- Sep 18, 2012
- 47
Newbie here who is looking to start cheating the oil company this winter and I need your advice. I've been doing quite a bit of research into stoves and while I love the look of the cast pellets stoves like the GC60 or the M55 or the Avalon Arbor..... they are a bit outside of my price range, as far as what I've seen online and here in the forums.
So, as I've looked around these forums, it seems to me that the line that is more in my price range is the Englanders. Seems like people are generally satisfied with their performance and customer support. (If you're not, I'd like to know about it.) So, I've pretty much determined that I will be ordering an Englander of some form.
My home is a small ranch, just over 1200 sq ft. At one end of the house is a cathedral ceiling'd open floor plan "great room" that has Kitchen/dining room on one side and the living room on the other. The bedrooms and bath are on the other half of the house off of a hall down the middle. It is pretty well insulated. And is currently heated by a forced hot air oil furnace. However, the house never feels warm during the winter. My wife complains she's cold all winter but I'm a heat nazi and tell her to go put another sweater on. Which doesn't make me husband of the year, for sure. So, in part that's why I'm looking at a pellet stove in that I'm hoping that it will warm more evenly than the forced hot air.
So, this is where I need your expert advice. My plan is to put the pellet stove in the corner of the living room. Am I crazy to think that the pellet stove will warm more evenly, especially in the kitchen/living/dining area?
Second, my basement is half garage (which is unheated) and then half unfinished at the back. The furnace is vented into that part of the basement. I'm afraid that if I turn the furnace totally off, my pipes might freeze. And, since the laundry room is down there, I'm also worried about the wife being cold and me having to walk around in dirty clothes because she refuses to do my laundry..... There is a stair that comes up from the basement into the dining room. Just not sure how to get the heat to go down since it naturally rises. A fan doesn't seem practical. Any thoughts? Anyone else faced this? How did you handle it? Eventually, I plan on finishing the basement into a mancave and I'd like to put a fireplace/stove down there. But, can't afford to buy 2 stoves right now.
Finally, I'm trying to decide between a few stoves. I'm looking at the Timberridge line. I've looked at the 55-TRP10 which looks like it would be large enough for my home since it is rated up to 1500 sq. ft. However, for a couple of hundred dollars more, I could get the 55-TRP22 which is rated up to 2200 sq. ft. Would you drop the extra couple hundred dollars for the extra horse power? And, if I were to go that route, I'm thinking, should I do the 49-TRCPM for a few hundred dollars more and get the multi-fuel capabilities? I'm not even sure what other fuel options are available in the Northeast. I know that corn has become so expensive that currently its not viable as a fuel source. However, should things change there is part of me that would like to have the flexibility. Thoughts?
Let me end by saying thanks. I appreciate the wisdom and knowledge that has been shared here in these forums. Hoping that I will join the ranks of you pellet pigs soon.
Brian
Upstate NY aka God's Country
So, as I've looked around these forums, it seems to me that the line that is more in my price range is the Englanders. Seems like people are generally satisfied with their performance and customer support. (If you're not, I'd like to know about it.) So, I've pretty much determined that I will be ordering an Englander of some form.
My home is a small ranch, just over 1200 sq ft. At one end of the house is a cathedral ceiling'd open floor plan "great room" that has Kitchen/dining room on one side and the living room on the other. The bedrooms and bath are on the other half of the house off of a hall down the middle. It is pretty well insulated. And is currently heated by a forced hot air oil furnace. However, the house never feels warm during the winter. My wife complains she's cold all winter but I'm a heat nazi and tell her to go put another sweater on. Which doesn't make me husband of the year, for sure. So, in part that's why I'm looking at a pellet stove in that I'm hoping that it will warm more evenly than the forced hot air.
So, this is where I need your expert advice. My plan is to put the pellet stove in the corner of the living room. Am I crazy to think that the pellet stove will warm more evenly, especially in the kitchen/living/dining area?
Second, my basement is half garage (which is unheated) and then half unfinished at the back. The furnace is vented into that part of the basement. I'm afraid that if I turn the furnace totally off, my pipes might freeze. And, since the laundry room is down there, I'm also worried about the wife being cold and me having to walk around in dirty clothes because she refuses to do my laundry..... There is a stair that comes up from the basement into the dining room. Just not sure how to get the heat to go down since it naturally rises. A fan doesn't seem practical. Any thoughts? Anyone else faced this? How did you handle it? Eventually, I plan on finishing the basement into a mancave and I'd like to put a fireplace/stove down there. But, can't afford to buy 2 stoves right now.
Finally, I'm trying to decide between a few stoves. I'm looking at the Timberridge line. I've looked at the 55-TRP10 which looks like it would be large enough for my home since it is rated up to 1500 sq. ft. However, for a couple of hundred dollars more, I could get the 55-TRP22 which is rated up to 2200 sq. ft. Would you drop the extra couple hundred dollars for the extra horse power? And, if I were to go that route, I'm thinking, should I do the 49-TRCPM for a few hundred dollars more and get the multi-fuel capabilities? I'm not even sure what other fuel options are available in the Northeast. I know that corn has become so expensive that currently its not viable as a fuel source. However, should things change there is part of me that would like to have the flexibility. Thoughts?
Let me end by saying thanks. I appreciate the wisdom and knowledge that has been shared here in these forums. Hoping that I will join the ranks of you pellet pigs soon.
Brian
Upstate NY aka God's Country