# Looking for a BIG pellet stove/add-on Furnace style..



## mustangwagz (Oct 23, 2011)

hey guys, im considering a pellet stove. Not that i hate my wood burner, but looking for less mess, easier operability for the wife, more controlled heat, etc etc. As for outdoor furnaces, i cant seem to save up the 5-7k for the furnace alone, then another couple grand for heat exchangers and piping. 

Ive done a little research, and from what i seen, i'm liking the looks of the "Harman pf100 Pellet Furnace". Ive sent a few quote requests. I like the idea that it can be ducted into my home heating duct work. With a little work, im sure i can achieve this rather easily. 

Does anyone else have any recommendations on BIG pellet stoves to look into? 

As for a time frame as to when ill be purchasing/installing, i think it'll be either later this heating season, OR, at end of it..

Let me know what you guys think. Thanks folks! 

-Zac


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## Dogsout (Oct 23, 2011)

If you lived closer to Iowa I have a near new Woodmaster Corn/Pellet outdoor burner that I would sell to you dirt cheap. It heated my old two story house like a champ but just could not afford to run it with the cost of corn/pellets verses the cost of LP. I swapped out the pellet burner for a wood burner after roughly one year of use because I did not see enough cost to savings benefit. I know corn is completely out of the equation due to price and I would seriously question the cost benefit of wood pellets with the rising cost of these for a 40# bag. But hey who am I to judge, what ever floats your boat. GL what ever way you go and I hope everything works out good for you.


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## One Shot Will (Oct 24, 2011)

I have one in my shop , a smaller one . I have not used it for TWO years this will be the third year and do not plan to use it this year either.
Nat gas is cheaper and a lot less work. I quit using it when corn went over $3.00 / bu. and pellets whent to $3.00 / bag.
Good chance we will not see those prices again.


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## Fyrebug (Oct 24, 2011)

Before you look at anything what is your BTU load? size of house, insulation levels etc... What are you heating with now and what is your current furnace BTU? We might be able to help you with less expensive alternatives.

A large Pellet heater might be the ticket. Look at the Drolet ECO-65 Northern Tool - Drolet Eco-65 Pellet Heater - 65,000 BTU, Model# DP00055 customer reviews - product reviews - read top consumer ratings

It's a 65,000 BTU Pellet heater. If you get the optional Plenum kit (click on the top accessories tab to see it) you can turn this unit into a furnace. Basically you can have 2 runs of flexible duct run off of it. However it is not certified to hook in your current furnace ductwork.

If it's a furnace you may want to look at the Caddy Alterna. It's a real pellet furnace and has a multi speed blower with all the latest electronics.

We make both of these units as well as wood burning furnaces. So If you have any questions, shoot away!


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## mustangwagz (Oct 24, 2011)

One Shot Will said:


> I have one in my shop , a smaller one . I have not used it for TWO years this will be the third year and do not plan to use it this year either.
> Nat gas is cheaper and a lot less work. I quit using it when corn went over $3.00 / bu. and pellets whent to $3.00 / bag.
> Good chance we will not see those prices again.



200 dollars a ton here, and guys use about 3 ton a winter, 600 bucks for pellets id say. VS-300-400 Natural Gas bill Prices, Screw that! lol Sometimes it just doesnt work for some, other times it does? Guess its all on what your particular setup is? 



Fyrebug said:


> Before you look at anything what is your BTU load? size of house, insulation levels etc... What are you heating with now and what is your current furnace BTU? We might be able to help you with less expensive alternatives.
> 
> A large Pellet heater might be the ticket. Look at the Drolet ECO-65 Northern Tool - Drolet Eco-65 Pellet Heater - 65,000 BTU, Model# DP00055 customer reviews - product reviews - read top consumer ratings
> 
> ...


 
My home is about 1500 sq. ft. with about +/- 300 sq.ft. give or take i'd say. Insulation SUCKS, its an old school house, made of slats, and then just siding over it all. Built in late 1800's. Windows suck too. lol 2 story high. My current wood burner can heat upto a 3000+ sq ft. Ive got the new englander 3000 add-on furnace. It cooks us out even on -0 degree days/nights. To hot actually. lol I bring wood in and it drys in less than a day. 

I looked at the stove your posted the link for, i like the idea of the "Vent" setup. Thats right up my alley. THAT Would be the style i'm looking for, This way i can direct heat in the directions i want, yet, still not take up half the dam house! 

