. Outside temp is 46, basement is 73, and upstairs thermostat for forced air propane burner is reading 69/70. Again, this is with the stove cycling on thermostat mode and highest combustion rate, to keep the basement at 73 yet get heat upstairs. Goal is to supplement the propane forced air with pellet heat.

I do have the stove thermostat on a 30 foot wire so I am able to move it to different areas of the basement.

Interested in hearing from others with the Enerzone or Drolet... Specifically with a basement install. What works and what doesn't? Should I tweek some settings to get my desired results or make current consumption levels better? Can/should this stove be run full blast all the time? Should I run it on manual mode at a lower combustion setting? Not really sure where to start. Kinda scary that it is only 46 outside and this stove is running constantly just to keep the basement at 73.

Thoughts, suggestions, opinions???

Thanks
Jeff

 

[MIoutdoors]

Being a newbie, I am just trying to understand how this unit works. Like everyone else, I am looking to try and find a setting that doesn't burn a ton of pellets, but is satisfactory for my needs. The following is going to sound very "uninformed", but i am new, so bare with me...

The manual that came with this stove identifies the different settings, but doesn't really explain (in detail) what they do or how the affect heat output or function of the stove.

- The "combustion level" (slide bar on the LCD screen) can be set low to very high... My understanding is combustion level = burn rate of pellets. Lower the setting, the less pellets I burn?? The lower the BTUs?? is this correct?

- "Convection fan level" is the amount of air the stove is circulating/blowing? This also can be adjusted from very high to very low. For my purpose (Basement), I would think that I would always want to have the convection fan set on the highest setting. Is this correct?

- Thermostat mode vs Manual mode? Not sure what is best for me. This also appears to work in conjunction with one of the "Pilot cycles". Always on, Always off, 60 minutes or 30 minutes.

Again.. where to start? Is there any issue with setting the thermostat on 80 degrees in the basement and all the above settings on high and just let the thermostat control the stove cycles?

Or is there a way for me to lessen my pellet usage while still circulating a lot of heat?

Trying to dial in for efficiency but need to understand what I am doing...

Thanks for the help.

 

[Highbeam]

My house is 2000 sqft with a full (unfinished) walkout basement.

You eastern folks confuse me with this. So are you saying you have a 2000 SF home AND a 2000 SF basement? If so, this means you would be trying to heat a 2000 SF uninsulated space with a pellet stove?

 

[MIoutdoors]

You east coasters confuse me with this. So are you saying you have a 2000 SF home AND a 2000 SF basement? If so, this means you would be trying to heat a 2000 SF uninsulated space with a pellet stove?

Yes... You guys may call it a "raised ranch"... Not sure. The stove is rated for 2800 square foot. It has not problem heating the basement to 80 or 90 degrees if I want it too... The problem is moving the heat up stairs. I am not trying to heat the entire house (4000 square ft) but simply supplement my propane forced air system with pellet heat. I am trying to move heat from the basement to the living level and looking for not only suggestions on that, but suggestions on setting the stove properly.

Thanks

 

[Highbeam]

Sounds very nice. We would call that a 2000 SF house with a 2000 SF unfinished basement!

So is the basement ceiling insulated? Are there plans to finish the basement? The uninsulated walls exposed to outside air is your biggest loss on a per SF basis. Uninsulated walls exposed to earth are the second biggest loss per SF. Uninsulated slab is third largest loss per SF.

 

[Eddie Haskell]

A friend has a wood burning stove in his basement. He cut a hole in his cold air return right above his stove and just runs the fan on his furnace. He has been heating his home this way for years. His home isn’t 2000 square feet but...
I’m sure with some experimentation you may be able to supplement the upstairs heat. Good luck.


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[MIoutdoors]

Sounds very nice. We would call that a 2000 SF house with a 2000 SF unfinished basement!

So is the basement ceiling insulated? Are there plans to finish the basement? The uninsulated walls exposed to outside air is your biggest loss on a per SF basis. Uninsulated walls exposed to earth are the second biggest loss per SF. Uninsulated slab is third largest loss per SF.

Thanks.....Yes, you are correct. It is a 2k sqft house with a 2k sqft basement. The only difference is that the back side wall of the basement has two large windows and a sliding entry door. 1/2 of the basement walls are exposed and insulated (2x6 with bat insulation between the studs and drywall on the inside). The other 1/2 of the walls are below grade and exposed concrete. Floor is exposed concrete as well. Basement ceiling is exposed.

I know I need to address the insulation issue with the concrete walls and rim joists, but for the time being I am trying to figure out how to set the stove so I don't burn a ton of pellets yet still get decent heat.

We do have plans in the next few years to finish the basement. That is why I opted for the basement install. I may just have to bite the bullet and get the plenum kit for the stove if I really want heat upstairs

 

[MIoutdoors]

A friend has a wood burning stove in his basement. He cut a hole in his cold air return right above his stove and just runs the fan on his furnace. He has been heating his home this way for years. His home isn’t 2000 square feet but...
I’m sure with some experimentation you may be able to supplement the upstairs heat. Good luck.


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Interesting. So he is pulling hot air from the basement through the cold air return simply using the furnace fan?

 

[Eddie Haskell]

Correct


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[Highbeam]

A friend has a wood burning stove in his basement. He cut a hole in his cold air return right above his stove and just runs the fan on his furnace.

That was illegal. The intake must be a specific horizontal distance away from the stove, I believe 10'. Also, with just a suction occurring in the basement and no supply in the basement he is creating a light vacuum in that room that could actually pull the smoke down the chimney and into the room where that intake hole will distribute it throughout the house.

 

[Eddie Haskell]

I’m not sure of his exact set up over there but he does it year after year. People do a lot of things that aren’t entirely legal, myself included.



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