Which stove would you use for this application?

[RKS130]

I am a first season newbie to pellet heat - and loving it. Obviously there are imperfections which vary with the stove, the pellets and the house itself, vis a vis layout, stove placement, insulation, etc. One drawback to pellet heat in our house is that the floors are cold on the first level, which is above an uninsulated and unfinished basement space and crawlspace.

While, admittedly, this winter has been mild so far (said he, spitting three times over his left shoulder for luck) I am more than thrilled with the performance of my stove (Accentra FS) which has carried the house on all but the most brutally cold (under 20° around here) days/nights.

However in the interest of keeping Madame Defarge and the kids (15 year old twins - boy/girl) happy, I am seriously considering adding a second stove next year. A friend who heats primarily with cord wood has suggested that a stove in the unfinished basement, to warm the floor on the first level and thereby add thermal mass along with heat moving up through the envelope of the building, would solve a lot of issues.

It seems to me his reasoning in sound. I would anticipate running the stove 24/7 on a relatively low setting as the area is small, ceiling low, etc. My criteria for such a second stove would be a very large hopper (or available extension) as well as a relatively undemanding cleaning schedule. I vacuum my Accentra, scrape the burn pot and clean the glass 1X per week with a full pull out of the plates, etc in every other cleaning, with good results.

Do any of you, who know lots more than me, have any ideas as to which stove or brand might meet these two requirements? I know I can insulate more, etc., but I do not want to isolate the unheated basement from the house and end up with frozen pipes and other problems.

As always, all input will be gratefully received. I have learned more here than I could have imagined.

 

[Lousyweather]

P43 with extension hopper........just keep in mind, of course, with the basement being unheated, you will be continually losing heat due to the large thermal sink that is your foundation....on the good side, your shrubs next to the house will love you! I think you will find the P-series units somewhat easier to clean then the Accentra F/S....

 

[Murphy118]

MIght I suggest insulating only the wall of the basement at this time?..That would keep the heat in the dwelling and warm the floor i think<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<listen to me,,,, sounds like I actually know something,,,,,lol

I'm sure the gang will be along with all kinds of suggestions!!

John

 

[jtakeman]

A big one!

I stick with a like stove. You already have one harman and know its ins and outs. Look over the p68.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

A big one!

I stick with a like stove. You already have one harman and know its ins and outs. Look over the p68.

Are you saying the OP needs a special pellet stove one that might glow in the dark to compensate for the cement perimeter?

 

[Don2222]

Hello

I have one for sale.

See specs and pics
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/86348/

You can add a large hopper extension for $179.00 to hold 3 bags.

I am upgrading the control board to the one that has the built-in T-Stat module so you can put any 24volt T-Stat on it.
Lowe's sells a touch screen LUX that shows how much fuel is used very cheap.

This stove has all the bells and whistles and an extra large 265 CFM convection blower to get the heat upstairs!!

 

[RKS130]

Food for thought guys . . . food for thought! By the way, does anyone have any quarrel with the basic idea of throwing heat into that space?

 

[DexterDay]

Food for thought guys . . . food for thought! By the way, does anyone have any quarrel with the basic idea of throwing heat into that space?

Have you toyed with the idea of a furnace? Craiglist is a great spot for used stoves/furnaces. . . . ;-P

Get good results upstairs, while putting heat downstairs (air leaks in system, door, etc, and radiant from shell of furnace). Then you will always have a back-up plan.

 

[RKS130]

I previously posted on the question of a furnace to fire my steam heat system, but there does not seem to be a suitable option and I am not likely to rip out the existing system and install a new one from scratch. That is when I started thinking along the lines stated above.

 

[DexterDay]

I previously posted on the question of a furnace to fire my steam heat system, but there does not seem to be a suitable option and I am not likely to rip out the existing system and install a new one from scratch. That is when I started thinking along the lines stated above.

Yep.... I remember that one.....

I stated systems that were boilers and not steam.

Although the duct work could go to a couple main rooms and leave a vent downstairs (All new HVAC, but if kept short amd sweet, it wouldnt be bad?).

If heating from the basement, go Big or go Home. I have a very large wood stove downstairs, that does a good job when 40* and above. But below, it needs help. BTU's, BTU's, BTU's.........

That way when your current stove needs maintenance or its down for a couple days? It can handle the load.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Food for thought guys . . . food for thought! By the way, does anyone have any quarrel with the basic idea of throwing heat into that space?

Yes,

First like has been mentioned to overcome all of the heat sucking that the uninsulated walls are going to do you need to burn a lot of fuel.

You need a thermal break and insulation first to get the heat loss down to a manageable number and to lesson the need to load up the hopper (burn additional tons of pellets, no free lunch, and Madame may start using a lead weighted rolling pin as well as that skillet).

 

[doghouse]

You could put insulation between the joists under the first floor. Fiberglass, R-19 with vapor barrier up is least expensive way to go. This method significantly reduces heat loss through the floor. Works well.

 

[RKS130]

The insulation issue is a real one and I would certainly create a thermal break between the walls and the cellar as part of the overall project of adding the stove.

I am not keen on just insulating the ceiling/floor joists overhead as a solution in lieu of a cellar stove because, it seems to me, without a heat source I would just isolate the cellar as a cold box and be more likely to encourage pipe freeze ups. This is one of Madame Defarge's many nightmare scenarios - and one which would bring on the lead filled rolling pin.

 

[doghouse]

The insulation issue is a real one and I would certainly create a thermal break between the walls and the cellar as part of the overall project of adding the stove.

I am not keen on just insulating the ceiling/floor joists overhead as a solution in lieu of a cellar stove because, it seems to me, without a heat source I would just isolate the cellar as a cold box and be more likely to encourage pipe freeze ups. This is one of Madame Defarge's many nightmare scenarios - and one which would bring on the lead filled rolling pin.

I only suggested this because in the first sentence of your original quote, you mentioned cold floors. This solution has worked for me and others that have opted for this. Plus it can save you some cash. My Basement is like yours, unheated and the walls are not insulated. However, my basement is sealed from air intrusion and the temp never gets below 50 degrees. You'd be surprised what some caulk, expanding foam, sealed windows and some pink stuff can do.

 

[RKS130]

Thanks doghouse. There is no question sealing up the space sounds like a good place to start - even if I later opt for a cellar stove.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The insulation issue is a real one and I would certainly create a thermal break between the walls and the cellar as part of the overall project of adding the stove.

I am not keen on just insulating the ceiling/floor joists overhead as a solution in lieu of a cellar stove because, it seems to me, without a heat source I would just isolate the cellar as a cold box and be more likely to encourage pipe freeze ups. This is one of Madame Defarge's many nightmare scenarios - and one which would bring on the lead filled rolling pin.

I only suggested this because in the first sentence of your original quote, you mentioned cold floors. This solution has worked for me and others that have opted for this. Plus it can save you some cash. My Basement is like yours, unheated and the walls are not insulated. However, my basement is sealed from air intrusion and the temp never gets below 50 degrees. You'd be surprised what some caulk, expanding foam, sealed windows and some pink stuff can do.

Yup. I was without my pellet stove for over 4 days when we had below zero temps and I never bothered to turn on the heat for the zone the cave is in. Temps only made it down to about 50 degrees (depended upon which device I read it from).

My garage is also under the house and actually has a heat zone devoted to it, the t-stat is set for 50 degrees and it only calls for heat if the door is up for a bit during cold weather. The furnace is also in there and we do use it for DHW. So there is a bit of heat in the garage normally.