Fireplace Lowdown

Tips for Buying Wood Pellets for Pellet Stoves

You may have installed a pellet stove with the idea of saving money on your heating bill, but if you're paying a premium for your pellets, it might not seem like you're saving much at all. 

Here are a few tips for buying pellets:

• Compare prices and learn about availability and market trends online.  A good resource is www.pelletsales.com. 
• Order in the spring instead of waiting until the middle of the winter (or even the fall) when demand is higher and prices go up.
• Buy in bulk, ordering enough to get you through the whole winter instead of just picking up a few bags at a time.
• The least expensive pellets may be cheap for a reason... before buying a ton, get a bag to try and see how well they burn in your stove.  Pellet quality affects how your stove operates and how often it needs to be cleaned.
• See if your pellet stove can burn corn, which may be more affordable than pellets, especially if you live in the farm belt.

Pellet Stove Vacuum?

If you're looking for a pellet stove vacuum, there aren't any that are specific to pellet stoves.  Any ash vacuum cleaner that's designed to work with fireplaces and wood stoves will work fine for a pellet stove. You can even get "warm ash" vacuums, which have fire retardant filters, so even if the ashes are still warm, you should be okay.

An example of an ash vacuum that seems to be well liked by pellet stove owners is the Loveless Ash MU405 Cougar Quiet Design Warm Ash Vacuum.

Its filters can be cleaned without removing the lid, so vacuuming up the ashes shouldn't leave a cloud of dust and ash in the air.  It sucks up fine particles, leaving larger chunks so they can be burned again.  Also, since it's a warm ash vacuum with fire retardant filters, hot sparks aren't a concern.

The vacuum costs $239 at Amazon:

Loveless Ash MU405 Cougar Quiet Design Warm Ash Vacuum

Pellet Stoves Are Saving People Money

With oil and gas prices climbing higher and higher, heating the home seems to be getting more expensive by the month.  The prices of these commodities aren't expected to drop any time soon either. 

Because of this, it shouldn't be any surprise that pellet stoves are more popular than ever.  Sales are increasing each year, and you may be wondering if it's time for you to consider pellets as a home heating method too!

Installing a pellet stove doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up the convenience of gas either.  It can be an alternative when prices or high or you just want to enjoy the warmth of a cozy fire (attractive pellet stoves can be a focal point of your home, and it's a lot nicer to sit and read by one than a heat vent!).

If you're thinking of making the switch, or want to figure out how much money people are saving by switching to pellet stoves (or even corn burning stoves), here are some recent news articles you may find interesting:

Home Heating Costs Fuel Interest in Pellet-burning Stoves

Pellet Stove is a Hot Addition to Your Home

Considering a Pellet Stove? Do Your Homework First

Adding Alternative Fuel to the Fire

Wood Pellets & Oil Compete for Heating

Pellet Stoves & Corn Stoves = Energy Efficient?

When heating prices are high, more homeowners think about buying corn- or pellet-burning stoves to take on some of the burden of heating a home.  Though these stoves (which can be free-standing or inserts) require more work than simply turning a knob on a thermostat, you can save money this way.  Buying a stove is a sizable investment, though, so people understandably have concerns.

I found a news article that addresses the question on whether corn/pellet stoves are energy efficient and environmentally friendly compared to other heating options.  Here's what a professional had to say:

"Both corn and wood pellet stoves are energy efficient. This is because the combustion is nearly complete with almost no smoke. The small corn kernels or pellets have a high ratio of surface area to weight, as compared to a big log, so each piece gets bathed with combustion air."

So, that makes them a better choice than even a wood-burning stove or insert.  It'd be a lot easier to keep the room clean with pellets or corn, too, since they just come in bags you pour in the hopper (logs always seem to leave a mess anywhere they hang out).

And on the issue of whether corn and pellet stoves are environmentally friendly, here's what the article has to say:

"Heating with wood pellets or corn is better for the environment than using fossil fuel furnaces or electric heat. When you burn corn in the stove, it produces primarily ash, water and carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas). Next spring, when new corn grows, it uses the same amount of carbon dioxide the burning produced, so there are little net greenhouse gases."

Sounds pretty good, hunh? 

Here's the link in case you want to read through the whole thing.

What to Know Before Buying a Pellet Stove

Thinking of buying a pellet stove this winter?  Burning wood can certainly help keep the cost of heating bills down, especially if you can get some good deals on pellets in your area (for those new to these types of stoves, pellets are densely compressed chunks of waste wood, wood that would otherwise be thrown away... because of this pellets are considered a renewable energy source).

While these stoves can save you money, it's important to understand that they involve some maintenance as well.  You can't just plug the stove into the wall, throw in some pellets, and not take care of it.

First off, you have to stoke the stove daily and remove the ashes weekly.

