# How many pellets do you use during an average mid winter day?



## bigeclipse (Mar 16, 2017)

I know this is silly but just trying to get a general feel on consumption from everyone on here. Im making a poll but feel free to post up your average mid winter consumption and include average temps with this consumption and any other details. Again, I know this is silly but if enough people respond maybe people can get a general idea of pellets used depending on house size and location. This poll will be bags used during a 24hr period in say late January early February time frame.


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## bags (Mar 18, 2017)

Varies with temps but as a general rule of thumb figure one ton per month. I have seen 3 bag days before. Usually 2 bags per day during colder days and nights and 1/2 - 1 bag days in shoulder season temps. That is in a P68 which is a big stove and I am heating a difficult space. Vaulted ceiling that are higher, tons of windows and glass doors. It is insulated well with even R-19 walls. 

This winter and last will be 4 ton heating seasons. My first year I used around 6 tons but it stayed abnormally cold.


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## Deezl Smoke (Mar 18, 2017)

This winter had some abnormal cold days, but now it is also having some above normal warm and rainy days. About a 900 sq/ft, old, uninsulated house. I started burning about the first of october or so, and I started with 3 ton, so 150 bags. I did not count, but I think I am down to 30 or less now. But the first few weeks and the last few weeks are burn for a few hours, then shut down as the house gets too hot. Right now I may be in the 1/2 bag or less area.


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## Mike80b (Mar 18, 2017)

When it's  below  25 degrees  I use about  one bag a day .  The house  is about  900 Sq ft and my  stove is a Ravelli  Rv80 ,


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## bags (Mar 18, 2017)

Deezl & Mike,
I am envious that you two have smaller manageable cribs at you places. I will be seriously downsizing as soon as we get our kids on their flight patterns an out of the coup. Our youngest is now in 6th grade and my wife will retire in 10 years. She is 44 and I am 48. We enjoy our place and land but our house is too damn big for sure. It is easy to get carried away when I am a design build and custom remodeling contractor. We use about half of what we have with three middle school and up kids.

I will be getting plans together on our next place that I will build and it will be one level and much smaller. Easy to maintain and heat etc;
We are looking forward to that and my goal will be one bag per day in the cold, cold in a super psycho insulated abode. Something that a new smaller Serenity stove will have us too hot and having to crack a window. It will be rough cheating on my Harmans but...... it very well may be a possibility. Or at least going the smallest Harman and a Serenity for my detached man cave.


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## bags (Mar 18, 2017)

Who are all these 1/2 to 1 bag a day folks? Details please..... I heat solely with a P68 now and have the last three winters. Are you using your anorexic stoves to supplement or is it your only heat? I know Tony and many others are using their stoves as the primary or only heat source and like myself using way more than a bag a day.

I'd love to see my speedometer running on cruise at 1 bag per day or 24 hour period.

Averaging say a ton per month which is a good way to figure actual overall pellet usage that is 50 bags per month. 50 bags / 30 days = 1.67 bags per day. Pretty darn close to rounding up to 2 bags a day. The shoulder seasons save quite a bit while with me the nasty cold crosses that line also.

I'll look at it another way. Say I heat from Oct 15th until April 15th which is likely but can vary but we can use that as a baseline for heating days. That is 180 days or 6 months for a semi-accurate figure. This year and last I used 4 tons or 200 bags. 200 bags / 180 days = 1.11 bags a day average. Pretty good so I may be there or close already.

But when it stays cold and I use 6 tons over the same time period that is 300 bags / 180 days = 1.67 bags per day. 

Maybe a better average for me would be the combined MPGs of 1.11 + 1.67 = 2.78. (2.78 / 2 = 1.39 bags per day. Again, though many temp variables to consider and usage reflects those accordingly.


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## DneprDave (Mar 18, 2017)

I leave my stove on the lowest setting all the time, no thermostat. We get snow some years, but not every year. The outside temperature dips into the twenties only a few days a year, if at all. I burn a little less than a bag of pellets a day. I use the pellet stove to assist a forced air oil furnace. I use a quarter of the oil I used to burn, since I got the pellet stove.


