Purchasing our first pellet stove or not?

[george255]

Thanks bob bare. Felt like wood or pellet stove would lower lower our winter utilities. Propane is not so cheap in TX anymore. We are out in the country on five acres and have no access to natural gas.
Thanks again.

I was just going to suggest a freestanding Natural Gas Stove.Were you planning on using a pellet stove for your main heat source? Are your winter season months cold or somewhat mild there in TX. ?

 

[Tennisbum1212]

Thanks George255. There is no natural gas available in our country area. We will be using propane. Our primary source of heat will be dual fuel heat pump. We just were looking for a way to lower our heating bills during the winters. Callisburg,TX is about 10 miles from the Red River. Winter temps are 18-45 degrees many days during mid November thru early March. We’ve had wood stove inserts in two of our past TX homes to supplement. This time we were avoiding building a fireplace and going only with stoves. Yesterday, my wife said stoves were ugly and she just liked fake gas logs with mantels. Go figure! Not sure propane will save us anything. Will probably cost us more. We were using it to provide raw heat in the great room. Power losses occur too regularly out here, so the gas might save us during the winters. Anyway, l am 68 and l guess saving money is not as relevant as it used to be. HaHa!
Thanks

 

[maple1]

Honestly with temps that moderate I would go heat pump all the way. Maybe add a wood stove to supplement or for power outages. If outages are a concern. Or if LP will be there anyway, an LP stove or fireplace for ambiance when desired.

There are a LOT of mini-split heat pumps being put in here in new builds as the only heat source. I suspect a lot of them are also supplementing with a wood stove. You then also get to do away with ductwork. Have you costed your heating system yet?

Also - before you plan anything for your garage, you should clear it with your insurance person first.

 

[george255]

They do sell freestanding stoves that will run on both propane and or natural gas. I'm here in north Idaho and our winters can be harsh, I have a Quadrafire Castile that we have been using for the last 10 years as our prime source of heat instead of the electric forced air furnace. The stove heats well and looks nice with a fire in it but i'm getting tired of the cleaning ritual that you have to do to keep things running up to par. I'm thinking about going back to a Natural gas frestander due to the fact that when the power goes out so does your pellet fire,Ice storms are no joke in these parts and you never know when power will be restored.I'm assuming you have a local propane truck delivery service there.Right now i'm spending roughly $ 25.00 weekly on pellets so you may want to pencil it out, pellet fuel vs.Propane.

 

[Tennisbum1212]

Thanks Maple1. Left the HVAC paperwork in TX in our fifth wheel, but l remember it to be roughly $10k.
The house portion is 2200 sq.ft. This would require too many mini heat pumps and cost would be expensive.
Thanks

 

[Tennisbum1212]

Hi George255. They had a bad ice storm last February in Cooke County,TX. Electricity was out for around ten days where we are building. Those with propane managed. I will try to change my wife’s view of free standing stoves. I know those are much more efficient than the insert looking gas fireplaces. We probably will be snowbirds down on the Gulf Coast during most of the winters hopefully. Thanks, l will check out the Castle model.

 

[george255]

Hi George255. They had a bad ice storm last February in Cooke County,TX. Electricity was out for around ten days where we are building. Those with propane managed. I will try to change my wife’s view of free standing stoves. I know those are much more efficient than the insert looking gas fireplaces. We probably will be snowbirds down on the Gulf Coast during most of the winters hopefully. Thanks, l will check out the Castle model.

My Quadrafire Castile is a pellet stove, I think I forgot to mention that..

 

[Mt Bob]

I have 2 Empire DV35 units.Pilot ignition.Still function as a convection heater if power goes out,room blower does not run.I turn off pilot lights in the summer.

 

[maple1]

Thanks Maple1. Left the HVAC paperwork in TX in our fifth wheel, but l remember it to be roughly $10k.
The house portion is 2200 sq.ft. This would require too many mini heat pumps and cost would be expensive.
Thanks

We had two Daikin splits put in last month. Two 12k btu units. Around $8k (Canadian) all in. They still put out lots of heat down to at least -15c, which is the coldest it's gotten so far. They kept our 2700 sq.ft. warm the past 3 days while we were away on about 20kwh/day. I was also skeptical, but a believer now. Just info for consideration.

 

[pete7713]

We had two Daikin splits put in last month. Two 12k btu units. Around $8k (Canadian) all in. They still put out lots of heat down to at least -15c, which is the coldest it's gotten so far. They kept our 2700 sq.ft. warm the past 3 days while we were away on about 20kwh/day. I was also skeptical, but a believer now. Just info for consideration.

Don't know anything about mini splits, but it's amazing 24,000 btu's can heat 2700 sq ft

 

[maple1]

It likely wouldn't have if it was much colder. -12c at nights and sunny -6c days. Plus I dont know how accurate their ratings are. But that's what they are classed.

 

[m159267]

I live in a rural area on 20 acres. House (2100 sq ft - 3800 sq ft being conditioned) is all electric built in 2004.
We put in a geothermal system which works well.
Later I added a Harman P38 pellet stove in the basement (mostly finished) and a high efficiency wood fireplace in our main level great room.

My wood vs pellet random observations...

I think wood heat is a lot more effort than pellet.
If you have access to your own wood you will need to cut, split and season the wood (<20% moisture content for high efficiency heaters).
If not then you will need to purchase wood.
Ignore sellers who say their wood is already seasoned - you WILL have to season it (1-2 years).
Wood length will vary - you may need to shorten longer pieces-maybe re-split larger pieces.
Wood heat temperatures fluctuate quite a bit as the fire burns down.
If stove is under-sized you will need to restock it during the middle of the night.
However a fireplace/stove does have better ambience (my opinion).
If I were to buy a wood stove today it would be a Blaze King - awesome burn times.
Note - most manufacturer burn-time rating are way over-stated.

All things being equal - I would choose a pellet stove for augmented heating.
I will never be without one.
- I am very partial to Harman. My P38 (today's Harman P43) is 11-12 years old and not one thing has failed on it.
- Make sure you have a good pellet source.
- Keep the stove CLEAN - it's not that hard. A lot of pellet stove problems are due to dirty stoves.
- You will need to store your pellets.
- 12 to 24 hour burn times per 40 lb. bag - depending on heat demand.

Misc...
- I installed a transfer switch by the house electrical panel which permits plugging in an outdoor Honda eu2000i generator .
The generator powers the pellet stove, fridge and a bunch of outlets (also our internet router) during our blackouts.
- You might consider a full-house backup propane generator.
Size any wood/pellet stove to your needs. I would rather over-size than under-size.
BTW - when building - insulate, insulate, insulate.
If possible orientate the house to maximize solar gain in winter and minimize it in the summer - esp. in Texas.
Another BTW - check with your insurance company - many are skittish regarding any wood burning appliance.

Best wishes...

 

[Austin95]

I am wondering what peoples thoughts are on the quadrafire castile pellet insert? i am looking at getting a pellet insert, due to the small size of our fireplace our options are limited. We are first time pellet stove owners so any feed back is appreciated.