Pellet stove as main heat source ?

[dashe]

I purchased a St Croix Afton bay model stove that is rated for 2000 square feet . im wondering if this stove is capable of heating my whole house . the house is a very efficient 1900 square foot ranch with a very open floor plan . Im really hoping to not have to run the oil furnace at all this winter . I realize im going to have cold spots and am fine with moving the heat around but i am not sure if its possible to run these things non-stop day in and day out .
Any input would be greatly appreciated . thanks

 

[j00fek]

the only thing you would have to consider is your water pipes, would they hold up without the boiler cycling?

 

[mkmh]

I think you can do it, and that your expectations are where the need to be. It'll be tough to maintain a 100% uniform temp throughout the whole 1900 square feet, but with what you're describing you should be able to keep the whole house comfortable with that stove, and maybe a couple fans.
The next question is -- How many tons are you thinking you'll need to burn? I'm going to guess you'll need between 4-5 to pull it off.

Near 24/7 operation should be fine as long as you keep it full of pellets and plan a shut down and fairly thorough (30-60 minute) cleaning every 10 days or so. I'd also plan a very thorough mid year cleaning (late January) where you vacuum everything out carefully and even clean the venting if you can.

 

[yoscratch]

I use mine for almost all of my heating needs. I have a setback thermostat so house is cool during the day when no one home and at night. The heat comes up at about 5 am - it takes a while to heat up the house from 55 on a cold night. I am convinced that I save money by using the setback. My family has gotten used to wearing sweaters. I used about 3 1/2 ton last year.

 

[Panhandler]

I purchased a St Croix Afton bay model stove that is rated for 2000 square feet . im wondering if this stove is capable of heating my whole house . the house is a very efficient 1900 square foot ranch with a very open floor plan . Im really hoping to not have to run the oil furnace at all this winter . I realize im going to have cold spots and am fine with moving the heat around but i am not sure if its possible to run these things non-stop day in and day out .
Any input would be greatly appreciated . thanks

I have used my Englander PDVC for 3 seasons now. If you are OK with the cold spots (I like sleeping in the cold) you should be good. Run that puppy 24/7, it's actually better that way. As someone else mentioned, watch your pipes. My kitchen and laundry room is over a crawl space. I only use my NG forced air furnace when the high daytime temp is in the teens (or lower twenty's for extended periods). Do a check of where you think some pipes might be vulnerable and monitor them when you get a cold snap. Good luck with your pellet stove and enjoy that warmth!

 

[Panhandler]

I purchased a St Croix Afton bay model stove that is rated for 2000 square feet . im wondering if this stove is capable of heating my whole house . the house is a very efficient 1900 square foot ranch with a very open floor plan . Im really hoping to not have to run the oil furnace at all this winter . I realize im going to have cold spots and am fine with moving the heat around but i am not sure if its possible to run these things non-stop day in and day out .
Any input would be greatly appreciated . thanks

I have used my Englander PDVC for 3 seasons now. If you are OK with the cold spots (I like sleeping in the cold) you should be good. Run that puppy 24/7, it's actually better that way. As someone else mentioned, watch your pipes. My kitchen and laundry room is over a crawl space. I only use my NG forced air furnace when the high daytime temp is in the teens (or lower twenty's for extended periods). Do a check of where you think some pipes might be vulnerable and monitor them when you get a cold snap. Good luck with your pellet stove and enjoy that warmth!

Sorry, should have added that I use my NG during those temps to throw some heat on the pipes for short periods and run the water a couple times a day as both kids are away at college and things don't get used as often (washer, downstairs shower, etc.).

 

[woodsman23]

I use mine for almost all of my heating needs. I have a setback thermostat so house is cool during the day when no one home and at night. The heat comes up at about 5 am - it takes a while to heat up the house from 55 on a cold night. I am convinced that I save money by using the setback. My family has gotten used to wearing sweaters. I used about 3 1/2 ton last year.

Where are you in western NY?? I am in Franklinville.

 

[woodsman23]

I purchased a St Croix Afton bay model stove that is rated for 2000 square feet . im wondering if this stove is capable of heating my whole house . the house is a very efficient 1900 square foot ranch with a very open floor plan . Im really hoping to not have to run the oil furnace at all this winter . I realize im going to have cold spots and am fine with moving the heat around but i am not sure if its possible to run these things non-stop day in and day out .
Any input would be greatly appreciated . thanks

I have the afton bay and all my heating needs are covered with the pellet stove. I used 0 amount of propane last year to heat. I used 4 tons of pellets for the whole heating season. It get mighty cold down here in the sticks and we won't even talk about lake effect snow........... My house is smaller than yours is (~1500 sq ft) and well insulated and i have only a crawl space under the house and have not had any pipes freeze up. I say run it and it will be no problem but use a thermostat (programmable one) and use the smartstat setting when temps are near to above freezing and when below frezzing use the thermostat setting leaving a small fire burning all the time.

 

[lsirois]

What pipes could freeze? The pipes in the walls or are we just afraid that the basement or crawl space will get too cold with the boiler not running? I have a finished basement that shoud stay above 60 degrees, a new pellet insert on the 1st floor and a second floor. Which pipe s would be in danger of freezing if my boiler never came on?

 

[mullet]

I use my stove as a main heat source all 2,600Sqf of it. No more propane for me thank god.

 

[dashe]

Thanks for the unput folks !
I am really hoping to boycott the fuel companies this year if possible .
My pipes are pretty well insulated and i have a heat tape on the only one that worries me .
im going to keep my oil furnace set to 55 degrees in case it happens to drop below that for some reason .
Ive yet to install my stove as i have to remove a worthless wood fireplace from my living room first .
I have 4 ton of Energex softwood pellets so far in storage . I should be pretty well set for the winter . Im just still a little queasy about the stove being able to throw enough heat for the whole house .

 

[MainePellethead]

I have an oil furnace that since the first of January 08 I have ONLY used for HW. I use my Pellet Stove for all my heating needs. As I have mentioned a few times in various forums here.....I have 2 story Cape that was built in 86. So its relatively pretty tight.....I have installed new windows about 4 years ago. My house is approx. 1270 sq. ft.....and about 770 of it is downstairs. My kids are grown so I dont really heat my upstairs only when entertaining as we have a game room with a slate pool table. And a work out room. So for the most part am heating the downstairs comfortably. I burn most of the time a bag a day....