# Need a small pellet stove for bedroom



## They Call Me Pete (Jan 21, 2009)

The room is only 200 sq ft with a cathedral ceiling and fan. We have a space heater that we turn on about an hour before bed but would like to replace it next year with a stove.


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## rayttt (Jan 21, 2009)

I wanted to do the same thing..
I bought one and the manual says DO NOT PUT IN SLEEPING ROOMS...so it sits in my garage uninstalled.


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## They Call Me Pete (Jan 21, 2009)

Does it give you a reason or just say don't do it ?


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## Raven20 (Jan 21, 2009)

Against code.......


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## fossil (Jan 21, 2009)

Check your local Mechanical Building Code, many prohibit solid fuel-burning appliances in sleeping areas.  Rick


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## Wet1 (Jan 21, 2009)

I believe it's against code.  If you need another stove Pete, let me know as I have an Englander just sitting around.


EDIT, I guess we all posted the same thing at the same time.


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## They Call Me Pete (Jan 21, 2009)

Just talked to local stove shop and they said it was ok but smallest stove did 1500 sq ft.


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## Raven20 (Jan 21, 2009)

I would think any pellet stove would roast you out of the bedroom......


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## HD41 (Jan 21, 2009)

They Call Me Pete said:
			
		

> The room is only 200 sq ft with a cathedral ceiling and fan. We have a space heater that we turn on about an hour before bed but would like to replace it next year with a stove.


Most pellet stoves are negative pressure meaning the combustion blower assures smoke and gasses go outside. In the event of a power failure there may not be enough draft to keep smoke and gasses from entering the room and could cause a big sleep.
Stick with the electric space heater they are clean and cost effective.


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## webbie (Jan 21, 2009)

I would look carefully at the labels and manuals.....and not take the stove shop at their word.
There is little problem in terms of the heat, which can be turned down, but one only needs to read a couple of the posts here lately about pellet stoves burning back into the hopper, etc. to get the hint that a sleeping area may not be the best idea. In general, the same goes for most solid fuel and even no-vent and B-vent gas (not positive on the B-vent), and usually has to do with a number of factors including combustion air, clearances, etc.

I have seem local officials make some exceptions when bedrooms were not traditional bedrooms - very large rooms without doors easily being able to shut off, etc.


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## Xena (Jan 21, 2009)

They Call Me Pete said:
			
		

> Just talked to local stove shop
> and they said it was ok but smallest stove did 1500 sq ft.



Your local stove shop is giving you bad information.  The installation
manuals for every pellet stove I've ever seen specifically state
"caution: do not install in a sleeping room".

It's posts like this that send newbies in the wrong direction.


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## They Call Me Pete (Jan 21, 2009)

Either going to stick with space heater or go with Woodstocks Cottage Mini gas. Woodstock would cost around $1600 to set up. I know that heater doesn't use that much juice in a winter.


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## treehackers (Jan 21, 2009)

rayttt said:
			
		

> I wanted to do the same thing..
> I bought one and the manual says DO NOT PUT IN SLEEPING ROOMS...so it sits in my garage uninstalled.



Is it for sale?


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## hossthehermit (Jan 21, 2009)

My vote is - ELECTRIC BLANKET!


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## Steve NH (Jan 21, 2009)

Does the space hearter give you enough heat?  If so and you only need it a night I'd think you'd be best off sticking with that.
If you do the math you may find that if you could find a nice stove for $ 1000 - That $ 1000 would probably keep your space heater running for a few years.
(and if you found a stove you'd still be buying pellets)

(Disclaimer - check my math)
Assuming you have an electric space heater...
Example a 1500 watt heater running 8 hrs a day 4 months a year = 960 hrs (8 x 120)
960 hrs x 1.5 KW/Hr = 1440 KWHrs
If you pay .15 /kwhr (about what I pay) then it would cost $ 216.00 yr to use the heater you have.
vs laying $ 1000 out now plus pellets - plus installation.


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## slheinlein (Jan 21, 2009)

I'd like to put one in the basement for heat.  It's about 1200 sq. ft.  My office is in basement and with the recent cold temps, it would get down to lower 40's.


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## tinkabranc (Jan 21, 2009)

They Call Me Pete said:
			
		

> Either going to stick with space heater or go with Woodstocks Cottage Mini gas. Woodstock would cost around $1600 to set up. I know that heater doesn't use that much juice in a winter.



$1600 for stove or just setup? The stove alone is around 2K.

IMO be more economical to just stick with the electric heater or electric blanket.


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## orangecrushcj7 (Jan 21, 2009)

electric blanket is the most cost effective thing to use in a bedroom.  You aren't wasting the energy to heat the entire 200 sf, you'll only be heating what needs to be heated: you!  200 watt blanket vs 1500 watt space heater is a no brainer.

plus a solid fueled appliance is against code everywhere.


