pellet stove virgin

[champscorner]

Just want to begin by saying this is a great forum and from what I can tell so far very informative. So my story is that 2yrs ago I had a 2 ton trane heat pump installed to run in conjunction with a propane forced air furnace. So last year the gas company upset me(again) and I finally got mad enough to tell them to just come and pick up their tank. I had no real plan of action after this and just tried running the heat pump alone wich of course had a problem keeping up here in Ohio once it became ~25 F out. Just a couple of weeks ago decided to get an estimate for an electric furnace but found that I need to upgrade my electrical service to 200amp before I could have one installed. With the cost of this plus reading that electric forced air is the most expensive setup to run I decided to start researching other avenues. So just started researching pellet/corn/multi-fuel stoves and have several questions that I'm hoping to get help with. I plan to add a stove to run as an alternative to the heat pump once the temp reaches around freezing. My home is ~1600 sq ft, 2 story with a pretty much open floor plan downstairs. The upstairs( 2 bedrooms) are currently not used very often at all but will be in the future. I guess for starters my questions would be:
1) Is running a heat pump and stove combo cost effective and effecient? Does anyone here run this combo?
2) I travel for work and am gone about 8 days straight, is a stove something easy enough to operate/clean that it wouldn't be a big strain I on my wife to run while I'm away?
3) I'm looking for a quality stove at an affordable price(~$2000 range) with good costumer service, warranty, ect.. any recommendations? I've been looking at Harmans and Englander models but harmans may be just a little out of my price range
4) Is buying a multi-fuel stove over just a pellet stove ACTUALLY worth the extra money?
5) When a stove is rated for 2000 or 2200 sq ft does this mean it's to much for my 1600 sq ft home or does this mean maximum heating and it can be adjusted to heat my sized home properly?
6) On my way to lowes(just browsing)to check out the englander Evolution 25-EP and the Englander 10cpm multi-fuel, any reviews on these models?
Sorry for the 50 questions but I'm a total newb at stoves and would like to get as much info as possible before I make a large purchase like this. I'm positive I'll have more. Thanks in advance for any and all help.
Tim

 

[Bkins]

Just want to begin by saying this is a great forum and from what I can tell so far very informative. So my story is that 2yrs ago I had a 2 ton trane heat pump installed to run in conjunction with a propane forced air furnace. So last year the gas company upset me(again) and I finally got mad enough to tell them to just come and pick up their tank. I had no real plan of action after this and just tried running the heat pump alone wich of course had a problem keeping up here in Ohio once it became ~25 F out. Just a couple of weeks ago decided to get an estimate for an electric furnace but found that I need to upgrade my electrical service to 200amp before I could have one installed. With the cost of this plus reading that electric forced air is the most expensive setup to run I decided to start researching other avenues. So just started researching pellet/corn/multi-fuel stoves and have several questions that I'm hoping to get help with. I plan to add a stove to run as an alternative to the heat pump once the temp reaches around freezing. My home is ~1600 sq ft, 2 story with a pretty much open floor plan downstairs. The upstairs( 2 bedrooms) are currently not used very often at all but will be in the future. I guess for starters my questions would be:
1) Is running a heat pump and stove combo cost effective and effecient? Does anyone here run this combo?
2) I travel for work and am gone about 8 days straight, is a stove something easy enough to operate/clean that it wouldn't be a big strain I on my wife to run while I'm away?
3) I'm looking for a quality stove at an affordable price(~$2000 range) with good costumer service, warranty, ect.. any recommendations? I've been looking at Harmans and Englander models but harmans may be just a little out of my price range
4) Is buying a multi-fuel stove over just a pellet stove ACTUALLY worth the extra money?
5) When a stove is rated for 2000 or 2200 sq ft does this mean it's to much for my 1600 sq ft home or does this mean maximum heating and it can be adjusted to heat my sized home properly?
6) On my way to lowes(just browsing)to check out the englander Evolution 25-EP and the Englander 10cpm multi-fuel, any reviews on these models?
Sorry for the 50 questions but I'm a total newb at stoves and would like to get as much info as possible before I make a large purchase like this. I'm positive I'll have more. Thanks in advance for any and all help.
Tim

