# Englander 25-pdvc Problem



## wyld byll (Apr 1, 2012)

I'm brand new to the forum so forgive me if I should be in another thread. I have just replaced a wood stove in my basement with a 25 pdvc for my 1300 sq ft house. I realize that a pellet stove is a far cry from a wood stove but my unit seems like it is just not putting out much heat. My wood stove would get my basement hot and then naturally rise up the stairs and through the floor to living area and keep furnace from kicking on. My basement is unfinished and maybe 800 sq ft. and after running it all day in 45 degree weather to test it out, my basement was just room temp. maybe 70-72 degrees and upstairs was 70. This was on a 45 degree day!! I am afraid come winter this stove is not going to cut it. It didn't seem to matter if I ran it on 3-3 or 8-8. I didnt feel hot until I stood about 2 feet in front of the stove. I read on the forums of how people are getting cooked out of the room with this stove and I cant get my basement hot. The flame seems to be burning good and a bag of pellets lasted about 14 hours burning on various heat settings throughout the day. It is in the D mode and bottom buttons are at factory 6-4-1 settings. Anyone know why this stove is not cooking out the basement? I know it is not like a wood stove, but after 8 hours my basement should be toasty hot don't you think? does it burn hotter in C mode? is that an option? Help...feels like I may have just wasted $900 on stove and venting pipe!


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## smoke show (Apr 1, 2012)

Insulating your basement would be the best first step. Imo

Often times basement installs in unfinished basements have dissappointing results.


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## chrisasst (Apr 1, 2012)

agree...how "unfinished" is your basement? I have 2 stoves, one is a pdvc. I like the stove, but cold nights it needs help from my other stove. I don't think you will get the results you want with this stove in an unfinished basement. Any options to moving it upstairs? with that said...lets think...Is this a new stove or used?


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## stoveguy2esw (Apr 1, 2012)

was it consuming fuel at a rate commensurate with the heat ranbge setting? when you raised to 8-8 did it build a larger fire and use more fuel? how much fuel did you use in that 8 hours?


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## DexterDay (Apr 1, 2012)

What woodstove did you have before? How large was it (firebox size/BTU) ??

You may have had a 70,000 BTU woodstove and replaced it with a unit that has half as many BTU. Big stoves heat Big areas. Nothing wrong with the PDVC. But its Englanders smallest unit.

If you want to heat a home from an unfinished basement? Then your gonna need some HP. Lots of people are heating from a basement here. But starting in the 40,000-45,000 BTU range is ideal. But having 60,000-70,000 BTU is better. 

You have a 1,300 sq ft house and trying to heat 800 sq ft of unfinished walls. Thats 2,100 sq ft. But with the cold walls its acting like more than that.


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## wyld byll (Apr 1, 2012)

well the basement is just concrete floor and cider block walls with the hard wood floors as the ceiling. I think the heat would have a harder time getting upstairs if it was insulated. As for moving it upstairs there is really not a good place and my wife doesn't want it up there.The stove is brand new.
Mike - I only left it on 8 for a couple hours to see if I could feel a difference in the basement temp. Didn't really pay enough attention to how much bigger the fire was,( guess I need to do that) but did not feel any difference in temp.Most of the day it was on 5-5 and used a bag in 14 hours burning on all the various settings. Today I set it at 2-2 for about 5 hours and I did notice that the flame was smaller but it really felt like the same heat output. After actually looking the basement is more like 600 sq ft. Shouldn't I be able to get that area very hot in a fair amount of time?


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## DexterDay (Apr 1, 2012)

By insulated. I think Smoke meant the Walls and the Floor. Cold Concrete sucks heat. A lot of heat.


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## smoke show (Apr 1, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> By insulated. I think Smoke meant the Walls and the Floor. Cold Concrete sucks heat. A lot of heat.


 Damn your good...


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## DexterDay (Apr 1, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Damn your good...



Learned from the Best


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## imacman (Apr 1, 2012)

Basement installs are iffy at best.  As mentioned above, the concrete sucks the heat out and it takes a LONG time to warm it enough that the excess will heat other areas.  Even though it would seem that the heat would just naturally go upstairs, that doesn't happen very often.  

Also mentioned above, the PDVC is the smallest unit Englander makes.....you replaced a woodstove that probably cranked out a LOT of radiant heat, but pellet stoves work differently.

Bottom line, either move the stove upstairs, insulate the basement walls & floor, or get a stove that puts out much more in the way of BTU's....or all of the above.

