Pellet stove

[Livinginthemountains]

I'm researching what kind of pellet stove to buy. The house is about 1900 sq. ft. and it is a rental. I've had the same tenants for 5 and half years and they are expecting a baby now. They currently heat with gas and electric.  It's costing them a fortune and they only keep the temperature around 68. So I'm debating to buy a pellet stove since the chimney is already there. I think they could have a warmer house for their $.  This way maybe it would be cheaper than electric heat and have a warmer house for the baby. Should I buy a pellet stove? If so which brand do you like? And what pellets do you use?

[soccerluvof4]

https://www.amazon.com/Comfortbilt-Pellet-Stove-HP21-btu-Great/dp/B0168YOJ3K/ref=pd_sbs_236_9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CE5H2V31Q2Z3REMV9CTV   

[HipGnosis]

How many heat degree days do you have a year?
Have you caulked and weather stripped the house and added insulation?
How old are the windows and are they double paned?

[Lulee]

Beyond the host of potential liability issues, have you checked to see what this would do to your insurance rates?  What state is the chimney in (has it been cleaned and is the lining good)?  Is there a place to store the pellets out of the weather and, especially with an infant, does anyone want to take on the purchase, storage, loading, and regular cleaning out of the stove?  Does the town/state have any rules you'd need to comply with?

The old Harman stoves were good but I hear that they aren't any more.  The company is under different ownership and it's reputedly not as good at customer service as before.

It is kind of you to care about their comfort and the money they can or cannot afford to spend on keeping the house warm for the little one.  I wish my landlord cared even half as much. 

Given the thousands to buy the stove and have it installed, I'd see if that money could be spent instead on insulation and stopping air filtration.  This would make things way more comfortable and cost-effective for years to come without you having anything more to worry about at the house.

[Syonyk]

Should I buy a pellet stove? If so which brand do you like? And what pellets do you use?

This is a question best answered locally.

The proper brand of pellet stove to buy is the kind you can get serviced locally and get parts for.  That's likely to depend heavily on what your local farm supply store sells.

Same goes for pellets.  People I know out here who heat with pellets buy "decent pellets when they go on sale."  I regularly text a neighbor of mine sales from our local D&B if I see them, because I know he heats with pellets, and if you get the 20% off on pellets day, it saves a good chunk of change.  The 10% off days are good too, if you miss the 20% day.

But, again, brand is "What's local."

And they are quite heavy to haul.  Do you have a vehicle suited to that?  Hauling a ton or two of pellets around me is basically solved with the property pickup, and it rides smooth on the way back.

[Laura33]

We had a Whitfield.  Never regretted it.  Miss it a ton.

[mustachemountain]

just a note: you can't legally or safely vent a pellet stove into a chimney. you *can* install a liner in the chimney and vent through the liner, which is much easier and and probably cheaper than a standard chimney pipe up thru the roof.
but my understanding (and I know more about wood stoves than pellet stoves) is that, at least for the smaller ones, you vent them out the wall, it's almost like a dryer vent, because the combustion is cleaner than a wood stove and has a fan so it doesn't rely on draft, as a woodstove does.

talk to a dealer or professional installer. burning your house down or killing it's inhabitants with carbon monoxide are not good ways to be frugal.

[Syonyk]

I've checked craigslist for used but no luck.

I've known many pellet stove owners over the years, both wood and corn burning.

Every one is super happy with their stove, so I can't imagine they come up for sale used very often.