Welcome,

As far as running a heat pump with the stove I don't think if you get the right stove you will need to run the heat pump, if at all. As far as your wife taking care of the loading.vacuuming and keeping clean a pellet stove you would be a better judge of that then anyone here. It is not difficult to do depending on what brand stove you end up with. Some are harder then others but none are HARD. I would say your questions about a affordable price on a stove would also have to be determined by you. The old saying of you get what you pay for generally holds true here also. The warranty on a lot of stoves is very specific and after a period of time you would be responsible for the labor and travel time of a tech getting to you. This is where a good dealer would pay off. If you buy a stove from a Lowes, or Home Depot I'm not sure how you would get service for it. If you are the handy type and fixing things doesn't faze you then buying from one of the box stores, or used might be a good deal. I would buy more stove then your house square footage requires. You don't need to run the stoves full bore and having extra capacity for those really cold days would be like money in the bank. If you buy a stove rated for your size house and it gets really cold out you will be running the stoves full tilt to keep up. A good sized noise increase will result as the stove is working hard. Can't answer your questions about Lowes brand stoves. If you read through some posts based on the stoves you are looking at there should be lots of info, not the least of which is the manufacture is on this forum. At least in the store brands of Lowes and Home Depot. I wouldn't get to worried about multi fueled stoves unless you feel that in the future you might want to buy some of the ohter fuels. You need to make some decisions before you can move ahead as far as to size, brand, type of fuel to be burned, and what kind of stove support you would feel best with.

Bkins

 

[champscorner]

Bkins, thanks for your response.
I definatley didn't get the answers I wanted from lowes. They don't even carry the models I'm interested in at the store, they have to be special ordered. I'll I can find is a Harmon dealer about 25mins away that I'll be visiting tommorow but I really don't want to limit myself to just Harmon if possible. I like the specs on the Harmon XXV, any reviews? I also like the looks of the multi-fuel Englander 10cpm. Does Harman make a multi-fuel stove as well? TIA for any help.

 

[imacman]

..... I also like the looks of the multi-fuel Englander 10cpm. Does Harman make a multi-fuel stove as well? TIA for any help.

I like the new Englander multi-fuel model too, and am seriously considering getting one to replace the stove I have now.....I like the ability to burn more different fuels now, and in the future. The forum also has the top Englander Tech as a regular contributor....Mike Holton. Pretty much any problem with an Englander can be worked out with him, and as Bkins mentioned above, if you're at least a little bit handy around the house, then maintaining a pellet stove shouldn't be too bad.

In regard to Harman, none of their stoves are listed as "multi fuel", but they WILL burn pretty much any grade of pellet, from the poorest to the best. They do make 1 corn stove, but again, it burns corn only. And as far as "tech help" for the Harman, the only help you'll get is through the dealer (cross your fingers that their a good one), or general help from the forum members here.

Check down about 5 posts in this thread for some links to companies that make multi-fuel stoves:
www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/40896/

 

[champscorner]

Thanks for the informative link pyro. I like the looks of the quad MT Vernon to but a little pricey for me. So do you know of anyone who owns the multi-fuel englander? Fairly easy operation, effeciency, problems, ect... I just can't see shelling out this $$$ and not spending a little more up front to have multiple choices in the future but just from the little research I've done I have read that multi-fuel stoves seem to have more problems. Or is this more of a myth in your opinion? As you and Bkins touched on above, I am a little nervous about not having tech help being that I will probably purchase this unit from lowes or HD as I can't seem to find specific Englander dealers in my area. It's great that there is a an Englander Tech on this site for support, has Mr. Holton given out his opinion on this model as well or is there I way I can discuss this with him? It looks like I'm starting to get borderline obsessed with getting this all figured out because my wife is complaining about how long I've been on the net the last few days but hopefully she'll understand once I decide on a stove. Thanks again for your time.
Tim

 

[imacman]

.....It's great that there is a an Englander Tech on this site for support, has Mr. Holton given out his opinion on this model as well or is there I way I can discuss this with him? ............It looks like I'm starting to get borderline obsessed with getting this all figured out because my wife is complaining about how long I've been on the net the last few days but hopefully she'll understand once I decide on a stove. Thanks again for your time.
Tim

I'm sure Mike would be happy to discuss specific details, or at least steer you to the right person in the company who can answer your questions. The easiest way to "speak" to him is through email: [email protected].

 

[Bkins]

Thanks for the informative link pyro. I like the looks of the quad MT Vernon to but a little pricey for me. So do you know of anyone who owns the multi-fuel englander? Fairly easy operation, effeciency, problems, ect... I just can't see shelling out this $$$ and not spending a little more up front to have multiple choices in the future but just from the little research I've done I have read that multi-fuel stoves seem to have more problems. Or is this more of a myth in your opinion? As you and Bkins touched on above, I am a little nervous about not having tech help being that I will probably purchase this unit from lowes or HD as I can't seem to find specific Englander dealers in my area. It's great that there is a an Englander Tech on this site for support, has Mr. Holton given out his opinion on this model as well or is there I way I can discuss this with him? It looks like I'm starting to get borderline obsessed with getting this all figured out because my wife is complaining about how long I've been on the net the last few days but hopefully she'll understand once I decide on a stove. Thanks again for your time.
Tim

If you have to be away for travel I would make sure your wife is in on the discussion of which unit to get. Different stoves have different cleaning routines and if she is going to have to do some of them she should be involved right from the beginning so that after you buy a stove and get it hooked up you don't want your partner to say I don't want to do that. I would cross that bridge right now before I put any money into a stove. I don't know you or your wife but I know how stuff works in our householkd. If the wife is not happy you are not going to be happy either, if you get my driff.

