Weekend stove use

[yrock87]

What do y'all do when you are away? Unplug the stove? Turn it off? Run it at low? Nothing different? I am leaving for a few days and while temps aren't supposed to be below freezing during the day, it made me think of what I will do over a weekend when I do need hest to keep pipes from freezing.

Thanks all!

 

[Mr. Spock]

When I was new pellet stove owner I used to shut it off. After a month or so I made friends with it and don't even think about it anymore. Just set the temp and forget about it.
Will turn the temp down when away for longer periods of time and/or in the evening. Vacationed over the winter months one time and a family member volutnteered to keep the hopper full and scrape the pot.

 

[Bioburner]

Hopper extension is a great way to have a three day weekend without having anybody tending the fires. Turn it down and fill it up.

 

[TimfromMA]

I turn the stove to 55 and the oil furnace thermostat to 50. The stove will run as long as it can then the oil furnace takes over until I return.

 

[yrock87]

Thanks for all the advice. I set the stove to 55 and the boiler to 50. Honesty I won't be surprised to get back and see no ash because it should stay warm enough. But feels good to know that other people let their stoves do their own thing for a weekend.

It seems so weird to walk away from a fire. Then you realize that you trust your gas or oil burner to work 24/7. Why not a quality solid fuel Appliance?

 

[yrock87]

Hopper extension is a great way to have a three day weekend without having anybody tending the fires. Turn it down and fill it up.

Anybody make extentions? The harman extention for the p-43 is $140! That seems steep for a piece of sheet metal and a rubber gasket

 

[mepellet]

Someone did post some pictures once of a hopper extension made out of cardboard I believe. Lol






Do not try this at home!

 

[Mr. Spock]

It seems so weird to walk away from a fire. Then you realize that you trust your gas or oil burner to work 24/7. Why not a quality solid fuel Appliance?

Exactly. Just keep it maintained, clean and get to know the stoves personality. It will tell you when it needs attention.

 

[TimfromMA]

When our stove was first put in, my wife was insistent that we don let let the stove run at night or when noone was home because of the mentality of never walking away from a burning fire. Once she saw how it worked and got comfortable with it, that fear went away quickly.

 

[moey]

I would just run my boiler and set thermostats to 50. Which unless it -20F with a stiff wind for several days does not cost that much to run. When I would get home Id fire up the stove and turn the boiler up until the hose was comfortable. I guess if you were only gone a couple days you could fill the hopper up and just let it burn out and have your boiler take ever after that.

 

[yrock87]

Someone did post some pictures once of a hopper extension made out of cardboard I believe. Lol






Do not try this at home!

Haha! Pics or it didn't happen!

 

[rona]

Anybody make extentions? The harman extention for the p-43 is $140! That seems steep for a piece of sheet metal and a rubber gasket

If you measure the top of the hopper and take it to a sheet metal fabricator they can make it very reasonable for you. They are used to making ductwork and a good tin smith can do it very fast. You could make it taper out on the front and back for more capacity or make it shorter but wider so capacity is the same but easier to fill. Wipe the metal with a vinager to etch it then spray paint with a dull black to match the stove. You can drill mounting holes yourself.
People often forget about the extra reach involved in filling the extension so that's something to consider. I think I had less then 50.00 in mine when I was done. I used the original hopper lid on the extension so that's one reason mine was cheaper. I think Harmans extension has the lid on it. You open the hopper leave the lid open and set the extension on top of the hopper, flip the rubber locks and you're set

 

[mepellet]

Haha! Pics or it didn't happen!

Oh there were pics posted. Search....