Pellet Stoves

[Boz330]

Is there anybody out there with experience with this type of stove. I tried to find a cost comparison between pellet stoves and propane but had no luck. I was thinking of using one as supplemental heat to stretch my summer fill. This winter our LP went from $1.19 per gallon summer fill rate to $3.34 per gallon now. Fortunately for me I have a friend with a bulk tank and is on contract price and he took care of me.
There is a window/door company locally that makes pellets from there saw dust and sells them which means there wouldn't be any shipping.
Your experiences would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Bob

[Bullshop Junior]

They suck. I was burning three to four bags a day at my last house and at 5-8 bucks a bag ....

[6bg6ga]

How about a converted oil furnace that uses used motor oil?

[Bullshop Junior]

My FIL had one of those. Motor oil is extremely dirty to burn, he have up on it and buys used cooking oil.

[6bg6ga]

Yes it is but its cheap. Cooking oil is better. anything along this line would work to offset the heating bill.

[HeavyMetal]

Most of my family lives in Northern Nevada and pellet stoves are in every place I visit, mostly.

Mom still uses propane simply because she can't left the bag of pellets any more and doesn't want to ask for anyones help.

Sister buys by the ton every October with several friends and says the quaility of the stove makes a big difference in cost versus heat but it is still cheaper than propane.

Look hard at the stove you want to buy some have options to move the heat around the house. wish I knew more but heating here in LA just isn't an issue.

[6bg6ga]

Nuclear furnaces......thats the answer. produce your own power and heat your home and water at the same time.

[Bullshop Junior]

Some of the pellet stoves heat water as well.

[Westwindmike]

I looked at a pellet stove, but they did not work in a power outage!

[snowwolfe]

Sort of off the track but I been reading about outdoor wood stoves that are connected to your home heating system. All the mess and smell of wood is outside yet the heat goes to whatever form of heat is in your home. Can be forced air, radiant floor heat, radiators, etc. Also heats your hot water.
Seems to be a great way to supplement your main heating system anytime the temperature dips. If you are energetic you could just use wood all the time. I plan on having one installed when we build our home in Tennessee.
http://www.centralboiler.com/applications.php

[thekidd76]

I looked at a pellet stove, but they did not work in a power outage!

Most make a battery backup you can purchase, or just use a jumpbox in a pinch.

[ShooterAZ]

While pellet stoves work well, you are limited to supply. Earlier this winter we had a severe shortage in my area.

[Firebricker]

I just helped a friend pick his new pellet stove up lots of places have them on sale now. He bought his based on what friends had told him after a few days he is happy with it but that is not much time. I will be over there later and I will ask more specific questions on pellet consumption and heat output ect and post back. FB

[Dale53]

There is a move in Congress right now to put serious regulations on wood burning stoves. Isn't that just "too thrilling for words?"

Let's see - they are hindering the Canadian pipe line so we'll have to pay more for gas and heating oil. They are bound and determined to eliminate coal fired power plants. The "solution" (wind turbines that cost the taxpayer out the kazoo, horribly increase our fuel costs, and are killing our birds including eagles) are hardly the answer. Our energy costs are going through the roof and THIS is what we get?

Bah-Humbug!!

Back on topic. The wood pellet cost will be determined by whether or not you can get local supply for a reasonable cost and whether you can live with the fact it needs electricity to run it (power outages will require a generator, etc.). Consumption rate will vary between brands (and quality) of stoves. Some pellet stoves are more efficient than others. I have no clue which is best.

FWIW
Dale53

[Cmm_3940]

Years ago when the price of corn was down below $1 a bushel, lots of farmers around here were buying pellet stoves because you can burn dried shelled corn in them. At the time it made better economic sense to burn the corn they grew for heat than to sell it. A few years later when the price of corn went back up, this didn't work out so well.

[jeepyj]

I added a mini split heat pump this year. It easily takes care of my entire downstairs 1230sq' my furnace thinks it's on vacation. IMHO it flat out beats all of the above hands down with Zero mess or fuss. Plus it is a A/C unit in the summer. Mine is a medium sized one at 15,000btu's the cost ended up being around $2100.00 including installation.
jeepyj

[rockrat]

I had one for a year. Got rid of it. Had it downstairs, but with it running, couldn't hardly hear the TV. And it was a pain to get it lit.

[Boz330]

I wanted a wood stove when I built the house but was over ruled. Pellets are available locally and my intention was to stock up in the summer. Sounds like a lot less mess than a wood stove. As I get older cutting wood isn't as appealing as when I was younger. Dumping pellets in a hopper isn't quite as difficult.

When I had my water well drilled it came up dry but did hit natural gas. If I could find a company that would ascertain the quality of the gas and develop it I would go that route. Even if the cost was $10,000 it would amortize pretty quick at the current price of LP and I could run a generator off of it as well. I have done searches about private well development and come up with nothing. The driller told me how to do it but without knowing the BTU content of the gas it could be an expensive project to undertake with no reward.

Bob

[CastingFool]

we bought and installed a pellet stove as an fireplace insert, a few years ago. It was expensive, but we figured we had a cheap source of corn. Corn got expensive, plus it's a pain to burn. if it contains too much moisture, it doesn't burn right, and you have to clean the stove more often. We tried pellets and it was much better. Cleaner burning. the other problem with the stove is that it doesn't heat as much area as advertised. Now, we simply use it as a comfort heater. It's nice to have something to warm up the room with but doesn't do much for the rest of the house. Also, if power goes out, the insert doesn't work. We also bought a wood burning fireplace insert for our fireplace in the basement, but I haven't hooked up yet. That one does have a distribution fan, but in the case of a power outage, you can still use it.

[Alstep]

A friend here has a Harmon pellet stove and is very happy with it. All automatic, self igniting, thermostat controlled. Nice clean heat. He has a car battery and inverter backup in case the power goes out.
I heat with coal, the only way to go in my opinion. Coal gives the most BTU's for the buck. My main furnace is a EFM automatic stoker. I run it all year round for heat and hot water. Clean burning, have to tend it once a day in winter, twice a week in summer. Only shut it down once a year for cleaning, and it's real easy to clean compared to my old oil burner. I also have an Alaska stoker stove in the shop, and am very happy with it as well. Both units burn rice coal. Another friend has a Leasure Line stoker, very similar to my Alaska, and works just as well. Here's a site that's all about burning coal. http://nepacrossroads.com/