Terence Green asked:


Since the fuel prices are rocketing worldwide, we try to invent new cheaper ways to heat our homes. It is very expensive to install such advanced heating devices as solar systems and heat pumps. We need something more down to earth. Fortunately cheaper alternatives to heating are available. Corn stove is one of the alternatives. Under certain circumstances you might be able to grow what you burn.

A corn stove is a heating appliance that provides heat by burning shelled corn. Corn stove, if bought from an established company, has to come with a certificate of safety. Regrettably, many customers are buying fake stoves or burners made by private craftsmen. To add to their problems they use corn stove with an unsuitable burning material. To avoid extra outlay and keep your home safe, always buy from a trustworthy dealer and ask to see the certificate. Lately it has become a problem that many people are burning wood pellets or other materials in a corn stove, especially in countries where wood pellets are cheaper than shelled corn.

You have to be aware that with a particular type of corn stoves, burning wood pellets is very dangerous. Before deciding to switch from shelled corn to wood pellets you need to check back with your dealer and ask him if the corn stove model you use is fit for burning wood pellets. Without going into too much detail, there are two types of corn stove – a positive pressure and negative pressure. Positive pressure feeds from the shelled corn stock kept in the hopper. The hopper is also used as a seal to keep poisonous gases from escaping. As the amount of shelled corn in the hopper decreases, some poisonous gases can get out. It wouldn’t be a problem if you were to burn shelled corn because it produces only carbon dioxide, which is relatively harmless. Wood pellets are a different story. When burnt, they also generate carbon monoxide – a potentially lethal gas.

Negative pressure corn stove can burn wood pellets, but again, you have to check with your dealer. It is also possible to convert a positive pressure corn stove to negative pressure with a DIY kit. Gases are not the only issue. To form wood pellets a bonding agent is added. If it is wax-based, it can produce sticky residue and jam some narrower parts of the corn stove.

Corn stove is designed to supply homes with cheaper and greener energy. From the environmental point of view, converting from shelled corn to wood pellets woudn’t be environmentally friendly any more as pellets would generate considerable amount of carbon monoxide and add to pollution.

Wood Pellet Stove And Boiler Guide

Hayi Mansoor asked:


You may agree that heating the room where your family congregates would be greatly helped, heating wise, by acquiring a stove to provide the warmth that the family needs for total comfort and relaxation, but what form of various types of stoves will you use?

Of course, we all know that electricity has brought many comforts to humans in the course of history since it was discovered, but too along with those comforts has come pollution and the very high cost of electricity. So, even though heating a stove through electrical means is available, it may not suit your needs.

Wood is a natural commodity, and wood stoves have provided the heat necessary through wood burning stoves for centuries. Wood burning stoves not only provide heat, but they lend a certain ambience to a room that many find very hypnotic and relaxing. Not only that, but wood stoves are provided in many styles and colors today. Thus, no longer do you need envision only a black stove.

Traditional black stoves may fit well into a historic or standard décor, but now we even have sleek, modern stoves that will fit into contemporary décor. Going through pictures of homes featuring these stoves will give you an idea just how wide open the choices are.

Also, the more modern stoves now feature an ash drawer, making it much easier to dispose of ashes. Some even come with lids to facilitate disposal.

The following various types of stoves, are a modern innovation that bears looking into. For instance, there are now pellet stoves. These pellets are simply compressed sawdust.

Pellet stoves only require a small hole to ventilate it to the outdoors as opposed to needing a chimney. They also burn much more cleanly than wood stoves as the pellets do not make soot or smoke, thus they keep your home much cleaner too. Unlike wood, that requires a tremendous amount of space to store, pellets are easy and safe to store and take a much more reduced amount of space. Lugging in wood from outside is a tedious and chilling job and wood needs to be reintroduced many times during a 24 hour period, whereas pellets need replenishing only once a day.