BTW, what brand of pellets are you burning, and please describe your exhaust set-up.


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## Don2222 (Apr 1, 2012)

Hello

I have the big brother to your 22,000 BTU 25-PDVC it is the 45,000 BTU 25-PDV. Dexter has a good point, a larger stove would make a big difference. My stove is for sale or trade if you live nearby, mabe we can make a deal?
Also the C program will give you more heat but burn more wood pellets. Raising the LFF button will also give more heat but it raises the flame height so you do not want to go too high and overfire the stove.


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## stoveguy2esw (Apr 1, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> well the basement is just concrete floor and cider block walls with the hard wood floors as the ceiling. I think the heat would have a harder time getting upstairs if it was insulated. As for moving it upstairs there is really not a good place and my wife doesn't want it up there.The stove is brand new.
> Mike - I only left it on 8 for a couple hours to see if I could feel a difference in the basement temp. Didn't really pay enough attention to how much bigger the fire was,( guess I need to do that) but did not feel any difference in temp.Most of the day it was on 5-5 and used a bag in 14 hours burning on all the various settings. Today I set it at 2-2 for about 5 hours and I did notice that the flame was smaller but it really felt like the same heat output. After actually looking the basement is more like 600 sq ft. Shouldn't I be able to get that area very hot in a fair amount of time?


 
was looking to see if stove was responding to heat range commands, sounds like it is.

biggest thing to look at with an uninsulated basement. the walls and floor will absorb heat until they start to warm up to the same temps as the air inside the room. dense materials like concrete or cinder block require more thermal energy to do so than an insluated wall does due to a lesser density. also the ground outside if a submerged basement will be literally continually absorbing this heat. the reason a woodstove heats up this uninsulated space better and faster is because it "radiates" much more heat, where a pellet stove "convects" heat radient heat warms solids (kinda like a microwave) the thermal radiation penetrates the solids and brings them up to temp faster so they start "refusing heat" faster thus allowing the air to warm up more rapidly. a convection heater warms the air and the heat in the air travels out into the room dissipating as it goes this heat is absorbed into the solids but the transportation of it by air rather than radiation means it takes longer for the solids to warm up so that heat refusal starts if at all depending on the heat loss through the uninsulated solids, see if the walls do not reach the temps you are trying to get the room to , the room aint gonna get there either.


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## wyld byll (Apr 1, 2012)

I did have a big old wood stove.The placement is down the stairs and to the right the same as the wood stove. The blower is pointing right at the stairway where all the heat from my wood stove came up. I know it should take longer but shouldn't the heat still be coming up the stairway? Maybe it is and I am just used to a blast of hot air when walking down stairs or right by the doorway??


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## stoveguy2esw (Apr 1, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> I did have a big old wood stove.The placement is down the stairs and to the right the same as the wood stove. The blower is pointing right at the stairway where all the heat from my wood stove came up. I know it should take longer but shouldn't the heat still be coming up the stairway? Maybe it is and I am just used to a blast of hot air when walking down stairs or right by the doorway??


 
its the radient heat you are used to , think about this way. your body radiates heat at 98.6 right, you put on a jacket and quickly the inside of the jacket reaches that temperature, now if you hang the jacket up and blow 98.6 degree air at it the result will be different first because the heat dissipates before it reaches the jacket and secondly there is nothing to "hold the heat inside"

insulating the basement (even rudimentally) will show a solid gain quickly. just like the insulated material in the jacket will if its closed up around the heat source( you in the case of the jacket) now an uninsulated windbreaker for instance wouldnt keep you as warm in the cold for teh same reason, the heat bleeds through and is lost


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## wyld byll (Apr 1, 2012)

imacman said:


> Basement installs are iffy at best. As mentioned above, the concrete sucks the heat out and it takes a LONG time to warm it enough that the excess will heat other areas. Even though it would seem that the heat would just naturally go upstairs, that doesn't happen very often.
> 
> Also mentioned above, the PDVC is the smallest unit Englander makes.....you replaced a woodstove that probably cranked out a LOT of radiant heat, but pellet stoves work differently.
> 
> ...


tried o'malley pellets and cheat river today(highly recommended here in central PA.) Exhaust is appliance adapter into a T with clean out then a 3 foot section straight up into an elbow and in to my existing 6 inch stainless steel flue that goes up about 30 - 35 feet


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## wyld byll (Apr 1, 2012)

stoveguy2esw said:


