Woodstove vs. Pellet Stove

[audible fart]

I was scrounging some pellets earlier today. Brought 'em home and cut them into rounds with the echo. Probably split pellets for a couple hours tomorrow morning and sweat out a decade of severe alchohol abuse. See all the fun steps you miss with a pellet stove?

 

[Split this!]

I've got 2 wood stoves in my house,one is an old Morso Squirrel stove, 1972 vintage, only used for back up or real cold days as supplement, the other I just installed is a Century, Jacuzzi, it replaced an old Pyramid that did the job but wasn't very Eco friendly. My thoughts have always been, if you have to buy the fuel, just turn the furnace thermostat up and save some time and effort. I've been pretty lucky as to not having to buy wood for the last 14 years, someone is always having a tree taken down, usually in the neighborhood. If you don't have a battery back up, good luck when the power goes out, but to each his own!

 

[gtstang462002]

I am thinking about installing a pellet stove in my bedroom end of the house just so that I don't have to get up at 3 or 4 in the am to reload the stove(1970's treemont insert). If I don't get up at that time to reload it is right chilly at the bedroom end of the house which is the farthest from the wood stove insert. I only burned about 35 gals of oil last year, but my thermostat is also in the living room with the stove.

 

[Straightgrain]

Pellet stove

I have a pellet stove....burns 16 inch pellets; fir, maple, cherry and oak. Ha ha ha

My sister in law in calif is always asking me to deliver pellets from the medford Lowes because of shortages and costs down there.

I wouldn't dream of changing over from wood.

What is wrong with getting up in the morning with a chilly house anyway.

 

[Highbeam]

I am thinking about installing a pellet stove in my bedroom end of the house just so that I don't have to get up at 3 or 4 in the am to reload the stove(1970's treemont insert). If I don't get up at that time to reload it is right chilly at the bedroom end of the house which is the farthest from the wood stove insert. I only burned about 35 gals of oil last year, but my thermostat is also in the living room with the stove.

I wonder if it wouldn't be wiser to replace the treemont with a modern staove capable of burning through the night. A new pellet stove and installation can cost more than 5000$. Cripes! A modern replacement insert can be had for less than half of that and you will save on wood, cleaner burning, etc.

Does that 1970s treemont even have a glass door? You're really missing out if you can't see the fire.

 

[woodbooga]

I'd have a hard time abiding the idea of having to buy pellets.

However, with so many in the forest industries up here out of work, I'm thankful that there's an increased demand for pellets (there are at least 2 large mfgrs. here in NH).

After our children, NH's forests are our greatest resource. And having an additional market for low grade wood makes it economical for timberland owners to keep their lands forested.

 

[Kansas]

pellet stoves are not real high on my list.... lets forget about function for a bit...

all you are doing is trading your gas/electric/oil heating bills for pellet bills. vs a wood stove... YOU are in charge of all but eliminating your heating bills.

heating with wood is one of the few places we actually can make a difference in operating costs. most will save $$$1,000+ per season.

it's my belief a wood stove has one of the fastest payoff benefit of anything you can do for your home.

Good points! The pellet stove is definately going to take the longest to pay for itself too my hot blast payed for itself the first winter and it even needs electricity.

When I got mine pellets were about $2 a sack or less and that was definately cheaper than my natural gas bill but now at $4-$5 a sack on a good day its about a wash vs natural gas when you figure a couple 150 watt motors working in the stove 24/7.

Kansas

 

[clearance]

Pellets and corn stoves were good ideas when corn was cheap, and there was a housing boom.

Now the corn goes into the gas tank, and no sawdust to make pellets from, so costs are higher than just plain old dead trees.

Pellet and corn stoves also depend on electricity.
It kinda sux when the power is out and ya freeze while looking at a stove that COULD be burning wood.

Just sayin..

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

Pellet stoves are half ways useless, you got it right.

 

[logbutcher]

I'd have a hard time abiding the idea of having to buy pellets.

