New to Pellet Stoves

[CamperWill]

Hey everyone,
Looking for some advice that will help us get away from our propane boiler which is painful during the winter months to keep fueled.

We are looking at getting a pellet stove but can't decide on which model.. 55-TRP22, 55-TRPEP, or 55-TRP10 (or the SH/Englander version). The purpose of it would be to heat the upper level of our raised ranch which is 960 sq ft with decent insulation. We don't want to oversize to much but also don't want to be running it on high all the time to heat the opposite end of the house.

Do Timber Ridge, Summers Heat, and Englander all use the same parts or are there small variations?
55-TRPEP doesn't seem to have many reviews, how is this model?
How is AM FM Energy?

 

[Defiant]

Look at Harman

 

[CamperWill]

Harman is way out of our price range, at least the local dealers are.

 

[smoke show]

Not sure what part of Massachusetts your from, but here is a couple examples. Its summer, time is on your side.

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/s...tove&zoomToPosting=&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

http://boston.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=4&subAreaID=&query=harman+pellet+stove&catAbb=sss

 

[Lake Girl]

Hi Camperwill.
If your looking at the timber ridge/englander stoves have you checked out the factory refurbished ones?
(broken link removed to http://www.amfmenergy.com/manufacturer-refurbished-stoves.html)

Welcome to the forum

​

 

[CamperWill]

Prefer to go new or manufacturer refurb, those used Harman's will still put us over budget.

I did look at amfmenergy, that's why I asked about them.

 

[smoke show]

am/fm has a good rep here. many happy customers.

 

[jtakeman]

Welcome aboard CamperWill,

Many members have purchased from AM/FM with excellent results. Timber Ridge, Summers Heat, and Englander are all made by the same company. So similair models will use the same components inside. The 55-TRPEP has been out for a few seasons and member slvrblkk owns one. Here is his install thread.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/well-i-swapped-it.81561/#post-81561

He may be away as most members hang out here during the heating season. But you could send him a PM. AFAIK he has had excellent luck with his and seems pleased.

As for size, I think the 55-TRPEP will be fine for your sqft. put it this way, You'll never over work the unit once it gets cold out. Use a "thermostat" with the Auto/Off setting in the warmer months and the high/low durning the cold season.

Keep us posted.

 

[smoke show]

...most members hang out here during the heating season.

speaking of which. what are you doing here?

 

[smwilliamson]

To answer your question, Summers Heat, Englander and TimberRidge are all exactly the same.

 

[Lousyweather]

lol- I suppose saying something like "you get what you pay for..." would be like throwing gasoline on the proverbial fire here?

 

[CamperWill]

Thanks for the info everyone. I saw the post from slvrblkk but I haven't seen much more of the 55-TRPEP on this forum compared to the 55-TRP22 and 55-TRP10.

lol- I suppose saying something like "you get what you pay for..." would be like throwing gasoline on the proverbial fire here?

Of course you get what you pay for(in most cases). But we can't exactly afford a mid-high end pellet stove, we are pretty handy and don't mind doing the work these seem to require.

The cost of heating with a propane boiler is killing us (likely due it being from 1979, ~70% efficient, and buildup from crap in the well water).. $450+/mo during the colder months @ 67F during the day and 62F at night, a new boiler is around 6-7k(85% efficient) installed compared to 3k(78% efficient) for a pellet stove installed. The return on a pellet stove will be seen much quicker then the return on a boiler if it can heat the main floor on lower settings.

 

[MCPO]

Yeah ,that old saying "you get what you pay for" is generally true in the negative sense , but when it`s used with regards to an Englander pellet stove it has a positive connotation to it because you "do" get your moneys worth.
Not everyone can afford a high dollar Harman which it`s value might just be relative to how good a service your dealer provides for it and a pellet stove will "surely " need service at some point.
With an Englander you get the best (over the phone, walk you thru it) service in the industry "FREE" regardless of where and when , or whether it was new or used when you bought it. The catch is you must know the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer and have the basic mechanical knowledge of the average housewife. If you lack that , then definitely go for the Harman.

