Changing Stoves

[MrLane]

Changing stoves

I currently live in a 1350sf, 70's manufactured ranch with a basement of which 50+% is a family room. We purchased the 70's ranch home 13yrs ago and have been primarily heating with a Whitfield pellet stove (the model number eludes me at this moment) that is able to keep most places upstairs in the house at 67°. She has done a fair job but feel that she is underated for the 2700sf that were attempt to heat. We have two other sources of back up heat that is used in the beginning and end of the heating season and when single digits are hit.

Being that we have an open spiral staircase near the center of the house, I cut and installed boot ducts on 6" pipe to the basement family room (above drop ceiling ) with duct fans being utilized to draw heat from the family below and was able to disguise duct work with egg crate drop ceiling panels. This significantly stabilized house temps. But we still require use from time to time utilizing a 100K LP boiler.

One of the primary reasons to replace the Whitfield Stove is that it emits soot out the rod hole for the tube scraper. This is quite irritating for my wife!

I am currently investigating the Harman P61. From my investigation and research this unit should be capable of handling my 2700sf heating needs with some to spare. One of the biggest questions is.. Does it or will I face soot issues with the Harman P61 being pushed around the interior of our home? Under proper/normal operation.

All comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

Thank you for the time that you took to read this!

Respectfully
Mark in NWPA

 

[bholler]

Ok

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I’ll allow it.

 

[sneefy]

Much better.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Changing stoves

I currently live in a 1350sf, 70's manufactured ranch with a basement of which 50+% is a family room. We purchased the 70's ranch home 13yrs ago and have been primarily heating with a Whitfield pellet stove (the model number eludes me at this moment) that is able to keep most places upstairs in the house at 67°. She has done a fair job but feel that she is underated for the 2700sf that were attempt to heat. We have two other sources of back up heat that is used in the beginning and end of the heating season and when single digits are hit.

Being that we have an open spiral staircase near the center of the house, I cut and installed boot ducts on 6" pipe to the basement family room (above drop ceiling ) with duct fans being utilized to draw heat from the family below and was able to disguise duct work with egg crate drop ceiling panels. This significantly stabilized house temps. But we still require use from time to time utilizing a 100K LP boiler.

Not sure if you’re asking what new stove would be good for you or not. If that’s the case, are you thinking pellet or wood?

 

[MrLane]

Apologies... New to understanding message sites.

Just updated question.

Looking at a Harman P61 to replace a Whitfield.

The Whitfield is under size and soots up the house

 

[sneefy]

Is the remaining 50% of the basement finished? Heat flows to cold, so any unfinished/uninsulated walls/sills/etc will be a heat sink.

 

[MrLane]

Is the remaining 50% of the basement finished? Heat flows to cold, so any unfinished/uninsulated walls/sills/etc will be a heat sink.

The remaining basement is semi finished! The open spiral staircase is utilized along with the duct fans in each room to aid in convection circulation in the house.

It has worked rather well since the were added.

By the way the Whitfield is in the basement family room 30-40ft from where the current pellet stove sits!

 

[bogieb]

So, on paper the P61 should work, but it entirely depends on your specific house. I put a P61a in my basement and despite lots of holes cut in the main floor and lots of fans (psuhing up, pushing down, pushing sideways - I tried everything), it couldn't keep my main floor as warm as I would have liked (by the stairs it was fine, in bedrooms it was in 50's).

My main floor is 950 sq/ft and basement is 650 sq/ft. I ended up putting in a P43 on the main floor. BTW, when I went to buy a pellet stove told the company my thoughts on getting two smaller stoves and they convinced my teh P61a was the way to go. Don't get me wrong, I love that stove, but in my circumstances I wish I had gone with my gut instead of the stove specialists. But I will say that even before I put in the main floor stove, at least it cut way back on the propane boiler use for the main floor.

Figure out what your Whitfield model is and what the expected sq/ft is for heating (or BTUs). If the P61 is about the same specs, then it probably won't heat the upstairs any better. In that case, I'm not saying don't buy the stove, but if you chose to go with one stove, manage your expectations. At the same time, I would encourage you to look to see if maybe two smaller stoves may be better. And bonus on two stoves, my P61a is started later in the fall, and shut down earlier in the spring than my main floor stove, so that is electrical and pellet savings.

The P61 definitely will not put soot out into the room.

 

[johneh]

The one thing that has not been said is that a pellet stove
is a space heater! It was not and is not designed to heat a
whole house. In order for the stove to heat the whole house
you have to use a stove designed for that purpose eg a pellet
boiler or furnace. Some People claim to do a good job of heating
their homes with 1 stove but the vast majority have problems
doing so. Maybe you should look at 2 stoves and something
to remember, buy a stove over the size recommended It is easier
to turn the heat output down than get more heat from a
maxed-out stove on a cold windy January night. Just my nickel's worth

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

The one thing that has not been said is that a pellet stove
is a space heater! It was not and is not designed to heat a
whole house. In order for the stove to heat the whole house
you have to use a stove designed for that purpose eg a pellet
boiler or furnace. Some People claim to do a good job of heating
their homes with 1 stove but the vast majority have problems
doing so. Maybe you should look at 2 stoves and something
to remember, buy a stove over the size recommended It is easier
to turn the heat output down than get more heat from a
maxed-out stove on a cold windy January night. Just my nickel's worth

I agree. I’ve got a 2700 sq ft Cape Cod house with a P43 in the basement and an Accentra Insert on the first floor. Even with two stoves, I still need to run an electric heater in our master bathroom and bedroom which are located on the first floor.

