(OT) Need help/advice

[Walleye Pete]

I'm going to buy a pellet stove insert for my fireplace....anybody know the extent of difficulty to install one and does anyone have a good bad or ugly experience with one....... should I bite the bullet and have the place I buy it from install it. I already have 2 tons of pellets and ready to not freeze my kids this winter. Any advice is greatly appreciated......thanks!!!!

[2strokerip]

talk to you sunday about them
my dad sells and installs them for a living


Matt

[reeltor]

Pete,
I've had a pellet stove for the last 8 years or so and use it regularly to lower our utility bills. Nothing but good things to say about it. Our stove is in the rec room of the home we purchased. If I were to install one now I would think about having it piped into the ductwork.

[Gerald]

Pete,
Their no good unless ya got electric. The have a electric motor on the worm gear that feeds the pellets. Still need a generator if the electric goes out.

[richie410]

I have the corn version from American Energy Systems it is made by Magnum and they can run off a 12 volt battery for back up.I usually take one of my batteries out of my boat and use that way it stays charged. It is a trickle charge though so you can't use a deep cycle battery and yes I have had the electric go out and run off the battery for a few hours.

[tomytek]

Thanks for posting Pete. I have been considering to do the same. Which one are you planning to get?

[thill]

Pete,
The inserts are only good if they have a well-designed air circulation system. Make sure they promise that it will produce a set number of BTU's.

How much are they talking to install? Some places will do it for $150 if you buy from them, but that really depends on the installation location.

No, they are not hard to install, and yes, you probabably can do it with a little tutoring. But if it's cheap enough, it might be worth it to let those guys do it, or let Matt or his Dad do it.

I would have steered you toward wood. Very high heat output, (Our entire house is heated by our wood stove) and you can generally get the wood for free, but I know how busy you are, and free wood takes time. Pellets cost more, but there is very little work involved, beyond filling the hopper from time to time.

Best wishes for a toasty winter!

-TH

[mrobertson]

i have a free standing whitfield stove that i bought used about 5 years ago. Best investment i've ever made in my house.

[Peltz]

I have an insert in my fireplace. Installing the stove does not seem too hard. The part that seemed heard to me was running the stainless liner down the chimney flu and connecting it to the back of the stove and making it all fit. By code you need a liner, at least where I live. Installation was pretty cheap so I had them do it for me. My stove is made by Enviro and I have had it for about 5 years. It does a really good job of heating the immediate area. The back rooms do not get as warm because the air not circulate through the whole house. I use an electric mattress cover and it is very toasty. The main area of my house is in the low 70s most of the winter and set the hopper speed pretty low. I have days when I have people over and let it run the whole day and the house has been 80 in January when it is in the high 30s - low 40s outside. For me is has been a good investment and paid for itself by reducing my need for heating oil. Also, my house is warmer now than before I had the stove. Getting good pellets helps too. I have tried several brands and some are good and clean and others do not produce as much heat and create more ash. My favorite pellets are Hammer Heats.