BS: Pellet stoves

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: GUEST,G.I. Joe
Date: 15 Jan 09 - 09:31 AM

Here in Connecticut a pellet suplier has just disapeared with the money he had taken from people who had paid up front for the winters supply of pellets. From what I understand he was unable to get enough pellets to sell.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: GUEST,OldNic Kilby
Date: 15 Jan 09 - 05:22 AM

Being frugal by nature I have been buying a wood based cat litter,its much lighter than the rock based stuff and it burns very well after it has been used by the moggies and it saves putting it in the bin! None of the locals have complained about the smell not that we can smell it indoors. It is great for banking down the woodburner last thing at night

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Jim Lad
Date: 15 Jan 09 - 03:19 AM

Just a wee note to those who are concerned about losing power.
A couple of deep cycle batteries and the appropriate power inverter will keep it running for about three days. Same goes for any wood stove requiring a fan for cooling or circulation.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 14 Jan 09 - 04:00 PM

Sorry, another link that was missing:

http://www.sembutilities.co.uk/utilities/biomass-power-station.html

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 14 Jan 09 - 03:55 PM

Another power station which burns biomass (and nothing else):

http://www.sembutilities.co.uk/utilities/biomass-fuel-supply.html

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: theleveller
Date: 14 Jan 09 - 03:46 AM

Interesting thread. I've been toying with the idea of a pellet stove but they are really expensive. I've got a woodburner and a multifuel stove at the moment. I like John J's idea of installing a small fan - might try that.

This year we've been buring the wood from two old railway wagons we had in the garden and have had demolished - wood for an entire winter plus 5 tons of scrap iron at £175 a ton, nice little earner.

Seasoned hardwood is getting harder to find round us, and more expensive. My supplier says that it's because the nearby Drax power station (the largest coal fired one in Europe) now gets subsidies for burning wood and does so at the rate of 25 tons an hour - a tiny fraction of the coal it burns. If I had the money, I'd buy my own piece of woodland and run a coppice scheme - ah, one day, maybe.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 09:39 PM

I posted to this but it was eaten by the wild Post Eater!!!. Part of the issue for me with the pellet stove is psychological -- I LOVE the open flame.....just love it. The room it is in is where we like to sit and spend our time and it had no direct heat source -- it is vastly improved now. Plus I can manage it myself (with the age of a good strong son to fill it up with wood pellets)! The other thing is for the room it is in, if we had wood stove it would be in the center of the room somewhere to meet fire code restrictions - this sits neatly back in the corner surrounded by books (Barry, you remember when you did the house concert here....it is placed in the far corner from where you were singing.....). Love it, love it, love it.

Also we are right in town so very rarely lose power completely even in the worst of storms.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Bee
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 08:52 PM

They'll have to improve the technology before we get one. For every story of someone happy with their pellet stove, there are three stories of difficulty and annoyance. We looked into buying one several years ago and the salesman talked us out of it. He was part owner of a stove store, and once he was aware i'd be alone with it a lot of the time, he warned us of the problems many people were having.

People have trouble with the augers, pellets getting jammed. Poor quality pellets can mess them up and you can't really know whether the pellets are good before buying. The biggest downside is the fan system and other electric components - we lose elctric power far too often to bother with a heating system that requires power.

Wood stoves are messy and labour intensive, but very reliable. And though wood's gotten more expensive in recent years, at least you can always get it. In lean years, we've burned slabwood and old pallets - can't do that with a pellet stove.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Michael from Manitoba
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 07:23 PM

Just as footnote to this thread (and indirectly a question to the enthusiasts for this type of heat):
Today I phoned around the pellet suppliers in Winnipeg (population 700,000+ and capital city of the province) and found that no one has any stock or is likely to in the next few weeks. This means that anyone with a pellet stove is out of luck if they haven't already bought a supply of fuel.
Doesn't this make you feel confident about having one of these stoves or contemplating buying one?

