What kind of Pellet Stove do you suggest?

[msb91932]

Hey, everyone, from the Poconos!

I have decided to say goodbye to my 23 year old St. Croix Afton Bay Pellet stove. I took really good care of it, and it doesn't owe me a dime. but it's getting really loud, and I run it 24/7....so i'm a little worried about it dying on my in the dead of winter. So, I am getting a new stove.

I was dead set on another St. Croix, so the Prescott was the one I was looking at, but in the process, I have seen a few others, that differ in price, etc. But I am wondering if they are worth it. I can't believe how much stoves are, but I guess everything has gone up.

1. St Croix Prescott II:
   1. Around $4.620
   2. 75 pounds of pellets
   3. 40K BTU's
   4. 1,800 square feet
   5. Qualifies for the tax credit
   6. Seems to need a bit more cleaning and maintenance (I clean my stove every day anyway)
2. Quadrafire Outfitter II
   
   1. Around $2,359
   2. 130 Pounds of pellets
   3. 49K BTU's
   4. 1,300 - 2,300 square feet
   5. Said to be a "little loud" in operation
   6. Qualifies for tax credit
3. Freedom Independence PS21:
   
   1. Around $2,400
   2. 40 pounds of pellets
   3. 34,700 BTU's
   4. 1,700 square feet
   5. "ultra quiet"
   6. Battery back-up
   7. Qualifies for the tax credit

I am sort of a creature of habit, so it seemed to be a good idea to go with the St. Croix, as I had such luck with my first St. Croix. It just seems that the Freedom Independence stove has tremendous reviews, with a MUCH lower price tag.

I have a guy that comes every so often to service my stove. He tells me that often you are paying a high price for a name, and seemed indifferent to the higher name brands like Harman, etc. He didn't really give me an opinion one way, or another.

Does anyone have experience with one of these stoves? Is the Independence PS21 too good to be true? I have an 1,800 square foot ranch. The pellet stove will be in my finished basement for auxiliary heat down there. My current stove does NOT heat the upstairs. I have tried to get the heat up there (floor vent's, etc.) but nothing seems to work.

If anyone has experience with any of these stoves, I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks, so much, Mike in PA

 

[zrock]

Why not just replace all the blowers in it and save yourself a pile of money? I replaced everything in my stove including the control board last year way cheaper than purchasing a new stove.