Vermont Castings Catalytic Vent Free Radiance LP

[Defiant]

I have a friend looking into heating his 700 sq. ft. house with this unit. He can get the unit for $500 and was curious to see if it is worth it and approx how many gallons he would burn a season.

Thanks, any input appreciated

 

[DAKSY]

I have a friend looking into heating his 700 sq. ft. house with this unit. He can get the unit for $500 and was curious to see if it is worth it and approx how many gallons he would burn a season.

Thanks, any input appreciated

You're gonna get pros & cons on this one, probably more cons. I have replaced a 4 -5 of these with DV units, as the customers either had too much moisture in their homes or they couldn't keep the ODP clean enough to allow the unit to operate correctly. Those folks with the moisture issues had swollen (unfinished wood) windows & doors & mildew forming on skylights & in cooler corners. The folks with the ODP issues all seemed to have pets & the dander & hair caused the problems. It is also recommended that you burn these "house-vented" appliances with a window open. Kinda pointless when you're trying to get heat, IMHO...That being said, the Radiance has 26 - 35K input so it will burn roughly 3 - 4 hours on a gallon of LP, depending on how high the burner is set...
Standing by for the "flamage" from the folks who actually like them...

 

[STOVEGUY11]

The Radiance is capable of heating the area. But as Dasky said the moisture created by VF makes the room feel like a rain forest. A gallon of propane is rated at a little over 90,000 BTU's/hr. The radiance is around 30,000 BTUs, so if burned on high for 3 hours straight it would use a gallon of propane. Plus, with VF they do not suggest to burn more than 4 to 5 hours a day. If they want to heat with gas, I would suggest direct vent.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah and if the house isn't attic air sealed that moisture ends up as mold in the attic. Don't ask me how I know that. Well, I guess you could and I could show you the bill for replacing all of the roof decking.

 

[Defiant]

Thanks all. He decided to stay with his pellet insert

 

[stovelark]

Good choice by your friend. VF stoves are not meant to be whole area heaters. This continues to be a problem in NE, they are a decorative device, ideally 1-2 hours out of 24, in a ventilated area. People get sold on the 99 percent of the fuel is burned and turned into heat, along with the by products that all go into the people tank. Direct vent for true heaters. Sorry, just had to say it again...