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: LilyFestre
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:40 AM

Daily 3 second general clean, once a week 5 minute clean and we love ours. LOVE IT. We have an Aroura and the noise is minimal unless you have it on high and then it just sounds like a fan...no biggie. Especially when compared to strictly woodstove heat, yeah...the pellet stove is WONDERFUL! No chopping wood, no mess, no inconsistent heat....I'm a pellet stove fan (and so are my neighbors, btw)

TRUBRIT, I'm glad you are loving yours too!!! I purchased an additional kitty bed to place in front of ours and it is always full of a few cats, they love the warm air too!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Barry Finn
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 03:26 AM

I threw my pellet stove in the metal pile at the dump, makes for good recycle. We had it for maybe 5yrs & I had to tear it apart & put it back together aging after the 1sy year, 3 times in all. The augurs kept getting jammed, both. !st one then the other, then both. It was a pain. We originally had a wood stove when the kids were young but after the doctor told us (after the umpteen time) that the wood stiove was probably responsable for 50% of the kid's ear infections we got rid of that for the pellet stove. We just lost power for 7 days & our propane stove work just fine. Kept the bottom of the hose reasonably wam, the pellet stove won't go without power. The propane stove is quiet, it's cheaper than oil, the pellets were a bit pricy. I'm sticking with a heat source that needs no power as a back up. On the old wood stove we lost power for 5 days. The neighbors stayed with us for the heat & cuz I could cook on the stove's top, missed that with the propane stove, I can sit on that top & not burn my ass but my legs will fry.
Good luck with yours Deb, you'll have to sit me in front of it someday

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Jim Lad
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 03:07 AM

I'm surprised that Cape Bretoners are using pellet stoves at all considering the high winds and power outages. I find them noisy too.
We have a Regency Hearth Warmer which is quite efficient and holds up to 22" logs. It's a type of fireplace insert. Two speed fan which is optional (I use the fan sparingly) plus the option to run heat ducts (forced and gravity) throughout the house.
I like it a lot but you can't beat a good old fashioned wood stove for heating and cooking when the power's out.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Michael from Manitoba
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 08:14 PM

I've been using a pellet stove for the past few winters and after this winter the thing is coming out!
Reason: too noisy. Sure, the fans (there are two of them not counting the small fan for the auger) don't make that much noise but when they run 24/7 the noise pollution gets to you. Also, the stove dries out the air and plays havoc with sinuses and mucus membranes around the eyes. Pellets were once easy to obtain but now that more pellet stoves are being used in the States, guess where the shipments of Canadian pellets are headed. The quality of the pellets varies too. The recommended length is no more than 3/4in but in the last bag I opened they were as long as 2in. Arching of pellets over the auger can cause problems of uneven feed and consequently inregular burn.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 08:17 AM

Mind you, if you can get one that runs on BS Pellets, you're warm for life!

Never any shortage of that!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 06:47 AM

In Canada pellets are made from wood scrap from sawmills. (slabs and sawdust) There should never be a pellet shortage here but before Christmas many sawmills had a temp shutdown because the falling economy reduced lumber demand. This created a situation of short pellet supply and many stores sold out. This in turn created greatly increased demand as people tried to stock up for the whole winter. When a store could get a truckload it would go within hours. People were travelling longer distances burning auto fuel trying to find more. I think that things have improved somewhat and probably the pellets are being produced from whole wood as well as scrap.
A pellet stove does not have a firebox or grate designed to burn whole wood.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 12:48 AM

the verdict is in -- it is wonderful..........

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 08:00 PM

Thanks Michelle......we don't have much in the way of dried corn round here but we did by good quality jpellets....our bull mastiff just nosed me away from in front of the stove.....

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: LilyFestre
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 07:50 PM

You folks do realize that you have to clean out the stoves fairly regularly, especially if you are using them a lot? Right? Honestly, our pellet stove is so much cleaner and more efficient than our soapstone wood stove...not as pretty, but definitely more efficient and cleaner.

    It might, however, vary with make and model...most things do. I have also heard that if you get crap pellets, you are gonna get crap out of your stove...always get hardwood pellets and for ours, we can mix it with dried corn...key word is DRIED....any moisture will gum up the works...whether it be pellets or corn.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: LilyFestre
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 07:02 PM

We don't get soot, excess dust and it is a HELL OF A LOT CHEAPER than natural gas or propane...OMG. Ours burns pellets and dried corn...pretty darn cool if you ask me...not to mention that it does a FANTASTIC job of keeping our house warm!!! I LOVE MY PELLET STOVE!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Ed T
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 06:22 PM

http://www.sedorestoves.com/easterncanadaburningnew.html

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 06:17 PM

Nope - no wood, Pellets only. I am not scientific and do not understand technicalities but I believe it is to do with the temperature at which wood burns (high) and the temp at which pellets burn (much lower).....the pellet stove is nestled into a corner of the room, much closer to the wall than I believe would be safe for a woodstove..

