In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Which pellet stove?

Discussion in 'Pellet Stoves, Pellet Fireplaces, Pellet Furnaces' started by Hoytman, Nov 15, 2019.

  1. bogieb

    bogieb

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    The best pellet stove is one that fits the needs of the owner. Several questions need to be answered such as
    • How mechanically inclined is the person running it? You need an easy maintenance, little fiddling stove if the answer is "not very" - or at the very least a dealer close by.
    • How often do you want to clean out ashes (some need it often because they don't have ash pans, some have smaller ash pans,, some have large ash pans)
    • How long do you need it to burn between hopper fillings (smaller hoppers may burn too fast - my main issue with the Hastings I had years ago because on really cold days its burn time was ~13 hurs)
    • How important are looks?
    • How much room do you have to put it in, including the required clearance to combustibles and windows/doors (a P68 needs huge clearance compared to some other stoves).
    • How big an area are you wanting to heat. Sure, having more stove than is needed is great, but you don't want a P61a for 600 sq/ft.
    • Are you trying to heat a whole house or just a room or two (also pertains to the sq/ft area from above bullet)
    • What is the budget for stove and exhaust
    • Do you want all the bells and whistles (digital and/or WiFi etc), or are basic controls (knobs) acceptable/preferred
    Once you answer all those questions (I may have missed some questions and others are sure to chime in), then you can really start zeroing in on stoves that fit the bill.

    P-series Harman's, IMO and experience, are easier to maintain and need cleaning less often than say the St. Croix Hastings (and probably others). Harman's are my go-to choice (see my signature at the bottom :)); there are several sizes to choose from and you can get a hopper extension for each of them. But, if looks are really important, you can spend a little more time cleaning out the ashes, and the hopper size is okay for your needs, the the St. Croix Hastings is a fine and reliable stove (as are others).

    Good luck with the research!
     
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  2. Hoytman

    Hoytman

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    Not so sure I like this buying a dealer concept. Lol! You’re poopy out of luck if you get a bad dealer, or have a personality conflict somehow. I know...but it can and does happen.

    Just wondering about the Absolute models...have another friend that just bought one.

    Seems like in addition to the stove there could be plenty of extra costs. Sounds like a unit and install could cost $5000-$7000 dollars. They probably won’t let you install yourself either. Those figures would be far and away more than what he paid.

    My other friend that asked me about pellet stoves and what prompted this thread likely couldn’t swing the Harmon because of costs.

    Either way...have to burn a lot of pellets to recoup that kind of dough, then you better hope it lasts an additional decade at that. Sort of defeats the purpose of cheap heating in my mind.

    Thanks for the info...at least I have it in case my other friend asks me about Harmon.
     
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  3. Hoytman

    Hoytman

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    bogies...nice post and well thought out. Lots of good info to consider. I will pass it on to my friend. May even show him this thread on my phone.
     
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  4. Rich250

    Rich250

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    Bought my Harman new and the dealer had no problem with me installing it, they actually knocked 10% off the stove price because I was installing myself.
     
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  5. krooser

    krooser

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    13 years on my 19 year old St Croix Pepin. Bought one room fan motor and ignitor... the stove was the best $950 I could spend to keep warm.
     
  6. bogieb

    bogieb

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    Depends on the situation. I bought my P61a and had dealer installed and easily recouped the cost that season. I had just moved to a new (to me - actually 1960) house that runs a propane boiler. Just after I moved in the price of propane when to north of $5.50/gal. I was spending over $1k per month to heat my 900 sq/ft home to 64* (obviously not well insulated). In addition, my basement (600 sq/ft) wasn't heated and with the P61a down there, it is now. Bought the P43 used for an even $1,000 to keep the main floor warmer than could be achieved with the basement stove (due to layout of house - not thru deficiency in the stove) and figure it paid for itself fairly quickly (and I can keep it at 69*. First year I spent somewhere around $4k in propane for heat. Now I spent $1200-1500 in pellets per year and propane is primarily used for hot water.