 

[CamperWill]

The catch is you must know the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer

Hammer is used when all else fails, right?

 

[MCPO]

Hammer is used when all else fails, right?

Right!

 

[mithesaint]

Hammer is used when all else fails, right?

I prefer a BFH. Works much better than a plain hammer.

 

[Lousyweather]

Yeah ,that old saying "you get what you pay for" is generally true in the negative sense , but when it`s used with regards to an Englander pellet stove it has a positive connotation to it because you "do" get your moneys worth.
Not everyone can afford a high dollar Harman which it`s value might just be relative to how good a service your dealer provides for it and a pellet stove will "surely " need service at some point.
With an Englander you get the best (over the phone, walk you thru it) service in the industry "FREE" regardless of where and when , or whether it was new or used when you bought it. The catch is you must know the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer and have the basic mechanical knowledge of the average housewife. If you lack that , then definitely go for the Harman.

good points, all, MCPO, but please realize that the folks who frequent this forum, by and large, DO have a level of expertise that by far and away exceeds that of the average pellet user. Englander's service model works ONLY IF the owner is willing to do the work, otherwise, they have to hire a service tech to do it, at their own peril (we all pretty much agree that each and every service tech in the industry is a mix of Chunk from Goonies and Snidely Whiplash, with a smidge of Maleficent rolled in), and don't get me started on the retailers themselves! Its really kinda an apples and oranges comparison, since MOST (but not all) Englander retailers are given a Mulligan in the stove knowledge area by the consumer, because they simply don't expect much knowledge from them, let alone service of any kind.

All that being said, for a guy who is willing to twist his or her own wrenches, a good stove brand. Just don't expect much from the retailer.

 

[jtakeman]

speaking of which. what are you doing here?

The beer chats?

 

[will711]

I like Beer

 

[smoke show]

I like Beer

x2

 

[stoveguy2esw]

not to blow my own horn, but i do virtually all of the refurbs that AMFM sells personally, and im easy to find should a question or issue arises.

the "customer wrench work" point that was made is entirely correct, we do not offer in home service as part of our warranty, but i do have an excellent staff which can guide you through virtually any issue you may encounter, should a part turn out to be defective i will UPS it to your door instructions included, should you wish you could call my service department when the part arrives and myself or one of my techs will walk you through the replacement.

hearth.com members also have the added perk of being able to pester me (kidding) contact me through the forum as well.

should one prefer a service person, though its not covered i know a guy with a pretty good rep who i believe may be in your area ( my "shameless plug"check the author of post #10)

anyway should you decide to go with an ESW product from AMFM , let me know as i will be the one prepping the stove FWIW looking at your initial post i would go with the EP unit. i would really consider a stat as well though with the space you describe i would shop in the aftermarket for one with an adjustable "swing temp" we have one which has it but its the remote and kinda pricy, the wall mount doesn't have a swing temp adjustment and in the space you have to heat with the stove i'd be afraid it would fast cycle when it gets quite cold (hard on the igniter) the "22" is too much stove IMHO for your space as well and it and the "10" do not have "on-off stat function. anyway, if you do go with andy over at AMFM let me know ahead of time, i'll make sure you have a great stove coming to you

 

[fossil]

The beer chats?

I knew you guys could do it.

 

[CamperWill]

Thanks for the input Mike. We are going with AMFM, just undecided on which model. The EP looks nice but do we really need the on/off thermostat and ash pan? During the winter it would likely be fired up 24/7 anyways.

With under 1000 sq ft wouldn't they all kind of be overkill?

 

[Chain]

Just curious, have you considered putting the pellet stove in a location that could heat your entire home if needed?

 

[CamperWill]

I don't think we have many options for the location.. Only viable location seems to be in the living room where the chimney is. The living room, dining room and kitchen are all in that area and it's very open.

The bedrooms are down a short hallway that the stove will be somewhat aligned with and it's not a problem if those rooms are a bit colder. The only area that the pellet stove won't be heating is our finished basement, but that rarely gets used.