The other forum member that you referred to as pyro, name is actually Macman. The forum members screen names are at the top of left hand corner. I am sure Mike Holton will be willing to answer questions from you but keep in mind that he is a company employee. I am not sure if he is a owner or not. Do a search under Englander and his name will show up. I would give him a call and pick his brain.

Bkins

 

[rona]

The Harman PC45 will burn either corn or pellets or a combination of both. There is a inexpensive kit available that will boost the output to 50,000 btus when burning pellets.
When choosing a dealer try to talk to some of his customers to find out how his after the sale service is. That is where the big difference is.
There is a learning curve with these stoves and you will be expected to get dirty once in a while cleaning them. But when burning pellets most stoves will burn a ton of pellets without cleaning.
Buying a multi fuel burning stove makes sense because you can switch from pellets to corn to sunflowers to cherry pits, etc and save more money.
Another thing to look at is how much money are you going to save? Many times you can save 2,000.00 a year so the cost of the stove will be paid back very fast allowing you to be able to afford a higher end stove then you thought you could afford.

 

[dac122]

1) Is running a heat pump and stove combo cost effective and effecient? Does anyone here run this combo?

I would think so. During the shoulder weather you should run the HP as it will be more economical than a pellet stove. As you pass freezing I would fire up the pellet. Since it will be a main source of heat I would consider adding an external thermostat or get a model with one built in.

2) I travel for work and am gone about 8 days straight, is a stove something easy enough to operate/clean that it wouldn't be a big strain I on my wife to run while I'm away?

The big issues are hauling pellets to the stove and cleaning ash out of the stove depending on the model.

3) I'm looking for a quality stove at an affordable price(~$2000 range) with good costumer service, warranty, ect.. any recommendations? I've been looking at Harmans and Englander models but harmans may be just a little out of my price range

Working on installing my Englander, so can't give you a recommendation there.

4) Is buying a multi-fuel stove over just a pellet stove ACTUALLY worth the extra money?

One thing to consider is do you have access to multi-fuels in your area, and what are their prices.

5) When a stove is rated for 2000 or 2200 sq ft does this mean it's to much for my 1600 sq ft home or does this mean maximum heating and it can be adjusted to heat my sized home properly?

I would likewise recommend buying a model that is rated for 2000-2200 because depending on the particulars of your install your efficiency might not be optimal reducing heat output a little. Plus some pellets are better than others further reducing output.

 

[champscorner]

If you have to be away for travel I would make sure your wife is in on the discussion of which unit to get. Different stoves have different cleaning routines and if she is going to have to do some of them she should be involved right from the beginning so that after you buy a stove and get it hooked up you don't want your partner to say I don't want to do that. I would cross that bridge right now before I put any money into a stove. I don't know you or your wife but I know how stuff works in our householkd. If the wife is not happy you are not going to be happy either, if you get my driff.

Thanks for the advice my friend but already taken care of. My wife is pretty much running the show over here anyway, I'm just a figure head in this game of life. This is why I asked in the start of this thread about making running/upkeep as easy as possible for my wife while I was away. From what I can see, and correct me if I'm wrong, she would have to fill the hopper ~ 1 time every 24hrs (depending on hopper size, how hard it's run, type of fuel) on average, and clean the tray 1 to 2 times a week depending on the same things. Start is automated and temp control will be run by thermostat.

The other forum member that you referred to as pyro, name is actually Macman. The forum members screen names are at the top of left hand corner. I am sure Mike Holton will be willing to answer questions from you but keep in mind that he is a company employee. I am not sure if he is a owner or not. Do a search under Englander and his name will show up. I would give him a call and pick his brain.

Thanks for the correction. I realize where the screen names are I just glanced at the wrong one while responding to Macman(my apologies to Macman as well). Got your screen name right a couple times though, so I'm 50% Thanks for another point in the direction of Mr. Holton, he must be a very knowledgable person on Englander models. I keep seeing his name in threads I'm reading as well.
Noticed you have Mt Vernon. Is this the model that is the multi burner? How do you like it.

