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Now that i made it to the [county] i think the 2nd biggest adjustment will be to get used to the pellet stove that was already installed at my place. These are my own honest opinions just a few facts i have noticed about how it works, i am sure that some people will love these things i have noticed, i don't know if i like this new fangled design or not, first my pellet stove has absolutly nothing in common with a conventional wood stove, like,most of the exterior surfaces do not get hot enough to burn you if you touch them,for some this will be a plus, for me it just says the stove isin't really putting out that much heat,second,the heat that does come out of it is blower driven, something i really do not like,if you have dust problems or hate dust stirred up this will not be a plus. Third, it requires electricity to run, something i don't like especially way up north here in the county, also it has a very complicated circuits that control the hole thing, fine today when the stove isin't that old but how about in 10 years will they still make replacement parts? Fourth, the noise it makes, on high i could call it almost noisy,the more i use it the more i realize all these things are trade offs for one thing, ease, simplication, & storage of the fuel itself, if the biggest reason you don't like regular woodstoves is the mess and so called hassle of the wood itself then you might love pellet stoves. As for me i am right on the fence, i love the fact that regular woodstoves have no moving parts, simple i think is always best, the last RWS i had was a vermont castings vigilant, that stove rulled, once i got it lit it always seemed i had 2 much heat, it ran about 12 hours on one really full load of cut and seasoned oak hardwood. One of the things i loved the most about it was starting it, especially after a good cleaning.Pellet stoves do have a few atvantages as well, cleanlyness of opperation,smaller and cheaper pipe, and a lot less [learning the burn] the in's and out's of wood burning in an airtight stove. and i am sure that what is important to me is not to others. A friend has given me a rarely used russo c&w #2 stove, i don't think it is airtight, but if this new fangled pellet unit doesn't float my boat i will try out that russo unit. These are just a few things i noticed about the pellet/regular wood expirience. They are just my opinion, i hope it might shed some light on the pros and cons of heating your home with wood today.
Your sentiments are echoed by many who have gone the pellet stove route. There's not a lot to love about them. They take electricity to run, make noise, and are not the warmest rigs in the world. I have a friend who bought one last summer and he's already considering yanking it in favor of a regular wood stove. He saw our new stove, felt the warmth, saw the pretty fire burning, and decided he got hosed.
Perhaps there are pellet stove users with positive results??
We picked up a Harmon pellet stove this summer. We've had no problems getting pellets... 4 tons in the basement, 1/2 hr per ton. That was fun.
We have forged hot air heat anyway, so the air movement,etc was not an issue. It does have fan motors that run, but we did the "stupid' thing and placed away from where we usually are. Don't hear the noise.
The pellet burn during this latest cold spell was worse than we expected, but with our wood stove to offset, not a problem. overal, I'm quite happy with the pellets. They run during the day when I can't be here to feed the wood stove.
My house had a pellet stove when we bought it and now it is out in my shop. We bought a wood stove the next summer. I still use the 55 gal drum stove the old framer had out there, to heat up my shop pellet stove is in the corner holding up some empty beer cans and old hot rod magazines
On mine you needed electricity to light, power the auger that keeps the pellets fed into the firebox and to power the blower.
So basically this would not work if you live in an area that has frequent power outages.
I was thinking possibly for our house we plan to build in rural Maine. If we need electric, then this would not be an option for us. We hope to stay as much off grid as we can.
Is there a wood stove that is most recommended, over others?
There are literally hundreds of different types of wood stoves. We have a 55,000 btu, air tight ,non catalytic, glass door, soapstone clad stove. We like it.
There are literally hundreds of different types of wood stoves. We have a 55,000 btu, air tight ,non catalytic, glass door, soapstone clad stove. We like it.
What kind is it, if you don't mind me asking?
I'd like to get ideas, and then do my research. That way when I'm ready to buy, I'll know what I'm looking at.
Thanks!
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