If wood or pellets are not taken into consideration, heating a stove via propane gas is yet another form of various types of stoves. Propane is exceedingly efficient. For safety’s sake, propane tanks are stored outside, and a schedule is worked up between the gas supplier and you so that you never run out of gas for your heating.

In an effort to cut back on natural resources, there are many other types of stoves, such as those which use solar power. Corn and wood pellet stoves are now common.

Alternate energy stoves are becoming more and more popular due to the high cost of energy and the realization that earth is presumed to run out of oil within approximately 40 years. Thus, there is a worldwide search for better energy sources.

Wood Pellet Production Guide

Hayi Mansoor asked:


Today the heating option of a wood stove is undoubtedly the most economical, flexible and undeniably the most popular. One of the primary reasons for this is that a wood stove does not need a huge amount of space, provided the space is where a chimney may be properly routed. The majority of people choose their family room on the main floor of their home for ideal placement.

Central heating is created to heat the entire house, with each room receiving the same heat benefits, but a wood stove is considered to be a space heater, thus this is why it should be ideally placed where a family congregates. Granted some people do use wood stoves to heat the majority of their homes, however then placement becomes even more important, and one must install some form of blower to disperse the heat. Generally this is not always a recommended use of a wood stove.

Purchasing the right size stove is essential, as you do not wish to purchase an oversized stove that will make the space too hot. Nor do you wish to use one that is too small, as this may lead to stove damage by over-firing in order for it to keep up with the heat demands put upon it. You should educate yourself all about wood stoves prior to shopping for one.

Designs of wood stoves today will allow them to be used in any settings. For instance if your home is a period piece you may desire to have an old style black pot belly stove. But if your home’s décor leans more toward a more modern and contemporary design you’ll be glad to hear that wood stoves now come in an array of designer colors that are painted on or even enameled. Your interior decorator will have a myriad of ideas as to which type would fit your home décor best.

All new stoves have some sort of built in shielding for placement on wooden floors or near combustible walls, however keep in mind that the more a wood stove is shielded, the hotter it will burn and thus give off more heat. Many wood stoves that are totally shielded also are equipped with convection fans that enable the heat to be pushed into other sections of your home, which greatly reduces your energy costs for heating.

Newly advanced wood stoves are not only more efficient but they produce about 90% less smoke. Ignition is much simpler in these, and they tend to burn more completely as well. In addition, let’s face it, humans have loved to watch a fire burning since time memorial, thus the majority of new stoves come with a window that even has a self-cleaning air-wash system.

Now that you know all about wood stoves, you will realize that no matter which kind of wood stove you select, it will bring years of peaceful warmth to your home and family as well as reducing your home heating cost. New wood stoves are highly reliable and have beautiful craftsmanship to fit into your home. You will find that not only are they available in colors now, but in flat top construction or modern designs too!

Wood Pellet Production Guide

Kari Eriksson asked:


Pellets is a fuel source that is burned in pellet stoves. It is a heating source of today and of the future. It has many advantages that makes it really interesting both from the perspective of heating your home a reasonable price, in other words of interest for you as a consumer and potential pellet stove owner. It also has environmental advantages making it of interest for you as a world citizen caring for the health of our planet.

Pellet are about the size of bran breakfast cereal and are a common domestic heating fuel in North America used in different stoves. It is used in specially designed corn pellet heating stoves, wood pellet stoves or regular pellet stoves.

The fuel for pellet stoves is nothing less than pure recycled power. It is made from 100% recycled sawdust with no additives. Pellet is is a heating source made from manufacturing by-products that would otherwise end up at the landfill. Pellets can also be made from wood chips, bark, agricultural crop waste, waste paper, and other organic materials. It is truly quite remarkable how stuff that seems like waste can be turned into great warmth for you home.

Pellets is as mentioned above also a cheap heating source for your pellet stove. Pellets is probably one of the least expensive heating sources. This includes that it has a high BTU*, leaves minimal ash and only has 5% moisture (wood has up to 50% moisture). The abbreviated term BTU means British Thermal Unit, which is the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. One Btu equals 252 calories, 778 foot-pounds, 1,055 joules or 0.293 watt hours.

