Feb 29 2008
Pellet Stove Primer
The Pellet Stove Primer
By Kevin Taylor © 2006, 2008
Why Pellet Stoves?
Pellet stoves are more efficient than wood stoves, are easier to use and maintain while the fuel cost is less than propane, oil, and natural gas.
Better yet the combustion efficiency can reduce household greenhouse gas emissions by several tonnes making heating by pellet stove an eco-friendly choice. All from renewable fuel sources.
Pellet stoves are more practical to use for heating than wood stoves.Why? Loading pellets into a hopper once every 24 to 72 hours or more (depending on the hopper size) is much more hands-off to heat your home or garage.
| How are pellets made? Here is a link to slide presentation showing how wood pellets are made at New England Wood Pellet. |
The fact that many pellet stoves have automatic starters and thermostats to regulate heat makes them a real winner as a viable heating alternative.
How do Pellet Stoves Work?
Pellet stoves consist of
1) a hopper where the pellets (about an inch long) are loaded
2) an auger that moves pellets from the hopper to the
3) combustion chamber burner and
4) a fan to either force air into or pull it through the chamber to super heat the combustion and
5) a fan driven heat exchanger that pulls cold air from the room and returns warm air back
Although the fans require some electricity to run, the net payback in terms of heat energy and efficiency is huge. Also the more complete combustion of the compressed dry pellets leaves very little ash to dispose of.
The first efficiency is in the pellet fuel itself. Pellets can be made from waste products from sawmills and other wood processing facilities, biomass sources such as grasses, corn, and nut shells. The compressed pellets store easily. They usually come in 40 lb bags and take less space to store than wood of the same energy output.
The main efficiency is through the steady controlled burn of fuel at high temperatures and the use of convection heat through a heat exchanger rather than the radiant heat you get from a wood stove. This also means that a pellet stove exterior is much cooler and therefore safer if you have small children.
The small amount of ash generated by the efficient combustion means you only have to clean the ash once a week under continuous use for most stoves.
Due to dependence on electricity for fans to operate, some pellet stoves also have back-up battery power to ensure the burn of pellets can be completed if the power is disrupted.
Where to Buy Pellet Stoves?
You best bet is to first try your local fireplace and wood stove dealers to see what brands they carry and, most importantly, where a low cost quality supply of pellets can be found.
You can save hundreds of dollars buying online but you need to ensure the service and support of the manufacturer is included. Look for “authorized dealer” to ensure the manufacturer will uphold the warranty.
How Much to Pay?
Pellet stove prices range from about $1700 to $3000 for home or garage heating.
Two main factors are the energy in BTU’s and the size of the hopper which affects how often you need to reload pellets. Other features such as automatic start, efficiency, easy access to ash pan and serviceable parts.
You will need to assess the area of your home, garage, or cottage you want to heat and get a recommendation from the manufacturer or their representative on the model with right BTU output for your needs.
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