Green Benefits of Pellet Burning Stoves

The first gas stove was patented in 1826 with the first practical coal stove being invented in 1833. After that came the invention of the first electric stove in 1891. They have certainly come a long way and there is no doubt that stoves provide efficient heating in addition to being timeless in their unique styling. Nowadays, there are numerous different styles to choose from ranging from gas, wood and even pellet burning stoves. Consequently, you are sure to find one that fits your needs and lifestyle.

The cast iron stove is one more style that is not only efficient but also extremely stylish that remains a popular choice today. Apart from their decorative and attractive traditional styles, they are also capable of using a number of different fuel types, such as coal stoves and wood burning stoves, and numerous other types of smokeless fuels. Of course, they are also able to operate as fully functioning cooking stoves and still provide efficient heating. An output of high heat is a standard feature on all of the styles and models, starting at a low of six kilowatts up to a large wattage of sixteen kilowatts, which is more than capable of heating a large room.

Wood Burning Stoves vs Pellet Stoves

Pellet Burning Stove

With everybody turning toward a greener lifestyle, there is a natural focus on what can be done to make appliances, such as stoves and fireplaces, more environmentally friendly. That is where pellet burning stoves come in, as they are extremely easy to operate and are more convenient than conventional wood burning appliances. Many folks consider that they are as easy to operate as the gas, oil or electric heaters that they are familiar with.

This type of stove burns wood pellets, which is compressed wood that is collected from what would otherwise be waste products of wood and lumber. There are also corn pellet stoves that offer the same type of environmentally friendly and simple operation as the wood pellet stoves.

Pellet Burning Stove Efficiency

Most of the pellet stoves rely on sophisticated computers and circuit boards to determine how much pellet fuel should be burned. Most models have at least two burn settings and some use thermostats to control the fire. This type of system is highly efficient and causes very little pollution.

An additional benefit to these types of pellet burning stoves is that they burn wood so efficiently that a standard chimney is not normally required. Typically, the exhaust fumes are routed through a small hole in the wall to the outside using a pipe known as a pellet stove vent. Pellet stove inserts can also be vented up through an existing chimney, but normally the chimney will need to be relined with a stainless steel liner.

Wood Pellet Stove Pros and Cons

In the main, a pellet stove, or more especially a wood pellet stove, is not just environmentally friendly, it is possibly among the most convenient, as you are able to start the fire either by pressing a button or adjusting your thermostat. In addition, it is amongst the most cost-effective ways of heating your home that is available these days.

Wood Pellet Stove vs Corn Pellet Stove

Both corn pellet stoves and wood pellet stoves are energy efficient because of the combustion, which is almost complete with no smoke. The majority of corn pellet stoves have an extra setting that adjusts the removal rate along with airflow, permitting wood pellets to be used in it as well.

Many believe that even though you plan to burn wood pellets you should consider a corn pellet stove as well, since there may well be times when wood pellets are in short supply. You could then drop by a pet or feed store to buy a bag of corn feed making it easier to obtain the fuel required to heat your house.

Furthermore, pellet burning stoves are more or less maintenance free. Every few days, depending on your heat setting, all you have to do is tip a bag of corn or wood pellets into the hopper and that is it. Corn is gluier than wood pellets so every month you may need to clean the draft fan and maybe the auger.

It is a good idea to get a wood pellet stove model that provides a battery back-up option because they use electricity to run the combustion air fan, feed augers and the blower. Whenever the electricity does go off, then the stove will automatically change over to battery power.

Wood Pellet Stove Advantages

Pellet fireplaces stoves burn more efficiently than the conventional wood burning stoves and fireplaces and generate less ash, making clean up slightly easier. Because they are clean burning they allow for improved air quality and the majority of wood pellets are actually produced from the waste product that derives from wood processing that would otherwise be worthless and a waste. The wood pellets need less storage space and are a great deal easier to cope with than firewood. Furthermore, they typically come in a forty-pound bag, which makes it easier to carry and store.

Nothing in this world is perfect and that applies to a wood pellet stove as well. For instance, the stoves are mechanical, which implies that they are more inclined to failure than the more conventional wood burning stoves. There is a certain degree of noise involved too, yet the majority of folks do not mind it and describe it as a continuous dull rumble. Obviously, power is needed to operate them and that can add to your electric bills and might leave you without heating in the event of a power failure. The wood pellets do cost more than wood and from time to time can be in short supply.

