I am a Computer Scientist by education and an engineer by trade, so I wanted to share some direct experiences in hopes of increasing people's comfort in this cold season.
The background is I have an undersized pellet stove that is the primary source of heat for my 3,400 square foot home. I am working on adding another stove to the main level.
Stove is in the basement and runs 24/7 in Room Temp mode. 78 degrees brings the upstairs thermostat to 71 degrees. Perfect.
Some observations to share:
- Hard versus Soft Wood Pellets: Soft wood pellets do not burn as hot or clean as hard wood pellets in my Harman Accentra 52i. With soft woods, I had to empty and clean every week. When I cranked the burn rate, soft woods were obliterated in my stove. When I crank with hardwoods, a reasonable fill time is achieved. With hard woods, I can go two weeks without emptying the ash pan.
- Fan Speed and Temperature: Higher fan speeds do not equate to higher temperatures in my upstairs. When the fan was set to high in Room Temp mode, my upstairs never got above 70. Now that the fan is set to low, I get 71 in the upstairs.Plus, the basement is usable now without the stove sounding like a Cessna.
- Forced Air Fan and Temperature: When I circulated the air 30mins every hour, I did not have dramatic temperature increases. When I turned the fan off, the temperature reached 71. The culprit are ducts, which are an abysmal for heating/cooling with forced air. Doing a real calculation on energy loss, the results are staggering. Obviously, comfort and a reduced electricity bill were achieved.
- Insert Hoppers: Are greatly undersized and no upgrades are available for insert stoves from Harman or the secondary market. Keep this in consideration when purchasing and if you want to go the pellet stove router, free standing should be the first consideration. Fireplaces in general (i.e., when you need an insert) are really only good for aesthetics and should not be utilized as a primary source of heat, regardless of the insert type.If you must have a fireplace, forget a masonry fireplace and go with a vent-less propane fireplace, which yields more heat and will be less headache.
- High Efficiency Mini-splits: Make purchasing a pellet stove a hard sell, especially a top of the line stove, like a Harman. I would never buy an insert pellet stove.
- Stove Location & Type: The Harman I own came with the house. If I was buying a stove, I would go with a freestanding and install on the main level.
- Pellet Storage: Regardless of the liners, tarps, wraps, etc., never store pellets exposed to the elements.
I read a lot on these forums and used other’s experiences to dictate how I first approached the pellet stove. After much use, I think the X factor in all these discussions is home characteristics. I have a split foyer with a 140 sq ft exterior stairwell that connects the two levels. House is well insulated, except for one exterior door.
The background is I have an undersized pellet stove that is the primary source of heat for my 3,400 square foot home. I am working on adding another stove to the main level.
Stove is in the basement and runs 24/7 in Room Temp mode. 78 degrees brings the upstairs thermostat to 71 degrees. Perfect.
Some observations to share:
- Hard versus Soft Wood Pellets: Soft wood pellets do not burn as hot or clean as hard wood pellets in my Harman Accentra 52i. With soft woods, I had to empty and clean every week. When I cranked the burn rate, soft woods were obliterated in my stove. When I crank with hardwoods, a reasonable fill time is achieved. With hard woods, I can go two weeks without emptying the ash pan.
- Fan Speed and Temperature: Higher fan speeds do not equate to higher temperatures in my upstairs. When the fan was set to high in Room Temp mode, my upstairs never got above 70. Now that the fan is set to low, I get 71 in the upstairs.Plus, the basement is usable now without the stove sounding like a Cessna.
- Forced Air Fan and Temperature: When I circulated the air 30mins every hour, I did not have dramatic temperature increases. When I turned the fan off, the temperature reached 71. The culprit are ducts, which are an abysmal for heating/cooling with forced air. Doing a real calculation on energy loss, the results are staggering. Obviously, comfort and a reduced electricity bill were achieved.
- Insert Hoppers: Are greatly undersized and no upgrades are available for insert stoves from Harman or the secondary market. Keep this in consideration when purchasing and if you want to go the pellet stove router, free standing should be the first consideration. Fireplaces in general (i.e., when you need an insert) are really only good for aesthetics and should not be utilized as a primary source of heat, regardless of the insert type.If you must have a fireplace, forget a masonry fireplace and go with a vent-less propane fireplace, which yields more heat and will be less headache.
- High Efficiency Mini-splits: Make purchasing a pellet stove a hard sell, especially a top of the line stove, like a Harman. I would never buy an insert pellet stove.
- Stove Location & Type: The Harman I own came with the house. If I was buying a stove, I would go with a freestanding and install on the main level.
- Pellet Storage: Regardless of the liners, tarps, wraps, etc., never store pellets exposed to the elements.
I read a lot on these forums and used other’s experiences to dictate how I first approached the pellet stove. After much use, I think the X factor in all these discussions is home characteristics. I have a split foyer with a 140 sq ft exterior stairwell that connects the two levels. House is well insulated, except for one exterior door.
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