 

[MrLane]

So, on paper the P61 should work, but it entirely depends on your specific house. I put a P61a in my basement and despite lots of holes cut in the main floor and lots of fans (psuhing up, pushing down, pushing sideways - I tried everything), it couldn't keep my main floor as warm as I would have liked (by the stairs it was fine, in bedrooms it was in 50's).

My main floor is 950 sq/ft and basement is 650 sq/ft. I ended up putting in a P43 on the main floor. BTW, when I went to buy a pellet stove told the company my thoughts on getting two smaller stoves and they convinced my teh P61a was the way to go. Don't get me wrong, I love that stove, but in my circumstances I wish I had gone with my gut instead of the stove specialists. But I will say that even before I put in the main floor stove, at least it cut way back on the propane boiler use for the main floor.

Figure out what your Whitfield model is and what the expected sq/ft is for heating (or BTUs). If the P61 is about the same specs, then it probably won't heat the upstairs any better. In that case, I'm not saying don't buy the stove, but if you chose to go with one stove, manage your expectations. At the same time, I would encourage you to look to see if maybe two smaller stoves may be better. And bonus on two stoves, my P61a is started later in the fall, and shut down earlier in the spring than my main floor stove, so that is electrical and pellet savings.

The P61 definitely will not put soot out into the room.

Thank you for your response and added perspective.

I was finely able to track down the Whitfield model (Profile 20) that I have. After searching on line I see that it has a max rated capacity of 1800sf that has been used for our 2700sf home. With that information gathered and looking at the ductwork and fans that I installed, I'm amazed that I was able to maintain 66 - 67° in the winter months. However, my insulation must not be terrible.

I may consider a 2nd stove to assist in heating however the soot issue is tough on a marriage!

The information about sooting is extremely reassuring, should I fully commit to the Harman P61 series as my primary heat source. With the LP boiler as a secondary heat source.

Thanks again for you perspective!
Mark

 

[MrLane]

I agree. I’ve got a 2700 sq ft Cape Cod house with a P43 in the basement and an Accentra Insert on the first floor. Even with two stoves, I still need to run an electric heater in our master bathroom and bedroom which are located on the first floor.

Gentlemen

Thank you for your input. I will certainly search for a larger stove/furnace oversized for my actual space requirements. Just for added fun of this conversation.. I was able to locate the model number in the past few days. I first thought that I Had a Whitfield Profile 30 capable of heating 22 - 2500sf _ WRONG! I actually have a Whitfield Profile 20. With a capability of heating 1800sf max. Considering this and understanding the ductwork and fans that I installed... I'm surprised that I could maintain 66 - 67° during the winter months.

Mark
Great Lakes NWPA

 

[Ssyko]

Just an FYI Harman is not the only heat beast out there. check out the Enviro MAXX. prices have gone up on all stoves this year so keep that as a mental note. if the stove is burning properly it should not emit any soot

 

[MrLane]

Thank you for the input, I'll look into that brand before finalizing decisions? The Whitfield stove that I have has been great aside from to small and the soot!

The two places that I recognize soot from the Whitfield is 1. Where the rod is to scrape the heat exchanger.. and 2. When the the stove reignites the hot gases and smoke in the combustion chamber (small explosion upon ignition) soot is forced out of the stove. Even with new door and windows gaskets and confirming door latch and seal are tight.

Mark R.
NWPA

 

[blades]

Enviro Maxx apx $4000 . Harmon p61 apx $4800.. + flue and istallation

 

[Ocelot]

You've already received lot's of good answers about the stove location and all. As far as the soot goes with the Harmon, I have a P43 which is the little brother of the P61and there is zero soot anywhere. It doesn't even have a scraper rod. The only thing I get is dust, and that's from dumping pellets into the hopper, not from the burning.

Harmons are great stoves as far as I'm concerned. My P43 replaced an Englander EP-25 bay front stove that I used for 11 years. I can't explain it, but the Harmon seems to put out significantly more heat for the same amount of pellets. I know that's contrary to the wisdom of a pound of pellets having X amount of BTU's, but My P43 must put more of those BTU's into the room somehow. Maintenance is far easier as well. The Englander was a top feed and I had a routine where every evening before supper, I would shut the stove down to clean and scrape the burn pot and then fire it back up. It only took a short time, but it had to be done or the burn pot would foul up. With the P43, I only have to shut it down once every couple weeks and just hot scrape a couple times per day. I use pine pellets with so little ash that I only have to empty the big ash pan once per month. I picked it up a couple years ago as a lightly used stove for half the price of a new one and it's been a pleasure to use. I liked the Englander, and it gave us good heat for over a decade, but I love the P43!

Ray