Pellet stoves are easy to use, environmentally friendly and cheap to fuel, making them popular among people who want a simple, cost-effective way to heat their home. When it comes to high-quality pellet stoves, nobody does it quite like Castle and Comfortbilt.
The Serenity Wood Pellet Stove by Castle is a relatively lightweight, compact model that is powerful enough to heat an average-size home. This is a low-wattage pellet stove with a decent thermal efficiency rate, and it can provide heat for up to 24 hours on a full load. Features like a digital thermostat make it easy to receive status alerts and change settings.
If you have a large home, the Comfortbilt Pellet Stove can accommodate its heating needs. With a high BTU output and long burn time, you’ll never feel the chill of the winter air. This pellet stove boasts an impressive efficiency rating and an extra-large ash pan. As with the Serenity model, the Comfortbilt Pellet Stove has a programmable thermostat, manual and auto modes.
Size and Coverage Area
Castle 12327
At 186 pounds, this is a lightweight model in the world of pellet stoves. The Serenity measures 18.25 by 23.75 by 34 inches, making compact and ideal for flush or corner placement. Despite its small size, the pellet stove can heat homes up to 1,500 square feet. Its curved front window gives a direct view into the warm fire within the stove.
Installing this pellet stove in your home is easier than you think with an average setup time of 2 hours. The pellet stove has a standard 3-inch flue and a top-loading pellet bin with a recessed handle on the lid. You’ll also appreciate how easy it is to access the ash pan and the firepot.
Comfortbilt HP22
Weighing 320 pounds, you’ll need an extra pair of hands to lift and carry this pellet stove. At 24 by 30 by 35 inches, it’s a little larger than the Serenity model, but it can be placed in a corner or along the wall. Due to its size, the stove can heat homes as large as 2,800 square feet, and its bay window gives the stove a quaint appearance.
This window is more than just a showpiece; it also gives you access to the firepot. Underneath the window, there is a huge slide-out ash pan. The flue is 3 inches, and the exhaust system can be vented via a wall or a chimney.
Conclusion: Out of the two pellet stoves, the Comfortbilt is the bigger and heavier one, and it has a bay window as opposed to the Castle’s curved window. Each pellet stove has straightforward installation instructions and an easily accessible ash pan and firepot.
Burn Rate and Efficiency
Castle 12327
The Castle Serenity’s hopper can hold 40 pounds’ worth of pellets, and it burns these pellets at a rate of approximately 4 pounds per hour. Therefore, the stove can generate heat for about 12 hours on its highest heat setting and an entire 24 hours on its lowest setting.
With an ignition wattage of 400 and an operating wattage of 77, you will save a lot of money on your energy bills. Thanks to a well-built heat exchanger, the pellet stove doesn’t produce a ton of ash, yet it manages to put out 31,960 BTUs of heat at 69.8 percent thermal efficiency rate.
Comfortbilt HP22
Like the Serenity pellet stove, the Comfortbilt model features a top-loading hopper with a 55-pound capacity. The stove burns this fuel source at a 5.5-pound-an-hour rate, providing a heat time of 12 to 24 hours on a full load.
Upon ignition, the pellet stove draws 520 watts; however, the wattage drops to 150 watts while the stove is in use. Its convection blower does an outstanding job of pushing out 50,000 BTUs of heat. With an 86-percent thermal efficiency rate, very little energy is wasted.
Conclusion: The Comfortbilt can hold 15 pounds more pellets than the Castle; however, the Castle Serenity draws less wattage. Due to its capacity and size, the Comfortbilt has a higher burn rate and BTU output, and it loses less energy in the process of heating your home. Regardless, both models are capable of heating your home for an entire day and night.
Settings and Safety Features
Castle 12327
Via the LED Smart Controller or the remote control, you can select from among five heat levels, program the integrated thermostat and set a weekly schedule at four per-day intervals. The controller is even equipped with a lockout mode, which prevents your chosen settings from being changed accidentally, and it displays light indicators that provide status and troubleshooting alerts.
This pellet stove is certified as environmentally friendly by the Environmental Protection Agency, and it is approved for use in mobile homes. It also has a built-in exhaust fan and a high-limit temperature switch that protects it from overheating damage.
Comfortbilt HP22
Like the Castle Serenity Pellet Stove, the Comfortbilt Pellet Stove is equipped with an electronic controller, and it comes with an infrared remote. With either the controller or the remote, you can program the thermostat from 61 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, receive alerts, choose from five burn levels and set a detailed weekly automatic schedule.
All the safety features you’d expect on a pellet stove come standard on the Comfortbilt. It’s EPA-certified and mobile-home safe. Thanks to the integration of a high-limit switch, you don’t have to worry about the stove overheating, and an auto-shutoff mechanism protects the pellet stove against damage caused by unexpected power outages.
Conclusion: In terms of controls and safety features, you get the same features with both pellet stoves. Each one comes with a remote, and their digital control panel lets you run the stove on manual, automatic or schedule mode. Castle and Comfortbilt also included safety features such as auto-shutoff and a high-limit switch.
Finely Crafted Pellet Stoves
From installation to operation, these two pellet stoves are fuss-free. Each one has a top-loading hopper, and they are a breeze to maintain and clean. Both offer five levels of heat, and their control panel gives you status alerts and lets you program the thermostat or set a weekly schedule. Plus, you get the convenience of a remote.
The Castle Serenity is lighter and smaller than the Comfortbilt, but the Comfortbilt pellet stove has a pretty bay window. With its higher pellet capacity, the Comfortbilt stove puts out more BTUs and covers a larger area. However, the Castle model is more energy friendly. Without a doubt, the Castle 12327 Serenity and the Comfortbilt HP22 are great investments for any home.
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