Pellet Stoves, Which to start with?

[mbohuntr]

How much do battery backup for the stoves cost? I am glad to hear that they don't build up creosote, That is a good selling point. No chimney fires. Ken Sweet

Here is a link, I haven't looked up a price lately, but If memory serves, they run from fairly cheap to very pricey if you want longer run times.

Surefire Stove Sentry for Pellet Stoves

 

[Mickey_Fx]

How much do battery backup for the stoves cost? I am glad to hear that they don't build up creosote, That is a good selling point. No chimney fires. Ken Sweet

Battery back-ups may not be a panacea some might think. Power needs vary considerably. My 10 yr old Whitfield takes 95W (measured, not auto start) and I saw my first Harmon this past week, It was their high end model and reported power usage 255W (don't know if that is max with the auto start). With a 12V back-up that's 8A for my stove and >20A for the Harmon. That is going to take a lot of battery to supply power for more than a few hrs. And with the battery back-up, now you have a battery pack that needs proper care, year around and for best life one shouldn't discharge lead acid batteries more than ~50%.

Sure would like to know where pellets are available in Oregon for the $150-$200 price range that was mentioned in previous post. Here in the Willamette valley pellets have been running $200-$240 for several yrs. Haven't seen prices in the $150 range for about 5 yrs.

 

[charlz]

I have seen a brand out there that has built-in battery backup. Power outages are few and far in between here and I do have a generator so I have not worried too much about battery backup.

I have the QuadraFire 1200i and the only problem I have had with it was the firepot welds broke in the first few months and it had to be replaced. I noticed after the change out that pellets dropping into the firepot were much quieter. I think the first firepot was under stress from the get go as the pellets would almost ring it like a bell.

The key thing I do not like about my particular stove is the ash pan is only for the firepot. All the fly ash requires the stove to be shut down periodically and an ash vacuum used to clean out the ash. This might be due to the fact that it is an 'insert' style that is made to replace a fireplace. Mine is configured as 'stand alone insert' meaning it is not inside of an existing fireplace but is inside the wall and required additional shields to be added etc.

Installation is another item... are you going to offer it and have a crew of guys doing it? Might sell less stoves if it is all DIY.

My pellets run $180-250 here. Lower price is the summer 'stock up' specials I usually try to take advantage of.

 

[sweettractors]

Battery back-ups may not be a panacea some might think. Power needs vary considerably. My 10 yr old Whitfield takes 95W (measured, not auto start) and I saw my first Harmon this past week, It was their high end model and reported power usage 255W (don't know if that is max with the auto start). With a 12V back-up that's 8A for my stove and >20A for the Harmon. That is going to take a lot of battery to supply power for more than a few hrs. And with the battery back-up, now you have a battery pack that needs proper care, year around and for best life one shouldn't discharge lead acid batteries more than ~50%.

Sure would like to know where pellets are available in Oregon for the $150-$200 price range that was mentioned in previous post. Here in the Willamette valley pellets have been running $200-$240 for several yrs. Haven't seen prices in the $150 range for about 5 yrs.

Sounds like battery backups that would hold 2-3 hours may be a "split the difference" kinda time frame. Ken Sweet

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My Harmon XXV is one of the high end units, and it doesn't draw anywhere near 20A, otherwise it would need to be on a larger circuit, and not have a 20A plug on the end of it.
I think my electric ignitor only uses 3-4Amps, and running its much lower. I have a Kill A Watt meter on mine, so I track my power usage, will try it out and post the amperage.

And, mine has no chimney at all, I direct vent straight thru the wall. The manual strongly suggests some vertical pipe on the outside, but every dealer that has models hooked up has them straight piped out.

You do need to clean the pipe every year, but it's a lot easier than cleaning a chimney.

I noticed the other day at TSC that pellets are cheaper this year, down to about $215 a ton here. They are sometimes up at $260 or more. Pellet prices are always cheaper this time of year, and increase in the late fall.

 

[Redgoatea]

.
Sure would like to know where pellets are available in Oregon for the $150-$200 price range that was mentioned in previous post. Here in the Willamette valley pellets have been running $200-$240 for several yrs. Haven't seen prices in the $150 range for about 5 yrs.

Mickey. Try Grandpas Feed on Hwy 34 just east of Waldport. They sold Bear Mountain pellets for that price last year. Not sure if that included delivery?

 

[higgy]

if not come and get a trailer full. I would meet you half way and we can split the $$$

 

[higgy]

The key thing I do not like about my particular stove is the ash pan is only for the firepot. All the fly ash requires the stove to be shut down periodically and an ash vacuum used to clean out the ash.

On the 1200i there is a plate held by a Phillips screw behind the fire pot. It is about 2 by 6 inches, this opening leads to the air plenum and should be cleaned at least once a year, it is easy, just gotta know it is there.

I have a free standing Castile in mahogany, This is a manufacture pick

 

[sweettractors]

From what I see you guys saying, you don't need to worry about creosote build up or chimney fires when using a pellet stove. Is that about right? Ken Sweet

 

[higgy]

The stove pipe is as clean as when we installed the stove.

One area to look at is the pellet feed system. Many manufactures use an auger in a pipe as the feed. This can pack and clog with pellets which will stall and burn out the feed motors. On a quadrafire the feed is a u shaped trough which will not bind as the pellets just lift and fall as the auger fluke comes around.

Ours is on a thermostat and starts and stops by itself and holds the room at the temp you select.

Our stove still has the same hot finger in the fire pot that came with the stove and we use this stove every day all day in the winter.

