US Stove Company Pellet Heater with Automatic Ignition - 120-Lb. Capacity Hopper, Model# 5500M
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Great product for the $$$. 4th heating season!
I have a earlier- lower pellet capacity version of this stove and am totally satisfied with it. I intend to buy another for my work shop.
This is my 4th heating season. I am heating 2000' sq ft on 80lb pellets a day in 0-20º temps, half that at 32º ^.
Reading these reviews, thought I would address some of the negative comments. Reading any product reviews, keep in mind that those that are satisfied with a product sedom post anything.
Addressing some of the negative reviews: Any pellet burner requires maintenance, a thorough understanding of how it works , and how to prevent and correct intermittent problems. You will get auger jams and malfunctions from time to time. Some pellets (brand or batches) are better than others.
You should also know how to service this burner yourself. It isn't rocket science. If you are mechanically inept, then you won't like a pellet stove. There isn't that much service involved, anyway.
Ignitor failure complaints? Typical of any brand pellet stover with an "auto ignitor" They are a pain and only. last a year or so. It's isn't the stoves fault because the ignitor fails. Comes with the territory. I use some wax/sawdust "fire starter" on top of the pellets and a propane torch, easier, more predictable and I know when its lit. .
I keep mine cleaned with a small $20 HD shop vac, stationed outside, with a long flexible vaccum hose run inside through a hole in the wall: 100% dust free. Cleaning takes 5 minutes every 4-5 days.
One of the complaints of this particular stove seems to be excessive room fan noise. It's caused by vibration and resonance. Mine used to be noisy so I modified it by removing the entire blower fan assembly (4 screws, unplug two wires) disassembling the motor from the fan housing and putting three soft rubber washers over the studs, 3/32" thick. While it is out, make certain the impeller is running dead true. Doing these two things reduced fan noise by 80%. My refridgerator now makes more noise.
My stove is located in a 8' x12' room downstairs, adjacent to the stairwell so heating the upstairs living area.. It worked well enough like this for 2 seasons except the small room would get to 90º. I modified the stove with a sheet metal plenum over the hot air exit vents on the stove, (front over the door) then 6" duct direct upstairs. Now the room stays 60-70º and my pellet cosumption went down 25-30% .
I use an external thermostat upstairs which will cycle the heat range from lowest (#1) to whatever I preset as "higher" Usually range 2 in warmer temps, 3 (higher) in 0-25º winter temps. keeps the house within +/- one degree , much more even heat than my furnace. Ive never needed to run it any hotter. If it's below zero, my furnace may kick in 1-2 times through the night, then the pellet stove can pretty well keep up.
Generally, I check it in the morning, put in 1-2 sacks in the evening and it's good until the following evening. I use 5 tons in a Michigan winter, bring them into the basement in the fall (easier). I figure this stove is saving me $2000 annual against propane.
So... There is a pellet stove learning curve and some hands on mechanical now and then. I am fine with that for the money saved. The first season I used it, I bought the stove and a winters with of pellets and still came out $800 ahead... and this was before I improved efficiency by addig the plenum to move more heat upstairs.
So if there is a problem now, I know what has caused it and how to easily fix it. Have had no catatrostophic failures or needed any replacement parts (other than ignitor issues which simply have ignored as pointless overkill).
This stove isn't pretty. It's "sporty and efficient" cranks out the heat and holds together. Thats the effect I was after!
Tip: buy pellets in the spring for the following winter, keep them out of the weather. I just saved $600 on five tons "clearance". About 50% of fall prices which are around $175-$200/ ton in Michigan.
March 13, 2013
STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bought this stove and the extended warenty 2 years ago. I read the negative reviews and thought "well I will get the warrenty".This stove and the warrenty co. is junk!!I installed it last year and soon after the igniter went up.the warrenty co. couldnt even find a place to fix it.when they did the place came and cleaned it and then came back and replaced it.2 months later the igniter went up again.I called informing the warrenty co. about the issue then the sent the stove co. back out.The stove co. cleaned it again!and charged the warrenty co.. Then they had to make another trip out to fix it.Now only 3mo. later the fan started squeeling and binding up and the igniter went out again! So i call the warrenty co. .They sent the stove co. and they cleaned it again! Now the warrenty people say they have fixed the stove up to the value of the stove(by paying all the cleanings) so they will send me 90$ to settle and they are no longer obligated.In short this stove has sat unused longer than it has been running.I now have to purchase 200$ worth of parts to fix it myself.Save yourself a whole lot of problems and get another stove and dont trust the AMT warrenty co. you will be happier and warmer.
