ChrisK Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 So after a pretty rough year I finally completed my first project of the year. Introducing my pellet stove and my hearth pad. My girlfriend Samantha and I, started a reno in our living room. I worked all summer on overtime and saved cash for the pellet stove. Not wanting to spend $389 on a 3x3 corner pad, I reviewed some pictures of them on line and set out to make my own. Wow, awesome - super easy project. I have never tiled before and it was much easier than I thought it would be. The stove, with help from my brother, could not have gone in easier. I used my brand new 2403-22 M12 Drill and my M18 saw and Recip. The hearth pad took me about seven hours all told to build and tile using 12" tiles, 3/4" Plywood, 1/2" Cement Board and 1x trim. I should make these and sell them for $200 and make some cash. The stove went in in less than 2 hours. Now...on to the kitchen! I will review the M12 next. If you can afford one, get it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regopit Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Nice work! Looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Wray Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 Great work ChrisK. Clean clean. You did it in perfect time. Now you'll be nice and warm in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 Good looking work Chris. Easy! Lay 1,000 sq. ft. of it around corners, toilet holes, etc., then come back and tell me what a cinch it all was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted November 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 C'mon Travis....clearly that is an EASY job! I finished this, did the stove instal, painted trimmed and took my dog for a walk. Then off to Sam Adams! I missed my true calling, I should've been a contractor! Nice and dry and warm, TV in the background...hahahahahahahahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Nice Job, looks awesome. How do you like the pellet system? Are they expensive compared to buying wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted November 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Hey Eric, I got the same American Stove my brother has. Install was slick as snot. I bought three tons of pellets and have had it running non stop since Monday at about 1030 am. I've used almost three bags of pellets, fifty forty pound bags per pallet. But....I've never used a wood stove before so I can't really comment. I figure God willing, it has to be cheaper than my thirty year old oil burner though! Clean up is a breeze though. I just put some corner fans in to circulate the hot air and have been running those all morning. I was going to go wood but I figure the savings in fuel is made in physical labor and time not to mention bugs in the basement where I would store the wood so I think it should pay off. Its fifty out right now although it snowed yesterday. The rest of the week is supposed to be pretty cool so I should hopefully be able to figure out a reasonably accurate cost to operate, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSionnach Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Having used wood and pellets the fuel cost is about the same if you buy your cord wood. If you harvest your own and enjoy the work of the cut, split, stack, bring in, routine that's where you'll save money.Pellet stoves are much cleaner burning, and easier to operate. You can buy self starting models that run off a wall mount thermostat. The major drawback is they need power to run the exhaust and blower fans. If you have a generator, inverter, or battery backup then you're golden.Then theres start up.Wood Stove: gather kindling ... crumple paper,... warm the flue.... wait for draw,... slowly add appropriate sized pieces of wood to gain enough coals to maintain the burn.Pellet stove: pour bag in, push start button, enjoy heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thank god we have natural gas here. Feel bad for the places that have to use fuel oil its so expensive to operate. The thing is even with the Fraking prices for natural gas are still more then they were years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted November 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Yup Red. Startup is a breeze no doubt. So far heating the this old Cape has been going well. I have to figure something out for my basement though (gym and workshop - unfinished). Getting a little bit nipply down there! As far as gas goes DR99, we do have a gas line going through but the cost of the new furnace was going to hurt. Oil just plain sucks. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 We heat with electric now, which sucks. I also have a wood stove in the living room. I need to get some backup heaters lined up for the upstairs, just haven't done it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Nice job ChrisK, it looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicholasShetley Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 We heat with electric now, which sucks. I also have a wood stove in the living room. I need to get some backup heaters lined up for the upstairs, just haven't done it yet.I bet the electric is expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 What about going with a monitor type heater Conductor? The fuel is expensive but the heater is really efficient. I was actually going to go that way but my brothers pellet stove steered me in that direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Thanks for the information about the pellets. I have heard about them, but never used one. I have a wood burning stove, which I love. However I don't cut my own wood. So it sucks, because of delivery, then I have to stack it, walk inside and out to get wood and drop stuff all over the house. Maybe I should have gone with a pellet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted December 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 Thanks for the information about the pellets. I have heard about them, but never used one. I have a wood burning stove, which I love. However I don't cut my own wood. So it sucks, because of delivery, then I have to stack it, walk inside and out to get wood and drop stuff all over the house. Maybe I should have gone with a pellet.No problem Eric. So in my best judgement I am glad I went with the pellet. I hauled down 2 tons of pellets the other day in to my poor workshop and my girlfriend helped me move another ton downstairs the night before last (150 bags total). So far, I have been burning one bag every (24 hrs or so) day of the mixed pellets and I just mixed in a bag of hardwood pellets just prior to writing this.(be interesting to see the difference in heat and ash). I shut the stove off every other day and vacuum it out and take a straight blade to the window to clean it off (don't use a cleaner). The house is between 70 and 74 (a virtual heat wave in my post war 2x4 framed Cape. I installed two doorway fans to circulate air and the house is nice and toasty. Hope this helps. So far I am EXTREMELY happy about this. Oil sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicholasShetley Posted December 8, 2013 Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 We have a wood stove in our 30 by 40 shop and we have had it up to 90 degrees in there before. The only thing is the stove doesn't really have a way to slow the fire down too well. We go through about 5 truckloads of wood a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 That's a lot of wood. I bought 4 face cords this year and got screwed. I bought OAK, but it is all small pieces and a 1/4 is rotted. My wood isn't lasting at all this year and it sucks. I guess with Pellets, you don't have to worry about this or at least i don't think you do. Last year I could fill up the stove before bed and it would still be burning in the morning. Now the fire is out and have to restart it in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted December 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Hey Eric, I have been filling my stove before bed (10ish) then when I get up I top it off as it has used about a 1/4 of what's in the hopper. I leave it on a higher temp so this isn't bad at all IMO. Yesterday, I signed on at 5am and finished at 4pm thanks to some knucklehead driving like a dub in a snow storm. The hopper still was about 1/4 full. All in all not too bad. I will say that I had a bag that was half sawdust. If I have another I am complaining to my supplier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSionnach Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Dude I'd be pissed if basically 1 cord was punky. That reminds me of when I bought 4 cord of what was supposed to be fir and tamarack mixed. When I got home I found out they dropped cedar on me. It sure smelled nice, but it burns so hot that I went through all of that in two months. Then, since I was pissed and didn't want to pay almost double price, I had to go out in balls deep snow and harvest 3 cord of fir. One of the main reasons I switched to pellets.Chris if you do have more problems, don't let them weasel out. I had a similar problem, the place I got my pellets from tried to tell me I should temper my pellets, because bringing them in from a cold garage into a warm house caused condensation, which broke down the pellets. After I called bullshit on him he replaced the bags, but lost my business. Sometimes there's just crappy bags. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted December 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Thanks Red, I appreciate that. I'll wait for one more, if there is they're getting a swift kick in the hind quarters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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