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 06:14 PM

I am not sure, but I don't think so, Joe. I think the pellets might 'smother' the actual fire and create a LOT of smoke.

Corn stoves aren't all they are cracked up to be either.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: GUEST,G.I. Joe
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 06:12 PM

As mentioned above when the Elect goes out you will be up the creek
tho I understand there are some that can be hand fed... If the Big one lands here and all doo doo happens a old wood stove is the answer. as for alergies yes I have them from the wood burner all winter Chronic sore throat the loca M.D. has me on Xyzel which helps.. Have had the scope down the throat and nothing wrong there.
Can you burn wood in a pellet stove??

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 06:11 PM

Well - they are dusty (for sure) and pound for pound may be more expensive than gas but we have one room that does not have a radiator and it does feel toasty in here. I believe we are going to get a battery backup incase we lose power.........

Fortunately no one who lives here has asthma but I can believe that would be an issue. The guys selling it to us had no clue and told us way too little -- but I think we are happy with the decision.....

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 05:21 PM

I have two fireplaces with electric blowers. When the electricity is out I can still get heat from the wood I've got stockpiled -- not a lot, but enough for a couple of days if used with care.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Ed T
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 04:48 PM

Pellet stoves produces less smoke than other wood stoves and you can keep them going on low, But you're pellets coming in from somewhere. Supply seems to be a problem in some locals....and there is some suggesting that natural gas is just as cheap, and less polluting.

There are people who claim that some of the scrap that enriches woodlots are now being gathered to produce pellets...robing the forest of future nutrients. True, I am not sure how eco=friendly pellets are?

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 04:46 PM

We have a Kingsman wood stove. Pretty much burns anything. Messy, from the ash, wood chips, etc, but it keeps us warm and the gas bill down. We move the heat with electric floor fans. If the electric is off, we can camp out in the back room, and cook on it too.

Yea, you have to buy (or go cut, split, stack, etc) wood...but still cheaper than gas.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 04:25 PM

A previous discussion

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 03:34 PM

I was going to say what Becca said...they play hell with allergies because of the dust.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: open mike
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 03:33 PM

you will be cold in a power outage as it requires electricity to feed the fuel and run the fan..

i have seen a couple of other electric heater ads lately
eden pure and heat surge i am having problems with the
propane furnace in my r.v. and am looking for options..

any one have experience with either of the above devices?

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: John Hardly
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 11:54 AM

I just went through all the research and determined that unless one has access to cheaper fuel -- perhaps the stove is a multi-fuel burner -- on average in every State in the country, pellets are more expensive that natural gas. And they leave a layer of soot on everything.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: Becca72
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 11:06 AM

Don't know anything about them personally, but my nutritionist told me that her friend had to get rid of her pellet stove because it played hell with her asthma.

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: John J
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 07:37 AM

Not quite on topic, but...

I have a conventional woodburner which has been made far more effective by the recent addition of an old 12v 4 inch computer fan. The fan sits at the rear of the woodburner and is playing on it. It helps circulate warm air around the room.

Have a look at a UK website called something like: 'Its not easy being green'. There's an interesting section devoted to wood as a heat source.

JJ

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: LilyFestre
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 06:49 AM

We purchased a pellet stove in October and it arrived about 2 weeks ago. Personally, I love it!! After heating with nothing but wood, it's nice to have a source of heat that is consistent and a house that isn't a box of ice when I get home. While the fire provides nice heat, after we are gone for 12 hours at a shot, it takes a few hours (if the fire cooperates) to heat the house up. The blower does make noise(minimal) but it's not all that noticeable unless it's on medium-high to high. I don't run the stove while we're out of the house, so I do put it on medium for an hour or so until things heat up and then onto low. I also love that it's so simple to run...open the bag, dump the pellets in, turn it on and wa-la! HEAT!! :) I'm a fan!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Pellet stoves
From: GUEST,Cats
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 04:18 AM

I am seriously looking at getting one in place of oil. Any info would be appreciated

Subject: BS: Pellet stoves
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 17 Dec 08 - 10:47 PM

We just had one installed after having had it on order for months. Verdict is out for me. It is quite noisy -- if you run it at high, which you need to do to get heat, it really is noisy but it is in the room we want to spend most of our time in so that is a pain. And it periodically, (often) releases little charges of pellets to burn which make a wierd noise. Someone at work who has one and figured I had to love it asked my opinion -- I stated the above -- he said get a life! Good point but I really do hate background noise that is intrusive......wondering what other people's views are?