woodstove vs pellet stove again

[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.