T6 install in basement. Any words of wisedom are welcome.

My upstairs stove was a Pacific Energy Alderlea T6. I removed it to install a Progress Hybrid. The PH has been great and will be there a long time. My T6 has been for sale but no takers. I do have a smaller stove in the basement but the T6 would be overkill. The basement is 900 sqft. divided into two sections, finished and unfinished. The stove that is there now is not enough when cold weather hits.

From a cost point of view I would like to install the T6 in the basement. It will take up most of the hearth. I plan on removing 2 feet worth of carpet and staining the concrete of put tile down. This will give me the clearances needed for the front of the stove to combustibles.

The T6 is 28ish deep. The hearth is 36 inches deep. Add the blower and I am at the edge. Clearance is 16in in front. I will go 24in for safety.



The stove is a little difficult to get lit. Once it gets going things run pretty well. I am hoping the T6 will perform. If anyone can see something that might be an issue please chime in. I haven't had a lot experience with basement installs. Thanks for any help.

 

Ohio, your basement and my basement are in a whole different category! I guess mine is more "utility" where yours is "just plain ol' nice"!

As far as ideas, maybe you could extend the hearth in an arc?
What is wrong with the stove that is there?
Is it a drolet eldorado?
How high is your total length chimney? I put a key damper in my basement stove's pipe because the stove wasn't heating as well as I thought it should be. What a difference that made! Not only slower burns, but a lot more heat during the slower burns.

Now don't be afraid to lower the price on the t-6 and give someone a great deal. If you are dead set on moving it into the basement, you have to factor in extra/rebuild costs also.

 

Thanks for the input Yooperdave. I don't want to extend the hearth and eat up floor space. I would like to sell the T6 and I would lower the price but I still want a larger stove for the basement. The little stove in the basement is an Ashley. It isn't my stove but I could probably buy it from my friend. It doesn't have the capacity for long burns.

This is the rest of the basement. The pic was taken from the finished part. There are some walls that aren't insulated and the concrete floor is exposed. When it's in the 20s outside the little stove struggles to heat the basement.


Chimney height is over twenty feet. When there isn't a fire in the stove cold air wants to push down the chimney. I am hoping the T6 doesn't have issues pushing against the cold air.

 

The carpet man came last week and cut back the carpet 18 inches. I still have to take up the tack strips and clean up the glue but I am in the safety zone with the T6 Alderlea.

A friend came over this evening and helped me swap stoves out. He also helped this fall with the Progress Hybrid. We joked about him blocking my phone number. I was joking he might have been serious.

The T6 is heating the basement. This winter will be a trial period for it. An other plus is the T6 Is the heck out of my garage. I will get the little Ashley back to its rightful owner and I will be down to two stoves again. My wife is so proud of me right now.

 

Great set up for you! In a perfect world, I would like to see a Summit or similar steel stove in the basement, since the Alderlea cast iron cladding is 90% for looks. However, since you already have the T6, it's clearly the most economical choice. No criticism here... We put in an Alderlea T5 this year in our main living room, and for this application, looks was a high priority.

 

So far, so good. More coals this morning to get a fire going and I didn't load it to the max last night. Max temp was 80 degrees and it was 76 when I went down this morning. It felt cooler because I have a fan blowing from the unfinished part of the basement to the stove room.

 

You've got some real heating power with those two in place. Very nice temps for morning reload. My basement is currently 56 ... would love your setup in my basement.

 

That's an awesome basement you got there and nice stove install too. I have an old VC Resolute I keep in my family room/basement and although it's not state of the art, on those really cold, below zero days when keeping the downstairs warm takes a bit of the load off the upstairs stove and also keeps us warm when were down there, it just makes sense.

 

I had a Resolute Acclaim in my basement when I first moved in. They are great looking stoves. The T6 heats well but I am getting a lot of smoke out of my chimney compared to the PH. As you said, having the basement stove going does help during the cold snap.

 

Are you seeing smoke all the time? Or just at startup and when it dies off?

 

Mainly after a reload but enough time that it should clear up. This weekend when it warms up I'm going to take out the baffle and vacuum all the air passages.
The wood is between 11% and 16%. Same wood burned in the PH is clean.

 

Maybe something shook loose in the move. Isn't the baffle gasketed on that model?

 

Yes. Small rectangle gasket at the back of the baffle. I will make my own and replace this weekend

 

Hi Ohio Stihl, sorry if this derails the conversation... but can you compare the performance of the PH to the T6?

I am looking to add the Progress Hybrid to my house but have given some consideration to the T6 and Jotul F55.

If you could offer some insight into heat output and burn times on both, would really appreciate it!

Thanks
Frank

 

Both stoves crank out the heat. The T6 will get to temp and almost wants to burn too hot. The Progress will maintain a comfortable heat output for a longer time. The T6 kept me warm at my other house and is helping me at this house. It has served me well. It also has a large front door and a one lever control. K.I.S.S.

The Progress Hybrid has a smaller loading door. That is the only complaint I can think of. The other benefits from the stove out weigh the small door issue. It is a super clean burning stove, long burn times with usable heat output, front glass always stays very clear, good looking, three temp cooking top and burns a reasonable amount of wood for the heat output.

The T6 tends to have a lot of coaling. The PH has some but it tends to be easier to manage. The T6 has an ash pan but it is a joke. I use it to put ash in when I shovel it out of the stove. The PH has a ash pan in a drawer and the ash sifts through the grate. Very fine ash and no waste of heat producing coals.

My vote goes to the PH with no disrespect to the T6. The PH has a fit and finish that I have been impressed with. The T6 will stay in my basement till I find a cleaner more manageable replacement. Maybe Woodstocks new hybrid. If an other stove doesn't fit the requirements then I have a good looking heater in the basement and one on the main level.

 

Thank you, appreciate the feedback.

Longer burn times, no fan and quality ash pan really has me leaning towards the PH.

Thank you

 

The Ash Pan set up on the PH and the IS makes the whole burning season so much easier to deal with.. large capacity, easy to prep the bed for a new load, it's a major feature beyond the remarkable ability these stoves have as heaters. SW CT to Rt 91 Lebanon it's a straight shot!

 

Wife an I were up there before Christmas.

We stopped by Simon Pearce for lunch and she got to pick out a little Christmas gift.... ouch$$

Then we dove over to Woodstock, walked in showroom and she pointed to a Keystone in Metallic Grey and said that is it! Pretty stove, but we need more BTU's

Good news is she also really liked the Progress Hybrid in Metallic Grey and was pleased she could pick out the stone. She likes choices... Sadly the Ideal Steel got two thumbs down. happy wife happy... you know the rest.

The Jotul Insert has no ash pan and if you dont keep everything very clean, the fan sucks up ash and blows it all over room. That is getting old.

 

You will be very happy with the PH. As much as I love my Fv, and it is a gorgeous stove, I am always slightly jealous of the PH and two of my best friends have them, based on my recommendation. It's just a way more stove than I needed.