Hey guys. I am considering buying a pellet burner to help with the 4k/yr LP bill for my house. I have a 1700sq ft ranch that was built in 2005. It is insuated well, the problem is my tank is buried(because it has to be) so im getting the shaft from my propane provider. I am looking at the Heatilator Cab50 stove to put in my basement. Already spoke w/ my insurance people they are cool with it, but am I wasting my money on this? It says it is capable of heating 2200 sq ft, but with the full basement(un finished) Im closer to 3400. Correct? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Guys.
Thinking about a pellet burner??
- Thread starter Joe Majinska
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Welcome Joe. This will depend on the price of fuel (propane vs pellets) in your area. Where is this?
If you put the stove on the main floor it may work out ok. But i don't think it will from the basement. Too much sq ftg and those wall will soak up heat like a sponge, reducing the usable output by up to a third.
If you put the stove on the main floor it may work out ok. But i don't think it will from the basement. Too much sq ftg and those wall will soak up heat like a sponge, reducing the usable output by up to a third.
Please put your state/region in your avatar so we can help better by knowing your climate.
Sorry guys, from the Mid Michigan area. I can get pellets right now for 185/ton. It stinks because I dont have a good spot upstairs for a pellet stove. The kitchen maybe? I just hate to have another 4k year of propane. My thought in the basement would be to cut to openings into my returns. Im pretty sure that is frowned upon but that is the only way to move the heat that I can think.
I have a friend trying to talk me into Geo Thermal, but it is close to 20,000 to get into that. I dont know if I can justify that. He says it increases home value, but I'm not convinced anything short of a plate full of money on the kitchen table will do that. Like I said though, I dont want to buy the stove and be a total waste of money.
The issue with heating the basement, is you need air flow for a pellet stove to work. Cutting into your returns may work, however, that is probably against code. You will also be losing A LOT of heat into your basement walls if they are not insulated, in addition to the basement floor. Also based on your square footage you will running the stove at max 24/7 and possibly require additional heat from another source, which means you should consider a bigger model. It's better to run a unit @ 70% then 100%.
The REAL way to know what you need is get a energy audit, and find out the BTU loss for your home.
On the plus side ANY HEAT generated will cut the heat you need from the furnace.
The REAL way to know what you need is get a energy audit, and find out the BTU loss for your home.
On the plus side ANY HEAT generated will cut the heat you need from the furnace.
Also check other manufacturers like Harman, St Croix, Fahrenheit, Drolet, etc.
Here's a good install thread. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/fahrenheit-endurance-install.76361/
Put the heat where you want it... You will more than likely be unhappy with an uninsulated basement. Heating a larger area than the stove is rated for...
I have the same stove (basically / Quad and Heatilator are Sister stoves/ same parts/ CAB-50- PS-50 and Quad Classic Bay 1200 same BTU output- 50,000 give or take) I heat 2,200 sq ft Ranch on Low (until about 10°-15° outside). But my stove is on the Main level..
The other stoves in my Sig were added last season. Used the Quad alone for 3 seasons before adding a wood stove and a Pellet Furnace (Like it
) I went from $3,600 avg ProPain a yr to $800 in pellets (4 ton). Last season was 2 ton and 3 cord of wood ($400)
So a pellet stove makes perfect sense.... But put it where its needed. I agree with the above also, get a stove that will run at a lower rate and have room to go up. That Heatilator will be Maxed out and barely keep up. That is if you can get the heat upstairs (vents in floor are against code in most areas) Otherwise look into Pellet Furnaces.. There are several good ones out there. Mine was made in Michigan.
Welcome to the Forums.
I have the same stove (basically / Quad and Heatilator are Sister stoves/ same parts/ CAB-50- PS-50 and Quad Classic Bay 1200 same BTU output- 50,000 give or take) I heat 2,200 sq ft Ranch on Low (until about 10°-15° outside). But my stove is on the Main level..
The other stoves in my Sig were added last season. Used the Quad alone for 3 seasons before adding a wood stove and a Pellet Furnace (Like it
) I went from $3,600 avg ProPain a yr to $800 in pellets (4 ton). Last season was 2 ton and 3 cord of wood ($400)So a pellet stove makes perfect sense.... But put it where its needed. I agree with the above also, get a stove that will run at a lower rate and have room to go up. That Heatilator will be Maxed out and barely keep up. That is if you can get the heat upstairs (vents in floor are against code in most areas) Otherwise look into Pellet Furnaces.. There are several good ones out there. Mine was made in Michigan.
Welcome to the Forums.
I agree with everyone, don't put the pellet stove in the basement, put it where you want the heat.
Ours is in the dinning room. not ideal but it is the central room in our 2 story house. no problems heating our 1870 farm 4 bedroom farm house last year. used 2.5 tons of pellets. so $100 to heat our house all winter since 2 tons came with the stove.
otherwise $2600 for fuel oil the winter before.
Ours is in the dinning room. not ideal but it is the central room in our 2 story house. no problems heating our 1870 farm 4 bedroom farm house last year. used 2.5 tons of pellets. so $100 to heat our house all winter since 2 tons came with the stove.
otherwise $2600 for fuel oil the winter before.
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