Real life reviews of PelPro 90

[davo]

Good morning! I have searched every thread and read every thread that pertains to this stove but I am looking for more recent reviews, how the stove held up throughout the years, and tips for this stove. I am looking to heat around 1,500 sq ft. lower level with hopes some heat can rise to the 2nd level of my house. I am looking to see what everyone's thoughts are on this stove and how it has performed over the years. Knowing that it is made by Harman and Quad it gives me a good idea of the quality and support with parts and instructions on how to maintain the stove. I have been looking for a free standing wood stove for the past year but a friend recently suggested pellets and this stove intrigues me. Thank you for your help!

(broken link removed)

 

[davo]

Anyone own this particular stove for the past few years?

 

[Canadianchill]

I’ve owned one for the last 3 years.

Bought it new. Very heavy, is shelled of cast iron. It works great. Very little maintenance. I have an oak, ground level 4” direct venting pipe.

Most on this forum are Harmond related posts, but the odd Pelpro thread shows up. I heat at least 1500sq ft, and heat travels up into the 2nd level by physics. My installation is a supplemental system, but gets daily use starting in November.

There are a few negatives. All electronic, a little loud in the medium to high speeds of the fan, but still tolerable. You pay more for a quieter
stove I think.

I bought mine 3 years ago, no issues to date.

 

[davo]

I’ve owned one for the last 3 years.

Bought it new. Very heavy, is shelled of cast iron. It works great. Very little maintenance. I have an oak, ground level 4” direct venting pipe.

Most on this forum are Harmond related posts, but the odd Pelpro thread shows up. I heat at least 1500sq ft, and heat travels up into the 2nd level by physics. My installation is a supplemental system, but gets daily use starting in November.

There are a few negatives. All electronic, a little loud in the medium to high speeds of the fan, but still tolerable. You pay more for a quieter
stove I think.

I bought mine 3 years ago, no issues to date.

Excellent. Thanks so much for that review. I appreciate it! Do you find it's capable of heating more than the 1,500 sq ft? I also have oil heat. Trying to use this as supplemental. What is your maintaince schedule like? Thanks again!

 

[Canadianchill]

Hi Davo,

This stove requires little maintenance due to the design. All of the posts on this forum suggest dismantling everything and cleaning religiously…..I started removing covers to do just that the first year. I think that some pellet stoves are designed better than others. I do a final cleanout in the spring, and put dessicant packs in the stove through the summer to keep the moisture out.

Very little dust, and almost not worth the effort. (But I still check periodically) The stove gets vacuumed at least once per week, and the ash pans work great. Invest in a good ash resistant vaccum.

It has a huge hopper, holds 1+ bag easily. Depending on how you use the stove, 1 bag lasts a week. I use the stove for about 3-4hrs each night. For the last 3 years, I go through 18 bags in the season. Keep in mind that this is supplemental only, but could easily heat 2000ft, but would go through way more pellets. I would say that this stove is quite efficient.

The stove works in auto, so it runs until it meets the setpoint, then idles down. It can work like that or low, high or auto. I use the built in thermostat, but it can use an external one as well.

I couldnt be happier with it. As said earlier, the main issue I have is the noise from the med/high speed fan. Once the room gets to temp, it slows down and is probably closer to the more expensive stoves.

Experiment with pellets. They are not all the same. I have been sticking with one brand, and the ash content left keeps cleaning down to a minimum.

Happy heating

 

[davo]

Hi Davo,

This stove requires little maintenance due to the design. All of the posts on this forum suggest dismantling everything and cleaning religiously…..I started removing covers to do just that the first year. I think that some pellet stoves are designed better than others. I do a final cleanout in the spring, and put dessicant packs in the stove through the summer to keep the moisture out.

Very little dust, and almost not worth the effort. (But I still check periodically) The stove gets vacuumed at least once per week, and the ash pans work great. Invest in a good ash resistant vaccum.

It has a huge hopper, holds 1+ bag easily. Depending on how you use the stove, 1 bag lasts a week. I use the stove for about 3-4hrs each night. For the last 3 years, I go through 18 bags in the season. Keep in mind that this is supplemental only, but could easily heat 2000ft, but would go through way more pellets. I would say that this stove is quite efficient.