> its the radient heat you are used to , think about this way. your body radiates heat at 98.6 right, you put on a jacket and quickly the inside of the jacket reaches that temperature, now if you hang the jacket up and blow 98.6 degree air at it the result will be different first because the heat dissipates before it reaches the jacket and secondly there is nothing to "hold the heat inside"
> 
> insulating the basement (even rudimentally) will show a solid gain quickly. just like the insulated material in the jacket will if its closed up around the heat source( you in the case of the jacket) now an uninsulated windbreaker for instance wouldnt keep you as warm in the cold for teh same reason, the heat bleeds through and is lost


What would be the cheapest way to insulate cinder block walls keeping in mind the basements here are damp


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## smoke show (Apr 1, 2012)

Check into xps sheets.


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## wyld byll (Apr 1, 2012)

Don2222 said:


> Hello
> 
> I have the big brother to your 22,000 BTU 25-PDVC it is the 45,000 BTU 25-PDV. Dexter has a good point, a larger stove would make a big difference. My stove is for sale or trade if you live nearby, mabe we can make a deal?
> Also the C program will give you more heat but burn more wood pellets. Raising the LFF button will also give more heat but it raises the flame height so you do not want to go too high and overfire the stove.


I'm in PA so thats out. I thought the LFF and LBA only affected the stove in settings 1 and 2?


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## wyld byll (Apr 1, 2012)

I appreciate all the input. So I guess the general consensus is that I listened to the wrong advise and wasted my money? Do you think it is worth trying C mode?


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## smoke show (Apr 1, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> I appreciate all the input. So I guess the general consensus is that I listened to the wrong advise and wasted my money? Do you think it is worth trying C mode?


 I'd give it a shot. Dunno if its recommended, but I like breaking rules.

Glue up some xps like this http://www.homedepot.com/Building-M...gId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=xps&storeId=10051 that should give you around R-5.


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## DexterDay (Apr 1, 2012)

Have you tried blowing a fan down the steps? Try and persuade the air upstairs. Take a box fan and blow it down the steps. Cold air finds hot air easier than hot finds cold. The cold air.blowing down, will be replaced with warm air.blowing up...

But keep in mind, that if you run on 5-5, you are only utilizing half of the stoves already Low BTU. So running 7-9 or 8-9 and using a fan may help some.  Dont try and blow the hot air up.. Blow cold air down...

What woodstove did you have? A newer EPA unit or an Old Smoke Dragon? How big was the firebox??


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## slim (Apr 2, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> I did have a big old wood stove.The placement is down the stairs and to the right the same as the wood stove. The blower is pointing right at the stairway where all the heat from my wood stove came up. I know it should take longer but shouldn't the heat still be coming up the stairway? Maybe it is and I am just used to a blast of hot air when walking down stairs or right by the doorway??


Check the direction of the heat blowing from the stove & try to get it to shoot more upwards toward the cellar door opening.


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## MCPO (Apr 2, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> I appreciate all the input. So I guess the general consensus is that I listened to the wrong advise and wasted my money? Do you think it is worth trying C mode?


Oh sure, C mode would burn hotter but it would definitely use even more fuel and you would probably lose most of that extra heat through the  block walls anyway so the gain would likely be minimal. Beside that , C mode isn`t the factory recommended setting for this stove.
 Your only choice really is to insulate the cellar walls (at the least) or move the stove upstairs.


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## Don2222 (Apr 2, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> I'm in PA so thats out. I thought the LFF and LBA only affected the stove in settings 1 and 2?


 
Hello wyld

I believe it depends on how old your control board is. If you call the toll free England Stove Works Tech support and tell then the manufacture date of your stove from inside the hopper lid, they will tell you what heat settings are effected.

Yes PA is about a 7 hour drive. That is far. So good luck on your stove. I have mine in the basement and cut 2 floor registers using 6" ductwork touching the stove, I can bring plenty of heat upstairs and then use the stairwell for the return air. That works great!

See pics of how I did this here
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...ting-the-heat-up-one-floor.65315/#post-817789


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## wyld byll (Apr 2, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> Have you tried blowing a fan down the steps? Try and persuade the air upstairs. Take a box fan and blow it down the steps. Cold air finds hot air easier than hot finds cold. The cold air.blowing down, will be replaced with warm air.blowing up...
> 
> But keep in mind, that if you run on 5-5, you are only utilizing half of the stoves already Low BTU. So running 7-9 or 8-9 and using a fan may help some. Dont try and blow the hot air up.. Blow cold air down...
> 
> What woodstove did you have? A newer EPA unit or an Old Smoke Dragon? How big was the firebox??


