Trying to find the right Pellet Stove for me!

[Mdelight]

Hello!

i am a making the switch from my Englander Tranquility 1200 sq foot wood burner to a Pellet Stove. And I am so lost as to what is the right choice for me!

My house consists of a 550 sq ft hand hewn (and poorly insulated) open plan log cabin with lots of windows, and an addition of 200 sq ft very well insulated bathroom/ utility room.
Currently the wood stove does a good job of keeping me toasty but due to its small size it needs to be fed rather often and I am looking for the convenience of coming home to a warm house at night rather than having to start and maintain my fire late into the night. ( as a side note, I also AirBnB my house on weekends and don’t want people who are unfamiliar with a wood burner to be messing around with it) So I am also looking for something that is easy for people who aren’t familiar with these types of heat sources.

All that said, I am so confused at what options are right for me? Firstly I am nervous about a pellet stove producing to much heat for my small home and always having to burn on the lowest settings. So I’m thinking it may be smart to have something that either has or can be hooked up to a good thermostat.

second, I’m not very mechanically inclined so it might be rough if I have something that tends to need basic machinery work done regularly to keep it running smoothly. I can grease and clean but I would rather not have to take out parts and replace or deep clean.

lastly, this is my only heat source so as tempted as I am to try some of the budget stoves, I don’t want to be battling with replacement issues and having no way to heat my home if lots of issues arise.
I understand these things can’t always be predicted, but I am hoping to get some guidance from those of you with experience.

I have been searching these forums for a few weeks now trying to find answers and am hoping by giving you the details I can be pushed in one direction to my choice of pellet stove.
Thanks for any advice !

at the moment, looking at used Harmans on CL, (a p38+) looking at a Pelpro pp60 and considering a Heatilator p35.

 

[Ssyko]

I would stick with one of the well known Harman. Quadrafire, Enviro, the new comfort built HP22 is a real nice stove and isn’t to big but yet it packs the heat if you need it. I would avoid the box store stoves. They all are going to require deep cleaning depending on pellet quality and usage. Check the dealers in your area and get a feel for how they handle customer service and parts availability. Good luck and Welcome to the forums

 

[Dataman]

Pellet Stove require maintenance. My Harmon XXV has thermastat and you can control it. Set it for the Temp you Want. If it was me with Guests I would get electric heater for them. But the 1st question is how much money are you willing to spend? I got Floor Model and it cost $3500. Every ton I need to do cleaning. Daily I need to scrap burn pot. Watch the Videos. (broken link removed)

 

[jerrieric]

Pellet Stove require maintenance. My Harmon XXV has thermastat and you can control it. Set it for the Temp you Want. If it was me with Guests I would get electric heater for them. But the 1st question is how much money are you willing to spend? I got Floor Model and it cost $3500. Every ton I need to do cleaning. Daily I need to scrap burn pot. Watch the Videos. (broken link removed)

I don't understand why people would buy a Harman if you got to clean it every day can you go to do a deep cleaning every ton. I would never burn pellets if I had to go through that. I clean my Reveille every 4 or 5 days and that just means vacuuming out the inside and dumping the ash pan takes all of 15-20 minutes. I only do the deep cleaning at the end of the season. Other Harmon owners please chime in if you're not doing a daily clean a cetera

 

[rich2500]

Sounds like your going to be dealer dependent so my suggestion would be to find what dealers and brands are sold locally and report back. With that sq.footage and your only heat source I wouldn't even consider a stove that doesn't cycle off and on.

 

[rich2500]

I don't understand why people would buy a Harman if you got to clean it every day can you go to do a deep cleaning every ton. I would never burn pellets if I had to go through that. I clean my Reveille every 4 or 5 days and that just means vacuuming out the inside and dumping the ash pan takes all of 15-20 minutes. I only do the deep cleaning at the end of the season. Other Harmon owners please chime in if you're not doing a daily clean a cetera

I go a month before touching my stove other then filling the hopper every 3rd day or so depending on temps. At about a month my ash pan is getting pretty near full so I shut the stove down and give it a decent cleaning which takes 20 mins or so and fire it back up for another month. Mid season I will give the stove a complete deep clean about 30 mins. And then again at the end of season.

 

[jerrieric]

I go a month before touching my stove other then filling the hopper every 3rd day or so depending on temps. At about a month my ash pan is getting pretty near full so I shut the stove down and give it a decent cleaning which takes 20 mins or so and fire it back up for another month. Mid season I will give the stove a complete deep clean about 30 mins. And then again at the end of season.

You must have a big Ash Hopper. Are you burning 24/7 and get a month of ash out of your Hopper?

 

[rich2500]

You must have a big Ash Hopper. Are you burning 24/7 and get a month of ash out of your Hopper?

Yes I burn 24/7 and yeah the stove has a big ash pan

 

[Tonyray]

Same here.harman p61a. Huge ash pan. Burn 24/7.empty ash pan once a month. Ash pan is like a big square bucket.

 

[Mdelight]

Well thanks for all the input. I was feeling like going with a bigger name might be better for my situation. As far as budget, I don’t have the 3500-4000 to spend but I am keeping a close eye on CL/ Marketplace.
Do Harman /Quadra Fire really hold their value so well? There are currently 2 Harman p38+ that are 14 yrs old in excellent condition and asking price is about 1800. That seems crazy to me condsifering you can get a brand new p43 for 3500.

 

[jerrieric]

Yes I burn 24/7 and yeah the stove has a big ash pan

Wow how many bags of pellets do you burn in a month

 

[Ssyko]

Any stove 14 years old isn’t worth that much $$$.

 

[johneh]

I would never pay that kind of money for that old a stove
I buy Enviro's and refurbish them. I most I have ever charged is 1500 for a 4-year-old
top of the line Enviro Maxx. most sell for 9 to 1200 Canadian

 

[rich2500]

Wow how many bags of pellets do you burn in a month

I don't know exactly and of course it varies but probably 20 -25 bags, my house is small (1300 sq ft )and easy to heat and the stove is monster for this small house.

 

[Tonyray]

I don't know exactly and of course it varies but probably 20 -25 bags, my house is small (1300 sq ft )and easy to heat and the stove is monster for this small house.

sounds normal..
we go thru at least 25 bags month during the steady cold months burning 24/7. 1200 sq 2 story house.
P61A. believe me, tried every which way to cut back on pellets and keep toasty warm [70's] but can't have both if u have not well insulated house... need to keep the heat blowing constant...almost....

 

[Mdelight]

And if I can’t find a used brand name, is there anything to consider that is more budget friendly. I’m hoping to make the switch soon and not be installing in winter temps!

 

[Ssyko]

Englander 25PDV or 25PDVC, but they both are temperamental for being clean. They are a good stove. Outstanding customer service. But they like to be clean and need tending to daily. How far are you willing to travel for a Used quad cb1200?