power vent

Hello, new guy to the boards. My wife and I are looking for a supplemental heat and I prefer coal. She is not so sure. Previously we had a Harman Magnum Stoker in our basement to supplement our gas hot water heat and I loved it; she did not like the dust but the warm heat was fantastic. Anyhow question, had to get rid of the Harman, went thru a flood. Want to put a small stoker in our living room. Do we absolutely need a chimney or can ANY stove be hooked up to a power vent an out the side of the house? Any input, suggestions, etc. are appreciated. THANKS!

susquehannaretriever wrote:Hello, new guy to the boards. My wife and I are looking for a supplemental heat and I prefer coal. She is not so sure. Previously we had a Harman Magnum Stoker in our basement to supplement our gas hot water heat and I loved it; she did not like the dust but the warm heat was fantastic. Anyhow question, had to get rid of the Harman, went thru a flood. Want to put a small stoker in our living room. Do we absolutely need a chimney or can ANY stove be hooked up to a power vent an out the side of the house? Any input, suggestions, etc. are appreciated. THANKS!

If you can do a chimney I would recommend it. In the long run it will save you money.

If you build a masonry chimney you will save money over 10 or 20 years depending on how much of the work you do yourself or get a friend to do cheap. If you use SS you will never save money over a power vent because it will not last 10 years. I went power vent because it was cheaper and faster up front and a chimney would have looked like a sore thumb because I have the stove in a single story addition on a two story house and my chimney would have had to be taller than the two story part of the house. On the down side it is a bit louder because of the fan and it has to be cleaned and oiled once a year or more if it is cold. Also you can smell it outside a bit more because it is low to the ground rather than 20 feet in the air. On the up side it is much easier to light the stoker because you can crank the draft when lighting.

Badog said that you will save money over 10-20 years. Why will a chimney save you any money over a power vent? Am I missing something? When I decided to to go coal the price for a chimney for a 1 1/2 story house was astronomical so I chose a power vent and would never choose anything else.
Jim

TAMNOZ wrote:Why will a chimney save you any money over a power vent? Am I missing something?
Jim

A) A chimney doesn't take any electricity to run and
B) A chimney typically requires no maintenance or replacement even after 30, 40 or 50 years....


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On the electricity costs these are 150 watts? Running it 24/7 for 6 months is going to cost you about $60 a year assuming 10 cents/kWh. That's $1200 over a 20 year period.

The power vent is $400? How long do they last, 5 to 10 years maybe? Best case even if it lasts 10 years is you're $2000 into after 20 years.

susquehannaretriever wrote:Hello, new guy to the boards. My wife and I are looking for a supplemental heat and I prefer coal. She is not so sure. Previously we had a Harman Magnum Stoker in our basement to supplement our gas hot water heat and I loved it; she did not like the dust but the warm heat was fantastic. Anyhow question, had to get rid of the Harman, went thru a flood. Want to put a small stoker in our living room. Do we absolutely need a chimney or can ANY stove be hooked up to a power vent an out the side of the house? Any input, suggestions, etc. are appreciated. THANKS!

Go with a power vent they work great!!! Leisure line pioneer would work awesome. We have ours in our living rm.
Keeping 2700 sqft nice and warm. The only problem I have is getting the wife kids to come to bed. That is if they can fend of the animal laying in front of it. Good luck.

I think the quote I got was like $3000 - $4000 for a chimney, so in the grand scheme of things and considering the initial start up costs, I'd take the powervent and replace it in 10 years.I have my Keystoker tapped into my cold air return and heat 2800 sqft 1 1/2 strory log home.
Jim

TAMNOZ wrote:I think the quote I got was like $3000 - $4000 for a chimney, so in the grand scheme of things and considering the initial start up costs, I'd take the powervent and replace it in 10 years.I have my Keystoker tapped into my cold air return and heat 2800 sqft 1 1/2 strory log home.
Jim

Get another quote for the chimney. Powervents work well but you will have about $10-12 a month in electricity also yearly maintenance and care. They also add noise. I know we do sell them and they are great if you just cannot do a chimney. But I also like people to know all the negatives as well. If you do go with a powervent make sure you also order the SWG oil with it and only use this oil. Spring time remove motor unit clean it as soon as it cools and spray with a anti corrosive. Store the motor unit indoors for the summer.

TAMNOZ wrote:I think the quote I got was like $3000 - $4000 for a chimney,
Jim

Wow, I paid $750 for 23 ft masonry chimney.

Wiz wrote:

TAMNOZ wrote: Wow, I paid $750 for 23 ft masonry chimney.

Just recently?

lsayre wrote:

Wiz wrote:

TAMNOZ wrote: Wow, I paid $750 for 23 ft masonry chimney.

Just recently?

Yup. This past summer..

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone....input was appreciated and I believe we are going to go w/ a power vent, looking for a used leisure line stoker stove, if anyone has one or knows of 1. Again thanks!

I think you will be happy. A chimney is the best if you have one or if you know you will be using the stove for a long time. In addition to the reasons I listed I am thinking of a whole house dual fuel solution down the road which would mean abandoning the chimney once that is done. Enjoy the warmth. I installed mine as a suplemental heat source and have not used a drop of oil in 3+ years.