I think if I have to run it at 7 or 8 I would burn way too many pellets! may have to try to convince my wife that I have to move it upstairs. Only place I could put it is in the room where we spend the most time, and is the coldest room. My wife worries it would cook us out. Do you think it would if I ran it on 1 or 2 with a ceiling fan on?


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## wyld byll (Apr 2, 2012)

stoveguy2esw said:


> was looking to see if stove was responding to heat range commands, sounds like it is.
> 
> biggest thing to look at with an uninsulated basement. the walls and floor will absorb heat until they start to warm up to the same temps as the air inside the room. dense materials like concrete or cinder block require more thermal energy to do so than an insluated wall does due to a lesser density. also the ground outside if a submerged basement will be literally continually absorbing this heat. the reason a woodstove heats up this uninsulated space better and faster is because it "radiates" much more heat, where a pellet stove "convects" heat radient heat warms solids (kinda like a microwave) the thermal radiation penetrates the solids and brings them up to temp faster so they start "refusing heat" faster thus allowing the air to warm up more rapidly. a convection heater warms the air and the heat in the air travels out into the room dissipating as it goes this heat is absorbed into the solids but the transportation of it by air rather than radiation means it takes longer for the solids to warm up so that heat refusal starts if at all depending on the heat loss through the uninsulated solids, see if the walls do not reach the temps you are trying to get the room to , the room aint gonna get there either.


I noticed today that there is still an awful smell after the 3rd burn. There is air coming out of the blower housing in back. Is this normal? Not coming out the appliance adapter or pipe but the actual motor housing. Also the door was stuck shut today had to pull hard and the rope gasket was sticking to stove. I dont think it messed it up too bad but this cant be normal. I remember the very first time I fired it up a little smoke came out where the fan blows out the air before the fan even came on. Normal?Also I fired it up at 8-8 setting for an hour and then set it to 4-8. Went and checked 15 minutes later and the flame seemed to look the same in both settings. I am starting to think there may be a problem with stove.  I know this is a lot of questions, and I will call tech support but wanted your opinion. Thanks!


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## DexterDay (Apr 2, 2012)

Putting the stove upstairs where you spend your time is the best thing to do. 
Will it cook you out?? No.. Especially if you use your ceiling fan in reverse (draw air up)

If you dont need heat in the basement? Then its a no brainer. Also, running on 8-8 will use more pellets. But that amount of fuel used, still is not coming close to the BTU's your woodstove produced. Only using 20,000 BTU wont get it done. These stoves heat based on fuel used. If using 2 lbs an hr it will be about 16,000, 4 lbs an hr 32,000 BTU and if using 6 lbs an hr 48,000 BTU. But your stove wont eat 6 lbs even on High. You have to use fuel to get heat. 

(What woodstove dos you have ?? )


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## wyld byll (Apr 2, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> Putting the stove upstairs where you spend your time is the best thing to do.
> Will it cook you out?? No.. Especially if you use your ceiling fan in reverse (draw air up)
> 
> If you dont need heat in the basement? Then its a no brainer. Also, running on 8-8 will use more pellets. But that amount of fuel used, still is not coming close to the BTU's your woodstove produced. Only using 20,000 BTU wont get it done. These stoves heat based on fuel used. If using 2 lbs an hr it will be about 16,000, 4 lbs an hr 32,000 BTU and if using 6 lbs an hr 48,000 BTU. But your stove wont eat 6 lbs even on High. You have to use fuel to get heat.
> ...


I have an old ugly large wood stove with 2 screw knobs on front to adjust air intake. Don't even know what make it is but I can get that thing to get the basement cooking in no time. Just getting to the point that I'm tired of cutting splitting stacking etc.. and that baby can eat up some wood..Maybe I have to see how my pellet stove does in the winter, if it can get the basement in the 70's maybe it will keep the upstairs decent without spikes and drops in temp. Just scares me that it only got the temperature upstairs from 66 up to 70 on a day that was only in the low 40's. If it can do that on a 20 degree day I'd be o.k. with it. Wont know until next winter.