However, with so many in the forest industries up here out of work, I'm thankful that there's an increased demand for pellets (there are at least 2 large mfgrs. here in NH).

After our children, NH's forests are our greatest resource. And having an additional market for low grade wood makes it economical for timberland owners to keep their lands forested.

The Booga hits it again. :agree2::agree2:

But for most of us the process of harvesting the firewood, managing a woodlot, saving $$$, and the Good Body results are the key. Whether on your own lot or scrounging, it's a year-round mostly enjoyable effort.

Good point made however: has anyone figured out the real time cost for fuel, gear, maintenance per firewood cord maybe amortized over say 5 years or so ? I've never done it since the harvesting is done along with TSI (Timber Stand Improvement ), blowdowns, and pulping.

Pellets have their place. The payoff for the BTU's is longer than EPA wood stoves. Bsides, I don't want the noise of the hopper or blower. And, BTW: with the right load and wood, nobody needs to get up @ zero-dark-hundred to load any good wood stove .
Now for those with other to-dos in the middle of the night, another story.............:monkey::monkey:

 

[woodbooga]

Good point made however: has anyone figured out the real time cost for fuel, gear, maintenance per firewood cord maybe amortized over say 5 years or so ? I've never done it since the harvesting is done along with TSI (Timber Stand Improvement ), blowdowns, and pulping.

I remember a thread devoted to this shortly after I joined the site.

Wood Doctor who posts here a lot is really good at that kind of analysis.

 

[flotek]

own/owned both and my opinion is pellet stoves are the biggest hype in the heating industry .they provide about 1/4 the heat of a woodburner of the same size and cost a great deal to operate (3 motors to run )good pellets are getting scarce and if your lucky enough to find them they are 250 a ton which to me is ridiculous considering the mild heat they put out.

 

[TMFARM 2009]

i am browsing this thread, in hopes of making my decision, pellet or wood stove?
my issue is they (prev, owners) removed the chimney from this fine Aframe house i purchased last year. no furnace, only central air was installed (was a vacation home)
that said i would be looking at the cost of 40' chimney, roof repair and stove cost. or just a complete pellet stove install with 8' chimney. i also agree wood puts out more heat than pellet stoves, but either one should heat better than the 4 electric heaters i have running 24/7 now. i have 4 eden pure heaters, they cost me $150.00 - 300.00 month to run avg. my question is: will pellets be less expensive than that for the same amount of heat? my house is poorly insulated,drafty. so no heat retention to speak of.

i know what ever i do is going to cost a bunch, just trying to figure out what direction to go for long term.

any and all opinions are appreciated.

 

[mohick]

They should sell wood stoves and pellet stoves in pairs, so the wood stove can keep the pellet stove warm !!!!!!!!

 

[Mike Van]

i am browsing this thread, in hopes of making my decision, pellet or wood stove?
my issue is they (prev, owners) removed the chimney from this fine Aframe house i purchased last year. no furnace, only central air was installed (was a vacation home)
that said i would be looking at the cost of 40' chimney, roof repair and stove cost. or just a complete pellet stove install with 8' chimney. i also agree wood puts out more heat than pellet stoves, but either one should heat better than the 4 electric heaters i have running 24/7 now. i have 4 eden pure heaters, they cost me $150.00 - 300.00 month to run avg. my question is: will pellets be less expensive than that for the same amount of heat? my house is poorly insulated,drafty. so no heat retention to speak of.

i know what ever i do is going to cost a bunch, just trying to figure out what direction to go for long term.

any and all opinions are appreciated.

Learn how to lay brick, build your own chimney. Lots of used woodstoves for sale every spring, as some tire of the work involved.

 

[WES999]

I have had wood stoves for about 20 yr, always was able to get wood for free. Only use about 10 gal of oil/yr.
Never had a pellet stove.
Plugged in some numbers in a fuel cost calculator.
oil @ $2.00/gl, nat [email protected]/therm, pellets @ $250/ton, seems average for my area.
The results:

$1,366.10 per year for normal home for Natural Gas
$1,740.40 per year for normal home for Oil
$1,963.65 per year for normal home for Pellets

Currently, on a cost basis I don't see how it would ever make any sense to install a pellet stove,
at a cost t of $3000-$5000, you would never see a return.
Be better just to use gas or oil.