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## pellet0708 (Jan 22, 2009)

Keep hearing not to put pellet stoves in sleeping areas but what is the difference between that and people with open floor plans that have bedrooms that open directly off the living room?  They obviously leave the doors open for the heat.


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## woodsman23 (Jan 22, 2009)

pellet0708 said:
			
		

> Keep hearing not to put pellet stoves in sleeping areas but what is the difference between that and people with open floor plans that have bedrooms that open directly off the living room?  They obviously leave the doors open for the heat.



That is a whole different story. If you have it in the bedroom right next to you while you sleep and the power goes out your gonna be dead. If it goes out in the open floor plan but it is 30 feet away then you will be alive


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## They Call Me Pete (Jan 22, 2009)

Orange Crush CJ-7 said:
			
		

> electric blanket is the most cost effective thing to use in a bedroom.  You aren't wasting the energy to heat the entire 200 sf, you'll only be heating what needs to be heated: you!  200 watt blanket vs 1500 watt space heater is a no brainer.
> 
> plus a solid fueled appliance is against code everywhere.



I was burned bad by a electric blanket when I was a kid and will *NEVER* have one again. I'm sticking with the space heater. It has 3 settings and runs on a t-stat so it's not really running all the time plus is only run at night . I run it at med which I think is 900W plus it's set at 64 which is perfect sleeping temp for me but it's the old lady who is always cold. I told her to sleep on the couch next to the stove  :lol: .


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## begreen (Jan 22, 2009)

Put in a nice little electric fireplace that makes crackly sounds. Or run a fireplace DVD on the 600watt plasma screen.  %-P


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## Valhalla (Jan 22, 2009)

Raven20 said:
			
		

> I would think any pellet stove would roast you out of the bedroom......



Yep, stayed at an inn in Maine some years ago. The bedroom had a very small Jotul wood stove. It sure roasted us out! Too much heat for one room.


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## Galroc (Jan 22, 2009)

I asked my local dealer and he said as long as it has an outside air kit installed.

But, I would still ask the building inspector.


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## Defiant (Jan 22, 2009)

A small direct-vent gas stove will do the trick for you.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 22, 2009)

Galroc said:
			
		

> I asked my local dealer and he said as long as it has an outside air kit installed.
> 
> But, I would still ask the building inspector.



An OAK being installed isn't going to help if there are loose seals and the combustion motor does a paws up routine on you and there is little to no natural draft in the flue or the flue becomes chocked.  Not to mention if the stove doesn't have a sealed hopper and the paws up routine takes place.

Even if the inspector signs off on it and I doubt if that'll happen, I wouldn't do it.   I want that stove in another room with several warning devices between it an me when I sleep.   Being a bear I'd stumble into a stove still groggy if the alarms went off and the stove was in my bedroom.


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## Galroc (Jan 22, 2009)

Good points..which is why there isn't a pellet stove in my bedroom..,


Instead, I spent $1000 and added more insulation to my attic.


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## Valhalla (Jan 22, 2009)

Galroc said:
			
		

> Good points..which is why there isn't a pellet stove in my bedroom..,
> 
> 
> Instead, I spent $1000 and added more insulation to my attic.




Now that is a smart investment! Payback for the life of your home and green too, as less fuel of all types are consumed, and also warmer bedrooms.


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## dbjc364 (Jan 27, 2009)

in most states-towns its against building codes-and its in most manuals if not all. I never would put one in a bedroom. if you need heat- we put electric mattress pads on- cost $60 and well worth it- monthly operating cost of $3.00. A real good heater is the "Edenpure Infared heater",low operating costs-around $35 a month using it 8 hrs a day. The cabinet doesnt even get hot.We're pretty sure we'll be getting one of those also.


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## MCPO (Jan 27, 2009)

On page 6 of my Harman manual it reads DO NOT INSTALL IN SLEEPING ROOM

I`m going to go out on a limb here and assume they mean bedroom.


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## stoveguy2esw (Jan 27, 2009)

folks , i spoke today with a fellow who had CO poisoning from sleeping in a room with a furnace (wood add on) seems he was living in the basement of his mom-in law's  where an old oil furnace and the add on wood unit were co-located, chimney install was a cobb job,(unpermitted, uninspected install) done before his arrival, noone else in the house was affected. seems like the stove would burn ok once he got the flue heated up, my theory is that the flue was cooling in the coal stage and the unit was backpuffing when the oil furnace kicked on to take over from the dying wood fire in the wee hours of the morning. CO detector (at least a decade old) never went off. flue is a prefab exterior unchased triplewall at 32 ft from basement. single wall stove connector pipe and a TEE which was outside but not class A. uninsulated, then the triplewall up the side of the house. guy was lucky to be able to talk to me today. we identified his issues but i seriously believe he will not be using the stove anymore as long as he is sleeping in that room. the unit was fine , flue was biggest problem. CO detector was way outdated, and the oil furnace was pulling from the basement as well so you have competing flues. guy is SERIOUSLY lucky not to be getting prepped for a long dirt nap. 

several lessons to be learned

1. NEVER install a combustion heating device in a sleeping room, it may be safe when working properly but any machine can break , and that one time could spell disaster!