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## imacman (Apr 2, 2012)

Make sure to make that call to Tech support, and be near the stove when you do. But like everyone above said, trying to heat an un-insulated basement is usually very hard to do, unless you have a monster of a pellet stove. Bottom line.....If you want to heat the upstairs, move the stove up there.


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## slim (Apr 3, 2012)

Simple would be to place a fan on the lid cover & point so it blows at the cellar door opening, the faster the better. The doorway may feel cold due to the breeze but check the temps at other areas upstairs.


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## Don2222 (Apr 3, 2012)

slim said:


> Simple would be to place a fan on the lid cover & point so it blows at the cellar door opening, the faster the better. The doorway may feel cold due to the breeze but check the temps at other areas upstairs.


 
Yes but to really circulate air you need a supply and a return.

I use the stairwell for the return and 6" ductwork with inline fan to pull hot air from the heat tubes on the stove for the supply to 2 registers. One reg in the kitchen and one in the hallway to living room and bedrooms. It heats the whole house with a 45 k btu Avalon Astoria. I would highly recommend a large Travis or even Whitfield to do the job really good from the basement.

See my pics
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/...ting-the-heat-up-one-floor.65315/#post-817789


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## Dr.Faustus (Apr 3, 2012)

moving it upstairs is the way to go. however having it in the room with you might not be such a hot idea. i find that whatever room its in, it tends to draw a cool breeze across the floor towards the stove. this is to replace the hot air that has left the room heading towards other rooms.
i havent gotten cooked out much since i put my pdvc on a thermostat but it has happened. i think if i had it in some other room i wouldnt get as much of a breeze and wouldnt have to raise the tv to cover its fan sound.


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## wyld byll (Apr 3, 2012)

well I spoke to Jeremy at tech support today. He is sending me a new door gasket kit. He said sometimes production doesn't allow the paint to dry enough and you get some on the rope gasket, then when it heats up it can stick to the lip of stove. Also he said after 5 or 6 burnings it should quit smelling. After describing how I sealed pipes and described the smell he thinks this is normal break in. When we discussed the stove performance I mentioned the flame height and he said the flame is way to high indicating that it is going towards top of impingement plate because it is acting like a flame that is not getting enough air. He stated that the flame should be even or a couple inches above burn pot with a very aggressive flame. I had not hooked up fresh air intake yet (I know I know but I wanted to make sure things were working well before putting a hole in my wall.) He thinks that a 3 inch fresh air pipe and then possible fine tuning should get this stove cranking. He stated that he has never had a problem getting enough heat output from this model even with unfinished basement installs, usually they are putting out more heat than desired. After describing my set-up and lay out He is confident that I can get this stove to heat the basement well enough to allow some heat upstairs I have hope now anyway!  My wife absolutely does not want this upstairs with a 5 year old and the house is small, really no place to put it. I know the heat will circulate because there was already a cut out in the ceiling behind the wood stove and it seemed to act like a cold air return allowing heat to go up the stairs. Oh yea by the way he also stated that running the fan at higher setting than heat (like a 4-8 setting for instance) will also give the fire more intake air. Only problem is til I get the fresh air hooked up I may be out of cold days to test things out but he said they keep call records for ever. Wants me to see how it acts after fresh air hook up and he will tweak things if necessary to get fire burning correctly. Thanks for all the input and letting me wig out!


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## smoke show (Apr 3, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> . Oh yea by the way he also stated that running the fan at higher setting than heat (like a 4-8 setting for instance) will also give the fire more intake air.


 

Interesting, I would have never guessed that.

Hopefully Mike will chime in and confirm that statement.

Btw, I use a 25pdvc in an unfinished basement, but I'm only heating the basement.


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## DexterDay (Apr 3, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Interesting, I would have never guessed that.
> 
> Hopefully Mike will chime in and confirm that statement.
> 
> Btw, I use a 25pdvc in an unfinished basement, but I'm only heating the basement.



I seen that too... Are they talking 4-8, like 4 heat and 8 fan. Or 4-8-1 on the bottom 3 buttons.

Because the convection blower has nothing to do with combustion air. So raising the fan level, should do nothing to the flame... ??


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## wyld byll (Apr 3, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Interesting, I would have never guessed that.
> 
> Hopefully Mike will chime in and confirm that statement.
> 
> Btw, I use a 25pdvc in an unfinished basement, but I'm only heating the basement.


how warm does your basement get and how big of an area is it?


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## wyld byll (Apr 3, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> I seen that too... Are they talking 4-8, like 4 heat and 8 fan. Or 4-8-1 on the bottom 3 buttons.
> 
> Because the convection blower has nothing to do with combustion air. So raising the fan level, should do nothing to the flame... ??


I know. He did explain and I remember it made sense at the time but I'll be darned if I can remember!


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## smoke show (Apr 3, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> how warm does your basement get and how big of an area is it?


 
Its 1000 sq ft and I can get 750 sq ft of it above 80 pretty easy. Theres one finished room  thats pretty closed off that will stay within 2-4 degrees if I leave the door open.

I tried keeping the finished room at the same temp with the door closed using a room to room fan with poor results. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/tjernlund-aireshare-room-to-room-fan.79113/ Its fine with the door open but I have reasons for keeping it closed.

Also my basement has 2" foam on the outside and is completely below grade with no windows. So i do have some thermal break.


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## Don2222 (Apr 3, 2012)

Dr.Faustus said:


> moving it upstairs is the way to go. however having it in the room with you might not be such a hot idea. i find that whatever room its in, it tends to draw a cool breeze across the floor towards the stove. this is to replace the hot air that has left the room heading towards other rooms.
> i havent gotten cooked out much since i put my pdvc on a thermostat but it has happened. i think if i had it in some other room i wouldnt get as much of a breeze and wouldnt have to raise the tv to cover its fan sound.


 
Hi Dr.Faustus

How is the PVDC on the thermostat? Do you use the recommended 9-9 for the high setting? What is the low setting?
Does it keep the room a constant temp? What temp do you set it for?

Thanks


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## slim (Apr 4, 2012)

Don2222 said:


> Yes but to really circulate air you need a supply and a return.
> 
> I use the stairwell for the return and 6" ductwork with inline fan to pull hot air from the heat tubes on the stove for the supply to 2 registers. One reg in the kitchen and one in the hallway to living room and bedrooms. It heats the whole house with a 45 k btu Avalon Astoria. I would highly recommend a large Travis or even Whitfield to do the job really good from the basement.
> 
> ...


The doorway develops a thermal circular flow which pulls air down in response to fan forcing air up & that is the supply/return. If you blow fan into cellar, it pressurizes the cellar & helps to warm the cellar moreso. The fan on the stove [hard blow aimed at the top of the doorway] induces any heat from the stove to be sucked into the blowstream & delivered upstairs. Bottom line is that its a simple thing to try so why not?


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## wyld byll (Apr 4, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Its 1000 sq ft and I can get 750 sq ft of it above 80 pretty easy. Theres one finished room thats pretty closed off that will stay within 2-4 degrees if I leave the door open.
> 
> I tried keeping the finished room at the same temp with the door closed using a room to room fan with poor results. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/tjernlund-aireshare-room-to-room-fan.79113/ Its fine with the door open but I have reasons for keeping it closed.
> 
> Also my basement has 2" foam on the outside and is completely below grade with no windows. So i do have some thermal break.


what heat and blower settings do you have to use to get it up to 80? Do you have the oak hooked up and if so did you increase to 3 inch intake hose? By the way my 5 year old thinks your avatar is pretty cool.


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## smoke show (Apr 4, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> what heat and blower settings do you have to use to get it up to 80? Do you have the oak hooked up and if so did you increase to 3 inch intake hose? By the way my 5 year old thinks your avatar is pretty cool.


Hope I'm not corrupting any five year olds.  I can clear 80 at heat setting 5 and maintain above 70 on 3. I always run my blower on 9.

When I first got it to previous owner had it in c mode and that sucker really cranked.

He had it in his basement and said he never ran it above 3.  I don't know if he knew it was in c mode.

I was fully expecting to have to glue some xps foam up on the walls after the stove install, but to my suprise it works good.

I only use it intermittently as needed, probly combusted a ton down there this year.

Like I said my basement has 2' foam on the outside, is fully below grade and has no windows.

YMMV


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## wyld byll (Apr 4, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Hope I'm not corrupting any five year olds.  I can clear 80 at heat setting 5 and maintain above 70 on 3. I always run my blower on 9.
> 
> When I first got it to previous owner had it in c mode and that sucker really cranked.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. do you have the fresh air hooked up?


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## smoke show (Apr 4, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> Thanks for the info. do you have the fresh air hooked up?


Yes I used selkirk direct temp.


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## wyld byll (Apr 4, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Yes I used selkirk direct temp.


