where should I put my pellet stove

[nh-jjyy]

Hi,

I am new here.

I just bought a ranch house with 2700 sqt on the main floor and 2700 sqt finished walkout basement, both with huge windows. And it is also the first time I moved to somewhere without natural gas, and use propane and according the the seller, they used 3500 gallons of propane last year, which would cost me over $10000 based on the current price. and I did my math and my homework and decide to switch to pellet stove as the main heating source.

the house layout is very strange and I draw a picture as attached, the original owner left the pellet stove set up(not stove though) in the basement , and that one goes through the chimney as the chimney inspector told me so and hasn't been used for years, need to be cleaned.

So my question is if I put an insert pellet stove in the fireplace, would it heat up the whole floor since there is huge wall between living room kitchen and dining room or should I just put one in the basement like the previous owner, but I am like 80% sure it wouldn't work after reading a lot from this website. Is it been silly to put the pellet stove in the main dining room since it is a very very formal dining room....

I would appreciate if someone can share some lights.

 

[bogieb]

I suspect the heat would be trapped as you surmised. I believe your better bet, would be to place the stove in the dining room. Since it is a formal dining room. For aesthetic purposes, you might want to go with a nicer looking stove. However, if it was me, I'd go with whatever works best for my situation (ie, is rated to heat that much space, has a big enough hopper, and large ash pan) and not worry about aesthetics since I don't hold formal dinners.

Additionally, with a pellet vent already run thru the chimney from the basement, I don't think you can run a second vent thru it (regardless if the basement actually has a stove hooked up or not). I could be incorrect on my assumption though - that is a question best left to the experts and your town inspector.

 

[johneh]

The way that home is laid out you are not going to be pleased with
your heat. You must remember a pellet stove is a space heater,
not a whole-house furnace. I wish you luck with what you decide.

 

[nh-jjyy]

I suspect the heat would be trapped as you surmised. I believe your better bet, would be to place the stove in the dining room. Since it is a formal dining room. For aesthetic purposes, you might want to go with a nicer looking stove. However, if it was me, I'd go with whatever works best for my situation (ie, is rated to heat that much space, has a big enough hopper, and large ash pan) and not worry about aesthetics since I don't hold formal dinners.

Additionally, with a pellet vent already run thru the chimney from the basement, I don't think you can run a second vent thru it (regardless if the basement actually has a stove hooked up or not). I could be incorrect on my assumption though - that is a question best left to the experts and your town inspector.

thank you for your advice, and we have 2 flues in the chimney, so it should be okay to put a pellet liner through the other flue and the stove store said it is okay to install one through the chimney

 

[nh-jjyy]

The way that home is laid out you are not going to be pleased with
your heat. You must remember a pellet stove is a space heater,
not a whole-house furnace. I wish you luck with what you decide.

😭😭😭totally agreed, not sure why the original owner had one hooked up in the basement though.

I am thinking to open the huge wall between the kitchen/living room and the dining room, so it would be a huge open space......... Would it help ?

 

[johneh]

I am thinking to open the huge wall between the kitchen/living room and the dining room, so it would be a huge open space......... Would it help ?

You bet it would nice big open space much easier to heat

 

[hockeypuck]

In your case, where ever you spend the most time. Box fans can circulate the cold air to the stove. Its not an optimal set up but works.

 

[Former Farmer]

I have a raised ranch in northeastern Wisconsin. 2100 sf main level with 1400 sf finished walkout basement with a lot of windows throughout. My main heat is propane and it is also for hot water. If I didn't use any pellets, I would use around 1300 gallons of propane per year. 3500 total finished square feet. It amounts to a little over 3 square feet per gallon of propane used.

You have 5400 total finished square feet and use 3500 gallons of propane. That equals to just under 1.5 square feet per gallon of propane used.

I would look into why you would be using so much propane before i would do anything else. Whether your house needs air sealing and insulation to stop air infiltration or a new heat source because of very poor efficiency of your current unit.

