woodstove vs pellet stove again

[Battis]

I'm pretty sure I talked about this subject before, but...
I've been heating with a woodstove for 40 years. Green cordwood was around $70 back then. Now, it's at least $300 per cord (up to $450) and most places won't deliver less than 4 cords at a time without a delivery fee. I don't have the room for 4 cords at a time. The firewood guy that I've used for years just moved to Costa Rica, so I'm scrambling for next year's firewood.
Once again, the talk has turned to pellet stoves. It'll be between $6,000 to $8,000 to get started with a new Harmon, and there might be a venting issue with the high outside chimney that I have for the woodstove. But, it is tempting.
Any thoughts from pellet stove, woodstove owners?

[FISH4BUGS]

Been heating with wood for some 20 years now. Green was $280 last year. No idea what it will be this year.
We have 2 stoves - one small Jotul in my spousal unit's massage room and one big Jotul to heat the 1600 sf house.
The small stove burns 2 cords of 13" wood, the big one does 6-7 cords of 18" a season.
All delivered by the wood dealer over a month or so and stacked (by me) in the spring.
So...i would say we are hard core wood burners.
We looked at pellet stoves when we did the massage practice room. We decided against them for the following reasons:
1) You are dependent on a manufacturing company for the pellets
2) The pellet stoves have an electric auger to feed the stove. Another part to break and replace.
3) Power outages can stop your pellet feeder device. Even though we have a generator, if something happened to that, you are out of luck.
The side benefit of wood is that I am 75 and actually enjoy the exercise. It keeps me moving and flexible.
Pellet stoves simply did not fit the way we do things.
YMMV.

[jwhite]

The pellet stove requires power and that is reason enough for me not to have one. I also know of a couple that have had control issues, one of which lead to the fire working back into the pellet hopper which in turn caused a major house fire.

[Shopdog]

Only took me 40 or so years to figure this out...

Buy cheap cast iron griddles and cut them to fit inside the firebox with an angle grinder. Cuts like a hot knife through butter.... it not only supercharges the efficiency but protects the fire bricks. Good luck with your project.

[Battis]

I agree with every reason posted above not to get a pellet stove. Woodstoves are easy to maintain, they keep going when the power goes out, free exercise...
Green cords in my area (southern NH, northern MA, which is basically the same thing) are $300 this year, just about what I paid last year. I just found a supplier that will deliver 2 cords at a time with no delivery fee.
Yeah, I'll stick with the wood.
I had a slab of soapstone from an old table that I cut to fit the top of my woodstove. It really holds the heat longer.

[dverna]

Been heating with wood for some 20 years now. Green was $280 last year. No idea what it will be this year.
We have 2 stoves - one small Jotul in my spousal unit's massage room and one big Jotul to heat the 1600 sf house.
The small stove burns 2 cords of 13" wood, the big one does 6-7 cords of 18" a season.
All delivered by the wood dealer over a month or so and stacked (by me) in the spring.
So...i would say we are hard core wood burners.
We looked at pellet stoves when we did the massage practice room. We decided against them for the following reasons:
1) You are dependent on a manufacturing company for the pellets
2) The pellet stoves have an electric auger to feed the stove. Another part to break and replace.
3) Power outages can stop your pellet feeder device. Even though we have a generator, if something happened to that, you are out of luck.
The side benefit of wood is that I am 75 and actually enjoy the exercise. It keeps me moving and flexible.
Pellet stoves simply did not fit the way we do things.
YMMV.

Good post.

Just to add...I had a buddy with a pellet stove and he could not get a comfortable level of heat. It was always too hot. Maybe he bought one too large or he did not understand how to operate it.

I heat with wood and propane (70% wood). I also sell firewood, so I am a bit biased.

One other consideration. If your wife/lady friend needs to add fuel, a 40 lb bag of pellets is not going to be easy for her. She can more easily carry in five or six splits of firewood at a time. A couple of years ago I broke my ankle and was on crutches for a while. We had enough firewood in the garage to last us until I was able to hobble around again. My fiancé was able to keep the "fire burning".