    However, I'm guessing that in Ohio that natural gas is available and fairly cheap, so saving money may be difficult.
     
  7. Snowy Rivers

    Snowy Rivers

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    I guess I owe some folks an explanation of where I come from.

    If anything breaks I can fix it.
    If a part is no longer available I will either adapt something from another stove (Newer mode) or make a new part.
    When my electronics died and the choices for replacement parts were limited and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ were not acceptable I designed and built my own controls.

    Having a machine shop in the basement makes life easy.
    Having many decades of experience in engineering and manufacturing of machinery certainly skews my view of just about everything.

    "No problemo...we will just make a new one that's better..just whip that bad boy up in a jiffy"

    I am guilty of failing to really understand that most of what I take for granted is beyond what so many pellet stove owners are able to do.

    Sorry troops.....
     
  8. Hoytman

    Hoytman

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    Well, two very good posts for my friend to consider and even me if I ever decide to switch from wood/coal. However, if I were to respond for myself and my situation, then I’d take the thread way off track.

    Since I started the thread I might just go ahead and mention my situation later on just in case I ever decided to switch. Lol!
     
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  9. Hoytman

    Hoytman

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    How many btu’s in a bag of pellets? I know there’s some variance with how they’re made and by brand. Just ballpark average will be fine.


    Might not hurt to mention some of the better brands of pellets just so I’m aware of who they are.
     
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  10. CleanFire

    CleanFire

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    A "good" standard / "Premium" pellet will have 7,800 + BTU, with an average amount (.7 or below) to low fines, or ash, and will burn clean down to ash, e.g.: with no residue present, e.g.: nothing coating or clogging up the burn pot / or stove internals.

    Above should be true regardless of whether the source wood is "hardwood", "softwood", or "blended".

    The US standard is PFI, look for the PFI label / certification.

    Canada / the EU use ENPlus certification on the bag .

    This website has a good explanation / details it better:

    What are the Different Grades of Wood Pellets? (Premium to Utility)
     
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  11. Snowy Rivers

    Snowy Rivers

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    That 7800 is BTU PER POUND ?????

    312000 BTU PER BAG

    15,600,000 BTU PER TON

    The general rating is about 8000 BTU per pound.
    Depending on what wood yada.yada .yada it varies.

    The hazelnut shells are rated at 8600 per pound.

    #2 FUEL OIL (Furnace oil) is 139,000 BTU per gallon.
    #2 FUEL OIL (Furnace oil) is 16951 BTU per pound
     
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  12. CleanFire

    CleanFire

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    Yes, it is. (That is how it is listed on the bag by most Brands / Manufacturers.)
     
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  13. Snowy Rivers

    Snowy Rivers

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    Cool
    I was pretty sure that's what you meant....
    I have never run any hardwood pellets, except in a Trager grill
     
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  14. eatonpcat

    eatonpcat

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    Why??
     
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  15. Rich250

    Rich250

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    I'm guessing just because it was a load and go deal and they didn't have to deal with the installation.I also decided against the white which brought the price down more. IMG_20191118_174247.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2019
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  16. slvrblkk

    slvrblkk

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    Kring's had a commercial about hiring stove techs...believe me, I thought about it....the problem is I don't think I'd remotely make what I'm making now, plus all the perks I get...truck (pellet hauler :D), gas, cellphone, free cable internet phone etc..... one can dream
     
  17. eatonpcat

    eatonpcat

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    Still doesn't make sense in my head, but I am glad you got the discount!!
     
  18. Rich250

    Rich250

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    Funny you mention that Steve because I considered it myself, I know one of the service tech's there now and he makes like 50 g's a year, I could probably swing taking the pay cut just hate loosing all my vacation time. Currently negotiating health ins. at my job now and told them if they can"t come up with a decent option I'm out.
     
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  19. Rich250

    Rich250

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    :yes: wasn't going to argue about saving a couple hundred bucks
     
  20. slvrblkk

    slvrblkk

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    We have open enrollment going on now.. My same plan for 2020 has a 9% increase :picard: