Pellet Stove Review United States Stove 5500M

United States Stove Model 5500M Pellet Stove Review
The United States Stove Model 5500M Pellet Stove

If you search for a pellet stove review, there’s a good chance that you’ll come across products made by United States Stove. They’ve been a popular option for anyone shopping for heaters since 1926. Even before they were officially known as US Stove, the company made stoves of every kind since 1869. In their current catalogue, they have a wide variety of multi-fuel stoves, gas heaters, furnaces, and pellet stoves.

The 5500M is the flagship model of their pellet stove line. The 5500M is a large stove, and it can comfortably heat a 2,200 square-foot home. Normally, a pellet stove capable of heating an entire house would be very large and heavy, but the 5500M is lighter than the typical large stove. A furnace with equivalent heating capabilities can be difficult to install and maintain due to its weight and size. When you’re shopping for a pellet stove, it’s always important to consider where the stove will end up in your home. A pellet furnace that weighs 400 pounds will generate many more BTUs than a smaller model, but it will be very hard to move into the right spot. Since the 5500M only weighs 287 pounds, it’s a great alternative to large pellet furnaces that produce the same amount of heat.

US Stove 5500M Wood Pellet Facts

  • Model number 5500M
  • Freestanding pellet stove with automatic pellet hopper
  • Automatic ignition system
  • Pellet hopper capacity of 120 pounds
  • Shipping weight of 287 pounds
  • Produces up to 48,000 BTUs
  • Heats up to 2,200 square feet
  • Single 120 CFM blower
  • Built-in digital control panel with LED display
  • Five different heat settings
  • Dimensions: 26″ x 25″ x 35 1/4″
  • Built-in viewing window
  • Flue collar: 3″
  • EPA certified
  • 5-year limited manufacturer’s warranty

US Stove 5500M Features and Benefits

At first glance, the United States Stove 5500M seems very similar to competing models like the Vogelzang Pellet Stoves VG5770 Slimline and the Drolet Eco 45, but there are several key differences that set the 5500M apart from other heaters. The US Stove 5500M comes with a very large hopper that’s capable of holding up to 120 pounds of pellets. That’s three full bags of pellets. If you fill the hopper to capacity, you won’t have to worry about refilling it for several days if you’re running it on a low setting. If you intend to run the pellet stove overnight, you won’t have to worry about it running out of pellets and automatically shutting off while you’re sleeping.

The stove utilizes a modified exhaust fan that creates a negative draft in front of the stove. This makes it much less likely that smoke and flue products will leak out of the pellet stove and into the room. The blower comes programmed with the standard factory settings, but you also have the option to adjust fan yourself using the built-in control panel. There you can control the blower’s intensity, along with the heat settings. This can be very useful if you want to move a lot of air, but keep the stove on a low heat setting.

Pros

  • Large pellet hopper lets the stove run for days at a time without refilling
  • Has a neutral design that doesn’t stick out
  • You can customize the fan settings and heat settings
  • Weighs less than the average large pellet stove
  • Many users have given it a favorable pellet stove review
  • The stove has a viewing window so you can watch the flame or examine the burn pot
  • Approved for use in mobile homes
  • Washington State approved
  • Durable steel construction that will last many heating seasons
  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • The fan is louder than the average model
  • Requires daily cleaning if you run it on a medium to high setting
  • It can take a while for the startup cycle to finish and begin heating the room
  • Installation parts are not included with the pellet stove

Final Word on the US Stove 5500M Pellet Stove Review

If you’re new to heating your house with wood pellets, the 5500M is a great place to start. It offers a reliable alternative to oil, natural gas, and propane, at a fraction of the price. You’ll save a great deal of money if you switch to wood pellets and use a pellet stove to heat your whole house. Even if you’re simply heating a few rooms or a single floor, a pellet stove can shrink your heating bill if it’s used to supplement an existing heating system.

In one pellet stove review, a 5500M owner said that they’ve been using the stove for over six seasons without encountering any issues. That’s impressive performance no matter how you look at it.

Do you own a United States Stove 5500M pellet stove? Tell us about it in the comments!

10 thoughts on “Pellet Stove Review United States Stove 5500M”

  1. So you want a King 5500M stove? Read this carefully. I write it unbiased even though it cost me double its purchase price.

    As for pros: It gets hot and produces a lot of heat.
    End of pros.

    As for cons: It wastes an enormous amount of heat due to a draft motor that cannot be properly regulated.

    That wasted heat- It makes the double walled 3″ flue pipe scalding hot; As in you will get 2nd degree burns from it. That is how much heat is wasted.