[ohen cepel]

When we bought the current house it had 2 pellet stoves installed (one on each side of the same wall). We have burned the one which sits in the porch area more. The one more interior gets the room very hot quickly. However, I'm not real smart on them.

I don't like being stuck with paying whatever price is asked for the pellets and some years they were very hard to find. When I did find them I was limited to 10bags. I have also had people buy some which had gotten wet which ruins them. As mentioned above, my wife would struggle to get a bag of them to the stove and put into it. If one is there, she will scoop them in with a smaller container.

I could see a pellet stove in a case where I don't want to drag firewood into that part of the house and I'm not really depending on it.

New place has a wood stove in the basement which I much prefer. Can burn more diverse stuff in it, not hooked to a manufactured product, doesn't need power, and I have wood on the place to burn.

Pellets aren't bad but I'm not a big fan of them in most cases.

[Battis]

In my area ten or so years ago, wood prices soared, which turned alot of people to pellet stoves. Then the wood sellers were stuck with wood they couldn't sell, and their prices dropped alot. I think that's happening again. Seasoned wood around here is around $450 to $500 (kiln dried is more expensive). Then again, there are home owners that might burn a cord a year, so they'll pay the high prices.

[Rapier]

None of the above. Got tired of fooling with all of the wood burning mess. New house has no extra worries, no pool, no hot tub, no wood burning anything. Spent the wood money on whole structure close cell spray foam insulation. I do not miss it at all.

I keep a large burn pile on the tree farm, so have plenty of stuff to burn. If it ever stops raining.

[Battis]

How cold does it get in NW FLA?
I called the oil burner guy yesterday and talked about upgrading our regular heating system. We still have steam radiators, which are great, but we removed a large one when the hearth was built. We don't use much oil but that might change.

[Shawlerbrook]

With 120 acres and most of it wooded, there’s no choice here at least until I get too old to process it.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Right now, Natural Gas is real cheap in MN, it's been that way for a number of years. I often think about quitting cutting/splitting/burning dead trees, but tree scrap just keeps presenting itself. While I am not paying cash for firewood, I am spending on gasoline/oil/sawchains/tarps and time. Mostly, I enjoy it, so there is that.

[georgerkahn]

Back in 1978 I bought a Vermont Castings Defiant wood-stove and reckoned it would supplement/reduce natural gas heating expenses. It did. After fifteen years or so the cast back cracked, and I could not get a replacement -- supposedly there's too much "pollution" so, we replaced it with another brand. The true sadness of it all, is the money I annually"saved" was such that I could no longer afford to eliminate the wood-stove as my major heat source.
Back then I'd cut and split all my own wood, sometimes purchasing cut-in-four-foot-length offerings the County had on auction. But, the tale of time, my leg started getting worse and worse, so I now need purchase wood in what seller calls five-cord loads. I split all (with a 27-ton TroyBilt splitter :)) and stack. Seller commands $450.00 USD for the load. When split and stacked -- e.g., the pieces are smaller so there's less 'air space' and to my 4' x 8' x 16" per face cord, it generally measures out to just several -- maybe 20 -- pieces more than FOUR face cord. It generally takes between eight and ten cord for me to get through a winter; generally nine being the modal number. Still -- $900.00 is not, imho, toooo bad to get through a winter in my -- close to Canada border -- latitude. A neighbor with similar house size generally pays a tad less than three grand for his only-natural-gas heating; lady across the street (propane) also needs come up with about the same (albeit she keeps thermostat waaaaay down ;)). Despite my two canes required for walking, I managed to cut and split about two and one-half face cord last summer -- my only costs being the fuel for my Stihl 019t, MS260, and 039 chainsaws; diesel for my Kubota tractor; and the gasoline for my truck to haul trailer w/tractor, and another with the cut wood home.
My buddy, Hughie, vis his advancing age replaced his wood-stove with a Pellet stove. In my opinion, unless you have someone to deliver pellets to your door; carry them into your house; as well as have a place to keep them REALLY dry indoors -- there is NO real savings!!! I have my wood in a open shed, and most of the time when we bring it in it "feels damp" -- but the wood is not green and burns quite well.
THIS (me) "cripple" -- given the choice -- would not think twice before replacing my wood stove, should it require replacement, with ANOTHER WOOD-STOVE!
If nothing else, too, the exercise I daily get bringing in the 16 pieces of firewood for 24-hours -- is perhaps the only (winter) exercise I get... and... the heat from wood is just soooooo nice :).
geo