 

[Hddnis]

Don't know if pellets are that high everywhere but around here they are $99 to $170 a ton. Good brands go for about $135-145 a ton.

A guy can get pellets cheaper in bulk bags if there is a pellet mill close by.

A couple years ago when gas was higher I ran the numbers and on a BTU basis pellets were second cheapest to burning straw. At the time I was working on an industrial style boiler and decided on pellets since fuel feeding and combustion control was much simpler.

I've had pellet stoves and I like them. Also like a woodstove a lot, and for a romantic evening you can't beat a fireplace.

My experience in order of easiest to cheapest (sort of)

1. Electric heat. Easy, often won't keep up in a drafty old house and downright expensive.
$ Oil. Hate this one. Cost me a fortune every time that stupid tank was empty and it got empty fast. Not really easier than gas since the furnace needed service yearly.
3. Propane. Easy enough, slightly more work since you have to keep an eye on how much you have in the tank. (This costs more than gas utility usually.)
4. Gas utility. Easy, seems to need more maintenance than electric, but much cheaper.
5. Pellets. I liked this one. Less work and cheaper than a woodstove if you factor in time and effort, far easier than cutting wood. Heats more like a furnace than a woodstove. Shuts down if the power goes out unless you have some sort of backup power source.
6. When I was cutting wood on my own property this was pretty cheap, kept running when the power was out. If I had to buy wood I would pick pellets.

My place has gas furnace that they ran up the old woodstove chimney so that's all I have ATM. When I add on I'm putting in a double masonry chimney and I'll have a woodstove and fireplace. Woodstove will be a Blaze King in the basement Rec Room and should heat the whole house. Fireplace will be in the main living room and it will be the glassed in type at least, maybe even a masonry heater type.

Shop has a pellet stove hooked to a 6" woodstove chimney, and if the power goes out for an extended period I could swap the woodstove back in within ten minutes, not counting cooling time if the pellet stove was hot.

 

[Mustang71]

All I know is that I get wood for free and split it by hand but buying pellets every year would cost as much as another 2 tanks of propane and that's what I save by burning wood

 

[Relex]

This is the 3rd winter I've had my house and the first two I tried a pellet stove. Around here pellets were $235 a ton which my first winter I got 3, that following summer I got new windows and got 2 tons. Last winter we had a really cold spell in Jan and between the pellet stove I had to make the choice of either cranking it up and burning close to 1 1/2 bags of pellets a day or kicking on my baseboard heat.

Needles to say, 4 month ago I sold that pellet stove for $700 and got my Englander NC30 which I love. I've been burning so far for a little over a month and maybe have used a quarter of a cord and it puts out a ton more heat. IMO pellet stoves are overrated and if I would do it again, I'd get a coal stove over a pellet stove. My only regret when I got my NC30 was not getting a wood/coal stove but I didn't really have time look around.

 

[dozerdean]

I have a wood furnace for main heating, pellet stove in case I don't get up to early in the morning which is every morning,like to sleep in. Pellet stove takes over. If stove doesn't work, then n/g furnace. Rertied,why should I get up early did that for umpteen yrs!

 

[anlrolfe]

No power = no combustion...

With that said I've got a friend who loves his 2-pellet stoves. 1-basement and 1-first floor. He does shift work and likes the convenience. He supposedly buys pellets by the skid then offloads with utility tractor into basement garage for easy access and storage.

Back in Maine I've got a HS friend who uses on in his ski/hunting cabin. He says he likes being able to walk in and flip a switch.

Personally if it was a matter of convenience in a remote location I'd think about other options like propane or fuel oil and if it was necessary for primary heat it wouldn't depend on electricity.