I added a 400 sq. ft. addition (family room and larger kitchen) to my tri-level house, which my oil furnace and central air do not adequately heat and cool. My oil and electric bill is about $500 every month (annual budget plans for both). Rather than replace my 9 yr old oil furnace and ductwork, I believe a pellet stove is a viable heating solution. I have a brick fireplace in my living room (front of house), and sandwiched between the average sized LR and the new family room in the rear of my house is an averaged sized dining room. There is no wall separating the LR and DR, and there is a supporting wall which is almost completely open between the DR and FR. So my LR, DR and FR and all basically open. The FR addition has a cathedral ceiling. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER TO INSTALL A PELLET FIREPLACE INSERT IN THE LR, OR INSTALL A PELLET STOVE IN THE FAMILY ROOM ADDITION. Will a pellet stove in the FR make that room very hot? Will a pellet insert (high efficiency) in the LR fireplace adequately heat the FR addition in accordance with the room layout I stated above? I will probably install an auxillary AC unit to cool the addition, but any suggestions about the AC are welcome. TIA (Thanks In Advance).
Pellet Fireplace Insert vs. Pellet Stove
- Thread starter glassguy
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What is your square footage your trying to heat. I am heating a layout somewhat like you described with my Whitfield insert and have no problems. It also is heating the kitchen. I would guess that I'm heating 1000 sq. ft. It also wouldn't hurt to have a ceiling fan.
It sounds like, from the description, that either location would work as far as air circulation. Personally, I would go with a free standing stove in the family room. Going with a free standing stove, you have more options, and you still have the fireplace for wood fires. If money was not an issue, I would put a good wood insert in the fireplace along with the pellet stove. An open fireplace is just a big hole cold air comes out of. When we installed our Accentra, we removed our factory built fireplace. Our 48" TV and surround equipment fit where the fireplace was. It will be finished before the end of the month. Did I mention, I hate cheap prefab fireplaces? If an insert would have fit, I would have went that route, but it was just too small to give us the choices of inserts we wanted.
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