[ascast]

I have heard several times about feed augers that somehow allowed fire to get back in the feed system, but pellets and rice coal. Probably corn as well. I don't like that "option". If you go that route, see if the door can be opened to feed wood in case of power outage. Maybe look into battery backup, like car battery and inverter.
I burn wood exclusively. My brother crapped up my oil burner and is too lazy to fix it. I have over 100 acres of wood lot, tractors, trucks, several chain saws, blah blah. Cost me about $200 per year to heat. That 5-6 cords or 15-20 14/16 inch face cord. I get about half that just keeping my roads open. I burn what ever I must cut, meaning Hemlock, Aspen,Pine. If I have to cut it, I'm burning it. I wish more Beech would fall in the roads.
Pellets MUST be same as stove manufacturer ? That is a new one on me. I would shop around and "SHOP AROUND" that problem if you know what I mean. Off season pellets can be cheap here. Easy to get ahead for year 2. I see machines to make pellets for sale every year. There must be some universal pellets out there. Let us know which way you go.

ps I don't like cast iron. If it should break crack you may never get it repaired. My stove is a Riteway 37 all steel save the grates. Long out of business. But, I could drag this down the road or shoot it all day ( cast boolits only) and it would still function. Installed in 1980 ish. My stove looks like a big black box. No pretty windows. It was built to heat my house, not look at. We have cable TV for that. I really don't know why they still use cast iron. Cheap and cast easy I suppose.

[Battis]

Even buying wood can be tricky in MA. A cord of wood is 128 cubic feet normally, but in MA they can legally sell a face cord which is smaller (110 cubic feet). I found that out the hard way. Plus, there are regulations that prohibit transporting wood across state lines, though most sellers ignore that.
Yep, I'm in it for at least another year.

[dverna]

I burn a little bit of wood...LOL

This is 20 loggers cords

322571

We turned it into this in two days:

322574

Sorry about the upside down picture but I cannot get it right.

And then stacked it into totes:

322572
322573

That just over a two year supply and cost us $2000 for the wood and processor rental.

Bought a processor last year for $13k and started selling wood. My current cost for firewood and supplies works out to $150/cord for oak and I sell it for $240 delivered within 20 miles. I produce a cord in about 2 1/2 hours working alone and using a tractor.

[BD]

I have been burning wood most of my life, and will likely continue to do so. In the late 80's we sold the big house in town, (10 cords a year to heat that one), and built a smaller passive solar house on 5 acres south of town. In the 90's I built my shop, also passive solar, and between the two buildings we burn about 3 cords a year at most. We also have a propane rinnai which we use when we go away so who ever we talk into house sitting for the pets doesn't have to deal with the Catalytic Defiant wood stove. I buy the wood tree length green and the price has gone from 1,100 a truck load, (9-10 cord), to 1,400 in the last five years. I work up my wood myself, sometimes with help from the kids, and I figure we'll keep using wood until I get too old to do it.
My daughter and SIL put a pellet stove in their house in town, and it works fine. But it doesn't have the same appeal for me as wood. I can't really say why. I guess I've become an old yankee stuck in his ways:smile:

[MaryB]

My pellet stove is going on 10 years old... 40 pound bag of pellets currently runs $5.49 here, cost per million BTU's for pellets is ~$21, cost for 1 mil BTU's for wood at $300/cord is ~23 so slight advantage to pellets.

