Always a learning curve

This is my 5th winter using pellets to heat my 2200 sq ft home. My stove is rated to put out 43,000 btu's and heat up to 2000 sq feet. We have three bedrooms we close the doors to during the winter. They are much cooler but not refrigerator cold. It is 13 F outside now, the wind in blowing hard. The central temp inside downstairs and up is 69F Wife is bundled up, but she is up and cooking in the kitchen so she is a bit warmer. I have the furnace set to kick in at 65, but I haven't heard it come on.
I think the BTC and space for this stove is overrated, but this is directly from Consumer Reports which did an eval on it. Reviews are mixed about this unit, but I find that is true for anything related to pellet heating.
My question, what kind of BTU output do I need to get the heat up to 72F in similar conditions.
My stove can be turned up, but the manual say only to run it 5 for an hour or so. There is at least another quarter turn on the knob. I would like to turn it up, but don't wan to risk causing damage to the unit. I think SMWilliams told me there is an sensor/switch that fails because it is located to close to something, He moves them to the shell and that solves the problem. I lost that thread back when the conversion took place in the other forum.
"It is not recommended to burn the unit on low or high. the most efficient setting is 4 (optimum)."

 

I'm heating a 2100sf colonial. Upstars is 72 and down is 75-76. I've been really impressed with the p61. Hasn't had any problems keeping the temp in the house. In fact, I had to turn it down a bit because the wife was hot. I think if we had -10 to -20 temps for a week straight, it would still do it's job.
So I guess a 61,000 BTU stove would do you good. 68,000 would be great.

 

Do you have 6 in walls? What is your pellet use during this past week? Tx
I have beating myself up way too much about this. If I can get the temp up by switching out stoves, that might be the best option. A little bit of furnace assist works, but I am so resistant to that. I've wined about this so much I think some one is going to feed me som cheese. I'll have to add the cost of converting from a three to a four inch flue. Nothing is ever simple.

 

Save$, with my cape and basement burning, I need to use some dino juice when it is this cold. Not much, but some. My first floor is not all that conducive to getting the heat up, but no door on the basement stairway, one floor vent (one for now) and some fans seems to do quite a bit. Right now I am very comfortable wearing a t-shirt and no baseboard heat is running. My biggest issue is the kitchen where I am considering looking into radiant floor heat there; dont know how much that will run though.

IF you changed to a P61 or P68, you can still use 3" venting as long as your EVL is in line. I use 3" ICC venting and an oak.

 

I've been at this for 8 years… when we first bought the stove it was located in a porch area next to the kitchen. The house was configured as a duplex 1100 sq. ft. up and down. The house had some blown insulation and mostly old windows and doors.

Three years ago we converted the house to a single family by blowing a hole in the living room ceiling for a 48" wide open staircase. We also installed new windows and a new front door plus gutted the LR down to the studs and put up new drywall, electric, etc. We also had a small kids bedroom (6x12) next to the living room that we eliminated to add sq. footage to the living space. (During deconstruction we found that this room originally had two swinging barn doors where the family horse was kept! It was converted to living space sometime around 1911 or so…)

Before the remodel we used a small fan to move air into the living room and the 1st floor was kept 76F in the kitchen but only 72F or so in the LR. Now things are reversed…. the living room, where we spend most of our time, is now 76F and the kitchen is cooler. Plus we now heat the upstairs with the warm air that naturally travels up the staircase… even in below zero temps, without any additional heating, the upstairs stays 66-70F.

We are comfortable with heating with a space heater which is what these stoves are. Our parents did it years ago. I remember when we moved into a home with a central coal furnace... it was like living in the Taj Mahal!

 

Have you thought about a pellet furnace or boiler?

 

Everything is 2x6 framing. I throw a bag in before I leave for work at 6, and then I put in a bag around 7-7:30 in the evening and that system is working good for me. 3.5 on the feed rate and running at 72-73 in room temp/manual. I installed an OAK last season, and what a difference that made. Really cut the draft from the cold air coming down the stairs. At night I shut the bathroom door at the top of the stairs and make sure all closet doors are shut. And it's comfy sleeping in all 3 bedrooms. The only rooms that are cool are the dining and laundry downstairs. Temps probably 70 instead of 75.

Just using oil for hot water.

 

I'd turn it up all the way and see what happens. Worst thing is that the over temp sensor shuts it down, it cools off some, and you restart it. Just make sure you have the room blower cranked up too.

 

Oh yes, but I don't want to remove the furnace, and that room would be the only space available. Also, I don't want the investment of a furnace. I turned my stove up a little more, it is in the low 5 area. Outside is 19 0f. Inside, up and down is 71 f. Pellets are burning very clean. Current spending about $400 a year on oil for hot water and occasional heat, plus about $1000 for pellets. Then there is the spot heating my wife does with her little portable heater. Another option that I am not sure about is the insulation in the attic. The house came with 6 in of faced fiberglass. I then added 6 in. of un faced insulation rolled in the opposite way. Now I question if there is a benefit to adding to that amount.

 

I am tempted, but one thing Smokey got me to do was to read the manual and not get creative. I am edging it up just a bit, but not exceeding their upper limit. I just don't know why they have that room to move to, but don't want you to use it.

 

So would that be a small fan on the floor aimed at the back side, that is where the air could get in. I do have the room blower cranked up. So far running good, flame is fairly consistent.
Why are your windows leaking? You you have thermo pane windows? I put storm windows over my thermo pane window and storm doors over the atrium doors.

 

With the stove at the upper limits of what is recommended, we woke up to 69-72 f inside, and 3 f outside. That is with no electric assist, didn't hear the furnace come on, but can't say it didn't. Furnace is set at 65. Not too bad for a basement dweller! If I can ever swing it, I'll go with a larger heater and hope I don't need to change the exhaust.

 

It might have been mentioned but if you ever go for a new stove, I would put a Drolet in the basement, and tie it into your existing duct work. That will keep the basement from freezing while, pushing the warm air right upstairs.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200442427_200442427

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200479326_200479326

 

P 61 or P 68? Looks like both are good. I called Rocky's Stove shop, they are both in stock. I have a nephew who works for them. He does the installs, cleanings etc. the prices seem to be the same no matter where you buy them. I saw a reconditioned one on craigslist that was advertised as reconditioned and runs like new. Same guy has some other Harman stoves listed. He wanted $2900 decked out with chrome etc. Wife is giving me the evil eye about this. she wants to turn the furnace on and feels that is the better of the two. Me, not so much. I really dislike big oil. Not for green reasons, but I can't stand someone who puts the squeeze on you and couldn't care less.