The stove works in auto, so it runs until it meets the setpoint, then idles down. It can work like that or low, high or auto. I use the built in thermostat, but it can use an external one as well.

I couldnt be happier with it. As said earlier, the main issue I have is the noise from the med/high speed fan. Once the room gets to temp, it slows down and is probably closer to the more expensive stoves.

Experiment with pellets. They are not all the same. I have been sticking with one brand, and the ash content left keeps cleaning down to a minimum.

Happy heating

Great help. Thank you so much! Do you happen to have any pics of the stove? Unfortunately, I can not see one in person since I have to order it. Thanks again!

 

[johneh]

This stove requires little maintenance due to the design. All of the posts on this forum suggest dismantling everything and cleaning religiously…..I started removing covers to do just that the first year. I think that some pellet stoves are designed better than others. I do a final cleanout in the spring, and put dessicant packs in the stove through the summer to keep the moisture out.

I go through 18 bags in the season

Sorry to say this is not a good representation of this stove
18 bags a season That for most users is about 18 days worth most people burn
2 to 4 tons that 200 to 400 bags Your stove will need a teardown and cleaning
unless you hardly use it I run my stove 24/7 from November till the end of March
and burn 4 1/2 tons of pellets
Also remember that a pellet stove is a space heater, not a whole house furnace

 

[davo]

Sorry to say this is not a good representation of this stove
18 bags a season That for most users is about 18 days worth most people burn
2 to 4 tons that 200 to 400 bags Your stove will need a teardown and cleaning
unless you hardly use it I run my stove 24/7 from November till the end of March
and burn 4 1/2 tons of pellets
Also remember that a pellet stove is a space heater, not a whole house furnace

Very true. I do appreciate the response though. 3 years and 60 bags isn't that much of a burn that's occurred in the stove. I am definitely looking for supplemental heat and not a whole house furnace. Regardless, I am curious about more reviews!

 

[davo]

Just pulled the trigger. After reading every thread about it and reviews online I got one. I will update on it's use/performance when I install it!

 

[Jeremy6500]

Just pulled the trigger. After reading every thread about it and reviews online I got one. I will update on it's use/performance when I install it!

Let us know how it works.

I have an older model PP130 and am happy with it. It was in the house when I bought the property 3 years ago. I use it (along with another pellet stove) as my primary heat source.

Keeping it and the exhaust venting clean is extremely important, but this is true with any pellet stove. I learned this the first winter. I was having issues with pellets overflowing the burn pot etc. Once I figured out how to clean everything it never happened again.

Over the 3 years I have replaced the ignitor and the room blower motor. Over all it is pretty simple to trouble shoot and fix.

 

[Jls667]

I thought I'd chime in here with my very limited experience, because like you I looked for real reviews on this stove before purchasing and struggled a bit.

Again, very limited experience, but I just used it the past few days as Ian made our temps here in PA plummet into the low 50s with clouds, rain, and wind. During these last few days I have only used my TSC90 for heat in the house (Oil never went off because of it) and so far I am very very happy. The other reviews are spot on. I live in a 4 bedroom colonial and the TSC90 heats the whole downstairs and also bleeds into the upstairs hallway. Now the family room on the opposite end of the first floor obviously gets the least but the heat does reach there. I also have it positioned about 25 feet from my stairs and the upstairs hallway will warm up as well but as you hit more walls (bedrooms, etc...) the heat struggles to get there, which I don't think should be a surprise to anyone.

I too find the blower to be a bit louder on medium and high but I've been turning it up initially to pump some heat then move it to low for hours to maintain that heat so noise isn't much of a concern. On low the blower is quiet enough to not be an issue to anyone.

It's likely the pellets I'm using but I have not had a lot of ash and for what is there is easily held in the two small ash pans on the side of the burn pot. I have personally found cleaning to be a breeze and a non-issue but everyone has their threshold for what they think would be too much work.

It is very heavy an quite cumbersome to get in place so make sure you have some extra hands available.

I will suggest having a decent surge protector. I called PelPro a couple times with questions before purchasing and one was regarding complaints I read about the control board and they said almost all complaints were linked to houses prone to surges but the owner didn't use a protected despite their recommendation.

