Looking into a pellet stove

[Wet1]

Sweep the existing chimney, stick a spark arrestor on top of it (if it doesn't already have one), replace the single wall inside, and throw a nice used stove in there. We're talking a weekend cottage in VT that's not going to be used all the time... Just burn seasoned wood and keep the chimney clean and you'll be fine.

If by chance you have access to NG at that location, that would certainly be worth looking into as well, but I doubt you have access there.

 

[Skier76]

Thanks again...I needed a dose of reality...this is our "weekend" place. A small used woodstove may end up being just fine.

We actually do have access to propane (that's how we run our wall heater) but not natural gas.

 

[Wet1]

I've noticed propane is fairly cheap in some locations, but it seems to be very hit or miss. I'd suggest calling around the area and see how cheap it is there. If it's cheap, that's certainly an option.

With that said, I'd look for a nice used EPA stove and use what you already have... My guess is it served the previous owners well for many years, so there's no need to break the bank trying to reinvent the wheel. I'd want a stove that has at least a 2 cu ft fire box. Anything smaller and it might not burn through the night (w/o reloading) or through the day while you're skiing. Having an EPA rating is a must IMO, otherwise it will burn much more wood.

As I mentioned, coal is another option that might be worth looking into. It's easy to store, it never goes bad, is very high in BTUs, burns hot and for a very long time, plus it's very cheap in many areas when you look at the $/BTU. You can buy it loose by the ton or by the bag. Most coal stoves can burn wood as well, but most don't burn wood efficiently and require small splits. There was (only) one stove made that actually had an EPA rating for wood and it burns both very well... the Harman model "E" CW30. If you can find one of those in good shape, that might be an excellent option as it allows you to efficiently burn coal or wood. These are rare stoves, but pretty desirable for obvious reasons. If you're interested in one of these send me a PM, I have one that's not being used and is like new (really).

 

[imacman]

Skier,

I still think you'd be better off w/ the pellet stove. I had a wood stove for many years, and just got tired of the chopping, splitting, stacking, bugs, wasps, dirt, creosote, etc. that you have to deal with.

And since your still going to want to get a generator so you'll have electric for a few lights and the refrigerator, then the pellet stove seems to make more sense. As a worse case scenario, you just pick up 5-6 bags of pellets on your way up there, and you should be good for a weekend.

BTW, I have seen nice used stoves on the Vermont Craigslist classifieds for around $1100-1200.

 

[Skier76]

Thanks guys. We certainly do have options at this point. I'll tell ya, nothing like a few thousand dollar dose of reality to motivate me to tackle this install myself. Kinda lit a fire under my rear. Exuse the pun.