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Share your experience with Pellet Stoves

Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,640
191
Springboro
OK, so I visited CJD3 last year and saw the cool pellet stove setup they got going on for their mom and liked it alot.
Then we had that ass-kicking coldass winter last year and made up my mind to pull the trigger before this next heating season.

So now I'm doing my research, and want to poll the audience here about their preferences and experiences with pellet stoves.
My house is an old farmhouse/Cape Cod kinda looking thing, 2 story open upstairs, with an addition on the back, about 1800 sq ft
There is already chimney pipe access; previous owner used a woodstove.
My thought was to put the stove in the front living room and use ceiling fans to keep air moving around

Some questions:

1) Is it realistic to expect that heat will make it all through the house? My buddy who used to live there says that the woodstove practically ran them out it was so hot....
2) Is there a preferred brand of stove that's the gold standard? Are the stoves sold at Tractor Supply and Menards and Lowes and such any good, or should they be avoided? I talked to a dealer (who's stoves are twice as expensive) and he says that repair parts and service are a problem with non-dealer stoves....:smiley_depressive:
3) What's been your experience with pellet heating? Good ? bad?

Help me out here....
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
Don't want to throw a wrinkle in your idea but I've been heating my 2600 ft. ranch with a corn stove for the last 13 seasons.
Corn is cheaper in price, it puts out more BTU's per pound than wood pellets, and you are not at the mercy of the wood pellet market and availability.
IMHO just a better way to go.
Yes my stove basicly heats my whole ranch even though it almost 80 ft. long and the stove is at the extreme one end. I do have a dual heating system due to the length and when it's really cold out the bedroom furnace system may cycle in and out until the sun rises.
Now I must say for the last 50 yrs. the wife and I have always kept the bedrooms on the chilly side of about 62-64 degrees in some peoples minds. We have down blankets on the beds. Any warmer than that and we can't sleep.
IMHO.
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
Don't want to throw a wrinkle in your idea but I've been heating my 2600 ft. ranch with a corn stove for the last 13 seasons.
Corn is cheaper in price, it puts out more BTU's per pound than wood pellets, and you are not at the mercy of the wood pellet market and availability.
IMHO just a better way to go.
Yes my stove basicly heats my whole ranch even though it almost 80 ft. long and the stove is at the extreme one end. I do have a dual heating system due to the length and when it's really cold out the bedroom furnace system may cycle in and out until the sun rises.
Now I must say for the last 50 yrs. the wife and I have always kept the bedrooms on the chilly side of about 62-64 degrees in some peoples minds. We have down blankets on the beds. Any warmer than that and we can't sleep.
IMHO.

Good info here!

This is the stove we have: http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Mt-Vernon-AE-Pellet-Stove.aspx

My dad put this in close to 8 years ago I believe. Heats our whole 2700 square foot, 2 story home without issue. We do run fans to circulate the heat and on windy days may fire up our eden-pure electric heater, but 99% of our heat comes from this stove.

I try to use 50/50 mix of wood pellets and corn, the corn definitely ups the BTU's. Pellets are getting easier and easier to find around our area, I buy them by the pallet (usually around $200 a ton). I buy two tons and it usually heats all year. Last year with the extreme cold we went through 2.5 tons.

Get one with an auto light, thermostat, and blower. It will save fuel, heat more area, and you don't have to jack around with the igniting gel and all the stuff.

The only thing I've replaced on this stove was the thermocouple and the window rope seal and we've had it for 8 years or so. I did both myself. I'm not a handy person at all when it comes to working on shit, but I was able to get this thing damn near stripped all the way down, cleaned, and back together with minimal issue.

I personally like to be able to burn pellet or corn in mine, depending on the year the price of either can go up. Corn prices through the roof? Burn all pellets. Pellets in short supply or prices go up? Burn as much as corn as I can.

Our heating bill is never more than 5-600 a year, max. Our furnace hasn't ran since I bought the house 5 years or so ago.

Hope that helps a little
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
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Hardin County
Also, one other thing to add, if you decide to burn corn it has to be dry and it has to be clean. We made a makeshift corn cleaner with some PVC and a shop vac that works pretty well.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
Also, one other thing to add, if you decide to burn corn it has to be dry and it has to be clean. We made a makeshift corn cleaner with some PVC and a shop vac that works pretty well.

I agree. I also have a shop vac cleaner that sure keeps the dust down when loading the stove and a lot less dust to clean out of the corn stove once per week. I take the clinker out once per day. Do it fast and the stove starts right back up.
I spent less than 400 past year burning 100% corn. My stove will burn wood pellets and corn,
I buy one 40 pound of pellets for 2 yrs. to start the stove. When asked why I only buy one bag I always tell the store clerk the one bag will heat my house for 2 yrs. because the house is so well insulated. Always gets a "do what" but I do tell them the reason. LOL
 

Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,640
191
Springboro
Now that's interesting - I didn't know you could burn corn in a pellet stove. Give's you an option, that's cool.
It's hard for me though to wrap my head around the idea of burning food. I mean, I know corn and other crops get used for industrial uses, it just seems weird, that's all.

I kinda wanted to do this project for $2k or under, but I'm thinking that I'm gonna be somewhat north of that pretty quick. It was Quadrafires that I was lookin' at in the dealer's showroom.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
I looked at pellet stoves before i got my wood burner. I talked to one guy that said someone told him not to use a generator for the pellet stove because it might fry the electronics. Part of the appeal was staying warm even if the power went out. If the generator thing was true there is probably a way around that but it put me off a little.

