Running a p43 on stove temp of somewhere between 5 and 6 to obtain a very warm family room on the lower level of a family room of a split entry style home - and then having the upper living room/dining room kitchen area in the mid 70's. Is this ideal? Or better to run a bigger stove like p61 on lower setting?
Running Harman p43 on high setting??
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TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
It's really the BTUs of the pellets you are using that dictate how much heat a stove will put out.
That being said, stoves are at their most efficient when hot so it's better to run a smaller stove on high vs a larger stove on low.
That being said, stoves are at their most efficient when hot so it's better to run a smaller stove on high vs a larger stove on low.
The problem is that a bigger stove could make that presently very warm family room even more unbearable during the shoulder months.
You need to find a way to get the extra heat out of the family room and up into the upper floor.
You need to find a way to get the extra heat out of the family room and up into the upper floor.
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
Mid 70's seems kind of high. It must be in the 80's near the stove. Since you mention 5 or 6 you must be running in stove mode. If you set 6 and that is for the coldest days of winter and 5 is more the normal then you are fine. 7 is the max. What is your feed rate at 5 or 6 temp setting? Keep in mind the absolute maximum heat output in stove mode is 7 and feed rate at 6 and distribution fan on high. Do you run your distribution fan on High? This gets the maximum amount of heat out of the stove. If you have your feed rate at 4 I would say you are running the stove around 3/4 capacity and that is fine. A larger P61 will run around 1/2 maximum but it is BTU's out of the stove that counts. You in effect would be wanting the same BTU's out of both type of stoves. I don't think it would be worth a swap out. The P43 running at 3/4 probably is the most efficient burn and heat. My opinion. I am guessing you burn 2-3 bags every 24 hours at that rate. When you are down in the family room do you lower it? I would think in the 80's would run you out of the room. Checking for air leaks and correcting them would probably save you a lot. Do you have a ceiling fan? Moving air around distributes the heat more evenly and could allow to lower the P43 settings.
Hi, I do have a ceiling fan in the main entrance and heat does move up towards the upper living room. - I run feed rate between 3 and 4- and my fan is on high.
I find the p43 does make the family room very warm by times but it takes a while for the actual floor to be warm, makes you miss carpet for a second!!
I guess the thing about these is they are space heaters and when you go from down to upstairs you can feel the point where the cool air comes back to your bones. But the 43 definitely does heat- going with a bigger unit would mean running it very low probably because it would cook us out of the room.
I find the p43 does make the family room very warm by times but it takes a while for the actual floor to be warm, makes you miss carpet for a second!!
I guess the thing about these is they are space heaters and when you go from down to upstairs you can feel the point where the cool air comes back to your bones. But the 43 definitely does heat- going with a bigger unit would mean running it very low probably because it would cook us out of the room.
Polar Bear
Feeling the Heat
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
Your floor must be concrete base I would imagine and if not insulated with something like carpet and pad it will be a huge heat sink. You might try setting it lower but leave it on the same setting 24/7. This will eliminate the up and down temps but maintain the heat and the unit would not have to be turned up to heat up the floor. You might use the same amount of pellets but not the huge temp swings. Concrete/blocks/bricks suck up heat in a big way. I have an old 1880's home with 3 layers of brick on the perimeter walls. It just sucks heat. I found that if I left the settings on a lower temp but run it 24/7 I use less pellets. I originally was turning it down at night but had to double it to get back up to temp the next day. I had to heat up all that brick again. It then would suck pellets. Leaving it on for me at the same level 24/7 allowed the brick to help out when it got colder at night outside and then slowly during the day it would replenish the heat in the brick. Inside the temps stayed within a few degrees. Each home is different and you just have to experiment and keep track what is the best setting for you. Good luck.
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
I might add that if you do this allow for at least 3 days for everything to stabilize. Waiting it out is the hardest part as you have a tendency to fiddle with it. 
Early on I did a lot of fiddling.
Early on I did a lot of fiddling.
cory127
Member
cory127
Member
If you try it again, give it plenty of time for temps upstairs and downstairs to stabilize. Esp with a split level it may take awhile for you to get an idea of what the temp difference will be.
cory127
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