Then you have to keep everything clean and inspect the stove often.  For example, there's an electric fan inside that vents away the smoke and carbon monoxide given off by burning wood.  If the fan isn't properly maintained, it can get clogged with creosote and eventually ignite, causing a fire in your venting system.

Though pellet stoves can be cheaper than heating with gas or electricity, they will still cost you money.  Depending on where you live, you can expect to pay about $4 per 40-pound bag of pellets (they're usually sold by the ton).  The initial outlay for the stove will cost you too: pellet stoves run between $1,500 and $3,500, which doesn't include installation.  You also need to invest in materials for keeping the stove clean and free of ash (a proper ash vacuum, a metal bin, wand, etc.)

With all that said, owning a pellet stove can be a financially rewarding experience; some people have reported saving more than $100 a month on heating costs.  And snuggling up before a warm fire can be pleasant as well.

Source: What to Ask Before Purchasing a Pellet Stove

Wood or Pellet Stove, Which Is More Eco-friendly?

Even in our increasingly technology-driven age, more "old-fashioned" fuels such as wood continue to be popular for heating the house.  Many times a wood-burning stove or a pellet stove can save you money over traditional gas or electric heating.  This is especially true if you can make use of "zone heating."  This is where you use the stove to heat the main living areas (i.e. kitchen, dining room, living room, great room) and leave the heat off in the bedrooms (during the day) or guest rooms, which rarely see use.  But if you're going to buy and install a stove, which is the most environmentally friendly choice? 

Wood stove?  Pellet stove?  Maybe even a corn stove?  Which option is more eco-friendly?  Are any of them better for the environment than natural gas?  Are some easier to find fuel for?

This recent news article answers these questions and gives you some information about your options:

Corn Stoves, Pellet Stoves Provide Homeowner with Heating Choices

Pros and Cons of Pellet Stoves

Thinking of heating your home with a brand new pellet stove this winter?  They can be less expensive than traditional heating options, such as electric and natural gas.  The fuel is relatively inexpensive, costing about $5-$10 per M/Btu. 

You do need to spend some money on the initial investment (i.e. buy the stove) however.  Pellet stoves start at around $1,300 and will run you an additional $650 to $900 for installation. 

There is some maintenance involved too.  You need to empty the ash pan once a week, and every two or three months, you'll need to scrape the burner pot with a putty knife and brush and vacuum the passageways.  Every year, you should have your pellet stove checked out by a hearth technician.

Pros of Pellet Stoves

• Many pellet stoves are flexible in what they can burn (pellets from wood, corn, coir fiber, and even nutshells), so you can take advantage of discounts on fuel when you find them.
• Usually made from wood or other scraps, pellets are an easily renewable resource, and they produce the lowest emissions of any solid fuel out there.  The smoke given off is minimal.
• Installing pellet stoves doesn't require a huge home remodel; most models require only a short run of stainless venting to the outside.

Cons of Pellet Stoves

• Electricity is needed to operate a pellet stove (some models can work off backup batteries in power outages).
• Depending on where you live, it might be hard to find pellets.

Source: Sep. 2006 issue of Home Magazine

Pellet Stoves Need to Be Cleaned too

Now that fall is on the way, it's time to start thinking of maintenance for your pellet stove (this goes for fireplace people too).  Pellet stoves need to be cleaned or you risk a chimney fire, the same as a wood stove or fireplace.  Otherwise flammable creosote can build up. 

You can get an estimate by calling around in your area, or you can simply ask the company that sold you the stove for recommendations. 

If you like to save money and do things yourself, cleaning a pellet stove is something you can do on your own.  Here are some links on the Web that deal with the intricacies of cleaning them:

• Many people chime in with their experiences on this forum post on cleaning pellet stoves.
• This article has some helpful advice and pictures too.
• This article on pellet stove maintenance defines all the parts of the stove and is a good basic primer.

Are Pellet Stoves Eco-friendly?

It can be argued that any stove that burns wood is adding CO2 to the atmosphere, which is something we don't exactly need more of, but pellet stoves at least burn an easily renewable resource.  Unlike wood stoves, which obviously burn logs, pellet stoves burn, well, pellets.  So, what's a pellet made of?

They're made using farmed switchgrass (something that is easily grown on otherwise poor farmland) or sawdust waste from mills.  Back in the day, before there was such a thing as residential pellet stoves, all that waste from mills was either burned or dumped in landfill sites, so creating pellets actually puts those leftovers to better use. 

In addition to being made from waste or easily renewable resources, pellets burn cleanly and create less smoke than wood.

So, there you have it.  If you're going to heat your home by burning wood, pellet stoves are your most eco-friendly option.

Pellet Stoves

I've written a couple of posts on pellet stoves in the past (see: How Pellet Stoves Work and information on the Price of Pellet Stoves), but since there's quite a bit of interest (many people are looking for alternative ways to heat their homes), I decided to start a new category on them.  So, look for some more pellet-related posts in the near future.