Why You Should Use a Pellet Stove

A lot of homeowners are thinking about installing pellet stoves to stay warm this winter, and for good reason: They burn cleanly, produce tons of heat, and require little maintenance. And people who own pellet stoves absolutely love them.

Pellets

A pellet stove is a heating appliance that?s similar to a woodstove, but instead of burning firewood, it burns compressed hardwood pellets that are about 1/4 inch in diameter and 3/4 inch long. The pellets, which are commonly available in 40-pound bags, are made from compressed sawdust and waste wood that would otherwise be dumped into landfills or left to rot in the forest. Pellets are considered carbon-neutral because the CO₂ level exhausted by the stove is similar to the carbon released when wood decomposes naturally on the forest floor.

To ensure the stove burns clean and hot, it?s important to buy high-quality hardwood pellets from a manufacturer that?s a member of the Pellet Fuels Institute. Pellets are typically bought by the ton, and the average household goes through between 2 and 3 tons of pellets per heating season. A ton of pellets?or 50 of those 40-pound bags?costs between $200 and $300.

Pellet Stoves

Here?s how a pellet stove works: You pour pellets into the storage hopper located at the top. An electric auger delivers the pellets from the hopper to the burn chamber. Sensors within the stove monitor the fuel supply and tell the auger when to drop a new pellet. It will put in just enough pellets to keep the fire burning small but extremely hot. There are never more than a small handful of pellets in the burn chamber at any one time.

A pellet stove has a combustion blower that pulls outside air into the stove through a fresh-air vent and then blows out smoke and fumes through a stainless-steel exhaust vent. There?s also a convection blower that draws room air into the stove and blows heated air into the room through a series of heat-exchange tubes. The stove will automatically deliver heat, based on the thermostat setting. All you need to do is keep the hopper filled with pellets.

As with wood-burning stoves, there are two basic types of pellet stoves: freestanding models and inserts that fit into existing fireplaces. And while pellet stoves are typically installed as a supplement to the home?s primary heating system, that doesn?t mean they can?t pump out the Btus.

Medium-size pellet stoves can easily produce between 40,000 and 50,000 Btus per hour, enough output to heat more than 2000 square feet of living space. If you?ve got a smaller room to heat, don?t worry. Pellet stoves come in a wide variety of sizes and range in price from about $1000 to $5000.

Pellet stoves burn so hot and clean that there?s very little ash left behind, especially compared with woodstoves. The owner usually has to empty the pellet stove?s ash pan just once a week, even if the stove is used every day. And pellets produce virtually no creosote, which is a major cause of chimney fires.

What to Keep in Mind

There are a few other things you should consider when pondering pellet stoves. For one, they?re heavy. An average-size unit, measuring about 25 x 27 inches, weighs nearly 400 pounds. If you plan to install it yourself, get plenty of help.

The stove must be set onto a fire-resistant surface, such as tile or stone. So if the room has hardwood, vinyl, carpeting, or any other combustible flooring, the stove has to be set onto an approved hearth pad.

Some stoves accept an optional pedestal, which effectively raises the stove about 7 inches to a more comfortable and attractive height.

The exact type of venting required depends on the stove?s proximity to windows and doors; an improperly vented stove will allow smoke and fumes to be sucked back into the house. When shopping for a pellet stove, bring photos of the room and include measurements to nearby windows and doors. An experienced dealer will design the appropriate venting system for your specific situation.

Most pellet stoves come with an attached hard-wired thermostat, but for added convenience, wireless remote thermostats are also available for about $150.

Install a ceiling fan in the room with the pellet stove. Then run the fan in reverse to blow heat trapped at the ceiling down into the room.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/interior/a-pellet-stove-primer-14853590?src=rss

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