If your house has any size to it and your in a cold region 3 tons is not going to cut it by a long shot ...Last year my neighbor burned 7 tons of pellets in his 2,000 sq ft house . At 220-250$ a ton there is not really any savings to be had using pellets and He had the big Englander model known for it's efficiency
Educate me on pellet stoves...
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fubar2
Addicted to ArboristSite
One thing I'd like to add about burning corn is make sure you have an all but air tight steel container to keep it in. Otherwise expect to see mice, lots of em complete with appetites knives spoons and forks and with a headlong intention of feasting on your heat source.
Bio bricks ( giant pellets) in the wood stove, easy for wife , convenience of pellets with no worries of power problems or the ritual cleaning, can be mixed with cord wood ( works best that way) cost about same as pellets/ton. Big plus no outlay for new appliance and associated venting. storage requirements same as pellets.
A note on corn, to those thinking about it, be dang sure it is dried down to 8% or less moisture content. That has always been the problem with corn as fuel, besides the rodent visits and the molding if insufficiently dried. Cherry pits are another option when available for pellet stoves labeled as muti fuel source units. Some others as well.
I am in a metro area pellets at present are $250/ton- might as well turn the ng on- cheaper. ( just the thought of that gives me the willies)
A note on corn, to those thinking about it, be dang sure it is dried down to 8% or less moisture content. That has always been the problem with corn as fuel, besides the rodent visits and the molding if insufficiently dried. Cherry pits are another option when available for pellet stoves labeled as muti fuel source units. Some others as well.
I am in a metro area pellets at present are $250/ton- might as well turn the ng on- cheaper. ( just the thought of that gives me the willies)
NSMaple1
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you could heat your house on 2 or 3 tons of pellets - I would forget pellets & put in a mini-split heat pump. Or two. Then you also have a/c for the summer. They are likely the next cheapest way to heat with next to 'free' wood. 2 or 3 tons of pellets over a winter doesn't amount to much of a heat load.
And maybe keep or add in a quality wood stove for the coldest of days, or when there's power outages.
Or, if I had a hot water heating system in place already, and a bigger heat load, and I couldn't do wood - I would maybe consider going to a modern efficient pellet boiler. But that would come down to the local pellet supply situation.
And maybe keep or add in a quality wood stove for the coldest of days, or when there's power outages.
Or, if I had a hot water heating system in place already, and a bigger heat load, and I couldn't do wood - I would maybe consider going to a modern efficient pellet boiler. But that would come down to the local pellet supply situation.
This is interesting. Another alternative for the shop.
Highbeam
ArboristSite Guru
I agree, these pellet stoves are more like furnaces than woodstoves. In exchange for those listed drawbacks you get some pretty great benefits though.
Highbeam
ArboristSite Guru
Another big gripe is noise. They make a racket. Combustion blower, convection blower, pellet auger, pellets clinking down into the burn pot.
Just buying compressed blocks for your stove is only slightly similar. With a pellet stove you load a bag a day and walk away letting the thermostat operate the stove. With a woodstove you still need to futz with it and burn times , unless you have a BK, are nowhere near 24 hours.
Just buying compressed blocks for your stove is only slightly similar. With a pellet stove you load a bag a day and walk away letting the thermostat operate the stove. With a woodstove you still need to futz with it and burn times , unless you have a BK, are nowhere near 24 hours.
I'm not knocking the folks that like their pellet stoves, if its convenient and works for them, so be it.
Over the years I have seen pellet stove electrical board problems, usually slightly after the warranty has expired. They do seem to be noisier and not as "warm" as good old wood heat. The pellet shortages speak for themselves. I don't have the space to store 5 ton of pellets to get me thru a rough winter, and right now they are going for about $250 a ton. Wood is cheaper for me. I also don't have a way of picking up all them pellets, so I would have to pay delivery. They come in 40# bags, any way you load it you are still going to have to hoss that 40# at least once. I can grab an arm load of splits and bring them in a lot easier. I can also get 3 years ahead at my leisure on my heat, without having to fuss with dry storage/space issues.