 

[champscorner]

The Harman PC45 will burn either corn or pellets or a combination of both. There is a inexpensive kit available that will boost the output to 50,000 btus when burning pellets.
When choosing a dealer try to talk to some of his customers to find out how his after the sale service is. That is where the big difference is.
There is a learning curve with these stoves and you will be expected to get dirty once in a while cleaning them. But when burning pellets most stoves will burn a ton of pellets without cleaning.
Buying a multi fuel burning stove makes sense because you can switch from pellets to corn to sunflowers to cherry pits, etc and save more money.
Another thing to look at is how much money are you going to save? Many times you can save 2,000.00 a year so the cost of the stove will be paid back very fast allowing you to be able to afford a higher end stove then you thought you could afford.

rona, thanks for your response. Do you run a Harman PC45? How do you like it? As fas the fuels go I've seen pellets ranging between $3.50 - $4.99 a bag and I live in one of the biggest agricultual counties in OH so corn shouldn't be an issue. Where does one go to find these other fuels I'm hearing of, cherry pits, olive pits, sunflower seeds, wheat pellets, recycled paper pellets, ect.... And how do these burn compared to pellets?
TIA
Tim

 

[Bkins]

If you have to be away for travel I would make sure your wife is in on the discussion of which unit to get. Different stoves have different cleaning routines and if she is going to have to do some of them she should be involved right from the beginning so that after you buy a stove and get it hooked up you don't want your partner to say I don't want to do that. I would cross that bridge right now before I put any money into a stove. I don't know you or your wife but I know how stuff works in our householkd. If the wife is not happy you are not going to be happy either, if you get my driff.

Thanks for the advice my friend but already taken care of. My wife is pretty much running the show over here anyway, I'm just a figure head in this game of life. This is why I asked in the start of this thread about making running/upkeep as easy as possible for my wife while I was away. From what I can see, and correct me if I'm wrong, she would have to fill the hopper ~ 1 time every 24hrs (depending on hopper size, how hard it's run, type of fuel) on average, and clean the tray 1 to 2 times a week depending on the same things. Start is automated and temp control will be run by thermostat.

The other forum member that you referred to as pyro, name is actually Macman. The forum members screen names are at the top of left hand corner. I am sure Mike Holton will be willing to answer questions from you but keep in mind that he is a company employee. I am not sure if he is a owner or not. Do a search under Englander and his name will show up. I would give him a call and pick his brain.

Thanks for the correction. I realize where the screen names are I just glanced at the wrong one while responding to Macman(my apologies to Macman as well). Got your screen name right a couple times though, so I'm 50% Thanks for another point in the direction of Mr. Holton, he must be a very knowledgable person on Englander models. I keep seeing his name in threads I'm reading as well.
Noticed you have Mt Vernon. Is this the model that is the multi burner? How do you like it.

Tim,

Most stoves ash pans, if they have one, don't need to be emptied that often. The bulk of the work would be in cleaning/keeping up with burnpot maintenance and ash removal depending on the stove and the way it operates. Glass cleaning could also play into it. Not a lot of work but there is some.

Yes, the Mt Vernon is a multi fuel burner but I am only planning on burning pellets. You have more choices of fuel in Ohio then I have here on the East Coast. I am talking mostly from a fuel price angle. I just got the Mt Vernon and have not burned a fire in it yet. I am waiting to get pipe that has been ordered. I bought mine used and if you search under augar jam you will see a long post on my situation with the stove. I like working on stoves but was somewhat frustrated with not knowing how to get it fixed. I am all in to this pellet stove stuff with having bought a stove vac, warming shelves, a spare ignitor, and supplies to make a pellet fines vacuum.

Should be a interesting heating season.

Bkins

 

[champscorner]

Man, this is a great forum Thanks for your response as well dac122.

I would think so. During the shoulder weather you should run the HP as it will be more economical than a pellet stove. As you pass freezing I would fire up the pellet. Since it will be a main source of heat I would consider adding an external thermostat or get a model with one built in.

this is exactly what I'm hoping to do

The big issues are hauling pellets to the stove and cleaning ash out of the stove depending on the model.

My plan here is to keep a couple tons in the garage and bring it in 1/2 ton at a time to a back room of the house that we dont use in the winter. As far as the ash and understanding that different models will have higher content than others, what would you say the average is on cleaning out the tray, per week. From what I understand differnt pellets hard/soft and brand also make a differnce in how often you clean your tray.

Working on installing my Englander, so can't give you a recommendation there.

That's good to hear because as of now I'm leaning towards the Englander 10-cpm. What model are you installing? What made you go with an Englander over another brand?

One thing to consider is do you have access to multi-fuels in your area, and what are their prices.

As I mentioned to another poster, I've seen pellets for ~ $3.50 - $4.99 a bag and corn is plentiful in my area but I'm unsure of where to even start to look for these other fuels such as cherry pits, olive pits, ect... Any ideas on this?


Thanks again for your time