I was told to increase to 3 inch pipe. Cant seem to find an increaser. How do I get a 3 inch pipe on a 2 inch outlet


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## smoke show (Apr 4, 2012)

Use an adapter.


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## wyld byll (Apr 4, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Use an adapter.


cant seem to find one. Do you know any websites? I tried ventingpipe.com and a few others and didnt see a 2 to 3 inch adapter listed.


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## smoke show (Apr 4, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> cant seem to find one. Do you know any websites? I tried ventingpipe.com and a few others and didnt see a 2 to 3 inch adapter listed.


Try a local auto parts store. Exhaust system adapter.


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## DexterDay (Apr 4, 2012)

Have you tries Auto Zone and use a Muffler increaser??

Edit. A day late and a dollar short. Smoke beat me. Again..


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## wyld byll (Apr 4, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> Have you tries Auto Zone and use a Muffler increaser??


never thought of that-thanks


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## wyld byll (Apr 4, 2012)

smoke show said:


> Try a local auto parts store. Exhaust system adapter.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


good idea. I may try to use a section of 3 inch flexible duct hose (the rigid type) and cut a slit in it, use a hose clamp and seal any gaps with foil tape. I think it would be ok as long as it is sealed good


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## stoveguy2esw (Apr 5, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> I noticed today that there is still an awful smell after the 3rd burn. There is air coming out of the blower housing in back. Is this normal? Not coming out the appliance adapter or pipe but the actual motor housing. Also the door was stuck shut today had to pull hard and the rope gasket was sticking to stove. I dont think it messed it up too bad but this cant be normal. I remember the very first time I fired it up a little smoke came out where the fan blows out the air before the fan even came on. Normal?Also I fired it up at 8-8 setting for an hour and then set it to 4-8. Went and checked 15 minutes later and the flame seemed to look the same in both settings. I am starting to think there may be a problem with stove. I know this is a lot of questions, and I will call tech support but wanted your opinion. Thanks!


 
sounds like its not "cooked" all the way out, pellet stoves sometimes take longer than woodstoves as eevrything doesnt get all that hot in the first fire like a wood box does. the gasket sticking to the door is also somthing that can happen if it wasnt all the way cured in, new one should be on the way anyway. the smoke out the vent in the first fire is common, its the smoke from cooking out building in the blower chamber being expelled by that first blast of air.

as for the comment on air speeding up in teh combustion chamber i am not sure what this refers to, the "blower speed" is room air only , does not affect combustion air, boosting the LBA may help but only in the lower ranges. now a tall lazierflame does denote low combustion air, until we get that nailed down do NOt go to "c" mode, it will make the burn worse. adding an OAK may well solve this issue


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## wyld byll (Apr 5, 2012)

stoveguy2esw said:


> sounds like its not "cooked" all the way out, pellet stoves sometimes take longer than woodstoves as eevrything doesnt get all that hot in the first fire like a wood box does. the gasket sticking to the door is also somthing that can happen if it wasnt all the way cured in, new one should be on the way anyway. the smoke out the vent in the first fire is common, its the smoke from cooking out building in the blower chamber being expelled by that first blast of air.
> 
> as for the comment on air speeding up in teh combustion chamber i am not sure what this refers to, the "blower speed" is room air only , does not affect combustion air, boosting the LBA may help but only in the lower ranges. now a tall lazierflame does denote low combustion air, until we get that nailed down do NOt go to "c" mode, it will make the burn worse. adding an OAK may well solve this issue


appreciate the input. I'm hooking up the oak this weekend (hopefully). I specifically asked him if the LBA would only affect the lower 2 settings as I have read on this forum, and he assured me that this is not correct. Said it affects the stove in all heat range settings. I did read on here some where that the new ones do respond to LBA setting on all temp settings. I'm confused as to what to believe. Hopefully I can get the fresh air hooked up on Saturday and crank it up. If I do and the fire is a little lazy, Do you think it would be ok to set the LBA up to 5 or 6? Also should the flame only be an inch or two higher than the burn pot? I thought my flame was agressive but it is higher than that and I'm not really sure just how aggressive the flame should be. Thanks everyone for all your input!