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## Deezl Smoke (Mar 18, 2017)

bags said:


> Who are all these 1/2 to 1 bag a day folks? Details please..... I heat solely with a P68 now and have the last three winters. Are you using your anorexic stoves to supplement or is it your only heat? I know Tony and many others are using their stoves as the primary or only heat source and like myself using way more than a bag a day.
> 
> I'd love to see my speedometer running on cruise at 1 bag per day or 24 hour period.
> 
> ...



 For about a week this winter it got down to 5F. Normal cold is about 32 at night, 40 daytime. But that is not an official temp that is recorded etc. You may be able to find that if you wanted to. I'm about a short distance from the Hillsboro Oregon air port which they call a hub of PDX. 

 I personally like the small bit of draft to the house. It keeps that air fresh and the ambience likeable for me.


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## railfanron (Mar 18, 2017)

I burn a bag per day pretty much all the heating season. In the winter the stove heats about half the house or a little more. In the spring and fall it heats the whole house as the furnace is then turned off. Total consumption is +-3 tons per year. Propane consumption is about 1/3 of what it used to be. If Propane skyrockets again the furnace may be off longer.
Ron


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## Tonyray (Mar 18, 2017)

I think in doing a pellets used per day consumption,
should be 2  surveys,...

those that heat exclusive with pellets. not using any other heating.
those that use a supplement heating source along with Pellets as that alone would constitute a lower pellet usage I assume..


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## articcatbill (Mar 18, 2017)

I am using my P68 as our primary heat source.  May use baseboard electric a little in the bathroom, once in a while in our bedroom.  But basically the P68 is our heat source for 2400 sq/ft.  Our house is well insulated, but is not a super insulated air tight house or anything along those lines.

If it is a cold winter day 20's and lower, I am burning over 2 bags a day.  That is keeping the house at 68 or higher all day.  We do turn it back at night, and then crank it back up in the morning.  It will warm the house up very nicely on it's own.  If it is real cold out, single digit stuff, I might turn on the baseboard electric for an hour or so in the morning to help warm the house back up to 68, but not often.

Since this is our first winter with the stove not sure about the total burned but it is over 4 ton now, so depending on the rest of the year, maybe 4 1/2 - 5 tons.


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## Tonyray (Mar 19, 2017)

articcatbill said:


> I am using my P68 as our primary heat source.  May use baseboard electric a little in the bathroom, once in a while in our bedroom.  But basically the P68 is our heat source for 2400 sq/ft.  Our house is well insulated, but is not a super insulated air tight house or anything along those lines.
> 
> If it is a cold winter day 20's and lower, I am burning over 2 bags a day.  That is keeping the house at 68 or higher all day.  We do turn it back at night, and then crank it back up in the morning.  It will warm the house up very nicely on it's own.  If it is real cold out, single digit stuff, I might turn on the baseboard electric for an hour or so in the morning to help warm the house back up to 68, but not often.
> 
> Since this is our first winter with the stove not sure about the total burned but it is over 4 ton now, so depending on the rest of the year, maybe 4 1/2 - 5 tons.


2 bags per day in the coldest weather is about right..
same here with a P61A..
heating to floors..


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## BUBIBEAR (Mar 19, 2017)

Six tons a year .Primary heat source .oil for hot water only and back up . Am running  three Englander stoves .# 1  55-SHP-22  in den .#2 55-SHPEP   FIREPLACE INSERT. And #3  a  smart stove pellet stove in the cellar with half wall on back side of house .Plenty of heat never run any above 4 heat setting . Love these stoves.


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## bags (Mar 19, 2017)

BUBIBEAR said:


> Six tons a year .Primary heat source .oil for hot water only and back up . Am running  three Englander stoves .# 1  55-SHP-22  in den .#2 55-SHPEP   FIREPLACE INSERT. And #3  a  smart stove pellet stove in the cellar with half wall on back side of house .Plenty of heat never run any above 4 heat setting . Love these stoves.



