Pellet Stoves

[Todd Wilson]

Been thinking of getting a pellet stove for the house.  With Yobama's tax credit for energy updates it could help the price a lot. Was wondering if others out there have them and what they think. I am currently looking at a Quadra Fire  Santa Fe model.  Reading reviews on the internet they are mostly bad. But when you see 25 bad reviews and then stop and consider how many thousands are out there I tend to wonder.   My current setup at the house is a heat pump with natural gas back up central air system. I have the main return air vent in my dining room and was looking at running the pellet stove and keep the central air fan running constant to circulate the warm air thru the house.  I like the ability to have 3 modes of heat and a back up in case of power outage. I could use my power inverter and keep this unit running and heat the house.  I have also wondered if I should just spend the $$$ on more insulation and call it good.  Thought and opinions on these stoves?


Todd

[A383Wing]

We had a pellet stove in the house when we bought it...damn thing kept going out...was hard to light off....and the pellets were not cheap...so we got rid of it...

My 

[1969chargerrtse]

I burn coal.  For every ton of coal I burn, you would have to use 1.7 tons of pellets to get to the same BTU power.  I have a Harman rice coal stove.  I get the coal from PA at about the same cost as pellets if not cheaper.  The down side is the ash is high.  I have to empty my ash bin every 2 to 4 days where as a pellet stove can go close to a month before it's full.  There is no black dust at all.  The coal is wet in 40lb bags, and the ash is clean. It heats our 2,200 sq ft home just fine.  We are always warm, until the times the wife cranks it up.  I came home one winter day and it was 85*!! in the house.

[NHCharger]

Friend of mine has one. Loves it but the problem was everyone decided a few years ago to get pellet stoves and pellets became hard to get and doubled in price. Also just like wood stoves you'll need a spot to store the pellets.
I believe the the pellet supply has eased but not sure if the prices came down that much.

[Todd Wilson]

Friend of mine has one. Loves it but the problem was everyone decided a few years ago to get pellet stoves and pellets became hard to get and doubled in price. Also just like wood stoves you'll need a spot to store the pellets.
I believe the the pellet supply has eased but not sure if the prices came down that much.

Its around 279$ a ton right now. From my reading the construction line of work also determines pellet prices as the pellets are made mostly from sawdust and stuff from the mills. If the country isnt building new houses then there isnt as much sawdust at the mills making the new wood. Supply and demand then causes prices to go up and hard to find.


Todd

[Todd Wilson]

I burn coal.  For every ton of coal I burn, you would have to use 1.7 tons of pellets to get to the same BTU power.  I have a Harman rice coal stove.  I get the coal from PA at about the same cost as pellets if not cheaper.  The down side is the ash is high.  I have to empty my ash bin every 2 to 4 days where as a pellet stove can go close to a month before it's full.  There is no black dust at all.  The coal is wet in 40lb bags, and the ash is clean. It heats our 2,200 sq ft home just fine.  We are always warm, until the times the wife cranks it up.  I came home one winter day and it was 85*!! in the house.

That looks like a nice setup. I am a little nervous about cutting a hole thru my wall for the exhaust pipe. I'm not looking to use it 100% of the time but help out with the costs of heating.


Todd

[A383Wing]

You either gotta cut a hole for the exhaust no matter what stove you get...or get one that goes in the fireplace (if you have one)

[The70RT]

You either gotta cut a hole for the exhaust no matter what stove you get...or get one that goes in the fireplace (if you have one)

Yep and lots of fire codes. 1969chargerrtse that wouldn't pass around here. Best way is to go straight up for more efficiency, less creosote and easier to clean. It is more expensive since you need ceiling & roof jacks, insulation guard, triple wall pipe etc. Or the insulated type. In KS your flue has to be higher than the peak of you roof....even if you run it through the wall. This is for wood but I don't see what the diff would be. You need floor protection too. You need to be at least 24" from an unprotected wall for a non insulated side. Some are zero clearance though. Lots of time the stove is cheaper than all the things combined. Where ever you buy your stove they should have the codes or online for that info or check with your fire dept. for a brocure....they also will need to do an inspection if you want your insurance to cover your house.....probably let them know as well. 

[derailed]

Todd I think the key to pellet stoves is to spend the extra money on a good name brand one. Im going on my fifth year with a quadrafire castile model and its been great for me. Its an insert. Last year I burned straight corn in it all season and it worked well. The corn seemed to burn a little hotter and was cheaper but the trick with that is to let the stove run constantly. Mine is at the far end of my house and it pretty much heats the whole place most of the time. You empty the ash pot on a pellet stove every 2 to 4 days also and if you get one stay away from the self cleaning ones.