 

[nh-jjyy]

I have a raised ranch in northeastern Wisconsin. 2100 sf main level with 1400 sf finished walkout basement with a lot of windows throughout. My main heat is propane and it is also for hot water. If I didn't use any pellets, I would use around 1300 gallons of propane per year. 3500 total finished square feet. It amounts to a little over 3 square feet per gallon of propane used.

You have 5400 total finished square feet and use 3500 gallons of propane. That equals to just under 1.5 square feet per gallon of propane used.

I would look into why you would be using so much propane before i would do anything else. Whether your house needs air sealing and insulation to stop air infiltration or a new heat source because of very poor efficiency of your current unit.

thank you for your reply, the whole house is on the propane, heat, stove, washer and dryer, hot water.... basically everything in the house. and there are huge windows , like 5 big walls are big customized windows, the basement ceiling is pretty low (like 7).I didn't have any ideas about the propane before I got the house. I had the inspection guy when I bought the house and told me the attic is well insulated, but I am not sure about the insulation of the wall.. The propane company's guy told me it is normal to have 2 sqt per gallon used and confirmed the usage of last year...... but based on your example, I definitely would bring someone to check the insulation of the house, thank you so much for your reply again!

 

[nh-jjyy]

hi, are you saying it is better to put a stand alone stove on the main floor better than put an insert stove through the chimney?

I spend the most time in the kitchen and living room for sure, but I don't like a freezing bedroom....

 

[EbS-P]

Play the long game. Do you want the wall down? Is it going to happen soon? I don’t think it’s realistic to replace 10k of propane with a single pellet stove. So.. how do you want to heat the house? Find the space you want the warmest and put it in that space. Once it’s there you will probably find your self spend more time in that space and wishing your bedroom wasn’t so cold. Get a nice really warm comforter (cheaper one for others in your house) and get the pellet stove on a programable thermostat. When you wake up your bedroom might be cold but the stove has been running for 30 minutes already.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Is your propane heating your home through a boiler or a furnace? Since it's so big, you may want to look at adding a pellet powered one that can work with your existing piping or ductwork. And before you drop money on it, figuring out the logistics of this, how you'll get pellets and how to store them is worthwhile.

 

[nh-jjyy]

Is your propane heating your home through a boiler or a furnace? Since it's so big, you may want to look at adding a pellet powered one that can work with your existing piping or ductwork. And before you drop money on it, figuring out the logistics of this, how you'll get pellets and how to store them is worthwhile.

through furnace and there are 2 furnaces in the basement already, so I don't think it would be a good idea to get other furnace, I was looking for a ducted pellet stove but cannot find one, I have garages and sheds, so storing pellets wont be a big problem for me. I didn't make it clear on my original post, it is like 3000 sqt on the main floor and 2400 finished in the basement an 600 sqt unfinished space for the furnaces, big water treatment system, other empty space.

 

[nh-jjyy]

Play the long game. Do you want the wall down? Is it going to happen soon? I don’t think it’s realistic to replace 10k of propane with a single pellet stove. So.. how do you want to heat the house? Find the space you want the warmest and put it in that space. Once it’s there you will probably find your self spend more time in that space and wishing your bedroom wasn’t so cold. Get a nice really warm comforter (cheaper one for others in your house) and get the pellet stove on a programable thermostat. When you wake up your bedroom might be cold but the stove has been running for 30 minutes already.

thank you for your wise advice, I am going to tear the wall down regardless of the pellet stove, it is just for more open space and I like the open layout and getting the permit now so it should happen this month anyways. I thought about 2 pellet stoves too, one in the basement and one on the main floor, but I just don't know if it is worth it. You got a very good point, we have some really warm down comforters, but the cold bathrooms really kill me ....... I hate I got this house before I knew what I was getting.....

 

[bogieb]

A second stove in the basement would help heat the floors for the main living space of the house. This would reduce the amount of pellets needed for the main floor stove (as well as propane use). But if the basement has sheetrocked ceilings, then probably not as much as it helps for mine.