Overall, it's been nothing but positive so far. I'm sure eventually I'll have issues but that's case with anything in life. It's a good looking stove. Easy to use. Gives lots of heat. Wife likes it. Oil company hates it. Can't ask for more so far.

 

[alexH]

I have mine on a UPS. UPS will alarm when power goes out, (doesn't beep for a blip) and my UPS will power the stove for about a 30 minutes. long enough to turn it off. its has a ~3amp draw during startup and use (rounding for argument sake) CP1350PFCLCD is the model #

that gives me enough time to get the generator out if the power outage is sustained, plug a few things in etc.

UPS does two things, gives me time and flexibility to shut it off cleanly if needed, and provided clean power to the stove during regular times.

 

[Mt Bob]

This needs to be corrected--
"Knowing that it is made by Harman and Quad"
No it is not. The same corporation owns all 3 manufacturers, but they are separate, and built in different factories. A Pel Pro is an economy class stove, a Quad or Harman are top of the line.

 

[Jls667]

This needs to be corrected--
"Knowing that it is made by Harman and Quad"
No it is not. The same corporation owns all 3 manufacturers, but they are separate, and built in different factories. A Pel Pro is an economy class stove, a Quad or Harman are top of the line.

Not entirely correct or incorrect. Undoubtedly Harmon is the cream of the crop but you pay for it and it may not be in everyone's budget. That said, before I settled on the TSC90 I was debating between PelPro PP130/60 or the Quad Outfitter 1 or 2 so I contacted HHT to find out what the difference was and was told quite clearly the Quad and PelPros are identical in every way except the Quad was only available through certified retailers and came with the support and servicing from the retailer. The PelPros were the exact same product but intended for the DIYer, hence the wealth of servicing videos. Materials and what one would expect from a performance standpoint are identical.

So yes, Harmon gets the top of the line treatment and arguably exists on a different level than the other two but I look at PelPro/Quad as the Toyota to Harmon's Lexus. If you have the money for the Harmon, more power to ya. If you don't, I think it's a safe bet to say that the other two are a better bet than other more affordable lines due to being under the HHT umbrella. If you can't afford a Harmon then I'd say a PelPro is smarter move than US Stoves, Ashley Hearth, or other pellet economy lines.

 

[FirepotPete]

Not entirely correct or incorrect. Undoubtedly Harmon is the cream of the crop but you pay for it and it may not be in everyone's budget. That said, before I settled on the TSC90 I was debating between PelPro PP130/60 or the Quad Outfitter 1 or 2 so I contacted HHT to find out what the difference was and was told quite clearly the Quad and PelPros are identical in every way except the Quad was only available through certified retailers and came with the support and servicing from the retailer. The PelPros were the exact same product but intended for the DIYer, hence the wealth of servicing videos. Materials and what one would expect from a performance standpoint are identical.

So yes, Harmon gets the top of the line treatment and arguably exists on a different level than the other two but I look at PelPro/Quad as the Toyota to Harmon's Lexus. If you have the money for the Harmon, more power to ya. If you don't, I think it's a safe bet to say that the other two are a better bet than other more affordable lines due to being under the HHT umbrella. If you can't afford a Harmon then I'd say a PelPro is smarter move than US Stoves, Ashley Hearth, or other pellet economy lines.

I wouldn't trade my USSC 6039HF for any of the stoves you just mentioned. It has the best control board of any pellet stove ever sold. I can also burn 100% corn, which I did for 14 years. Replacement parts are available unlike other stoves its age.
No a single other manufacture comes close when it comes to a totally adjustable control board for burning anything that will fit down the chute.
Not the prettiest, not the quietest but it sure burns anything and everything.

 

[rich2500]

The outfitter 1 quad is the same as a pp60 and the outfitter 2 quad is the same as a pp130 the rest of the quad line are different.

 

[Mt Bob]

The outfitter 1 quad is the same as a pp60 and the outfitter 2 quad is the same as a pp130 the rest of the quad line are different.

Yes, Quad reduced themselves to sell a lesser model, I see. But it is good smart marketing.

