woodstove vs pellet stove again

[MOshooter]

I've been around wood heat since I was born.
When I built our home, we installed a wood/coal furnace that's ducted into the central duct system of the home. We heat 100% with wood we purchase from some Amish mills, which I call mill scrap.
They charge 15.00 for a 8' pickup trailer that they load, we use any where from 5-7 pickup trailers a year to heat 4000 sq. ft. We also heat our shop with wood as well, so I pick up 10 loads each year.
We always have 2 years supply of firewood when the heating season starts in the Fall.

[Ed K]

Heated with wood as a supplement from '76. In 2003 went wood-only. After about 12 years of that decided to buy an inexpensive pellet stove with gov't tax credits and self-installed for not much more than $1000 out of pocket. Ran both until this week when I pulled it and went to running a second wood stove. I may choose to reinstall the pellet at a later time. So yes, I'm a pretty dedicated wood burner and have consumed no fossil fuel heating the house for 20 years. I have nothing bad to say about the pellet stove at all. If you are willing to fiddle with the mechanical aspect from time to time and either deal with the power outages or get a battery backup they can be a good option. On the other hand if one has access to natural gas I don't see the point as in most of the country you wont save a dime. They don't have the charm of a woodstove at all. They are just a noisy appliance that blows warm air.

While a pellet stove will warm you it is just not the same as a wood stove. My wife comments each fall how she looks forward to the flicker of flame in our home that dances life-like 24-7 from November through March. I like the economics of harvesting my own wood (if you have the means) as well as the exercise that we all need one way or another if we hope to live a long life. The weather is off today but tomorrow I'll be standing in the snowy forest with my saw and cast boolits. There's a retired man in town that works his wood lot by himself all year producing around 50 full cord and plenty of pine sawlogs. When I stop to talk to him I've asked if the satisfying hard work is what keeps him able to do it at 90 and he quietly nods.

[MaryB]

Pellet stoves are good for hard to heat rooms!

[gc45]

Coming in late here and been heating with wood my entire life. Yes I have a furnace, also a heat pump but hate the air blowing all the time so having a good wood supply we mostly use the wood stove. Last year my Sons cut 3 cords of Fir for me, I also bought 3 cords of fruit wood so good to go this winter. I stopped cutting wood last year due my age and not feeling safe using a saw. Running the splitter I can do ok. In our home I has installed a Lopi Liberty stove back in 1980 and has been a very good stove heating our 2600 foot log home just fine, even at zero. Yesterday I had a new one installed with upgrades and the fellow said I'll burn much less woood with this one. I like the features and easier door function, also the built in damper and much quiter fan operation than my old stove. Not sure I'll use the ash drawer being a shovel guy..
The old stove is going in the shop where I have had a pellet stove for some years now but never did like it much so it's coming out.. Wood and pellets both have gone up a lot but it's something we all need so just have to trim back somewhere else.

[MT Gianni]

I built a 2750 sq foot house in 2017. We cook, heat, grill and dry clothes with propane. I filled my 500 gallon tank last week. In the last year we have spent $1050 on propane. This is the first place we have not had a wood stove in a long time but it doesn't make sense to add one. I have a portable battery jumper with a 110 outlet. When it has a full charge it will run my Rennai heater in the basement for 3 days. The Rennai space heater will not keep the whole house at 70 when it is -30 but it will keep it from freezing.

[R-71]

Look into the processed wood logs, they are basically an oversized wood pellet that come in boxes by the pallet. I’ve never used them in a woodstove but did burn some in a campfire. They seem like a good alternative if you are already buying wood. I bought a pellet stove years ago but the simplicity of a wood stove would be nice sometimes. These are similar to the ones I used but I burned in a campfire.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/GREEN-MO...PACK/320806829

[Battis]

I had checked into the processed logs before, but I was told that they're not suited for a woodstove. Apparently they burn too hot.
The page says, "Suitable for use in open-hearth fireplaces and fire pit."

[farmbif]

im happy as a pig in mud with the load of hardwood trees I got from a local logging truck owner for $500. i'm just about half way though with the pile of logs and ive bucked and split at least 4 cords so far. after getting my neck screwed up in an accident I was having problems pulling trees off my forested land and happened to see a local log truck driver at the gas station and asked him about getting me a load of trees for firewood. he called me a couple days later saying he's got his truck full and is headed towards me. so for the cost of filling his fuel tanks he brought me and overflowing load of 1 year dead trees, rejects from the sawmill. and piled them up nice and neat near my woodshed. there are so far only 4 inferior logs, 2 soft maples and 2 sassafras. but the wood still burns good just not as long as the oaks and hickories. so far the end of last winter and this winter ive burned about 2 cords, there is at least a cord and half in woodshed and bucked and split on pallets at least another cord and about 30 more logs to go.

[shdwlkr]

I have heated with electricity, wood , coal and now pellet. Pellets have been the cleanest and do a good job of heating the 3 rooms that I want heated and keeps the rest of the house about 65 degrees. With my old body hauling a 40 pound bag of pellets keeps me from getting too soft and that is good for the better part of 24 hours sometimes longer depending on outside temperature and wind.

[ascast]

An additional thought on stoves - Mine is a Riteway 37. It can be fed from the standing position; meaning I don't have to bend over to load wood or poke around pulling hot coals to the front or any of that nonsense while I am on my hands and knees. The ASH pan is too big to allow to get full, so I like to dump it once a week. Any longer and its heavy to handle.
I also have Amish mills near that will sell a load of trim for $5 all blocked into short stove lengths. It's not the best wood, but it is so handy and cheap. Very easy to get a year ahead,or at least a big cushion in case of trouble in the woods.