The price of the pellet stove and the fact that i cant make pellets but can go cut my own firewood led me to the wood stove. Before last winter we had all baseboard heaters and spent a ton on keeping the house warm. Last winter the stove pretty much paid for itself. I will always have trees i can cut up and as long as im able to do it this works for me.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
It's been my research that pellet stoves can't really burn corn. At least that's what it was 13 yrs. ago. maybe a pellet-corn mix of some type.
But corn stoves can burn pellets just fine.



Now that's interesting - I didn't know you could burn corn in a pellet stove. Give's you an option, that's cool.
It's hard for me though to wrap my head around the idea of burning food. I mean, I know corn and other crops get used for industrial uses, it just seems weird, that's all.

I kinda wanted to do this project for $2k or under, but I'm thinking that I'm gonna be somewhat north of that pretty quick. It was Quadrafires that I was lookin' at in the dealer's showroom.
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
It's been my research that pellet stoves can't really burn corn. At least that's what it was 13 yrs. ago. maybe a pellet-corn mix of some type.
But corn stoves can burn pellets just fine.

Correct. If I burn any more than a 50/50 mix mine will clog up, because it doesn't have an agitator that rotates the corn so it stays burning. You can go the other way though like you said...
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
I read these threads with interest when they pop up. We have a oil burning furnace which I would love to replace. Has anyone ever totaly replaced their existing furnace for a corn furnace ?

I use my corn stove as primary heat but my propane furnace is my backup. My son also heats with corn and he hasn't bothered to repair his propane furnace in 14 yrs. But I think he should have it running. Maybe someday. LOL
If it was me I would put the corn furnace as a add on beside your fuel oil furnace for just in case. In my advance age I sorta like some type of heat on those cold long days.
 

Outdoorsfellar

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
I don't wanna hijack this, but I'm just wanting to get away from using oil. It's dirty in due time, it's expensive & it affects my wife's health. We do use electric heater at times in the downstairs family room since we keep the temp down to extend the fuel life. Our 500 gal tank will last a season, if we are careful. To put another 200 gal in towards the end of winter would be $$ impossible. We don't have the space for two, so that's why I'm asking. Thanks.
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
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135
The good news is that if you're burning oil, anything that you use is going to be cheaper and more efficient. The easiest way is to ask the neighbors what they use (is there natural gas service nearby). If not gas, then propane is going to be your next choice of fuel, aside from corn or wood.

You should talk to Hoyt about options, he's the resident HVAC expert.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
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Don't overlook coal stoves. You can buy it in 40lb bags like corn and wood pellets. Corn and wood pellets put off about 16-18 million btu per ton while coal puts off about 25-28 million btu per ton. Bagged top quality coal runs about 240 a pallet now. But when you compare cost per btu it's about a third of the cost compared to corn and pellets.
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
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NE Ohio
Mom and I have had ours for 10-15 years so I'm sure its older technology as compared to todays units. We both bought "Whitfield" back then. Aside from general servicing every few years, they were well built well. A cheaper model may have servicing issues or be higher maintain so spending a little more now may save you in service costs in the long run.
Wood/corn is a interesting option that was not viable when we bought.

As far as unit placement: They can go pretty much anywhere. They do not require a stack/chimney. You simply vent straight out the wall, (sort of like a dryer vent but w/ insulated pipe) so unit placement has many options. Units can also be tied into existing duct work nearby the furnace if you don't want it in sight. Personally, I enjoy watching the thing burn on a cold night...

Although secondary, your unit location is where you will be hauling those 40# bags of fuel. Give a little thought to that TOO. I buy 1 ton at a time.(2-3 ton a season. One 50 lb. bag with the unit on med. fan/ med. heat will burn for about 18 hours for me.) That's 50- 40# bags you will need a 5x5x5 ft. place to store the single ton and 50 trips from the pallet to the unit...

I close the door to the upstairs during the day to heat the downstairs but at night leave the door open so the heat can rise. Some evenings I still need to kick on the furnace but not nearly as often.

They do make them as inserts for you old fireplace but I would not want to loose the option of burning wood... I do have a generator so if the power goes out, I can run the pellit burner but if the generator broke down or there was no gas...
 
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CJD3

Dignitary Member
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14,630
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NE Ohio
And the empty heavy plastic bags the fuel comes in are great for trash bags.lol
 

Dannmann801

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10,640
191
Springboro
They do make them as inserts for you old fireplace but I would not want to loose the option of burning wood... I do have a generator so if the power goes out, I can run the pellit burner but if the generator broke down or there was no gas...

Yeah, this is a thought that bothers me....but I got a Vogelsgang Little Sweetie stove in the shed I could drag in during an emergency and hook up to the chimney
20101107vogelzang.jpg

I'm wondering if THAT would burn coal in it.....
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
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SW Ohio
If you think about there is no reason to design for a doomsday situation. Just how many total outages do we have and for how long? Keep it simple and easy to use.
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
If you think about there is no reason to design for a doomsday situation. Just how many total outages do we have and for how long? Keep it simple and easy to use.

You're right that we don't have many outages. But that's also what will be the #1 terrorist target.