Looking at buying a pellet stove and the two I am looking at are the Englanders 55-SHP-22 and the Englanders 49-SHCPM . I am looking for the pros and cons of both stoves and the reliablity of both stoves. Thanks for everyones time.
Trying to decide between 2 pellet stoves
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Why don't you look at what your needs or desires are before you start looking at specifics? By that I mean you can buy stoves with many different features and a lot of times the first time buyer isn't aware of the choices available.
Do you plan on burning just wood pellets or if pellets get to high maybe you would be better off with a multifuel stove that can burn different fuels besides pellets such as corn, or different grains.
Do you want a stove with a removable ash bucket that you can empty while the stove is running or can you shut down the stove to clean as needed.
Do you want a stove that you manually light using starter gell or do you want a push button start stove?
Do you want a thermostat controlled stove that will adjust itself or do you want to adjust it yourself if you need more or less heat.
Do you want a large hopper to hold a lot of fuel so it will stay running a long time or will you be home to fill it before it runs out of fuel.
Some stoves have a very small hopper so you have to fill it 3 times a day in cold weather or even more often. Some stoves don't use a ash bucket so you have to shut down the stove to clean it.
One important thing is are you willing to clean it and do maintenance work on it or are you dependent on the dealer to do that type of work. Read the warranty over very carefully and find out if there is a sur charge on top of the warranty. Ask the dealer about this so you don't get a surprise later on.
Sometimes a person can find a good bargain on used stoves but keep in mind usually the cheaper stoves you see advertised are from box stores and were bought cheap new. People use them for a year and find out they want a better more efficient stove so sell their mistake and upgrade.
I would suggest you do some homework about the different brands and models by talking to people who burn pellets so you can hear their experiences good or bad plus look over your home and figure if you can get decent heat distribution from a space heater. Some stoves have a small distribution fan and can't move the heat to other areas. Some stoves are noisy compared to others Usually a stove that offers whisper quiet isn't moving much air.
Also some stoves get very hot all over while others are safe to touch.
One last suggestion is the btus or how much heat the stove puts out. Some stoves will only produce the btu they advertise for a short period of time before they over heat.
Do you plan on burning just wood pellets or if pellets get to high maybe you would be better off with a multifuel stove that can burn different fuels besides pellets such as corn, or different grains.
Do you want a stove with a removable ash bucket that you can empty while the stove is running or can you shut down the stove to clean as needed.
Do you want a stove that you manually light using starter gell or do you want a push button start stove?
Do you want a thermostat controlled stove that will adjust itself or do you want to adjust it yourself if you need more or less heat.
Do you want a large hopper to hold a lot of fuel so it will stay running a long time or will you be home to fill it before it runs out of fuel.
Some stoves have a very small hopper so you have to fill it 3 times a day in cold weather or even more often. Some stoves don't use a ash bucket so you have to shut down the stove to clean it.
One important thing is are you willing to clean it and do maintenance work on it or are you dependent on the dealer to do that type of work. Read the warranty over very carefully and find out if there is a sur charge on top of the warranty. Ask the dealer about this so you don't get a surprise later on.
Sometimes a person can find a good bargain on used stoves but keep in mind usually the cheaper stoves you see advertised are from box stores and were bought cheap new. People use them for a year and find out they want a better more efficient stove so sell their mistake and upgrade.
I would suggest you do some homework about the different brands and models by talking to people who burn pellets so you can hear their experiences good or bad plus look over your home and figure if you can get decent heat distribution from a space heater. Some stoves have a small distribution fan and can't move the heat to other areas. Some stoves are noisy compared to others Usually a stove that offers whisper quiet isn't moving much air.
Also some stoves get very hot all over while others are safe to touch.
One last suggestion is the btus or how much heat the stove puts out. Some stoves will only produce the btu they advertise for a short period of time before they over heat.
I can understand all of your questions but this is what im doing .
the stoves I listed are available to me as a point reward program from my work so i wont be out of pocket any money.
I can get a get deal on pellets through a friend who recently purchased a company that makes hardwood pellets.
I know one stove is a multi fuel stove and one isnt thats not the concern for me .
the concern for me is the reliability .
Which stove has fewer issues with basicdaily function.
I want the stove that is going to be reliable .
My home is 1700 sq feet and is a ranch style house and the stove is going in the basement.
As far as cleaning goes after alot of reseach i have discovered that they require alot of cleaning and maintance but i do pretty good with most maintace issues.
I hope this helps with understanding what I am looking for.
I don't know if Mike Holton has time to help you out but it's worth a try. He is a member on this forum and he is also a main person with Englander stoves. He is known to try to help our members. He would be able to answer your questions and maybe give you some of his insight. I'm sorry I don't have a link or screen name at the moment, but maybe someone else could provide it.
By the way I agree with what the other members have already mentioned to you. There is also a company that sells refurbished Englander stove that have been returned to the factory for various reasons. I believe its called AM/FM. A fair number of our members have bought from them.
By the way welcome to the forum.
By the way I agree with what the other members have already mentioned to you. There is also a company that sells refurbished Englander stove that have been returned to the factory for various reasons. I believe its called AM/FM. A fair number of our members have bought from them.
By the way welcome to the forum.
You mentioned the stove is going in the basement. I and several other people have tried that and truthfully it didn't work here in Minn. Maybe your winters are milder where you live but the basement walls absorb a lot of heat unless you insulate. Plus moving the heat upstairs can be a problem. We thought heating the upstairs floor plus heat coming up the stairway would be enough but it wasn't. One thing we learned was moving the cold air towards the stove worked a lot better then trying to blow the hot air around. In other words blowing the floor level cooler air down the steps forced the hot air up the stairs.
The 25-pdv (55-shp) is an ok stove for the money but cant keep up with pellet feed at high settings. There is just not enough air flow to run it on 7-9. I used the pdv in my basement and was able to heat my entire ranch with partially finished basement and lots of messing around with the burn pots/cleanings. But every house is different. Like stated, I just got rid if mine for a more efficient and better built unit. Tho i will say, the parts warranty is awesome. Tech support is a crap shoot imo.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
My house is 1600, tight and well insulated. From 62 when I get home at 4ish, to 74 when I go to bed at 10. Im not comfortable leaving it burning while Im not home, just me.... Plenty of people here burn 24/7 without an incident in a decade.
The England Stove Support here is great, I havent had to call Tech Support, but overall I hear its good. One thing to keep in mind, your are burning wood.... There will be ash, maybe a 100th of what a wood stove produces but it will need to be cleaned. Venting is something to consider before you haul 390 lbs into your house. You say it will be a basement dweller, those can be tricky to vent, but not impossible. My flue pipe is at 16', so I ran 4" pipe. its straight up with no bends. Every side termination I see while driving looks like crap, and their siding is black or worse, half melted.
The England Stove Support here is great, I havent had to call Tech Support, but overall I hear its good. One thing to keep in mind, your are burning wood.... There will be ash, maybe a 100th of what a wood stove produces but it will need to be cleaned. Venting is something to consider before you haul 390 lbs into your house. You say it will be a basement dweller, those can be tricky to vent, but not impossible. My flue pipe is at 16', so I ran 4" pipe. its straight up with no bends. Every side termination I see while driving looks like crap, and their siding is black or worse, half melted.
A pellet stove is just a space heater, unless you live most of the time in a finished basement a pellet stove down there is worthless and cannot compare to heat output of a coal or wood stove
Read here, re-read, then read and research some more. Research "X" stove and Google problems with "X" model or models and such. It's gonna be your baby to deal with. Pellet stoves are not everyones cup of tea. Especially the ones that give people fits. Simple fact.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
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