A question that might arise for you is where to buy pellet for your pellet stove? Pellets are readily available in 40-pound bags at several major home centers, feed stores, wood heater stores, and also at some supermarkets. You might also find a saw mill or two in your vincinity that will be able to provide you with pellet for your pellet stove.

Pellet stove fuel for a pellet stove is normally sold in 40 pound (that is 18 kg for all of you outside the US) bags at about $3–$4 each, or about $120–$200 a ton. You can estimate how much pellet stove fuel you will need for a heating season by noting that one ton of pellets is equivalent to approximately 1.5 cords of firewood. So get the calculator out to figure how much you might need for the season.

Wood Pellet Stove And Boiler Guide

Jonathan Goodman asked:


Electric stoves have become more popular than ever in recent times as you can use them in any season, summer or winter. In keeping with the trend, reputed manufacturers are expanding their product lines to offer their customers electric cooking options of their choice with a variety of features to tempt them. Just a few reasons why electric stove heaters and freestanding electrically powered stoves are a hot choice:

Easy to install Convenient to use No chimney required No assembly required Portability Easy to regulate heat Economical Look decorative

That is not all, though. There is more to electric stoves. People are not as excited as they used to be about the look of fake logs since electric stoves can produce the same effect with authentic looking coals or logs, complete with embers glowing, easily looking like the real thing. Portable electric stoves can be placed just about anywhere where you have an electrical outlet. When you have the outdoor cooking equipment on your patio cooking your favorite barbecue grilling recipes, it can be great to stay warm by your electric stove while you wait.

The best thing about an electric stove is that you can accommodate them in small spaces where a conventional fireplace may not fit and get the additional warmth in a cold room. It is as easy as unpacking the electric stove, locating it conveniently and plugging it in to start using it. Unlike wood stoves, you do not have the hassle of starting it, cleaning it and maintaining it. In extreme cold weather, you can just carry it inside and store it safely.

Manufacturers who make the conventional wood burning stoves are offering electric stoves in the same designs in a variety of elegant finishes. You can choose a Jenn Air or a Dimplex electric stove in cast iron or steel, finished in gloss or matt. Dimplex practically invented the electric fireplace and they have a patented range of freestanding electric cooking appliances.

So what would you look for when you decide to go in for an electric stove? Here are some things to consider:

Do you want the coal or log effect? Does the fan heater make a noise? Do you want MDF, steel or cast iron finish Does the electric stove have high level controls Is there a remote control to operate Does it have a fan heater

The best thing about the freestanding electric stoves is that they are compact and complete units and you can choose them in a variety of designs, right from the look of a vintage electric stove to a modernistic design. Instant heat is the biggest advantage and today, we get electric stove heaters that make use of microchips to produce a variety of color effects that is decorative.

Electric stoves come with both smooth stops and the traditional coil burners. Users generally prefer smooth top electric stoves because they are easier to clean, although they tend to cost more. Moreover, you would need to use flat bottom cookware for balance. On the flip side, electric stoves with coil burners are easier to repair or replace. Obviously, the more you are prepared to spend the better the quality and performance.

Electric stoves are a fine solution if you live in a house where there is no chimney. Particularly for apartment dwellers, an electric stove can be a boon without the expensive installation. In terms of energy efficiency, it can be advantageous as it can be switched off and on only when required, eliminating any heat loss.

Sam Streubel asked:


The most popular alternatives for whole house or supplemental heating are corn and wood pellet fueled stoves. These appliances are easy to operate and the initial capital outlay is significantly less than solar, wind or geothermal systems.

A vital question to ask before you start evaluating the merits of pellet vs corn stoves should be: “Which fuel, corn or wood pellets, is the most readily available in my locale and therefore the cheapest to burn?”

