PelPro PPC90 Cast Freestanding Stove

[Don2222]

Here are some reviews of the New Pelpro
Some good and some issues.
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Pelpro Pellet Stove - 50,000 BTU, EPA-Certified, Model# PP130
I still like the older Pelpros with the New Accutron IV control panel and the nice high temp white Nylon auger bearings with a heavy gearbox auger motor.
The new auger feed system on the new Pelpro needs to be proven, using the small HHT Quad motor on the bottom of a regular auger instead of the top of the quad spring auger? Hmmm!

 

[WCHamilton]

Hey Scott, I'm about to purchase the TSC90 - how do you like this one so far? This would be my first stove purchase so I'm a total newb when it comes to this but have learned a lot over the past week or so. This site is a great resource! Seems like a great buy.

I've had this stove for awhile and it has an issue with stove throwing Fuel Feed Alarms when it gets close to its set temperature. I've reached out to PelPro repeatedly but have yet to be given a reliable solution (the last person I talked to said "Yeah, we've gotten quite a few calls about this..."). The stove also doesn't seem to accurately read the room temp; even with the probe fully extended, it generally reads 5-7 degrees cooler than a wall-mounted thermometer next to it does.

The only fix I've found that reliably works is to connect an external programmable thermostat to the stove. I did this last week and the stove runs fine now, since whatever it is (probably the exhaust temp sensor) that's tripping the error is out of the loop with an external thermostat.

I emailed PelPro several days ago asking if they had an idea of a permanent solution being provided for this, especially given multiple people are experiencing the issue, but have yet to get a response.

But I will say the stove puts out great heat... it keeps my entire downstairs at a comfy 70-72 with the temps dipping into the teens. It's fairly easy to clean (I vacuum it out and clean the glass daily, take out the baffles and clean them and behind the stove weekly) and looks nice; I just wish Pelpro would acknowledge the bigger issue and offer a permanent fix.

 

[klincker]

I've had this stove for awhile and it has an issue with stove throwing Fuel Feed Alarms when it gets close to its set temperature. I've reached out to PelPro repeatedly but have yet to be given a reliable solution (the last person I talked to said "Yeah, we've gotten quite a few calls about this..."). The stove also doesn't seem to accurately read the room temp; even with the probe fully extended, it generally reads 5-7 degrees cooler than a wall-mounted thermometer next to it does.

The only fix I've found that reliably works is to connect an external programmable thermostat to the stove. I did this last week and the stove runs fine now, since whatever it is (probably the exhaust temp sensor) that's tripping the error is out of the loop with an external thermostat.

I emailed PelPro several days ago asking if they had an idea of a permanent solution being provided for this, especially given multiple people are experiencing the issue, but have yet to get a response.

But I will say the stove puts out great heat... it keeps my entire downstairs at a comfy 70-72 with the temps dipping into the teens. It's fairly easy to clean (I vacuum it out and clean the glass daily, take out the baffles and clean them and behind the stove weekly) and looks nice; I just wish Pelpro would acknowledge the bigger issue and offer a permanent fix.

Looking to get this stove for next year. I already have a castle serenity heating my addition and would like to check this pp90 out some more. Love the way it looks the most, which is why I'm not getting another Castle. I'll most likely run a thermostat to a hallway for accuracy so I'm not overly concerned about the fuel feed alarm, but the ash pan is a small concern. From what I read it looks like it may be similar to what the serenity has as an ash pan that has to be pulled out of the main door. How long before you have do dump/clean the pans? Can someone confirm this and maybe upload some pictures of the inside of the box? I cant find any pictures or videos that show many components. I'm coming from an economical point here. looking to reduce my heating oil consumption to near zero.

Thanks!

 

[WCHamilton]

Looking to get this stove for next year. I already have a castle serenity heating my addition and would like to check this pp90 out some more. Love the way it looks the most, which is why I'm not getting another Castle. I'll most likely run a thermostat to a hallway for accuracy so I'm not overly concerned about the fuel feed alarm, but the ash pan is a small concern. From what I read it looks like it may be similar to what the serenity has as an ash pan that has to be pulled out of the main door. How long before you have do dump/clean the pans? Can someone confirm this and maybe upload some pictures of the inside of the box? I cant find any pictures or videos that show many components. I'm coming from an economical point here. looking to reduce my heating oil consumption to near zero.

Thanks!

The instructions say the pans (there's two, one on either side of the burn pot) need to be emptied once per week but I do it every day, not because they need it but just because I figure you can't clean a stove too much. The two pans come out the front and the stove has to be off to take them out. The hopper holds two bags of pellets (barely, but it does) and during the cold snaps of January it kept my house right at 70 degrees. It's been my only heat source this winter and I couldn't be happier with how it heats.

I can upload pictures of the inside of the box but it'll have to happen tomorrow when I clean it.

One thing I'd suggest if you do get this stove is grab some .93 x 2-5/16" cotter pins to have on hand; if the auger ever jams there's a cotter pin that holds the auger to the motor and that pin shears to keep the motor from getting fried. I learned this the hard way Friday when I came home to a 47 degree house.

But once I had the pin replaced it ran fine and heated the house back to near 70 in about 90 minutes.

 

[klincker]

Thanks, I actually called them on Friday to see what they were all about. Spoke with a girl that didn't know too much, but she explained the ash pans. Seems like it's similar to my castle serenity. This has some potential for the main part of my house because of the auto on/off and the external thermostat options. Hopefully TSC will still have it on sale for next season.

 

[PelPro PPC90]

Based on Scott's recommendation, I bought this stove (TPC90) in 2018.

What a nightmare! The problems are related mostly to the circuit board and the exhaust blower. The circuit board costs around $300. I've replaced 5 circuit boards, one blower and one igniter... The circuit boards are the lowest quality you could ever imagine. Extremely poor quality control in the manufacturing. The company does not back up their products. The blower problem was likely caused by a malfunctioning circuit board! If you live in a small town or rural area, I think you will blow circuits boards over and over, even if you have a voltage regulator. The circuit boards are SO fragile.... $300/each... The only way to shield yourself is to have an electrician install a dedicated line from your home's fuse panel to a very high quality voltage regulator (like Tripp-Lite's best) and then plug a very high quality line conditioner (like Tripp-Lite's) into the voltage regulator and then plug the stove into the line conditioner. When you have an electrical storm or very high winds, unplug the stove entirely until good quality power is restored, The PelPro circuit board cannot handle voltage jolts, power fluctuations, or anything like that. The board does not have inline fuses leading to it either. You could install those, but you are taking a chance that bad power will get past the fuses and blow your circuit boards. PelPro is very aware of this situation and they are more than happy to sell $300 circuit boards to you that will blow just like the previous ones..

Don't buy this stove .... it is a piece of junk (electrically)!!

 

[begreen]

Dirty power, surges, can be a reality of rural life. The issue is likely not the stove. We live in a rural area and lost our circuit board in our Quadrafire insert. This happened over the summer after a power outage. I had made the mistake of leaving the insert plugged in. In the fall it wouldn't run. Bad circuit board. My guess is that there was a surge current when the power came back on. After replacing the circuit board I put the insert on a good quality UPS, not a simple surge protector. That ended the issue and the insert ran well for the next 5 yrs until it was sold. It sounds like a quality UPS with regulated output would be a good investment.