Just the opinion of an old guy that's been doing this a long time.
Over the years I have seen pellet stove electrical board problems, usually slightly after the warranty has expired. They do seem to be noisier and not as "warm" as good old wood heat. The pellet shortages speak for themselves. I don't have the space to store 5 ton of pellets to get me thru a rough winter, and right now they are going for about $250 a ton. Wood is cheaper for me. I also don't have a way of picking up all them pellets, so I would have to pay delivery. They come in 40# bags, any way you load it you are still going to have to hoss that 40# at least once. I can grab an arm load of splits and bring them in a lot easier. I can also get 3 years ahead at my leisure on my heat, without having to fuss with dry storage/space issues.
Just the opinion of an old guy that's been doing this a long time.
depending on requirements and type of wood and stove 8-12 hours burn are quite possible without the expense of a BK . Personally I have never been excited about catalyst equipped anything. Again personally I get enough out of my NC30 for my 2k home to ward off the utility company.
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In my experience pellet stoves dont generate enough heat. Also the pellet cost keep going up, but wood cost stays the same. And if the electricity goes out, you are SOL.
I had a big outdoor corn/pellet burner outside which I purchased from Woodmaster 7 or 8 years ago for a ton of money. From my experience you could not give me one. They don't burn as cheap as people say they do. I have a hot water heat system with radiators. Heated 120 gallons of water outside in the corn burner and pumped the hot water into an exchanger in the basement to warm the water in the radiators. System worked great because I had full house heat and no cold spots. The problem is that the system that I bought was no where near as efficient as the salesman stated. Was told that on the coldest days I would burn between 2 and 3 bushels a day. NO WHERE CLOSE!! Try 5 to 6 bushels a day ( and some days up to 7 or 8). Believe me your usage will be higher then expected also. Pound for pound wood pellets are not anywhere close to corn when it comes to heat out put. Someone above stated that you have to be below 8% moister to burn corn, not true. I routinely ran 12% to 15% corn with no problems at all. As to the question of burning pellets I tried about a half of ton with very poor results. They burn faster, not near as hot and leave way more ash. And finally don't get me started on these little 1 to 2 bushel house units. suffice to say if you like the room that it is in at 80 degrees and the other end of the house 50 knock yourself out and buy one but I would be hard pressed to believe that in the long run you will be happy. Going to start my 4th winter with my OWB and couldn't be happier with it. Just my LONG 2 cents worth.
You guys need to research this. It is quite interesting. Here's another gravity fed (non electric) pellet stove made in Oregon.
http://www.wisewaypelletstoves.com/index.htm
It has a unique look to it. Just put a chimney in each room and wheel it around.
http://www.wisewaypelletstoves.com/index.htm
It has a unique look to it. Just put a chimney in each room and wheel it around.
This page has a list of wood pellet manufacturers. I see they still make them in Omak. Those had more pine in them than the pellets from Idaho.
http://www.wisewaypelletstoves.com/wiseway-pellet-stoves-about-fuel-pellets.htm
Like all heating, it depends on how well your house is insulated.
http://www.wisewaypelletstoves.com/wiseway-pellet-stoves-about-fuel-pellets.htm
Like all heating, it depends on how well your house is insulated.
Vangellis
ArboristSite Guru
A solid option being you are in the heart of the anthracite coal region. Perhaps a stove that burns wood and coal.
That's what I do anymore. Nice to have options. Not getting any younger and the wood gettin is a little tougher each year.
I'll start and finish the season with wood and use the coal in the heart of winter.
Kevin
The pros far outweigh the cons in my opinion.
I use an Enviro Evolution pellet stove as main source of heat for my open-concept home and have been for ten years now so I've seen it all.
Pellet stove initial cost is about twice as much as a good wood stove around $2000. But the fuel savings over oil-based fuels is about a quarter of the cost.
Costs me about $600 CAD a heating season as opposed to my friends oil furnace at around $3000 for his heating season.