The stoves that suffered burn back were recalled, had to have sensors added. Mine is simple top feed(not bottom like the burn back stoves), no stirrer so no moving parts in the burn pot... I DO have to remember to check for and empty some ash from the pot on long(16+ hour) burns. It has to be below 30f for me to use it or it gets to hot in here. I use a small fan in the opposite side of the house to push cold air to the stove, and a fan to pull warm air upstairs.

Stay away from the Country Flame/Harvester type stoves, yes they worked, sorta... I had one and had to watch it close to not get burn back from to much ash in the burn pot, it piles up then blocks the auger drop slide... as that fills it burns back up into it... better stoves have forced air at the top of the drop slide to force air down it blowing flame away from it... can still get a burnback in absolute worst case but I would have to burn 24 hours straight for that.

I only use my pellet stove when I am awake so no overnight burns(unless I have a power outage, then it runs all night but I totally empty the burn pot and start fresh). My stove is 12 volt and runs off my solar battery... can run weeks off solar!

[jimlj]

I've had both. I liked the feel of the heat from the wood stove best, but the wood stove was more of a mess than the pellet stove. Burning pellets for me was less expensive and far easier. I no longer have either. I think (at least in my area) natural gas is the best option.

[Slugster]

I don't have pellets growing in my woodlot, so I guess I'm going to have to stick to firewood. All jokes aside, I would rather not have to rely on an outside supplier for my solid fuel. The gooberment is already dabbling in the laws and solid fuel heater design. What happens when the greenies decide that they need 'pellet control'?

[725]

Had a pellet stove. Got rid of it. No power = no heat. Replaced it with a coal / wood stove and I love it! Best heat - easy maintenance. Does the whole house for pennies.

[Mk42gunner]

I had a multi fuel/pellet stove, meaning it could burn anything from corn to cherry pits to wood pellets. No matter what all the websites say about pellets having more BTU's than corn, I got more useable heat out of corn.

However, each year that I used that stove, any savings where ate up by having to replace one of the gear motors that ran either the feed augur or the agitator that was needed to burn corn. Corn also needed a shop vac to clean the ashes out every day or so.

The dang thing was also noisy. I don't know which fan was more annoying the circulation fan or the draft fan. I do not miss using it.

My new cabin/house has a wood stove. I go to the sawmill and get a bundle of slabs; not the best wood, but it works.

I will also have a non vented propane stove when I finally get moved in.

Robert

[Gtrubicon]

For me it’s wood. We have 2 in our home, a small Jotul that is the workhorse and an RSV that we only use when the Jotul can’t keep the temp up. Our house is 3000sf with lots of vaulted lids. I am a contractor and see a lot of pellet stoves in our area, enough that I know I definitely don’t want one due to pellet availability, lack of power or auger/ motor problems. I cut and process all my wood on my property. All we burn is oak. 4 cords a year.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Have upstairs and downstairs heatalator fireplaces and 2 pellet stoves , If wood was easy to get like when I was younger I would only have wood , but since it is not as easy as when I would cut 20 cord or more a year I have pellet stoves and use the wood stoves if power goes out or to have more heat .

No run away burns on better stoves , and it is a keep them clean do your weekly cleaning and know how to trouble shoot to maintain longevity and cost effective , keep a supply of pellets and a stash of wood , both pellet stoves will light and run on thermostats and have 130 pound hoppers .

Stoves cost around $1000-1200 and then pipes , installed myself , no auger problems , pellets are something if you wait till it is cold you may have issue getting , so keep some in storage , have seen few issues with them if properly maintained , lack of cleaning is what most peoples problems stem from , same as oil change in car do it now or pay more later .

Coal stove is a great thing if you can get anthracite coal , keep thinking of building one for shop , buy the coal at tractor supply for forging , pellets are less mess then wood , wood is still my favorite .