For instance, in Massachusetts corn for fuel is virtually non-existent. The closest Agway store I contacted (3/2/06) had only eleven, 50 pound bags in stock at a price of $9 each or $360 a ton. Over the course of a New England heating season, a stove will consume 3 tons of fuel. If you compare this to $260 a ton for wood pellets from a well stocked Connecticut supplier, the wood pellet stove becomes your only choice.

Likewise, if you lived in Iowa, why would you buy a wood pellet stove?

In some regions of the country like Wisconsin and Minnesota there is an abundance of wood pellets and corn. According to the dealers I’ve surveyed, wood pellet stoves outsell corn stoves 2 to 1.

Wood pellet and corn stoves have much in common. They are comparably priced at around $2000 for a unit large enough to heat 1200 -1500 square feet, and share an efficiency rating of approximately 80%.

Please note: Since most house layouts do not allow the free movement of air through the house, a centrally located stove will not heat the whole house. If this is the case, size the stove to heat the room where the stove is located.

Both types of stoves require electricity to run fans, controls, and the auger that feeds corn or wood pellets into the stove’s firebox. Under normal usage, they consume about 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or about $9 worth of electricity per month. Unless the stove has a back-up power supply, the loss of electric power results in no heat and possibly some smoke in the house.

In addition to weekly ash disposal, both corn fuel and wood pellet stoves need to be cleaned and inspected annually.

The storage of corn, as opposed to wood pellets, can be problematic. Owners of corn burning systems who store corn inside their homes need to use tight storage containers, clean up corn spills immediately, and avoid storing corn for long periods of time to prevent problems with rodents and stored grain insects.

A third option to consider is the multi-fuel stove. Typically they are advertised as corn stoves that also burn wood pellets or vice versa.

The #1 stove with consumers that burns corn as well as wood pellets, is the Dansons Group Cheap Charlie Model HCCC2GD corn burning stove.

Ivar Rudi asked:


When you are looking for an alternate way of heating your home, a pellet stove is just the thing for you. Once you have one of these great heating sources in your home, you will never want to go without it. For just a few dollars a day, you can use your stove and benefit from the convenient heat source.

Pellet stoves are ran on little wood pellets that heat the home efficiently. A pellet stove does require to be plugged into an electrical socket to provide electricity for the blower to circulate the hot air around the home. You will find that one of these stoves will hardly affect your electric bill at all.

Pellet stoves can be placed just about anywhere throughout the home. Wherever you need an extra heat source or an extra accent piece in the home will be great. You do have to take few safety precautions when you are installing a pellet stove. You should never place it near soft furniture and some hard furniture as well. It is also a good idea to keep electronics away from the pellet stove because of the excessive heat that is provided from the stove.

Pellet stoves are usually found to be petite enough to fit in just about any area that you want. You can find them to be in all different kinds of styles and shapes as well. You will not need any additional vents or air ducts installed for your stove. All you have to do is buy the pellets and you are ready to start heating your home.

For the most part pellet stoves are safe. They are an efficient and secure way of heating your home without breaking your bank account. You will have to read up on the information that is sent along with the stove to make sure that you are following all of the recommended instructions that are given for installation and use.

This new pellet stove will be a cheap alternative to heating your home throughout those bitter cold winter nights as well as the brisk fall evenings. You will be able to control the amount of heat that is provided which makes this a great item to use all year round. They are easy to work and anyone can do it.

Another nice thing about a pellet stove is that you do not need to shovel coal or chop up wood for the heating source. Most pellets can be bought in the same place that you buy your stove or you can have them delivered to your home. These stoves are efficient, convenient, and safe. There is not better way to heat your home for less and bring style and appeal to your home.

Sam Streubel asked:


Lately, quite a few visitors have arrived at my web site by using the search phrase “cheap pellet stove”. There aren’t any articles to help you find a cheap pellet stove, so I shopped around and came up with these suggestions for inexpensive, quality built stoves from reputable manufacturers.

