I am considering an addition to my house approx 14 x 16 ft familyroom/Den .I want to use a wood stove for heat but I like the look of the new pellet stoves, they seem to be cleaner and more efficient. I would like to hear any opinions or information anybody might have about cost ,how long one hopper full of pellets lasts…..etc.
Edited 12/27/2002 9:16:06 PM ET by FG02026
Edited 1/3/2003 10:18:22 PM ET by FG02026
Replies
I don't have one, but they seem nice and are safe. The newest thing in this area is corn burners, run off shelled corn, and this is corn country. They work like pellet stoves, but supposedly more BTU/$ than pellets. Corn burns very hot and clean due to the oil in it.
Most pellet stoves require electricity, which may affect your decision if you were thinking of depending on it for heat during power outages. I've seen references to ones that don't, but I can't tell you what brands or where to look.
Try burning chicken bones instead of the pellets, and if more heat is need use Turkey bones. "One measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions"
I had a pellet stove for about a year. It was in the master bedroom. The fans were so loud that I could hardly go to sleep. There is a fan that blows hot air into the room and another fan that blows the exhaust out of the stove(up the duct).
My first house had a pellet stove in it. House was 1200 sq. ft. We found that during the coldest part of the weather we burned about one 40 lb. bag of pellets per day. Cost around $3. Then we figured out it was much cheaper, at night and on the weekends, to run the elec. furnace. With time of day electricity cost aprox. 1/3 during these times. After adding more attic insulation, the usage should have decreased, but wasn't using it exclusivly to gauge this.
Remember to figure out a storage place for the pellet bags.
We tried all the various fire starters, which are expensive and don't work too well. Found the easiest and cheapest way to start the pellets was with a propane torch.
As stated, they do not work w/o electricity. Understand some come w/ electric ignitors so you never need to light them. Remember to keep the ash chamber and pellet hopper cleaned out, and they work well.
thanks thats exactly the information I was looking for even though I posted my question in the wrong forum (rookie mistake)
I have one that heats a 24' x 36' office. It has a thermostat and now you can even get programmable ones. In our area corn is more expensive then pellets. You can also get them with an inverter for power outages. I like the pellet stove and it gives the room a nice ambience with the flame and all.
jocobe