[jrayborn]

In 2012 I bought the cheapest pellet stove I could find with a larger hopper. I got a US Stove that holds almost 150 pounds. I have had to replace one blower motor, 3 igniters, an auger pin, and a door seal. Parts are easy to get still, and I actually have spares on the shelf for motors, blowers and the control board and pretty much anything else I have had to touch. I don't see why I won't be able to keep it going forever... As far as the stove itself goes, its been WONDERFUL. It's true that I spent almost as much for the stove pipe and associated hardware as I spent for the stove, but I did everything myself. If you pay someone to install it, plan to pay...

As for pellets, I always try to have enough on hand for at least 2 years. Usually around 8-10 tons stored or more. This helps keep ahead of the price jumps. I'm in the Northeast where most folks heat with oil. If the price of oil jumps so does wood, pellets, and everything else so having them in advance helps to avoid those jumps, as well as not being at the mercy of production. I will say, I have never had any issue finding pellets, but prices can be all over when they get a little scarce. I'm sure it helps having a large producer within 85 miles of where I live. The place I bought from this year dropped them off in my yard for free, but I also pick up if its cheaper.

I keep records on the pellets and the cost. Since 2013 my average cost for heat using pellets has been $1100 annually and that's between 4 and 5 tons per year. So, for ME, pellets work very well. If my home were set up to burn wood I probably would as I could likely save more (or pay less?) for fuel. But, pellets require so much less WORK so that factors into things too.

[MaryB]

My stove is 10 years old, other than a door seal and an auger bushing(swapped from plastic to stainless I made myself) no issues besides cleaning once a week and a deep clean in spring and a coat of spam on all inside surfaces to prevent rust.

I can burn corn but it is extremely corrosive! Vent life is 3-4 years MAX. Burning corn gives off nitric acid... and I have to haul and store it, move it in the house when needed, deal with the bugs(love opening a hopper lid to see a moth hatch...ewww!) and rodents that move into it...lot of hard work, pellets are easier. I buy 15 bags at a time, they load them for me, I unload at home to a pile by the garage door(on a pallet!). Open garage door, put 3 bags on a cheap plastic sled and pull it to the front door, lift bags up into porch and close door. Then I move them as needed to the stove in the living room.

I do enjoy the fire, no it isn't as big as a wood stove but still has a nice flickering flame that lights up the room. Only downside is noisy blowers but I had them on the last wood stove too... it had a 150cfm squirrel cage blower on the back and it had a power flue fan for forced draft. Made it burn a LOT cleaner and starting it was easier due to forced draft.

[buckwheatpaul]

Battis, I have 3 pellet and one wood fireplaces. Love all 4 of them. I have access to unlimited oak wood and buy wood pellets. A pallet of pellets = 1-1/2 cords of wood and cost $243/pallet as of a week ago. Pellets are wonderful and two of my pellet stoves are on thermostats that turn themselves on and off based on the temperature you choose. Turn on when temp drops 5 degrees below the target temp set. They have been very durable and in place and use for over 20 years. As of this last year we have replaced two heating coils and one ignitor. Plus they pull very very low amps of electric use.

I love our wood fireplace as well but I'm in the 70's now and some of that cutting; bucking; splitting; and hauling is getting a little old....but I love the heat it puts out as well. PM me if ya have any questions. Good luck and good hunting....Paul

[Scorpion8]

Had a pellet stove. Got rid of it. No power = no heat.

You bought the wrong pellet stove. Mine has a 12V car battery that will run the entire stove when power goes out, as it's only needed for the low-voltage control circuit and the initial igniter. Nothing beats the pellet stove for ease of use (even the wife can grab a bag of pellets and refill it without hauling wood inside). Pellet stove 2x *thumbsup*.

