Thermostat or no thermostat?

[kh395269]

Just wondering what you guys believe is better.....I've seen two schools of thought on the issue. Thanks, Kim

 

[BubbRubb]

It is not what we believe to be better. It is about what you prefer. My stove has a thermostat and I purposefully bought a stove with that feature. The main advantage is that it will self-regulate and burn fewer pellets if you so choose to use the thermostat. It is more of a matter of convenience. Most people that want to "flip the switch" on their gas furnace, etc. won't have a pellet stove in the first place as they do require a bit more work. If you are gone quite a bit, but will leave the stove burning it might be worthwhile to invest in the thermostat.

 

[kh395269]

This is one of the drawbacks to having a thermostat from Consumer Reports:

Because most homes aren't equipped with a thermostat in every room, the heat from an insert or stove might cause nearby thermostats to think the temperature throughout their zones is at the set level. The result? Rooms adjacent to the heated space could become cold, and you might be tempted to boost the thermostat when in those rooms. That defeats the purpose of the stove or insert, because it will save you money only if you keep the thermostat turned down.

 

[moralleper]

My first stove did not have one and my current one does. I would not own another stove without one. my house stays a a consitent time bases on what I have the T-stat set at. I have a digital T-stat so I have set backs at night.

 

[BubbRubb]

This is one of the drawbacks to having a thermostat from Consumer Reports:

Because most homes aren't equipped with a thermostat in every room, the heat from an insert or stove might cause nearby thermostats to think the temperature throughout their zones is at the set level. The result? Rooms adjacent to the heated space could become cold, and you might be tempted to boost the thermostat when in those rooms. That defeats the purpose of the stove or insert, because it will save you money only if you keep the thermostat turned down.

I just came across that article yesterday. I don't think they are saying that having a thermostat on the stove is a drawback. What they are saying is if you run your stove and only have 1 thermostat for the whole house (and it happens to be located in or near the stove room) the house thermostat will think it is warmer in the house than what it really is. If you don't have a zoned heating system where you can only turn the thermostat on in the rooms you are in and crank up the single thermostat that controls the whole house then you aren't saving as much money by having the stove.
If you don't have a thermostat on the stove it is going to crank out the heat at whatever level you specify no matter how warm it is in the room or adjacent rooms. That will cost more money as well.

 

[kh395269]

Here is another explanation why I've seen having a thermostat is not necessarily better. It is right at the beginning of this video. Of course, this is a sales video for a stove with no thermostat. And I really have no opinon on this, as I am still waiting to see for myself. I'm sure I will probably miss the convenience of a thermostat.


(broken link removed to http://www.zoobler.com/product.php?sku=NPI40&m=Auburn&b=Napoleon&c=Stoves#)

 

[sylvestermcmonkey]

The two schools of thought can peaceably coexist.

I had two wood stoves in my last house, obviously no thermostat. The hotter it got, the more clothes we took off...

 

[muss]

My Lopi came with a thermostat . Had the installer wire it right beneath my furnace thermostat . I just set it & forget it . True the layout of my room makes some rooms warmer than others, i mean we ain't talkin' central heating here . Nothing wrong with warm,warmer,warmest , Muss

 

[Shooter]

This is one of the drawbacks to having a thermostat from Consumer Reports:

Because most homes aren't equipped with a thermostat in every room, the heat from an insert or stove might cause nearby thermostats to think the temperature throughout their zones is at the set level. The result? Rooms adjacent to the heated space could become cold, and you might be tempted to boost the thermostat when in those rooms. That defeats the purpose of the stove or insert, because it will save you money only if you keep the thermostat turned down.

That can depend on the floor plan. Our 1800sqft home is very open. The insert is at the end of the 64' long home with 2 bedrooms on the other end.....however, it's all open space leading to the short hallway into those bedrooms......so our entire home is heated quite evenly.

The thermostat works great. The only thing I had to get used to is the wider spread of time involved in the cycling and the 4-5deg swing in the cycle....but it's all good because it's set to come on when the furnace would have typically shut off (69deg). Toasty! And zero propane use.

 

[mjbrown]

i just installed a t-stat on my harmon P38 last weekend and personaly i like it. i set it 70 at nite and the wife turns it down to 60-65 during the day and the house is evenly warm .i love the fact that when i get up at 430 am and its 70-73 deg. and the furnace is not running! i keep the feed rate on the stove at 1-1 1/2, and the tstat at 70 , and the stove runs thru the cycles and doesnt miss a beat...also noticed a drop in the amount of pellets that i burn. now down to 1 bag per 24 hrs.


mike

 

[drizler]

Putting in a stat was the best thing I did since I put in the Countryside. Roughly and for what ever reason my overall non scientific pellet and or corn consumption went down by at least 25%. Seems and sounds too good to be true but the weather hasn't varied that much over the last 4 winters. I wouldn't be without one ever again be it a cheap one or a good setback like the one I have now. I leave mine set so low anyways that the setback isn't of much use. The only thing to watch out for buying one is if your stove needs a regular type or millivolt type. A standard stat just doesn't register with a stove needing a millivolt style, ask me how I know that one.

 

[Shooter]

A standard stat just doesn't register with a stove needing a millivolt style, ask me how I know that one.

Sounds like a couple trips to the store

As for location of the stat........

I located the stat behind a "jutting" wall in the adjoining room (all open space, wall comes out 2' so acts as an insulator) and tight against the outside and southern exposure wall. This works well to compensate for being 15' away from the stove. Open floorplan is one of the factors of having the stat work well for you.

 

[Ken45]

IMO, the thermostat is one of the biggest advantages of a pellet stove. We heat with wood and a pellet stove. When the wood stove starts to cool off, the pellet stove comes on to supplement. Very nice when we are gone for the day, or during a cold night.

Also, when we are just using the pellet stove, we set it about five degrees lower when we go to bed. It shuts down until the house cools down at 3 or 4 am and then self starts.

Ken