A very good friend of mine is the rep here and he will be honest with you if you are interested.

pm me or go to the manufactures site.

I am in no way connected with this company its products or agents, just a very satisfied customer.

Quadra-Fire | Wood, Gas and Pellet Burning Fireplaces, Stoves and Inserts

 

[Highbeam]

You do need to clean your pellet vent. People use what looks like a mini chimney brush to remove the accumulations.

I suggest you also ask about this at the hearth.com website. They are stove enthusiasts.

Pellet stoves do make creosote but it is easier to clean. They also can make a mess out of the side of your house if you install the exhaust outlet in a bad place.

For a tractor store, your best bet would be the englander line. They sell a couple of sizes of pellet stoves as well as a multi-fuel stove. Also sell woodstoves. The pellet stoves by englander are very serviceable with off the shelf parts and the manufacturer support is very good to buyers so you as a tractor dealership don't need to do everything.

Pellet prices have remained under 200$ per ton here in the NW for many years. They make some brands right in Tacoma near the water so I suspect the lack of shipping costs makes them cheap.

 

[204saskman]

We got 2 Harman PC45 corn/grain/pellet stoves. Heats our house just fine in -40 temps. We also burn grain most of the time cause its cheaper. I heated our house last winter for an average of 35-40/month. Noth bad considering its a 1970 bungelo.

 

[204saskman]

From what I see you guys saying, you don't need to worry about creosote build up or chimney fires when using a pellet stove. Is that about right? Ken Sweet

Thats not entirely true. if you do end up with a corn or grain stove, they have oils in them that do cause some build up. there is a product that we run in ours and it sure does help take away any build up.

 

[charlz]

On the 1200i there is a plate held by a Phillips screw behind the fire pot. It is about 2 by 6 inches, this opening leads to the air plenum and should be cleaned at least once a year, it is easy, just gotta know it is there.

I have cleaned back there, on my particular stove it is two smaller panels, one on each side of the fire pit.

 

[charlz]

One area to look at is the pellet feed system. Many manufactures use an auger in a pipe as the feed. This can pack and clog with pellets which will stall and burn out the feed motors. On a quadrafire the feed is a u shaped trough which will not bind as the pellets just lift and fall as the auger fluke comes around.

So far I have had no trouble with my Quadrafire auger feed except...

Bottom bag on the pallet, they cover the pallets with a heavy paper. Apparently the pallet had broken when a forklift was moving it and poked into the bag. I taped the bag and set it with the others, not realizing some of the heavy paper was missing. Didn't see it when I dumped it into the hopper either sometime later in the day the stove stopped feeding and shut itself down. Took me maybe 20 minutes to clean pellets out of the hopper, remove the auger, remove the paper put the auger and pellets back in and it worked like a champ. :thumbsup:

Ours is on a thermostat and starts and stops by itself and holds the room at the temp you select.

I have my wood stove thermostat next to my propane furnace thermostat. When it is really cold I set the pellet thermostat high so the stove will burn all the time and set the propane thermostat to what I want. This way the bulk of my heat comes from the pellets. I haven't had a propane fill in 5 years and am at 45% or so full on my 500 gallon propane tank. Considering a summer fill though as the propane prices are back down close to 2005 prices.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

My Harmon XXV is one of the high end units, and it doesn't draw anywhere near 20A, otherwise it would need to be on a larger circuit, and not have a 20A plug on the end of it.
I think my electric ignitor only uses 3-4Amps, and running its much lower. I have a Kill A Watt meter on mine, so I track my power usage, will try it out and post the amperage.

And, mine has no chimney at all, I direct vent straight thru the wall. The manual strongly suggests some vertical pipe on the outside, but every dealer that has models hooked up has them straight piped out.

You do need to clean the pipe every year, but it's a lot easier than cleaning a chimney.

I noticed the other day at TSC that pellets are cheaper this year, down to about $215 a ton here. They are sometimes up at $260 or more. Pellet prices are always cheaper this time of year, and increase in the late fall.

That's 20A @ 12V not @ 120V. You're off by a factor of 10. 20A @ 120V is 2400W not the 255W I previously mentioned.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Harman XXV is 120VAC, I haven't checked the amperage yet.

 

[coobie]

With Propane and electric being so high locally, I am thinking of adding new pellet stoves to our product line. The local market has 0 knowledge about them. The sale price would need to be low cost driven because of the poor economy. So I would be interested in what you guys have to say about brands and basic starter type machines and pricing. Ken Sweet

I have owned 2 wood pellet/corn stoves,Ouadra-fire and avalon.My choice is avalon.Wood pellets are $175-$220 a ton around my area.coobie

 

[coobie]

With Propane and electric being so high locally, I am thinking of adding new pellet stoves to our product line. The local market has 0 knowledge about them. The sale price would need to be low cost driven because of the poor economy. So I would be interested in what you guys have to say about brands and basic starter type machines and pricing. Ken Sweet

Please check out this website great reading on pellet stoves Hearth.com - Information on Gas Fireplaces, Wood Stoves, Gas Logs, Pellet Stoves, Fireplaces, Chimneys and Hearth Products

 

[mbohuntr]

Harman XXV is 120VAC, I haven't checked the amperage yet.

Hi Buckeye, What Mickey fix is saying is that if your stove is rated at 2 amps, 120 volts, It uses 240 watts of energy. If you take that same 240 watts of power required, and power it with 12 volts, then Power = volts X amperage, or 20 amps.