We also had a pay-back-period of two years on the stove which is unheard of with any oil-based heating system.
There are about 800% more pellet producers in North America now then ten years ago, however North America does ship about 80% of our pellets to Europe as they have been burning them for over 30 years now.
I also have a wood stove I use for shoulder seasons and colder spells and if power is out. Best of both worlds works best for me.
My opinion would be to NOT replace the wood stove with a pellet stove, but to add a good quality pellet stove if you want convenience or to be able to go away for a weekend and not have the house freeze up or have to use your electric heat or furnace.
Happy Heating
I use an Enviro Evolution pellet stove as main source of heat for my open-concept home and have been for ten years now so I've seen it all.
Pellet stove initial cost is about twice as much as a good wood stove around $2000. But the fuel savings over oil-based fuels is about a quarter of the cost.
Costs me about $600 CAD a heating season as opposed to my friends oil furnace at around $3000 for his heating season.
We also had a pay-back-period of two years on the stove which is unheard of with any oil-based heating system.
There are about 800% more pellet producers in North America now then ten years ago, however North America does ship about 80% of our pellets to Europe as they have been burning them for over 30 years now.
I also have a wood stove I use for shoulder seasons and colder spells and if power is out. Best of both worlds works best for me.
My opinion would be to NOT replace the wood stove with a pellet stove, but to add a good quality pellet stove if you want convenience or to be able to go away for a weekend and not have the house freeze up or have to use your electric heat or furnace.
Happy Heating
steved
ArboristSite Guru
Yeah, coal is an option and I once looked at a house that the owner claimed to heat for $400 a season using a rice coal stove (like a wood pellet stove) in the basement.
I always think of coal as being dirty compared to wood.
steved
ArboristSite Guru
This was my plan...
The woodstove is built in, no way to replace it without major renovations. My idea was simply idle the woodstove, use the pellet stove most of the time and only lite the woodstove when its super cold or the electric was out.
I don't think I could ever get away from having a woodstove...anything I buy will be in addition to the woodstove. But after seeing the quantity and cost for pellets, I could buy almost four year's worth of logs for the same price as a year's worth of pellets.
Pellets are that expensive where you are in Pennsylvania?
I'm getting mine at Home Depot for $4.31(CAD) a bag and at that price I'm buying 200 bags which should do me two years. They will match and beat other retailers by 10%.
Although last year I burned 40% more than previous years. It was EXTRA cold, snowy and windy here.
I do have a big open basement for storage and my main living space is an ideal open concept area for easy pellet heat distribution so that helps. I could see if a house that was long and divided up into lots of closed rooms where a pellet stove wouldn't be as effective. You have to move that air around to get good, even heating.
Wood stoves and wood fireplaces are the cheapest heating for sure, but next is wood pellets. I have saved over $20,000 in fuel costs over ten years compared to natural gas, oil, or electricity. That's a lot of dough.
I will always do firewood and like heating up the house with my wood stove, but the pellet stove is more convenient and longer lasting burn times between filling. So using both in different seasons give me the best of both worlds.
steved
ArboristSite Guru
If it takes six tons per year (as was eluded to for a larger house), and its running $200/ton; then yes, I could buy enough logs for firewood for nearly four years.
For those times I'm away, I have propane and a heat pump.
For those times I'm away, I have propane and a heat pump.
zogger
Tree Freak
Power goes out here all the time, plus constant dirty power. No way would I run a heating appliance that needed clean constant electricity here. I have the fridge and freezers on surge protectors as it is.
Now my reality is different from most folks, but I like simple, solid state, easy to operate, can fit a variety of sizes and chunks of wood.
I can scrounge wood, using nothing more than my hands and feet if I have to. I can't scrounge pellets/heating oil/propane/electricity or expensive replacement parts for appliances.
Now my reality is different from most folks, but I like simple, solid state, easy to operate, can fit a variety of sizes and chunks of wood.
I can scrounge wood, using nothing more than my hands and feet if I have to. I can't scrounge pellets/heating oil/propane/electricity or expensive replacement parts for appliances.
