Pellet woodstoves- big problem question (2015, coop, how much)

[maineborzoi]

Hey all- have a big question :

Question for those with pellet stoves...

I ran into a nearby neighbor today, and we talked about our power outage last night. Outages are rare around here, so always makes the " talk of the town".

She said that they had a pellet stove, something we did not consider as needed power to run as a heat alternative, and the sudden outage caused her house to fill up with smoke.

They had to open the windows etc to clear the house due to the sudden smoke.




Now- is it just me but should not pellet stoves have an " emergency damper" something you could open to let the remaining pellets in the box to vent- in the event that power suddenly went off- as leaving the damper closed ?




Our alternative heat is are woodstoves- we have two- one in the living room and one in the kitchen. Loss of power would only take out the fan to circulate, but the stove still is making heat. We ran with them in that wild winter 2014/2015 - even without fans...

Anyone with pellet stove knowledge- how does one cope with sudden loss of power ?

[Willamette City]

We have a portable 10 KW generator. We run it outside and bring extension cords into the house. We can run the pellet stove and a few lights. I wouldn't want to run it long term, but a day or so is acceptable.

[maineborzoi]

Originally Posted by Willamette City

We have a portable 10 KW generator. We run it outside and bring extension cords into the house. We can run the pellet stove and a few lights. I wouldn't want to run it long term, but a day or so is acceptable.

Short of using a generator, as even then- there is a delay to start anyway...

How can one- or is it possible to have an emergency damper open if one has a pellet stove ?


I do not have- nor would I have- a pellet stove. They need power to run, but a woodstove does not. However- I felt awful for her when she was talking about how they had to have their windows open for almost an hour to get the smoke out of the house- and it was raining- so the windows etc all got wet- ... All due to the fact the sudden powerloss closed the pellet stove- making burning pellets- with no vent...

That doesn't seem right to me... Are there emergency damper controls for ones wit pellet stoves ???

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by maineborzoi

Short of using a generator, as even then- there is a delay to start anyway...

How can one- or is it possible to have an emergency damper open if one has a pellet stove ?


I do not have- nor would I have- a pellet stove. They need power to run, but a woodstove does not. However- I felt awful for her when she was talking about how they had to have their windows open for almost an hour to get the smoke out of the house- and it was raining- so the windows etc all got wet- ... All due to the fact the sudden powerloss closed the pellet stove- making burning pellets- with no vent...

That doesn't seem right to me... Are there emergency damper controls for ones wit pellet stoves ???

No damper controls for pellet stoves. The power loss didn't close the exhaust vent, it shut off the exhaust fan. If the exhaust vent was angled upwards, it may be better.

I have a pellet stove to off set the cost/use of oil. It works fine as long as the power is on. They aren't meant to be used for emergency heat, unless you have a stand alone power source.

Sub, has posted some links to pellet stoves that don't rely on electricity.

[Kiwiluver]

I installed a Generac Generator hard wired into my system. I fear being with out power for days approaching my 70’s. They had a deal this summer 10 years free service and parts. Like you my primary heat source is wood. I will continue to cut wood as long as I can hold a chainsaw. I also have heat pumps and a jotel gas stove .

[High_Plains_Retired]

I'm not in Maine but I saw this thread and thought I would comment.

I have two pellet stoves (one on each end of the house) in my old farm house on the Texas South Plains. I use only one stove early on but, as the weather gets colder, I will use both. We are on the end of a Coop power line and during the winter months we expect to suffer outages several time during he winter due to aging power poles that go down due to ice, snow or even wind. When a stove is running and this occurs, the house will often fill with smoke due to the continued burning of the pellets in the burn pot and the exhaust fan in the stove shutting down.

We have a standalone generator but, as someone else had mentioned, there is a delay between hooking it up and the electricity going down. I have thought about the possibility of an emergency battery-operated exhaust fan something akin to an emergency light at exit doors in public buildings that operates on a 6 or 12-volt motorcycle battery. The fan wouldn't have to run very long since any remaining pellets in the burn pot would soon burn out.

Has anyone built something like this, or do you know if anyone sells such a thing? It should be rather simple to construct.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I'm not in Maine but I saw this thread and thought I would comment.

I have two pellet stoves (one on each end of the house) in my old farm house on the Texas South Plains. I use only one stove early on but, as the weather gets colder, I will use both. We are on the end of a Coop power line and during the winter months we expect to suffer outages several time during he winter due to aging power poles that go down due to ice, snow or even wind. When a stove is running and this occurs, the house will often fill with smoke due to the continued burning of the pellets in the burn pot and the exhaust fan in the stove shutting down.

We have a standalone generator but, as someone else had mentioned, there is a delay between hooking it up and the electricity going down. I have thought about the possibility of an emergency battery-operated exhaust fan something akin to an emergency light at exit doors in public buildings that operates on a 6 or 12-volt motorcycle battery. The fan wouldn't have to run very long since any remaining pellets in the burn pot would soon burn out.

Has anyone built something like this, or do you know if anyone sells such a thing? It should be rather simple to construct.

Maybe like one of those battery packs for computers, just so you could get it shut off.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by AustinB

Maybe like one of those battery packs for computers, just so you could get it shut off.

Yes. I was just about to post this as I had done a little more reading on the subject. I need to read some more but it seems they may make battery backups for pellet stoves.

[maineborzoi]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

Yes. I was just about to post this as I had done a little more reading on the subject. I need to read some more but it seems they may make battery backups for pellet stoves.

My husband was stating something like a relay that was 12 volt on one side, and 110 on the other. When the power is on- it would bypass the relay, as not needed. But when the resistance changes, ie power loss, the 12 volt would turn on a simple battery.

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by maineborzoi

Hey all- have a big question :

Question for those with pellet stoves...

I ran into a nearby neighbor today, and we talked about our power outage last night. Outages are rare around here, so always makes the " talk of the town".

She said that they had a pellet stove, something we did not consider as needed power to run as a heat alternative, and the sudden outage caused her house to fill up with smoke.


Anyone with pellet stove knowledge- how does one cope with sudden loss of power ?

That's one downfall to Pellet stoves. You need electric to run them. So if you don't have backup power, no heat. You can get a battery backup for it but you need to consider the amount of time you need the stove to be on and how much time battery can handle.