Are Wood Pellet Stoves The Right Choice?

Wood pellet stoves are stoves that can heat a home in one of the most efficient manners. They deliver for you a high quality burn that pollutes little and is cost effective. But, is this is the right choice for your needs? And, when you consider the cost of the wood pellets, installation and the maintenance of the stove, are they worth the investment? In most cases, pellet stoves can be an excellent choice. Here’s why.

What You Need To Know

There are some things that you should know about these stoves before you head off to purchase them. Here are some facts to consider.

• They are easy to use. While it is simple to turn the furnace on and let the gas or electricity do the work, the pellet stoves are just as easy to operate. The only additional task is to load the pellets into the stove.

• They are efficient fuel burners. Unlike a traditional fireplace, wood pellet stoves will actually use thermostats and burn settings to determine how much fuel should be burned. Often, you do not need to monitor if the home is warm enough as the mechanism will help to control this.

• They work through a forced air system to circulate the heat. In some cases, they can provide up to 50,000 BTU per hour of use. As needed, of course. This can easily heat the average sized home and much more. The system that is chosen, though, should fit for your home’s size and your heat demand.

• Often, no chimney is needed to use a wood pellet stove. While they burn off very little pollutants they do need to be vented. But, they can be easily vented through a small hole placed in the wall leading to the outside of the home. There is not expensive chimney installation needed here, in most cases. These stoves do not produce much smoke. And, as far as odor is concerned, the pellets and the pellet stoves provide fewer odors than other models of heating units. They are not messy either.

• Depending on the model of pellet stove that you purchase, you’ll need to refuel them between once per day and twice per week. Your heating demand will also dictate how often you’ll need to refuel it. The hoppers tend to hold up to 130 pounds of pellets and from there can be easily transferred to the fire chamber as they are needed.


Wood Pellet Stoves: Determining Your Needs

To determine how much it will cost you to install these units within your home, you’ll need to compare all aspects of heating methods available. If you plan to purchase a new furnace, duct work, parts and labor will cost you quite a bit of money. In most cases, wood pellet stoves will cost less. If no chimney is needed for installation, you can even cut the price down farther. As for keeping fuel in the stove, it will cost you about $3-$4 for a 40 pound bag of pellets. But, cost is not everything.

You will also need to determine if the wood burning stoves will work for your needs. You’ll need to insure that you fill it properly and timely. You’ll need to insure that you keep up on this otherwise you will be left with a cold home. And, you’ll need to insure the safety of children that go near it as you would for any other furnace, fireplace or stove. Wood pellet stoves can be excellent options nonetheless.