The first stove that comes to mind is the PelPro model HHPP2BD wood pellet stove. This unadorned stove, known alternately as “Cheap Charlie” and “Franklin 120 Home Heater” has a 120 lb hopper capacity and generates 15,000 – 50,000 btu’s per hour; enough heat for 800 – 2000 sq.ft.

This popular stove can be purchased online at Homeclick for $1802.95, shipping included. However, you can purchase the same stove for $1499 by visiting an Aubuchon Hardware store in person. Further savings can be realized if you purchase your stove in a state with no sales tax, such as New Hampshire.

How you pay for your stove is equally important as how much you pay. If you finance the purchase of your stove with a credit card, the money you saved by being a savvy shopper will be spent on credit card interest.

The best time to buy a wood pellet or corn stove is during the summer when everyone else is looking for air conditioners. There’s no reason you can’t bargain with the salesman just as you would when buying a car.

However, if you wait until January, when demand is high, you won’t be in a position to bargain. It’s hard to bargain when there’s nothing left to buy.

Another cheap pellet stove is the United States Stove model #6039 multifuel stove. A multifuel stove offers the versatility of burning either corn or wood pellets, whichever is cheaper.

At usstove.com, the model #6039 multifuel stove is selling for $2200. Going back to Aubuchon Hardware, it’s $1799.99. And if we do just a little more shopping around, we can find the exact same stove on sale for a limited time at Orscheln Farm and Home for only $1599.

One more cheap pellet stove worth looking at is the Breckwell Big-E Utility pellet stove. This 50,000 btu stove heats 2,000 sq. ft. and comes equipped with high priced stove features such as automatic ignition and a large 140 lb. hopper for $1549.

While I was doing the research for this article, I came across some reviews for the Big-E stove. The only common complaint was keeping the viewing window free of soot.

If this was the only problem, I wanted to know if the reviewers were still enthusiastic about their Big-E stoves. So I sent out some emails, and the next day two of the original reviewers were kind enough to respond.

M. T., from Belchertown, MA., gives some excellent advice to first time stove buyers.

“Sam:
Yes you can use my comments. I swear by this stove, one of the best investments I have ever made. I burn almost 3 ton a year in my 1400 sq ft ranch with a temp of about 75-78 degrees in the living area and 70 in the bedrooms.

It runs just like a furnace. I have it on a milli-volt thermostat that can be set to different temps 4 times a day. It turns on and off on its own to satisfy the thermostat. It just does its own thing and keeps us toasty. The hopper is also big enough that I don’t have to feed it daily.

Breckwell is very fast to respond. I called Breckwell last week to order some combustion gaskets, They picked up the phone on the 2nd ring and I had my gaskets in a few days.

One last note, people need to do plenty of research on who they buy the stove from online. I did a lot of research on the type of stove to get, I didn’t do a lot of research on the online store. That is my only regret.”

From Tipton, Indiana, W.F. had this to say about the Big-E.

“Hi,
No, I don’t mind if you use the info, that’s what it’s there for, to help others. As for further comments, I would just say that installation is pretty simple, the stove is very reliable so far, and that the only hassle is the same as with any other, Clean up. Ugh.”

Finding a cheap pellet stove to warm your home is easy with these tips for success: Know how much you can afford. Be on the look out for a sale. Know who you’re buying from. Pay cash or find a dealer that offers 90 days same as cash. Buy lots of Windex.

Wood Pellet Production Guide

Kevin Taylor asked:


Why Pellet Stoves?

Pellet stoves are more efficient than wood stoves, are easier to use and maintain while the fuel cost is less than propane, oil, and natural gas.

Better yet the combustion efficiency can reduce household greenhouse gas emissions by several tonnes making heating by pellet stove an eco-friendly choice. All from renewable fuel sources.

Loading pellets into a hopper that can provide heat for 24 to 72 hours or more depending on the hopper size and heat output desired makes it much easier to use than a wood stove. The fact that many pellet stoves have automatic starters and thermostats to regulate heat makes them a real winner as a viable heating alternative.

