I am a first season newbie to pellet heat - and loving it. Obviously there are imperfections which vary with the stove, the pellets and the house itself, vis a vis layout, stove placement, insulation, etc. One drawback to pellet heat in our house is that the floors are cold on the first level, which is above an uninsulated and unfinished basement space and crawlspace.
While, admittedly, this winter has been mild so far (said he, spitting three times over his left shoulder for luck) I am more than thrilled with the performance of my stove (Accentra FS) which has carried the house on all but the most brutally cold (under 20° around here) days/nights.
However in the interest of keeping Madame Defarge and the kids (15 year old twins - boy/girl) happy, I am seriously considering adding a second stove next year. A friend who heats primarily with cord wood has suggested that a stove in the unfinished basement, to warm the floor on the first level and thereby add thermal mass along with heat moving up through the envelope of the building, would solve a lot of issues.
It seems to me his reasoning in sound. I would anticipate running the stove 24/7 on a relatively low setting as the area is small, ceiling low, etc. My criteria for such a second stove would be a very large hopper (or available extension) as well as a relatively undemanding cleaning schedule. I vacuum my Accentra, scrape the burn pot and clean the glass 1X per week with a full pull out of the plates, etc in every other cleaning, with good results.
Do any of you, who know lots more than me, have any ideas as to which stove or brand might meet these two requirements? I know I can insulate more, etc., but I do not want to isolate the unheated basement from the house and end up with frozen pipes and other problems.
As always, all input will be gratefully received. I have learned more here than I could have imagined.
While, admittedly, this winter has been mild so far (said he, spitting three times over his left shoulder for luck) I am more than thrilled with the performance of my stove (Accentra FS) which has carried the house on all but the most brutally cold (under 20° around here) days/nights.
However in the interest of keeping Madame Defarge and the kids (15 year old twins - boy/girl) happy, I am seriously considering adding a second stove next year. A friend who heats primarily with cord wood has suggested that a stove in the unfinished basement, to warm the floor on the first level and thereby add thermal mass along with heat moving up through the envelope of the building, would solve a lot of issues.
It seems to me his reasoning in sound. I would anticipate running the stove 24/7 on a relatively low setting as the area is small, ceiling low, etc. My criteria for such a second stove would be a very large hopper (or available extension) as well as a relatively undemanding cleaning schedule. I vacuum my Accentra, scrape the burn pot and clean the glass 1X per week with a full pull out of the plates, etc in every other cleaning, with good results.
Do any of you, who know lots more than me, have any ideas as to which stove or brand might meet these two requirements? I know I can insulate more, etc., but I do not want to isolate the unheated basement from the house and end up with frozen pipes and other problems.
As always, all input will be gratefully received. I have learned more here than I could have imagined.