[jrayborn]

I know power outages were a thought when I got mine too. Because of where I live power outages can last a good while from time to time. Anything less than 6-8 hours and I just ignore it. After that I have a few options. Batteries that will run just the pellet stove for a few days, and three generators. My thought process is running the stove at night using battery power and during the day off a generator while it also charges the batteries. As a rule I don't run a generator at night (well, after bedtime anyway) as a way to avoid it going missing... :)

Anyone seriously concerned with heat during an extended power outage might consider kerosene heaters. A couple heaters in the barn with a drum of 1K kerosene would keep you sitting pretty for a couple weeks or so...

[MarkP]

Even at $450 / cord $/BTU for wood is less than the $/BTU for bulk pellets around here. As some have mentioned if pellets get wet they will not work in a stove they puff up and return to saw dust. Pellets probably cleaner than a wood stove maybe more convenient. My wife points out to me the small prices of bark and ash that that surrounds our stove when actively burning it. I burn mine 24 - 7 when cold outside. For me it is forced routine and exercise. I cut and hand split all of my wood, I get alot of from Craigslist and Facebook ads. Many need the wood hauled away after they have had a crew drop limbs and trees some have trees standing.

[Hannibal]

I personally never liked the idea of needing to buy pellets or corn particularly given the occasional power outages and necessary feed auger. As mentioned earlier I bought log trim from a local sawmill which wasn't ideal but it was always hardwood and not much if any splitting was required. When I did burn wood I typically went through 12 cord/yr on average. Heated a house and a 1200 sq ft garage. So buying pellets didn't make economic sense. My current home has no provision for a wood stove and I doubt my insurance company would like anything I did to put one in so I currently can't burn wood. Not happy about that but so it goes.

Just my $.02 which when adjusted for inflation isn't worth anything.

[compass will]

If i ever had to do it again, it would buy another pellet stove, but it must have a thermostat and auto ignition.

[atr]

We, Sue and I, are sticking with our wood stove. Pellets were in vogue here for a while but the cost kept going up and then the other issue was when the electricity goes out...pellet stoves don't function without it.
At 76 years of age I still split by hand and its good exercise. As my Dad used to say wood will warm you up twice....once when splitting and once when burning. And besides when a guy is out splitting wood NOBODY want to bother him!
The last time Dad was alive and I was visiting him, I did what I always did when visiting my Dad's place...split his yearly supply of firewood. Dad had a very old log splitter but he was to old to muscle the rounds in place by himself, so I parked him on a chair within reach of the lever and I muscled the rounds in place and he pulled the lever. That was the last time I saw my Dad...fond memories.

[buckwheatpaul]

To add to my earlier post about power outages....we've had a generator forever and the amps pulled are so low that all of mine run if the power goes out....if you have a wood stove with a blower you face the same issues if the power goes out. As far as heat the pellet stoves do a wonderful job of heating our sunroom and our master bedroom....there are plus and negatives but the pellet stoves really work for us and as we age the pellets are working for us!

[compass will]

My wood stove was one with a large blower that hooked into home ducts. Also had a thermostat, when it was cold in house this blower forced air into firebox to stoke fire, when stove got hot the big blower came on and forced air into home heat ducts. I could burn 1 cord in 10 days with that monster when it was in the 20s
If i was 40 years younger, i would look into one of those wood stoves that you put in your yard, and it pumps hot Water to home heat system as needed..

[dverna]

My wood stove was one with a large blower that hooked into home ducts. Also had a thermostat, when it was cold in house this blower forced air into firebox to stoke fire, when stove got hot the big blower came on and forced air into home heat ducts. I could burn 1 cord in 10 days with that monster when it was in the 20s
If i was 40 years younger, i would look into one of those wood stoves that you put in your yard, and it pumps hot Water to home heat system as needed..

Those outdoor boilers have their own set of issues. You need to add liquid occasionally. The chemistry of the water can cause issues. If you are not home and lose power, the system will freeze when it is cold and that can be (usually is) catastrophic...but not likely for you...living in Florida.