The first efficiency is in the pellet fuel itself. Pellets can be made from waste products from sawmills and other wood processing facilities, biomass sources such as grasses, corn, and nut shells. The compressed pellets store easily. They usually come in 40 lb bags and take less space to store than wood of the same energy output.

The main efficiency is through the steady controlled burn of fuel at high temperatures and the use of convection heat through a heat exchanger rather than the radiant heat you get from a wood stove. This also means that a pellet stove exterior is much cooler and therefore safer if you have small children.

The small amount of ash generated by the efficient combustion means you only have to clean the ash once a week under continuous use for most stoves.

Due to dependence on electricity for fans to operate, some pellet stoves also have back-up battery power to ensure the burn of pellets can be completed if the power is disrupted.

Where to Buy Pellet Stoves?

You best bet is to first try your local fireplace and wood stove dealers to see what brands they carry and, most importantly, where a low cost quality supply of pellets can be found.

You can save hundreds of dollars buying online but you need to ensure the service and support of the manufacturer is included and supported. Look for “authorized dealer” to ensure the manufacturer will uphold the warranty.

How Much to Pay?

Pellet stove prices range from about $1800 to $2800 for home heating. Two main factors are the energy in BTU’s and the size of the hopper which affects how often you need to reload pellets. Other features to look for are automatic start, efficiency, easy access to ash pan and serviceable parts.

You will need to assess the area of your home or cottage you want to heat and get a recommendation from the manufacturer or their representative on the model with right BTU output for your needs.

Hayi Mansoor asked:


Before you consider purchasing a pellet stove, it behooves you to read a buyer’s guide to pellet stoves, as the more you know the more you will be likely to buy exactly what you need. First, let’s cover exactly what a pellet stove is.

Pellets are actually compressed sawdust. Most of them come in slow burning sizes that are easy to handle and exceedingly safe for your family to store as they consist only of highly compressed sawdust. The fact that pellets come in recycled very tiny pieces of wood and sawdust is important to those who are “earth” conscious These pellets are proficient in generating those very same tantalizing flames as the other fuel types, nonetheless they are incredibly simple to store, yet give you the extreme peace of mind that gas does not.

Pellet stoves provide an automatic lighter so that you have quick start ups each and every time. The burner systems that they are equipped with will supply you with ample warmth and create the same atmosphere as wood fires do without the hassles of wood fires that make you go out into the cold to seek new fuel when the fire needs replenishing.

Unlike a wood burning fireplace that takes up to half a day to clean properly, not to mention what your appearance is like when you finish, pellet stoves feature stress free maintenance ash pans, many equipped with lids for your convenience in disposal. I wonder if you can even imagine such ease if you are used to cleaning a regular fireplace?

As pellet stoves feature a glass to allow you the mesmerizing effects of a fire, you may be wondering about cleaning said glass as well. Having an air wash system that keeps that window clean for you has easily solved the glass-cleaning problem! See, how helpful a buyer’s guide to pellet stoves can be?

Many standard hoppers can contain up to 55 pounds of pellets, thus the burn time is exceedingly long, and pellet stoves can actually put forward a 75% to 90% overall efficiency due to how much heat can be extracted from the pellets. You should also know that pellets actually reduce our dependence on oil by turning a waste into energy. This waste would normally be dumped into our landfills.

Convenient designs have made having a pellet stove a wonderful experience. For instance, the various controls for precise temperature control are usually hidden from view allowing for a smooth look to the appliance. Having concealed controls are also a safety factor if you have small children in your home.

Finally, having a pellet stove can actually enhance your home’s appearance. After all this kind of stove adds a rustic appearance to your home if you have that kind of interior decoration. If instead you desire a more modern and contemporary design that too is readily available. You can even have a pellet stove that is enameled in fire engine red! There is a style available to fit any décor or color scheme. Now that you’ve read a buyer’s guide to pellet stoves, you are finally ready to start shopping!

Wood Pellet Stove And Boiler Guide