    The room air circulating motor- Noisy as about anything you can possibly think of, unless you can think of standing next to a 747 jet engine at take-off. I’ve been next to one so I know of what I speak.

    And that circ motor has no filter. So be prepared to disassemble the entire heater to clean the squirrel cage of accumulated dust/dirt.

    It is made of the most inexpensive of materials possible. The auger motor went on fire on me over the summer while the unit was turned off. The main display went bad at the same time. $700.00 to replace both parts.

    The auger jammed on me (1 year old unit). Had to disassemble the auger in order to free it up. Now unit vibrates massively until at least two complete rotations, then seems to be fine.

    That noisy circ motor? Yea, replacement $150.00. Now I can actually sit in the same room and have a conversation, watch TV, etc.

    The company was unsimpathetic about any of these issues past telling me I could find parts cheaper online than buying from them.

    I know this comes off as jaded but it truly is not. I have had all of these issues and have made modifications to fix these problems which makes this unit so much better. It isn’t worth buying the unit to then pay for these upgrades to make a better stove. Buy a better one first thing and forget this steaming turd. It just is not worth the money.

  2. Hello RjD- Thanks for offering our readers the benefit of your experience with the King 5500M pellet stove.

    In all fairness to the manufacturer, exhaust flue gas is designed to leave most pellet stoves while its still pretty hot. Even though there is a combustion fan, it’s really just to keep air flowing continuously, not to force the exhaust out of the flue stack. The air has to be fairly warm in order to ensure that it rises naturally when it gets to the vertical part of the flue. Otherwise there will be back pressure, and the stove won’t draw well. It sounds like your stove is way too hot due to some problem, however.

    We have not owned one of these stoves, but we have owned stoves made from the same manufacturer. They do use inexpensive fans, and they tend to be noisy. Replacement fans are always quieter. It sounds like you solved that problem, but we feel US Stove would be smarter to design the stove around a quieter fan in the first place. It’s an inexpensive stove, and sounds like it.

    Thanks again for your detailed comment.

  3. Absolute joke! We purchased a home with a us pellet stove in the home brand new. The stove was used for maybe 3 months and out of no where caused a fire in my home! The company refuses to replace fix or do anything to fix their malfunctioning pellet heater because I was the original purchaser! Customer service is a joke customer service is a joke and so are their products!

  4. Replaced exhaust fan and pressure switch ,so know I have to keep it unplugged because the exhaust motor makes a humming sound.So know when I go to use it I plug it in turn it on the exhaust fan turns on the pot fills it lights ,comes up to temperature room fan comes on.After that the exhaust fan does not come on and draft fan light comes on and blinks for a little bit then it stops blinking and stays red.So then I turn it off and it goes into shut down mode like it normally does

  5. Hello Roger- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts.
    You’ve described a very unusual set of circumstances with your pellet stove. I would be especially suspicious of a fan that hums when the unit isn’t running. If your exhaust fan is receiving any current when it’s off (which may cause the humming), but doesn’t receive current when your stove exits the startup phase (error light), it sounds like your control board is sending incorrect signals to the pellet stove’s components.

  6. My stove lights just fine, but the room fan will not kick on. Started acting up a couple of weeks ago. Incomplete burning of pellets, the burn pot would be full of pellets, and black glass. Any clue of what could be wrong?

  7. Hello Paul- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts.

    The room fan comes on when a thermodisc senses high enough temperatures in the burn chamber. By the sound of your other symptoms, the fire is burning very lazily, so the fan never comes on. That suggests that either the exhaust or intake piping is blocked, or the door isn’t sealing properly. A door that doesn’t seal well can be caused by the hinges/catches loosening up, or by excessive compression of the door gasket over time.

    I’d clean the stove thoroughly, especially the exhaust system, and look for built-up ash. Then I’d adjust the door to close more tightly, and/or change the door gasket.

    Good luck!

  8. Bill
    I have the 5500m.i have to tell everyone that I bought it from a friend almost 11 years ago.i have not used the fuel oil furnace since I bought this thing.the many factors date on it is 2008.i had to replace one fan two years ago.i explained to the pellet stove team and they talked me through it.i can’t say enough about how this stove has worked for my family and I.ive had very good luck with my pellet stove.i hope to be able to get the exact same one soon.i looked at some of the other reviews and must tell ya I was shocked.dont know if I just got a good one or if I’m maintaining it right.either way I love this stove.remember almost 11 years and only one blower motor.empressive stove.thanks for your time
    Bill S.

  9. Stove hasn’t bin used yet , go to turn on exhaust fan comes on couple seconds then goes off , err-7 come up which is for fuse but fuse is fine ,

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