If you take out that wall between the kitchen/LR and the DR, then putting in a stove that uses the chimney would work - but as others have said, not so much for the bedrooms - although every house has a different air flow dynamic so it is basically you don't know unless you try. If there was any possible way to angle the stove so it's distribution airflow is aimed towards that hallway, it would work better to heating those BRs at least somewhat.

My BRs stay 3-6** colder than my office (where my remote thermostat is set for 69*). Part of that difference is that the BRs, and a portion of my bath are over an unheated (but insulated) garage so the floors radiate the cold. But I only have a 24x40 house, so in your big house. Even a big old P68 is not rated for as big an area as your main floor - even if it was entirely open. However, it would definitely help reduce your propane use.

For your large windows - invest in some winter curtains/drapes. And make sure to use rods that curl to the wall (or do not stand out far so the curtains naturally cover that space) so that there is no gap there. It is amazing the amount of cold they will keep out of the room. That goes the same for the heat from solar gain during the summer.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

There are outdoor units available too that can use your existing duct work. They probably run a heat exchanger into the duct work.

 

[zrock]

If it was me i would run 2 stoves, one in the basement just set on a low just to keep the area and the floors warm. In the upstairs i would go with a stand alone unit against the wall with the stove facing the existing doorway and hallway to force heat down in that direction. The stove in the basement once you got everything up to temp would probably only use 2 bags a week.
Since i put a stove in my mobile home i have saved enough every year to pay for the stove, pellets and still have money left over compared to paying my hydro and gas bill for the winter

 

[nh-jjyy]

A second stove in the basement would help heat the floors for the main living space of the house. This would reduce the amount of pellets needed for the main floor stove (as well as propane use). But if the basement has sheetrocked ceilings, then probably not as much as it helps for mine.

If you take out that wall between the kitchen/LR and the DR, then putting in a stove that uses the chimney would work - but as others have said, not so much for the bedrooms - although every house has a different air flow dynamic so it is basically you don't know unless you try. If there was any possible way to angle the stove so it's distribution airflow is aimed towards that hallway, it would work better to heating those BRs at least somewhat.

My BRs stay 3-6** colder than my office (where my remote thermostat is set for 69*). Part of that difference is that the BRs, and a portion of my bath are over an unheated (but insulated) garage so the floors radiate the cold. But I only have a 24x40 house, so in your big house. Even a big old P68 is not rated for as big an area as your main floor - even if it was entirely open. However, it would definitely help reduce your propane use.

For your large windows - invest in some winter curtains/drapes. And make sure to use rods that curl to the wall (or do not stand out far so the curtains naturally cover that space) so that there is no gap there. It is amazing the amount of cold they will keep out of the room. That goes the same for the heat from solar gain during the summer.

thank you for your thoughtful ideas, I would just go with 2 stoves first to see how it goes, it is just so hard to get a brand new harman one now and I have to wait until Feb....... which is crazy......

 

[nh-jjyy]

If it was me i would run 2 stoves, one in the basement just set on a low just to keep the area and the floors warm. In the upstairs i would go with a stand alone unit against the wall with the stove facing the existing doorway and hallway to force heat down in that direction. The stove in the basement once you got everything up to temp would probably only use 2 bags a week.
Since i put a stove in my mobile home i have saved enough every year to pay for the stove, pellets and still have money left over compared to paying my hydro and gas bill for the winter

thank you , I would go for 2 stoves now, the basement one is stand alone for sure because there is no fireplace, the main floor I was thinking the insert one so make the fireplace looks nicer.....

but I will get a freestanding one this week to see if it helps a little bit, I am not cutting out the propane, just less usage of it, so expensive, I

 

[Highbeam]

It’s not all propane or all pellets. Every pellet you burn saves you on propane so start with something.

 

[nh-jjyy]

It’s not all propane or all pellets. Every pellet you burn saves you on propane so start with something.

thanks , will do

 

[The Toasted One]

Hi,

I am new here.

