That has been working for me , fill it up with pellets turn on and let it go , 20 -24 hrs later fill it again repeat ... every 3 weeks or so let it run out , clean and start over .
With the exception of a weekly 4 hr. afternoon shutdown for maintenance, the stove's been running 23+ hours x 7 here, since mid-late November '16. On those days we setback or turn off the stove, the Dino Burner kicks in. Like JT, the stove largely replaces the furnace here, still using approx. 15 gallons of #2 fuel oil a month.. Many neighbors are on their 3rd (some 4th) tank refill (275 gal.) of oil so far this season. When we burned all-oil, we averaged 4 / 5 tanks a season, between 1,000 - 1,250 gallons for an average/colder winter. We're going to try to stretch the current tank until May '17, so it will be a full year between deliveries, last delivery was end of May '16 @ 125 gals. & brought the tank to approx. 7/8 full. * It will probably be more this year - colder winter, probably 175-200 gals this time. We are also keeping the house a few degrees (2-3 F) warmer this season, vs. past seasons.
So, my count for this season so far is 160 bags with 53 of those used in January. I used 48 in December.
I should have prefaced that with "For me.." I have mine set for about 1-1/2 bags a day... the temp fluctuates some, but we do not mind that much... and there is someone in the house nearly 24/7... So cutting back is something we just don't worry about... I actually like it when the NG kicks in a little, as it tends to warm those cooler extremities some. I say... do what you are comfortable with....... Dan
When the wife was home after loosing her job(plant closed). We also kept the stove on all day. Only set back at night to 68ºF. Now that she's back workin again. The only ones that would enjoy it are the cats. No sense setting back and freezing, Let it eat and be toasty!! X2, What ever works for ya! For some saving some fuel is what works and Its really not all that hard to do as the stat is doing all the brain work once set. Heck they got stats(nest) that learn your schedule and do all the thinking for ya.
ran thru 25 bags of MWP softies before needing a clean yesterday. i cleaned the glass once during this cycle. Ash amount about the same as the other two tests - 17 bags of Blackstone hardwood, and 34 bags of Blazers DF. a darker, coarse ash, no cakes, very little burn pot scraping, an easy clean. back on line in 45 minutes. stove set on room temp as always. a good pellet for the $$ maybe i'll try EZ Blaze softi next for comparison if i get a chance to bring a skid home.
Nice! I only care about ash levels when comparing pellets. And my numbers are similar to yours on a pellet like Blackstone compared to Blazers. Never tried MWPSofties.
i got a few skids sure would like to meet you i think i'll get he opportunity to slip home a skid of EZB softy as we installed the centerframe and cylinders on the atlas today. now i have room in the shop for the heads, which are on a skid at the shop and in the way. and i need to remove some empty pallets from home. could just accidentally add a ton of EZB on the trailer.
41 for February, 201 bags for the season (hey, my math must be right - I just checked my January use post and it said I used 160 at that point ). Gonna get plenty cold this weekend with single digit lows and some wind. On a side note; I started the season with 1 ton of PTL's, which are used exclusively in the P43. I have a full hopper (filled last night) and 2 bags left. I may have put 1 or 2 bags of something else in there this season, but that is it. So pretty much 1 ton has gone into the P43 this season, and 3 tons into the P61a. I could have sworn it was more a 1:2 ratio, but I guess not. Makes me wonder how hard that P43 would have to work if I didn't heat the basement.
Such a mild weather pattern, here on the shore of Maryland, the stove has been off days at a time. We started with 253 bags and have 115 leftover for the balance of the winter, for a total burn of 138 bags. This year is running less pellets than last year with 53 bags leftover,we will see March for a final burn. Good luck (Them White Perch sure are Goooooooood) Choo Choo
I'm closing in on 3.5 tons. We let the stove do most of the heating. We like the heat from it vs the oil burner.