Should I or shouldn't I...

[mitchinpa]

Hello all!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I currently have a Heatilator on my main living floor, the floor plan is quite open. I am thinking about adding an insert to this unit, but I am wondering if I should wait until spring, or make the purchase now.

I am not worried about heating my entire house with the insert, as I have a pellet stove in the basement that is already augmenting my heat pump. With this current setup, most days in the winter, the heat pump only runs at night. The insert would be additional help. I hate the thought that after loading up the Heatilator before bed, that in 2 or 3 hours, I have an 8 inch hole in my house until I wake up and close the damper, or start another fire.

What I am trying to accomplish is keeping the electric bill as low as possible. The rate caps on PA electric companies are due to expire by 2012 I believe. In states where this has occurred, electric rates increased between 30 and 75%. Having an all electric house, you can begin to understand why I want to improve the efficiency of my wood burner.

My main question is this: Wanting to take advantage of the tax credit, and having the luxury of being able to afford this now or next year, would it make sense to buy and install this year, or wait until spring, when maybe some deals could be found? Would those deals in the spring be offset by yearly price increases?

Again, thanks for taking the time to read this.

Mitch

 

[Jags]

I don't see any reason why you wouldn't start now, including gathering your fuel for next year. Most places that carry inserts don't "fire sale" them at the end of the season. Maybe a little, sometimes.

Get your install going, get your tax credit, and get your fuel.

 

[Wet1]

I agree with Jags.

The first order of business is getting your wood ASAP. Almost no wood sellers sell truly seasoned wood, so get your wood now if you're going to be burning in the future.

As far as the stove/insert goes, without details on your house, I'd imagine you'll save far more with a wood insert on your first floor than you ever will with your pellet stove or heat pump. In fact, you very well might come to find that you'll end up doing almost all your heating with the wood insert, assuming you get one that's capable of doing so. Just make sure you get one that will burn all the way through the night and during the day when your away. Don't believe the manufacturers numbers either, they are generally overly optimistic when it comes to burn times, btus, and sq ft heating capabilities. In most cases get one a little bigger than you might think you'll need (assuming it will fit in your fireplace). You can always build a small fire in a big insert, but you can't build a big fire in a small insert...

Other than finding truly seasoned wood to burn now, I see no reason at all to wait on getting the insert. You'll save a LOT of money using it instead of that heat pump and/or pellet stove.

Edit: I forgot to mention, you might also find that you need to reline and possibly insulate your existing flue as well. W/o any details as to what you have, it's obviously hard to say, but talk to your dealer about this when you go to look at stoves/inserts. It might need to be done to meet code, and it's always a good idea for safety and performance reasons. Also make sure your hearth will satisfy the requirements of the stove/insert.

 

[mitchinpa]

Thanks for the quick replies! Seasoned wood is not an issue, as I have 2 to 3 cord left from last summer, and another cord or so I split this summer. (mostly cherry and some sassafras)

I'm not sure any stove I buy will get me overnight burns or all day burns as fitting any insert into the ZC, the firebox size will be limited. But burning from the time I get home from work until sometime in the early morning is much more ideal than what I am doing now. I've already looked at Lopi and Quadrafire models, and I am hoping to check out a few more this weekend.

A reline will be necessary as well, as my current flu is just double walled (air cooled) 8" steel. I would assume they could take the 6" insulated flu right up that.

 

[Jags]

Sounds like you are doing your homework - and thats good. What the heck, your in motion, why stop now.

 

[Wet1]

That's good news regarding the wood supply!

Yes, you'll need to reline that flue with an insulated 6". You might want to consider that all-in-one product Magnaflex (here on the board) sells to simplify things.
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=...GItODViYy00YmJmLTk2ZGUtMWJiNzVjNGRkN2Uw&hl=en

You also might want to consider ripping out that ZC unit and running the stove of your choice. You could keep and reline the flue, or do it right and just run class A to the top. This is the way I'd go since you'll get a lot better performance out of a larger stove and you could do all your heating with it (saving a lot in the long run).

 

[mitchinpa]

Thanks Wet1. I'll look into that as well while I am out and about this weekend doing my research.

 

[tiber]

Not to offend anyone, but if you've already got a pellet stove you're already buying pellets, so you should probably consider a pellet insert. You wouldn't have to deal with the wood, although your free supply looks good to me.

As far as the rate cap expiring, they're making a movie about it called 2012. Looks like PECO is really in for us!

 

[Wet1]

I've had several pellet stoves over the last 10 years and I'm now down to one. After my last 2 tons of pellets are gone, I'm getting rid of my Harman pellet stove. There have been too many issues with pellet supply and pricing shenanigans of the last several years for me to continue with pellets. Never mind the pellet quality issues, the excess noise, reliability issues, more complex cleaning, and lack of heat once the power goes out. As it stands now, pellets aren't any cheaper than oil and more expensive than NG in most places. Wood is still far cheaper than everything else, even if you have to buy it.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[mitchinpa]

The 2 main reasons I do not want a pellet insert on my main living floor is pellet storage and free wood supply. Right now I can store the pellets in my basement, but as soon as I finish the basement off, space for storage will be limited. I have a couple acres of thickly wooded property, so I have years of free wood at my disposal. Will I get rid of the pellet stove in the basement? Probably not. It works great for heating the basement, and on days when the temps arent REALLY cold and windy, it can keep my 1st floor around 71 degrees all by itself. (Having an open floor plan and a centrally located basement stairwell help greatly)

My main goal for the wood burning insert is to keep the heat pump off completely at night, when the pellet stove can't keep up, or on those days when it gets COLD. (come on global warming!) ;-)