Dealer says don't use auto/off to save the ignitor?

[SmokeyTheBear]

What will happen as far as the combustion air is concerned depends upon the specific stove's controller.

Some throttle the air with the heat range setting, some don't. So you have do some digging or measuring to find out what your unit does.

What gets changed in the hi/low mode is the heat range setting.

 

[Delta-T]

also keep in mind that if you never burn any pellets in your stove, you never have to clean it......that lil tid-bit is not in the manual either, you only learn that here on Hearth.com, where all the good secrets hide.

I'm a Keep It Simple kinda guy and really like stoves that dont have ignitors....one less thing to think about/become dependent on. Low/high modes on stoves like the Enviro make lots of sense during the prime heating season, like manual mode on Harmans. Spring/Fall is a different animal, though I say "whats wrong with a few extra degrees?" I have a speedo if it gets too toasty (i dont, but it sounds cool).

Think of how happy the world would be if everyone had an old Advantage II or a P38.....there'd be no hunger, or illiteracy, or Jerry Springer.

 

[heat seeker]

No guarantees on the accuracy, but I figure that running a 400 watt igniter for 10 minutes costs me 1⅓¢, given our expensive electricity at 20¢ per kilowatt hour. The fans cost a whole lot more to operate, costing me about 6¢/hour to run on high.

 

[velotocht]

Heat seeker:

I ran your theoretical calcultions for 10 mins ignitor (at 400W and 20c / KwHr, pf=1.0) and also got 1.33 cents per 10 minute ignition cycle.

Then I back calcuated your 6 cents per hour for the fans to find the electrical current of your fans at 120 VAC. I found they would need to draw about 3.1 amps complex current at an assumed power factor of 0.8.

So, I think your numbers are all good!

PS - I thought NY electrical rates at 14c per KwHr were high! You guys are experiencing legal robbery where you live!)

RonB

 

[heat seeker]

Heat seeker:

I ran your theoretical calcultions for 10 mins ignitor (at 400W and 20c / KwHr, pf=1.0) and also got 1.33 cents per 10 minute ignition cycle.

Then I back calcuated your 6 cents per hour for the fans to find the electrical current of your fans at 120 VAC. I found they would need to draw about 3.1 amps complex current at an assumed power factor of 0.8.

So, I think your numbers are all good!

PS - I thought NY electrical rates at 14c per KwHr were high! You guys are experiencing legal robbery where you live!)

RonB

Thank you for the confirmation! I ignored the power factor, since the ignitor is just a resistance. The stove supposedly draws around 300 watts without the ignitor running, so your figures are right on, too!

Oh yeah, we are getting robbed on electricity. The rates are supposed to drop for a while due to decreased costs, but I don't think that will last very long. I'm glad I don't have electric heat! This house originally had electric heat, and the wiring and relays and boxes are still here. It was converted to oil/hot water some years ago. Whoever did the installation did only a fair to middling job, but they did put in three zones, which is a huge help.

My stove will "idle" for an hour when the thermostat is satisfied, then shut down completely if there is no call for heat. It will then self-start when heat is needed. Since my heat loss is slow, it usually takes about 2 hours for the 'stat to call for heat. I'd like to eliminate the idling period, since it does little to heat the place, but I don't think I can - it's a function of the control board. If I'm near the stove when it idles, I manually shut it down, and it will still start up when needed. So, I'm figuring the ignitor will pay for itself over time (by saving pellets and convenience). If not, well, that's the price of convenience. Convenience is one reason I have the pellet stove, over a wood or coal stove.