Pellet stoves

[BigJim13]

Seems a little silly to post this as winter is winding down but here goes.

Fuel oil, which is what we used to heat the house (forced hot air furnace) has hit $4.00/gal here in VT. That would mean that to fill our tank (275 gal) it would cost roughly $1100. Thats one fill up and this winter we used 2.5 tanks of fuel oil. For the heating season that would mean we would spend roughly $2800. We went shopping yesterday and were looking at pellet burning stoves. Installation would be around $3300 and the cost to heat the house for the year was estimated at around $1000. It would basically pay for itself in 2 yrs.

It sounds like a great idea but I take the opinion of "if it sounds to good to be true than..." well you know the rest. I guess I am looking for opinions and thoughts from anybody that either has or has recently installed a pellet stove. The savings seem huge but again I just can't get over thinking there must be a catch...any thoughts would be great!!! Thanks!!!

[eclark53520]

I know tons of people that have these and they are beyond worth it if you are still running fuel oil! I have not heard even 1 bad remark about corn/pellet burning stoves, try to get one that will burn multiple different things so you can switch between what costs less, you dont want to get into the same situation you are now where it can only burn one thing and the price for that one thingis going through the roof

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by eclark53520

I know tons of people that have these and they are beyond worth it if you are still running fuel oil! I have not heard even 1 bad remark about corn/pellet burning stoves, try to get one that will burn multiple different things so you can switch between what costs less, you dont want to get into the same situation you are now where it can only burn one thing and the price for that one thingis going through the roof

Good point, forgot to mention that the model we were looking at, a Harman something or other, burns both corn and wood pellets. Thats good to know about your friends that have installed them. Its shocking to me the price jumps we have seen in fuel oil in the last year. In July of 2007 we locked in on a pre buy for fuel oil at $2.69/gal, now that price seems like a steal...

[mont86]

Where would you buy the pellets? And how many choices do you have for buying the pellets? And are you going to clean the ashes out of the furness? And how often do you have to clean the furness? And how long is the furness suppose to last and replacement parts going to cost.

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by mont86

Where would you buy the pellets? And how many choices do you have for buying the pellets? And are you going to clean the ashes out of the furness? And how often do you have to clean the furness? And how long is the furness suppose to last and replacement parts going to cost.

There are plenty of suppliers of pellets , both corn and wood, around here. And acutally we weren't going to switch to the full blown furnace, we were just going to do a stove, like a wood burning stove, that is big enough to heat our ranch style house. As for emptying ashes its pretty easy and while there is a little more maintenance with the pellet stove, the savings make up for it.

[bames]

Very common here in ND. Between my dad brothers and I we have 5 of them. They are very nice to have but my only complaint is that eventually they leave smoke stains on the facade of the house. Find a good way to vent them and even though some say it won't work as well with a chimney ours have worked just fine through existing chimneys. You will enjoy it - also, purchase your pellets in bulk and have a good place to store them, otherwise it can be a bit of a hassle. Don't waste money on cheap pellets either. Do your homework and get the good ones, you won't regret it.

[zaphod]

Hey Jim

Get us more info. Do you have existing chimney or is this an outside install.

Also have you a south facing wall so active or passive solar option available?

[goatster]

the only bad thing i have heard is they cause alot of dust.my father had one used it for a yr then went back to wood.1 other person also said it gave off alot of dust.

but other then that they said they were nice.

[SplooGe]

My parents have had one for the last 15 yrs and have had no issues at all...they buy pellets a pallet at a time, store them in the garage and have nothing but love for the thing.

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by zaphod

Hey Jim

Get us more info. Do you have existing chimney or is this an outside install.

Also have you a south facing wall so active or passive solar option available?

No solar option, we do have an existing chimney that would need to be inspected before using again. Right now there is a proane stove that is occupying the space.

[zaphod]

Jim--I have not used pellet stove but have had a wood burner. The pellet stove has advantages over stick wood in that the chances bringing dormant pests into the house is reduced. Carpenter ants, wood ****roaches etc. Tending the stove is an issue though. Think over the time commitment. It's not set it and forget it. Cleaning chimney is necessary. Corn sounds good but with elevated prices I doubt it is as cost effective as it was and I think also would be food source for ---again insect pests. The heat will be a dry heat unless coupled with your (forced air???) furnace system. Also need to correctly size the system as too much BTU capacity may cause problems. With the damper almost closed you can get an incomplete burn and creosote loading in the chimney. Also make sure you have the proper setback from combustible wall(s). A metal panel can reduce distance but check your local and state regs and recommendations.

Overall the best systems I have seen have the burners located outside the house for space reasons, safety concerns, and ease of fuel storage.

As far as the sizing a previous owner of a house I bought had a wood burner installed with hot water heat. The stove was sized too large for the house so it would close down the automatic dampener. One night I decided to put an extra stick in the firebox for the night. The instant I opened the door the smoldering fire got a rush of oxygen and flashed back at me. Burned all the hair off my forearms, singed my eyebrows (lucky I wore glasses back then) and my sideburns etc. The fear of God is with me now concerning wood burners.

This being said they can save you $ if you are willing to put the time in. I have gone the solar option as I have a large south facing wall on my garage. Self built active hot air solar panel which is sized to heat the garage at a rate of 10*per hour on a sunny day. Set it and forget it.

best of luck