I nearly installed one but decided against it. I have seen -35 here and did not want to deal with the negatives. It seems my stuff breaks or has problems when I need it the most. I don't mind adding wood to the fireplace every hour or so.

[Hannibal]

Those outdoor boilers have their own set of issues. You need to add liquid occasionally. The chemistry of the water can cause issues. If you are not home and lose power, the system will freeze when it is cold and that can be (usually is) catastrophic...but not likely for you...living in Florida.

I nearly installed one but decided against it. I have seen -35 here and did not want to deal with the negatives. It seems my stuff breaks or has problems when I need it the most. I don't mind adding wood to the fireplace every hour or so.

I've known a few people who tried those. Lots of unexpected problems. Basically a low pressure boiler that needs constant monitoring.

[Screwbolts]

There are a couple different types of outdoor boilers and there can be much confusion/ignorance about them.

One Type of outdoor wood boilers is/are an "open system" boiler that Dverna and Hannibal make reference of. Yes they require what he wrote about.

The other type is a "closed system" the same closed system as your oil or gas fired residential/business Hydronic heating system. They have all the positive attributes as you hot water/hydronic heating system in your home or business now, and can be hooked directly to your existing Hydronic system, no heat exchangers needed. No water treatment needed, no constant monitoring of water level, no water treatment needed. The system is closed, not open to the air, just like your current hydronic heating system and being tied together they operate as one, at the same PSI as your current hydronic system.

I personally heat our home and our domestic water with an "Indoor Boiler" that I installed in an out building using, Thermo pex, insulated pipe to bring the hot water to and from our house 60' away from the out building. There are many companies that offer closed systems boilers that can be tied directly to your current Hot water/hydronic system as mine is or if you have a forced air system then a heat exchanger is used in the plenum above your current hot air system and that heats the circulated air instead of the gas/oil or electric burner.
I have a ThermoControl 2000 boiler (125K BTU) made by National Stove, in Cobleskill NY and have operated it for 15 yrs to date.

Because I have never lived anyplace that had access to cable TV, a generator or 5 has always been in our possession. Yes My system does have a circulator to move water threw the system 24/7. Yes Our oil fired Hydronic system also requires electricity to operate. The becket oil burner has only run during the last 15 yrs to verify it works if we should need it. Currently live on my 20 acre wood lot/shooting range, and have since 86. On each end of my out building the boiler is in, That will hold roughly 5 full cords of wood and has 3 in it now, I have bought and assembled 12'x20' arrow carports for wood storage. each wood port hold enough wood for an entire heating season so I always have over 2 years of wood cut split and ready. being the wood fueled boiler is in an outbuilding i have no mess in the house. I simple have the limit switches on the oil burner shut all the way to their lowest setting so it never turns on and I simply circulate the boiler water threw the old oil furnace keeping it hot so oil gun never turns on. Currently have aquastat on wood boiler set at 160 and that will give us all the heat we need even in negative outdoor temps.

My Daughter and SIL also use a 2000 that is in an outbuilding/garage. My youngest brother uses a 2500 (next size bigger 200k BTU) in and outbuilding also. Yes I helped install all of them.

Ken

[WILCO]

I agree with every reason posted above not to get a pellet stove. Woodstoves are easy to maintain, they keep going when the power goes out, free exercise...
Green cords in my area (southern NH, northern MA, which is basically the same thing) are $300 this year, just about what I paid last year. I just found a supplier that will deliver 2 cords at a time with no delivery fee.
Yeah, I'll stick with the wood.
I had a slab of soapstone from an old table that I cut to fit the top of my woodstove. It really holds the heat longer.

Great idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Battis]

It looks a little hokey but it works. I also cut some soapstone to use as fire bricks inside the stove.
I had soapstone countertops installed in my kitchen a few years back. Now, that is an art.

[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-MOUNTAIN-FIRE-WOOD-4-Pack-of-8-bundle-Firewood-100-Real-Wood-GFM-4PACK/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.