Wood Stove Parts

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