I'd be very content burning 6 tons per year if I was running 3 stoves. I know I'll be running 2 in tandem next season but I could see a 3 stove setup here also. Somebody take my saws and nail guns away..... Pretty Please?? The irony is that by the time I get it all finished at least 2 of my 3 kids will be off to college. Shoot me now.


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## Tails1 (Mar 19, 2017)

Tonyray said:


> I think in doing a pellets used per day consumption,
> should be 2  surveys,...
> 
> those that heat exclusive with pellets. not using any other heating.
> those that use a supplement heating source along with Pellets as that alone would constitute a lower pellet usage I assume..




I agree with that. I have an 800 square foot house that is very tight, R-60, triple glazed etc.. I probably go through two bags a week in my stove. (it holds 80lbs) In below freezing weather the wood stove gets lit, the pellet stove shuts off. If I don't light the wood stove then I will use more pellets when it is cold, highest I had so far is about 40# in a full 24 hours. I usually keep a window cracked as the humidity in here can easily climb too high if I don't.

I am planning to move the pellet stove to the basement this summer as I already have my wood stove down there and it heats the house just fine. I have grates in the floor with small fans in them that move the heat upstairs. I think having the pellet stove will do the same down there and I like having warm floors, which right now if the wood stove is off I don't have.

I will always keep the wood stove as it works without power, can be cooked on and can also heat water if there is ever an extended power outage. I also get my wood for free. I picked up a small cook stove which I plan to install as well. Electricity prices are quickly becoming unaffordable,so burning wood for heat, cooking and hot water is the only viable alternative.

The pellet stove is a convenience thing only, Having an automatic fire which kindles at the push of a button and schlepping bags of pellets is far less work then processing cord wood but hard work imho never hurt anyone.


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## lagger (Mar 19, 2017)

2 bags in a 24 hour period usually during the depths of winter


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## alternativeheat (Mar 19, 2017)

2 to 2-1/4 bags a day is my limit, that will generally heat this house with no other source. It could be a tighter house so if the winds are high out of the west, I might run my heat in tandem so that it cycles on about 3-4 times in 24 hours just for outer room comfort. But generally the pellet stove is used. I don't want to get into 3 bag days, that could happen in 0 deg days But I think I'm going to put a second stove in the basement like I did in my heavy coal burning years decades ago. That went well and didn't really use any more fuel. My little kerosene heater running down there will tame the hunger of the pellet stove even. I fully suspect if I ran two pellet stoves, that in the coldest weather I'd still be at 2-1/4 bags and be more comfortable in the process, plus have heat in my work shop down in the basement. Kerosene here is $4.79 a gallon, pellets here are $4.79 a bag. A 30,000btu kerosene heater isn't going to be run for 24 hours straight, too costly for one thing


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## Tails1 (Mar 19, 2017)

alternativeheat said:


> 2 to 2-1/4 bags a day is my limit, that will generally heat this house with no other source. It could be a tighter house so if the winds are high out of the west, I might run my heat in tandem so that it cycles on about 3-4 times in 24 hours just for outer room comfort. But generally the pellet stove is used. I don't want to get into 3 bag days, that could happen in 0 deg days But I think I'm going to put a second stove in the basement like I did in my heavy coal burning years decades ago. That went well and didn't really use any more fuel. My little kerosene heater running down there will tame the hunger of the pellet stove even. I fully suspect if I ran two pellet stoves, that in the coldest weather I'd still be at 2-1/4 bags and be more comfortable in the process, plus have heat in my work shop down in the basement. Kerosene here is $4.79 a gallon, pellets here are $4.79 a bag. A 30,000btu kerosene heater isn't going to be run for 24 hours straight, too costly for one thing



How do you use the kerosene heater without the fumes and strong odor in the house? I have one of those wick ones that does 30k BTU but it stinks especially when putting it out.


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## alternativeheat (Mar 19, 2017)

Tails1 said:


> How do you use the kerosene heater without the fumes and strong odor in the house? I have one of those wick ones that does 30k BTU but it stinks especially when putting it out.