Advantages of Corn and Wood Pellet Stoves

Pellet Burning Stove With Pellets
Image Credit - EPA

Wood pellet stoves are available in a range of styles, sizes along with finishes that will help to make sure that you will come across at least one that will fit your heating requirements. They are regarded as one of the cleanest and handiest means to heat your house.

Fitted with automated ignition systems along with thermoregulators to make start up straightforward while providing easy control of the heat output, these stoves offer you reliability even if left unattended.

Both corn pellet and wood pellet stoves are typically fitted on a nonflammable floor protector or fireplace irrespective of what style of structure they are installed in. Nevertheless, if you decide to install one in a mobile home, then check that it is certified by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for use in such a residence.

This kind of stove is excellent for regions that suffer temperature inversions during the wintertime that causes the wood smoke to actually settle across the area as opposed to drifting away. Wherever this sort of winter air quality might be a problem, wood pellet stoves could be the best option. Because countless folks experience high heating charges during the wintertime and it is a certainty that heating costs are only going to increase, a pellet stove may well be the ideal answer for clean, inexpensive heating.

Wood Pellet Stoves Fuel

The key to the success of these kinds of fuel stoves is the actual fuel source, which is produced from reprocessed and refined saw dust. Wood pellets are straightforward and cheap to make, which implies that the savings are passed on to you the customer. An additional benefit to making pellet fireplaces stoves your primary source of heat is that you are able to buy sufficient pellets for an entire year, at one time, guaranteeing that you will have plenty to keep you going throughout the winter months.

How Wood Pellet Stoves Work

The majority of stoves come with an option of three different types of ignition systems. The standard technique of lighting wood pellet stoves is by the use of a special starter gel along with matches. In addition, they have auto starting ignition systems, implying that the stoves may be lit with a push button or with a remote control. Several of the stoves are totally automated and can be operated by thermostat and will switch on or shut off without human intervention, depending on your particular heating requirements.

Several models, like the Whitfield pellet stove and the Harman pellet stove, are available with an extensive array of options, dependent on your individual requirements and needs. Many feature glass along with self cleaning combustion areas. Others have deeper ash pans that will reduce the number of times you will need to empty it from the stove and many include battery systems that will make sure your stove will continue running, even in the event of a power failure.

Corn Stove Pros and Cons

Although the majority of pellet stoves are designed, as their name implies, to burn recycled and processed sawdust, there is another type that are specifically designed to burn corn pellets. While both corn stove and wood stove look much the same from the outside, the inside workings are slightly different.

Both types are highly efficient and they have no need for a chimney. In its place, a pellet stove vent in conjunction with a pipe through an outside wall is used. This venting arrangement makes it easy to have one installed in any room you wish.

The corn pellet stoves include a small screw that is responsible for gradually feeding the firepot. Of course, the speed is adjustable and that is what controls the amount of heat output. They are equipped with draft blowers where combustion air is drawn in and then goes over the pellets while forcing it outside. A slight vacuum is created inside of the heater, which stops smoke from getting indoors.

Wall thermostats are also available to set up for automatic use. The temperature is set to the desired level so that once the day warms up, it will shut down. When the temperature begins to fall towards the evening, it will start up again. The corn stove also has glow plugs as optional igniters that will light the fire automatically when required. With an eighty-five pound hopper, you will be able to run it on a normal basis for many days without having to refill it.

Of course, there are pros as well as cons associated with operating a corn stove. For instance, because corn is clean burning, you will be hard pushed to notice any smoke being emitted from the outside vent pipe. Nonetheless, they do not burn as cleanly as wood burning stoves and they tend to require cleaning out more frequently. In addition, the corn pellets vary more in their moisture content. Nevertheless, they are environmentally friendly because they are a renewable resource. However, chemicals are sometimes used during the growing of the corn, which can result in some toxicity in the exhaust.

Corn pellet stoves do compare more favorably with the wood pellet stoves when it comes to efficiency, yet they do not emit as much heat as conventional wood burning stoves.

The cost to run a corn stove versus a wood stove depends on where you live more than anything else does. For example, if you happen to live in Maine or Massachusetts, you may find it difficult to locate an economical and reliable local supplier. Many times, there is a waiting list for folks who wish to purchase a corn pellet stove, so they are obviously gaining in popularity. In 2006, an estimated 65,000 corn pellet stoves were sold in the United States. In 2007, that figure reached 350,000 of them being used in the US and the number of owners just keeps increasing.