I just bought a ranch house with 2700 sqt on the main floor and 2700 sqt finished walkout basement, both with huge windows. And it is also the first time I moved to somewhere without natural gas, and use propane and according the the seller, they used 3500 gallons of propane last year, which would cost me over $10000 based on the current price. and I did my math and my homework and decide to switch to pellet stove as the main heating source.

the house layout is very strange and I draw a picture as attached, the original owner left the pellet stove set up(not stove though) in the basement , and that one goes through the chimney as the chimney inspector told me so and hasn't been used for years, need to be cleaned.

So my question is if I put an insert pellet stove in the fireplace, would it heat up the whole floor since there is huge wall between living room kitchen and dining room or should I just put one in the basement like the previous owner, but I am like 80% sure it wouldn't work after reading a lot from this website. Is it been silly to put the pellet stove in the main dining room since it is a very very formal dining room....

I would appreciate if someone can share some lights.

View attachment 304413

I would be thinking more long term and put mini-splits on the left side of the house for bedrooms and the pellet stove for the right side. During the day the mini-split just keep the bedrooms warm enough to get by and the living area is nice and toasty, vice versa for the night. I run that setup and have individual ceiling units and separate controls for each bedroom. My house is setup similar to yours and the stove is in the basement which is under the daily living area. IMO. There's nothing better than heating from the basement as long as there are open rafters or vents to allow heat to rise into the living area. Walking on a 80 degree floor during the winter is so much more comfortable

 

[nh-jjyy]

I would be thinking more long term and put mini-splits on the left side of the house for bedrooms and the pellet stove for the right side. During the day the mini-split just keep the bedrooms warm enough to get by and the living area is nice and toasty, vice versa for the night. I run that setup and have individual ceiling units and separate controls for each bedroom. My house is setup similar to yours and the stove is in the basement which is under the daily living area. IMO. There's nothing better than heating from the basement as long as there are open rafters or vents to allow heat to rise into the living area. Walking on a 80 degree floor during the winter is so much more comfortable

thank you, that's my original plan, solar and mini-splits. I cannot do it now because NH has very expensive electricity rate, and people said mini-splits don't work when the temperature is below 30s. and I am waiting for the solar quote now.

By the way I got a brand new harman P68 and put in the living room, and it is my first day to use it and that is a nightmare! I don't know what happened to this stove, and it gave me scary noise.....

 

[tbear853]

My thinking
...... an insert is great for ambiance, for a fire to look at, loose yourself in, is even romantic maybe, but only the one side facing the room is really heating you or the interior of the house
...... a free standing stove is heating useful room space from all four sides, the top, and maybe some off the bottum, depending on leg length.

Fans can be used to move or circulate warmed air down hall ways or through door ways, or downward away from ceilings above.

 

[bogieb]

thank you, that's my original plan, solar and mini-splits. I cannot do it now because NH has very expensive electricity rate, and people said mini-splits don't work when the temperature is below 30s. and I am waiting for the solar quote now.

By the way I got a brand new harman P68 and put in the living room, and it is my first day to use it and that is a nightmare! I don't know what happened to this stove, and it gave me scary noise.....

Mini split in NH - They work fine as long as you get the right units. I had a mini split system installed late spring of 2021 and started useing it for heat last December when the temps were 10-15* or higher (depending on wind). A Fujitsu Hyperion set up (24k outside with a 15k & a 12k wall unit) is what I got. Some units can be used way down to -15* but I wasn't outlaying the cash for that. Actually, I never even thought about being able to heat with it, I just wanted to get rid of the the window AC's.

It would heat below what I used it for, but of course using the pellet stove feels warmer - especially on dark and/or windy days.

I'm using pellet stoves exclusively this winter because I got super cheap pellets last spring and the stoves use less electricity than the mini split. My solar array didn't get totally set up until mid-November, so it won't really start producing until mid spring. I figure next winter I will have enough credits built up to use the mini split for a lot of my heating needs (and avoid having to buy pellets that will probably be extremely expensive)

So my main floor has lots of heating options; pellet stove, mini split or 30 year old propane boiler. Options are good in a world of dynamic price fluctuations.