2. CO detectors/smoke detectors, a MUST HAVE and need to be replaced on schedule. most will only have a usable lifespan of no more than 5 years. and as stated in other posts in this forum , the "test" button only tests the alarm , it does not test the detector!

3. NEVER assume an install is done correctly unless you were there , and are certain it was properly done and inspected! always have a wett or similarly certified chimney professional inspect any flue system prior to putting it into use. any new install into an existing flue system requires a class 2 inspection to be done prior to install, and i strongly recommend the same with anyone moving into a home with an existing system or flue that you intend to use.

folks, we dont put these warnings in manuals to make it hard on the public, these warnings are there in the hopes that they be adhered to for your SAFETY, people die from CO poisoning every year, from a multitude of products , and for a multitude of reasons. CO scares the bajeebers (for lack of a stronger term that i can put in print) outta me. my phone call this morning had me shook up pretty good even though i was actually talking to the "victim" and not someone else who was wondering why someone died in their house. speaking for the industry as a whole;bottom line PLEASE PLEASE! be safe , follow our instructions , heed our warnings, have your installs inspected , install and maintain the proper sensing devices, and operate our products in the manner they were designed to be used. you are inviting FIRE into your home, you have to respect that to be safe coexisting with it.

sorry for the rant , but safety is my buisness and unsafe things scare me.


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## mjbrown (Jan 27, 2009)

Pete,

please, please, please....do not put a pellet stove or even a gas heater for that matter in your bedroom!i have friends who had put a gas heater upstairs in the bedroom thier sons slept in....they dont have sons anymore due to a gas leak.there are sooooo many  other ways to warm your bedroom up, try the edenpure heater. the reviews i have heard on these are great. another friend bought the larger one for his bedroom as there was no heat at all , and he loves it.you will be just as far ahead if not farther,the larger model is hundreds of dollars cheaper than the smallest of pellet stoves, and the heat is adjustable.

if you are going to spend the money, tyr the edenpure, worst come to worst, you could always sell it and recoup some of the money to try something else.we use a small ceramic heater with a stat built in and it heats my bedroom to the point that i kick covers off in the night.

mike


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## katecurry (Jan 27, 2009)

Any wood burning appliance is against code for one blaring reason...carbon monoxide.  Get a dog and a down blanket!
KC
South Jersey


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## TJ7960 (Feb 1, 2009)

One quick note.  Last month my pellet stove malfunctioned.  Making a long story short, the stove was located in my family room downstairs.  My one son was sleeping there.  My other son smelled smoke from upstairs and went down and saw the entire room was full of smoke from about 6 inches down from the ceiling.  He woke his brother up and called me to come.  I opened the stove and removed the burn pot from the stove and thrue it outside and then opened the windows.  Lesson learned. Oh and the fire detector malfunctioned.  Never went off.
Remember on PBS years ago they had the yule log on TV during the holiday's.  Turn up your electric space heater and enjoy the fire safely.


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## 4124elad (Feb 2, 2009)

Portable electric heaters are quite dangerous.  Just take a look at 14 gauge wire that is used on them.
http://www.toad.net/~jsmeenen/electric.html

Installing some electric baseboard is the way to go for heating 200 square feet.  It is easy to do.
http://www.wikihow.com/Install-Baseboard-Heating-(Electric)

I have found it is cheaper to use electric baseboard to heat my 672 square feet rather than running my pellet stove.

The reason it is cheaper to heat my space with electric is partially due to the fact that the pellet stove cycles frequently (it is a QuadraFire Sante Fe).  Every time the stove gets a call for heat it burns up pellets coming up to the temperature needed for the convection blower to kick on.  That time frame is ten minutes.

That ten minutes is wasted btus.  Add those lost btus up over the course of a day and the efficiency of the stove has dropped down to around 30 percent and electric heat has become very affordable.

Using electric baseboard is 100% efficient and small spaces can be heated using only the btus actually needed. More than likely the btus a pellet stove looses up the chimney during start up and operation 
would more than heat any area under a 1000 sf.

Over the last few day's it has taken 55kw a day to equal the Sante Fe using a bag and a half of pellet per day.  At .16 per kw that is $8.80 per day and the pellet stove would be $8.97 plus the cost of the electricty to run the stove.

If your going to use a space heater at least unplug it when it is not being used.  I had a fire last year from a space heater that was just plugged in.  Was not pretty.


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## stovetop (Feb 2, 2009)

you can get a nice electric fireplace and mantle for under a thousand dollars and they will heat 250 sq ft at 5000 btus if u instal a 220 plug u can get 9500 btus of heat


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## Nicholas440 (Feb 2, 2009)

Invest about $60 on a nice oil filled electric radiator and you'll be very happy !!


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