Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just bought a house & it has a chimney that the previous owner did not want his renters to use so he put a plate over the hookup.
I'd like to install a wood stove there. I've been debating between a wood stove vs. a pellet stove? What do you think? The house isn't large - about 1000 sf so it won't need a large appliance.
Wood stove. If your electricity goes out, the pellet stove doesn't work.
Yes, most of the time, electricity isn't out for long. But about 10 years ago, a severe winter storm in the Willamette Valley knocked out the electricity. In some areas of Salem, the electricity stayed out for a good *week*. And it was darn cold, down in the single digits.
Also, have the chimney cleaned and inspected before you hook up a stove to it.
As mentioned the pellet stove requires electric to operate so it won't make heat on it's own without power. Note that some wood stoves may require power for air circulation but they will still make heat without the circulation fans.
Since it does use power that means automation, no adding wood and no waking up to a cold stove.
Generally speaking the pellet stove is going to more to operate. How much really depends on the rates for wood and pellets in your area and the species of wood. It's not a deal breaker if you are looking for convenience.
Storage, both need to be kept dry however the pellets will turn to mush if they get wet. You really need to insure where you store the pellets is dry area.
DH's BFF had a pellet stove and he couldn't wait to give it away. Poor heat quality, hopper feed problems, etc.
Generally speaking they don't make very large pellet stoves. The larger ones are where coal stoves start at. You have to buy a well made stove like a Harman, don't buy the Home Depot model for $800. The quality of the pellet is important too.
The pellet stove is a good secondary heating source , But I would not pick it for the primary heating source. It doesn't require much of an exhaust the exhaust on the pellet stove is ABS 2" plastic.
So you can virtually put it any where .
However they suffer failures like motors and augers failing and none of the part are generic you must order the special parts on line way ahead of time and have the know how to do the replacements .
Pellet stoves can be run on a thermostat of it's own and left alone for hours , aside form running a blower and auger the pellets are burned thoroughly with very little ash left.
If the bag of pellets gets wet it turns to saw dust and falls apart miserably.
I lived in the mountains where friend had them but learned not to be completely dependent on them.
On the wood stove ,
I have lived on them for many years and have found a trick that makes them burn most efficiently .
If the stove pipe is configured with a dog leg in the length starting about 2-3' from the stove upward and a horizontal section about a foot or more, an then continuing on up, this acts as a natural choke accomplishing a few things .
I also use a damper on the first section of vertical pipe even though the stove may have one.
I am a control freak. Wood and effort are not cheap , I want full efficiency .
Pipes that as send strait off the stove send the heat up as well , even the room atmosphere when the stove is not in operation the warm air is being drawn out by convection. that short piece of horizontal breaks up the aggressive flow.
I mix the woods as well using hard and soft producing enough heat to consume more of the creisode before it has a chance to exit.
Because the pipe needs cleaned once a year, and I live in earthquake territory I have screws holding it together . remember which way the smoke travels as you arrange your pipe male on the bottom upward, female down ward. Other wise you will have leakage. Believe it or not I have seen people do it wrong and wonder why it leaks.
Mine are marked for easy service.
I've used wood almost all my life and if you have the time- wood is the way to go. That is if you have the time to cut, split, stack clean the stove and the chimney. It is a chore. It's a commitment.
When I moved to Montana the house I bought has no chimney, but there was a propane stand alone stove in the basement. No outside access from the basement what-so-ever. If I wanted wood I would have to haul it through the upstairs living room and downstairs to a wood stove. No way- I opted for a pellet stove. A good one. I installed an Enviro M-55 pellet stove.
Best....Stove... Ever.
4 years and the thing operates like a champ. Load pellets, set my thermostat- done. Clean the ashes out of the pan once every ton of pellets, clean the inside of the stove, lightly scrape the burn pot. Twice a year I take a soft nylon brush and sweep the pipe which is located horizontally through the wall. No creosote- just a fine ash residue.
No climbing the chimney, no dealing with creosote glaze, no splitting, hauling, stacking or cleaning the ash pan daily. Waaaaaaay easier than burning wood. Keeps my 2,800 sq ft home roasty-toasty. I burn maybe 1.5 bags a day in the coldest of Montana winters. I load 20 bags of pellets in my Prius on my way home from work every couple weeks.
No more hauling 5,000 lbs of unsplit oak or hardwoods in my 3/4 ton Dodge. No more chainsaw work. No more splitting or mauling.
You have to decide want you really want. If you want to burn cheap but have to work at it- go wood. If you want turn dial convenience- go pellets (just get a good stove).
P.S.- we have a small portable generator, so power outages are not a concern to me. I can run a cord through a pre-drilled access hole in basement wall to the stove.
Generally speaking they don't make very large pellet stoves. The larger ones are where coal stoves start at. You have to buy a well made stove like a Harman, don't buy the Home Depot model for $800. The quality of the pellet is important too.
My M-55 pellet stove is a workhorse. I have 5 temp settings. I have a 2,800 sq ft home. Even when it was −25 degrees it never needed to go above a 3 setting. They make very, very stout pellet stoves.
I've had both and I'm a pellet fan now. I've got a Quadrafire MT Vernon and it's a thing of beauty. They sell a kit to allow connection to a battery during power outages, but I just plugged it into my generator.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