[Todd Wilson]

Todd I think the key to pellet stoves is to spend the extra money on a good name brand one. Im going on my fifth year with a quadrafire castile model and its been great for me. Its an insert. Last year I burned straight corn in it all season and it worked well. The corn seemed to burn a little hotter and was cheaper but the trick with that is to let the stove run constantly. Mine is at the far end of my house and it pretty much heats the whole place most of the time. You empty the ash pot on a pellet stove every 2 to 4 days also and if you get one stay away from the self cleaning ones.

Thats good to knowyou have the Castile. I read a ton of bad reviews on the internet about it yet yours has ran 5 years with no troubles. The way I understand it the Castile is fancier on the outside then the Santa Fe I am looking at and you can start yours on corn where the Santa Fe has to start on wood and then can burn corn.  I'm thinking of buckets of corn I can shovel off the tracks at the yard when they spill over!   

Still undecided yet as to how I want to go..........


Todd

[derailed]

Mine fires up on corn by itself after the ash pot is cleaned out but after its been burning and a clinker starts to form it wont refire which is why I leave it running. The only bad things ive read about them are that they are a little noisy but after the first year I found that if you have it perfectly balanced on the feet its a bit quiter. Other than that no issues and its gets used alot. I think alot of the problems people might have are from lack of maintenance which is mainly cleaning. They are one of the easier stoves out there to work on.

[Todd Wilson]

Mine fires up on corn by itself after the ash pot is cleaned out but after its been burning and a clinker starts to form it wont refire which is why I leave it running. The only bad things ive read about them are that they are a little noisy but after the first year I found that if you have it perfectly balanced on the feet its a bit quiter. Other than that no issues and its gets used alot. I think alot of the problems people might have are from lack of maintenance which is mainly cleaning. They are one of the easier stoves out there to work on.

My central air unit is in a closet right by where I would put it. There is some noise with it and the main return air vent so I doubt the stoves noise level will be much of a thing to bother me as we are used to some noise now. I suppose I better check with the insurance company on the house and see where it may put me with them. I am in the process of building a solar heater also. I'd like to get my heating costs down to about 50$ a month! HAHA!


Todd

[1969chargerrtse]

I burn coal.  For every ton of coal I burn, you would have to use 1.7 tons of pellets to get to the same BTU power.  I have a Harman rice coal stove.  I get the coal from PA at about the same cost as pellets if not cheaper.  The down side is the ash is high.  I have to empty my ash bin every 2 to 4 days where as a pellet stove can go close to a month before it's full.  There is no black dust at all.  The coal is wet in 40lb bags, and the ash is clean. It heats our 2,200 sq ft home just fine.  We are always warm, until the times the wife cranks it up.  I came home one winter day and it was 85*!! in the house.

That looks like a nice setup. I am a little nervous about cutting a hole thru my wall for the exhaust pipe. I'm not looking to use it 100% of the time but help out with the costs of heating.


Todd

Pellet or coal you have to vent outside.    It's not the same as a wood burning stove.  Notice how my exit pipe is low.

[1969chargerrtse]

You either gotta cut a hole for the exhaust no matter what stove you get...or get one that goes in the fireplace (if you have one)

Yep and lots of fire codes. 1969chargerrtse that wouldn't pass around here. Best way is to go straight up for more efficiency, less creosote and easier to clean. It is more expensive since you need ceiling & roof jacks, insulation guard, triple wall pipe etc. Or the insulated type. In KS your flue has to be higher than the peak of you roof....even if you run it through the wall. This is for wood but I don't see what the diff would be. You need floor protection too. You need to be at least 24" from an unprotected wall for a non insulated side. Some are zero clearance though. Lots of time the stove is cheaper than all the things combined. Where ever you buy your stove they should have the codes or online for that info or check with your fire dept. for a brocure....they also will need to do an inspection if you want your insurance to cover your house.....probably let them know as well.  

Mine was installed 100% to code. I'm an X fireman, I try to comply.  They are so safe you can vent them out a window.  It is a Harman DVC 500 unit, Direct vent Coal. There is a fan that forces the air out, no draft or build up.  It was one of the only things I did to code and had the town check. My wife was worried if we didn't tell the town and the house burnt down how would they know we had one to claim on INS?  I said if the house burns down, the only thing left standing will be that stove.