December 19, 2012
Do Not Purchase products by USSC
I purchased this stove December 2010. It did not function properly according to the manual. I spent countless hours with customer support. I had to fix the stove myself with replacement parts sent to me, the stove still did not function according to the manual. Customer support then told me it was fine and it should work that way. Now the igniter went and they will not cover it under warranty. I plan on replacing that once a year. Also, no ash pan, the stove is impossible to clean properly without a vacuum. I did not enjoy my experience with USSC. Pick another brand.
March 16, 2012
US Stove(Pellet) Model 5500M
I bought this stove here about 3 or 4 yrs ago. It is the easyest Pellet stove to clean and adjust for burn. I use a vaccum to clean it with that handles soot ect. You never have clinkers in the fire box as you can adjust youre air to give you the right burn. I had a bout with the auto ignitor, Had to replace it three times, but the company when good for it and was very helpful installing it over the phone. Therfore I give it a 4 star.
October 17, 2011
Happy stove
I did alot of shopping and asking questions before buying this pellet stove. I was told by dealers and friends get a top loader, stay away from double agaer and to make sure you have two blowers not one. This stove meet all requirments. The stove runs great and I have had no prblems. I rate it a 4 only because it does not have an ash clean out try but my stove vacume is just as easy.
March 20, 2011
Pellet Stove
My only issue is that the feeder sometimes does not stop feeding pellets into the hopper and then the ignitor will not work. The stove shuts itself off if there is no ignition. I don't know how to fix that problem. I tried to hit the delay auger button, but nothing changes. I unplugged the entire stove hoping it would reset. I cleaned the fire box many times. It works great with 9 settings when it is working.
March 14, 2011
Kept me warm all winter
This Pellet stove was the best investment that made since moving back to NH from Fla. I heated a non-insulated cottage through this past winter(2009) for $300/month(1pallet) and it maintained 73 degrees on all but the coldest days that dropped below 0 deg. with 30+mph winds. The only issue that I had was the igniter failed, but US Stove overnighted one(warranty) and I never lost a day of operation. The 150 pound hopper was fantastic because I could fill it and not have to refill for 24+ hours(depending on the temp and wind). I have recommended this Stove to everyone that I know.
July 20, 2009
u.s.stove
great stove heats my whole house. holds a little more than 3 bags of pellets. Ran for about a whole season now and no problems . I would and have recommened it.
March 16, 2009
Pellet Stove with hopper
The hopper is an excellent idea since you are less of a slave to the stove. The stove is advertised as holding 150 lbs, but actually holds (3) bags which equals
120 lbs. I wish that the stove could hold 5 bags of pellets.
I use a pellet stove vacumn cleaner to clean out the stove about every three days since I run the stove 24/7. This particular stove is reliable and puts out good heat.
March 5, 2009
Nice Stove for the price with fast shipping
I ordered this just before Thanksgiving and received it within the 4 to 6 days they claim. Stove has been up and running for almost a month here in Connecticut. I love the large hopper, a big plus, I have a Harmon IRON pellet stove with a 40 lb hopper which requires a lot of tending, but is a great looker, built strong and very dependable. This one has the 150 Lb hopper which for me is great for my application. I have this heater in the lower level of a high ranch which is not currently finished (900 Sq ft) except for a 12 x 16 Foyer & stairwell leading up to the second floor. I keep the setting on a low setting to keep this area warm to supplement the Harmon on my 3 season Patio room on the upper floor along with a Wood insert in the Living room also on the upper floor.
The King 5500 feeds a nice slow but steady heat on the lower floor to even out the house. The design of this heater is quite nice for the money. Not like the Harmon pellet stove or the Regency wood insert but does a nice job. I called King to verify the test results I received compared to what was printed in the instructions before I fired it up and they walked thru the test with me over the phone to assure me that the stove was working right. The onboard controller was probly newer than when the instruction manual was printed. Instruction for install is pretty straight forward but I installed both of my prior heaters (stove & wood insert) so the install wasn't new to me.
Good Product, Customer service and fast shipping, What more can you ask for.
December 23, 2008
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