We don't smell it at all while it's running and no detectors have ever gone off. Putting it out it will smell up a little but short lived, so I stick it in the bulkhead to shut it down or shut it down when leaving the house.. I seriously doubt my basement is as sealed as yours anyway. 

Admittedly it's not ideal but it's what I have down there for now. I had a real old one down there that I got used from someone years ago. The base got rusty and I threw it out. But that one you couldn't light or shut down indoors, it was the radiant type and royally stunk till it got hot, this one is convection and you just smell a kind of sweet warmth if you lean right over it.. Sometimes I wish they still made vented cast iron kerosene heaters LOL ! But those days are gone and the fuel is too expensive now anyway around here. Ya I think next year we will be shopping for a second pellet stove.


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## bags (Mar 21, 2017)

alternativeheat said:


> 2 to 2-1/4 bags a day is my limit, that will generally heat this house with no other source. It could be a tighter house so if the winds are high out of the west, I might run my heat in tandem so that it cycles on about 3-4 times in 24 hours just for outer room comfort. But generally the pellet stove is used. I don't want to get into 3 bag days, that could happen in 0 deg days But I think I'm going to put a second stove in the basement like I did in my heavy coal burning years decades ago. That went well and didn't really use any more fuel. My little kerosene heater running down there will tame the hunger of the pellet stove even. I fully suspect if I ran two pellet stoves, that in the coldest weather I'd still be at 2-1/4 bags and be more comfortable in the process, plus have heat in my work shop down in the basement. Kerosene here is $4.79 a gallon, pellets here are $4.79 a bag. A 30,000btu kerosene heater isn't going to be run for 24 hours straight, too costly for one thing



That is the thoughts I have about somewhat relocating my PC45 which is not used much now. I think it could be more efficient to possibly run two stoves in tandem vs. having one cranking out more heat. I am suspect of the pellets burned in a given time being about the same because both would be less stressed to crank out less heat during the burns.

Another plus I thought about would be letting one run while doing a full clean on the other and vise versa. That and say for instance you have a failed part and need shipping time and replacement the other stove could keep you warm during that process. Just like it is always nice to have a back up car or truck to jump into while working on the other or it is in the shop. You do not get stuck like Chuck. I run my stove now and always have pretty much 24/7 because turning it off you lose heat which takes a bit more pellets to reclaim and get back up into the desired temps. You have to burn some pellets and get some BTUs going to get back to where you once were.

I do occasionally turn my stove off when temps permit like yesterday. I was running as low as I could and it was simply getting too warm in the house so i shut it down. I left it off all day until last night. It started off cold in the morning yesterday and got up into the 60's in the afternoon so running it the night before and yesterday morning had the house warmed up nicely. Then as temps climbed outside it was time to shut it down all day for the most part. From about 11 AM until 8 PM last night the house had enough heat to last during that time. Then the wife wanted it back on once she sat down to read and the house stat was reading 68*. Taking back off from 68* is doable vs. taking back off from 60*. That doesn't take many pellets to get ramped back up and the temps back to great inside.


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## tlc1976 (Mar 24, 2017)

For the whole heating season I've averaged 3 tons so far.  It works out to about 1 ton every 2 months average.  February when it's cold I'll burn more than a bag a day, but never more than 2 since that's about where the stove maxes out.  (I've run it on max to get through a few windy nights well below zero but house temps were still mid 60s.).  About now I'll just have the stove off during the day and the sun heats it up to 70, then run it at night and I burn about 1/2 bag a day.

I have a boiler on standby as an emergency backup but never used since I got the stove.  So pellets are my only heat source.  House is 30 years old but was very well built and airtight enough to require an OAK to run the stove.

Next year I'll be burning less if the winter is similar.  The local store switched from Kirtland to Pro Pellets.  After taking some advice from another member I tried about a dozen bags of Pro Pellets and they burn considerably hotter and cleaner.  Still got just over a ton of Kirtland to burn up first.


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## jzm2cc (Mar 25, 2017)

Just over 150 bags so far this heating season.  Love Pro Pellets, my favorite Michigan made brand.


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