I see it has the 4 inch flue, which im not a big fan of that idea, but im sure it can be adapted down to 3" for easier installation. and it says 3 days burn time, which aint bad. How much maintenance do these stoves require? ive read about a few different kinds that require quite a bit of attention and are plagued with issues. 

Let me know. Thank you!


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## Fyrebug (Oct 24, 2011)

mustangwagz said:


> My home is about 1500 sq. ft. with about +/- 300 sq.ft. give or take i'd say. Insulation SUCKS, its an old school house, made of slats, and then just siding over it all. Built in late 1800's. Windows suck too. lol 2 story high. My current wood burner can heat upto a 3000+ sq ft. Ive got the new englander 3000 add-on furnace. It cooks us out even on -0 degree days/nights. To hot actually. lol I bring wood in and it drys in less than a day.
> 
> I looked at the stove your posted the link for, i like the idea of the "Vent" setup. Thats right up my alley. THAT Would be the style i'm looking for, This way i can direct heat in the directions i want, yet, still not take up half the dam house!
> 
> ...


 
Listen, I'm in sales and its my job to sell stoves and stuff. But to be perfectly honest, any dollar you spend on insulation has a faster return than adding additional BTU's to solve the heating problem. It sounds like your house could do with some additional insulation. You may be able do a lot of it yourself and tell the difference right away. It also adds value to your house. So first and foremost, seriously look at what you can do to button up your house. There may also be grants or rebate in your area for improving insulation in your house.

In any case, with the Drolet ECO-65 you can have 2 runs of 25 ft with insulated flexible duct to a floor register or other venting option. The blower is 500 CFM so it puts out some decent air velocity. The feed sytem is a twin auger bottom feed. What this means is instead of dropping the pellets into the burn pot it pushes them through for a more thorough burn and drops the ashes in a large ash pan. We've designed these units to require a minimum of maintenance and burn multi fuel pellets. Since I fix them as well I could write quite a bit about the difference with the older technology. But, there is a lot less cleaning and maintenance required with these. You can also put it on a thermostat and it will turn on & off like a regular furnace.

Always, always, always use the recommended venting. In this case 4" pellet venting. Blow through a straw for 20 minutes then blow through a 2" pipe and you'll see why. Less restrictions means the machine doesn't work as hard, less breakdown and maintenance. If you pay a little bit more upfront, you'll save a lot more down the road. 

Think as this unit as 'secondary supplemental heat'. Based on what you tell me your house is losing a lot of heat. You will need to adjust the feed rate (BTU) to what your house needs and your 120Lbs hopper may not last you the 3 days. 

I'm not trying to scare you away from buying any heating appliances but provide you with as much information so you make the right choice. Let me know if you have any other questions.


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## franksullivan (Dec 7, 2012)

*Pf100*

I have a PF100 unused. I decided to finish my basement and did not have the room to install it. I will sell it at a resonable price if you are interested







mustangwagz said:


> hey guys, im considering a pellet stove. Not that i hate my wood burner, but looking for less mess, easier operability for the wife, more controlled heat, etc etc. As for outdoor furnaces, i cant seem to save up the 5-7k for the furnace alone, then another couple grand for heat exchangers and piping.
> 
> Ive done a little research, and from what i seen, i'm liking the looks of the "Harman pf100 Pellet Furnace". Ive sent a few quote requests. I like the idea that it can be ducted into my home heating duct work. With a little work, im sure i can achieve this rather easily.
> 
> ...


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## brenndatomu (Dec 7, 2012)

franksullivan said:


> I have a PF100 unused. I decided to finish my basement and did not have the room to install it. I will sell it at a resonable price if you are interested



This is an old thread. Maybe someone will be interested though...well, it is a firewood forum, agh, who knows! Good luck frank! :msp_wink:


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## franksullivan (Dec 7, 2012)

I thought i would take a shot, thanks for the reply.



brenndatomu said:


> This is an old thread. Maybe someone will be interested though...well, it is a firewood forum, agh, who knows! Good luck frank! :msp_wink:


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## brenndatomu (Dec 7, 2012)

franksullivan said:


> I thought i would take a shot, thanks for the reply.



No problem, you're welcome! Doesn't hurt to try!

Welcome to AS! Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair by the fire and hang out with us for awhile! Best free (and educational) entertainment online! (IMO)


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## Rufus2 (Dec 19, 2012)

In PA and have an unused pf100 for sale?? I'm interested!!!


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