 

[newbietothestove]

Just pulled the trigger. After reading every thread about it and reviews online I got one. I will update on it's use/performance when I install it!

How do you like this stove so far?

 

[davo]

Quick review of the PelPro 90 after having it for 1.5 months.

This Pellet stove so far is amazing! I have run about 10 bags through it and I have not turned on the heat at all in my house. I adjusted the trim settings a little in order to get a bigger flame and less buildup on the glass. So far, it has exceeded expectations. We have had some cold nights below freezing and even in the 20s and it performed very well. So far, no negatives at all. It looks amazing, produces good heat, and is very easy to maintain. I have an ash vac from our wood stove so that is extremely helpful and I would recommend getting one if you have a pellet stove.

 

[alexH]

First time owner of a PP-70.

I have gone through 6 bags of pellets over about 2 weeks (wasn't really that cold yet.)
i have an OAK, a Cyberpower 1000 VA sinewave UPS, and the homemade relay kill switch on the fill lid. (see my history)

The exhaust is horizontal 3ft with the duravent ugly tractor supply rectangle cover.

If I pull the plug on the UPS, the relay waits about 7 seconds to trip, and then it takes 13 minutes for power exhaust to turn off.

no one has complained about how warm it gets. On LOW with trim set to +3, it burns continuous and generates a decent heat.

We had a COLD afternoon and night so i turned to 5, and we were all in tshirts and cozy warm. My always cold wife was saying its "hot"

Glass cleanup is simple with a wet rag and those Mr Clean pads.

I bought a $30 ash vac from amazon and hid it behind a nearby chair.

 

[funnycar]

I just bought and installed a pelpro pp70. Great stove and very efficient, I didn't believe the 88.5% EPA rating but I believe now. I'm getting close to 2 days on 40lbs. Took a few days to get adjusted to burn clean. Door seal leaked on first run and every time it restarted. New door seal and my trim is at neg 2-3. Burning a nice clean fire. The fuel in Indiana isn't great I clean it daily.
I have a new stainless firebox coming to test.

 

[newbietothestove]

@davo - thanks so much for writing this review. It was difficult during our research to decide on the PelPro TTC90 at first due to the lack of information online. I wanted to add for future researchers about my experience as well.

We ended up going with this model and just finished installation a few days ago. So far - we are loving it!

We live in a 1100sqft ranch built in 1962 on Long Island. Our latest oil delivery was $1,800 with oil being over $6 a gallon right now. That oil would go pretty fast even with the thermostat set low and the house feeling cold. We wanted to give ourselves other heating options and we hate spending money on those deliveries. Plus, we don't mind spending money on pellets as the fire creates such a great ambiance in addition to heat. The stove is in our main living area and it is easily able to warm our entire house. We having a fan set up in the back hallway facing the room with the stove to move the cold air out and the warm air into the back bedrooms. The entire house is easily 10 degrees warmer.

My husband is a bricklayer/stonemason so he created a really amazing setup for the stove. He built a "faux fireplace" by insetting the stove into a shallow alcove and facing it with thin brick. Only 10 inches of the back of the stove which makes up of the hopper - is inset into this alcove, leaving plenty of airflow for the stove. I refurbished a fireplace mantel from 1910 that came out of a brownstone in the Upper West Side in Manhattan. I would love to know the stories it could tell. We really think this stove looks beautiful especially in our set up and although it's only been a few days with the stove on we couldn't be happier with it.

If you are debating on the PelPro TSC90, I say go for it. It has great curb appeal and puts out nice heat. We have only put in two bags and are on day three. Just make sure to read the instructions.

 

[johneh]

There is an old saying on this forum
Photos or it didn't happen!

 

[newbietothestove]

There is an old saying on this forum
Photos or it didn't happen!

Oh! I thought I posted some. Here are a few!

 

[Jls667]

Great looking setup! Way nicer than the boring metal pad I have mine on.

I'm with you. I've only had mine since end of September but so far I love it and am very happy with it. Most importantly my wife loves it too. It cranks heat, looks great, and dials back nicely when it starts approaching the set temp. It also saved me thousands of dollars. Can't ask for much more than that.