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## stoveguy2esw (Apr 5, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> appreciate the input. I'm hooking up the oak this weekend (hopefully). I specifically asked him if the LBA would only affect the lower 2 settings as I have read on this forum, and he assured me that this is not correct. Said it affects the stove in all heat range settings. I did read on here some where that the new ones do respond to LBA setting on all temp settings. I'm confused as to what to believe. Hopefully I can get the fresh air hooked up on Saturday and crank it up. If I do and the fire is a little lazy, Do you think it would be ok to set the LBA up to 5 or 6? Also should the flame only be an inch or two higher than the burn pot? I thought my flame was agressive but it is higher than that and I'm not really sure just how aggressive the flame should be. Thanks everyone for all your input!


 
i'll see if i can get a short video of an agressive flame on my blackberry post it on twitter for ya if i can figure out how   follow @xarmynsdq  or i may be able to capture it at home on my PC and post it, havent tried with video yet so no promises. im burning pdv's tomorrow but i might can throw a "c model" in the trailer if i can make a slot for it.

if the flame looks tall and darker orange you will want to boost the LBA take it up to whatever it takes, ive boosted it for basement installs in the past due to longer OAK  as for actual height, depends on several variables, fuel, heat range etc.


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## wyld byll (Apr 5, 2012)

stoveguy2esw said:


> i'll see if i can get a short video of an agressive flame on my blackberry post it on twitter for ya if i can figure out how follow @xarmynsdq or i may be able to capture it at home on my PC and post it, havent tried with video yet so no promises. im burning pdv's tomorrow but i might can throw a "c model" in the trailer if i can make a slot for it.
> 
> if the flame looks tall and darker orange you will want to boost the LBA take it up to whatever it takes, ive boosted it for basement installs in the past due to longer OAK as for actual height, depends on several variables, fuel, heat range etc.


thanks Mike - one more thing I'm having a heck of a time trying to find some kind of coupler to be able to increase to a 3 inch intake hose. Any ideas? I don't think an auto exhaust adapter will work and cant find anything. Thinking of making 4 slits in the end of rigid aluminum flex hose and puting on hose clamp and seal with foil tape. What are your thoughts? They say I need to have 3 inch for basement install


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## stoveguy2esw (Apr 5, 2012)

wyld byll said:


> thanks Mike - one more thing I'm having a heck of a time trying to find some kind of coupler to be able to increase to a 3 inch intake hose. Any ideas? I don't think an auto exhaust adapter will work and cant find anything. Thinking of making 4 slits in the end of rigid aluminum flex hose and puting on hose clamp and seal with foil tape. What are your thoughts? They say I need to have 3 inch for basement install


 
if ya cant find a coupler, take the 3 inch flex, cut about a 4 to 5 inch slit in it then fold one end over the other in a cone shape then clamp it on and seal the seam. check the local "pep boys, or custom type auto shops wher ethe kids go and get their "large tailpipes to make their cars loud" they usually have "aggressive" expanders


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## begreen (Apr 11, 2012)

It is much easier to move cool dense air than warm (lighter) air. Instead of trying to point the stove toward the cellar door (which could be a real challenge in some installations) try this. Put a simple table fan at the top of the stairway, on the floor, pointing downward. Run the fan on low speed. If you put a thermometer at the top of the doorway you should see a fairly noticeable temperature increase with this method.

Of course, the best solution is to use the stove as intended, that is as an area heater. Put the stove where you want the heat for the best comfort and often, reduced fuel consumption.


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## imacman (Apr 11, 2012)

begreen said:


> .....the best solution is to use the stove as intended, that is as an area heater. Put the stove where you want the heat for the best comfort and often, reduced fuel consumption.


Bingo.


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## wyld byll (Apr 11, 2012)

begreen said:


> It is much easier to move cool dense air than warm (lighter) air. Instead of trying to point the stove toward the cellar door (which could be a real challenge in some installations) try this. Put a simple table fan at the top of the stairway, on the floor, pointing downward. Run the fan on low speed. If you put a thermometer at the top of the doorway you should see a fairly noticeable temperature increase with this method.
> 
> Of course, the best solution is to use the stove as intended, that is as an area heater. Put the stove where you want the heat for the best comfort and often, reduced fuel consumption.


yea all the "experts" at the box stores don't describe these as glorified space heaters. Who knows... My house is only 1297 sg ft. It may work out ok - might just have to run it steady on low and give it a day or two  to really get things heated up. Seems like its putting out pretty hot air now, just that the weather has been warm through the day so I really wont be able to test it out until next fall. It did raise the temp about 6 degrees in the basement in about an hour and a half on setting 5. If i can run it steady on 2 or 3 and keep the furnace from kicking on too much it may well serve the purpose. If not back to the "beast" and burn real wood


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