Pellet Stoves

Pellet stoves look just like wood-burning stoves but are a more eco-friendly, cost efficient way to heat your home or business. Pellet stoves create heat from tightly compacted, dense wood pellets which then vent that heat throughout your house, or to one specific room depending on how it is set up.

Many people enjoy the pellet stove because the pellets are made from recycled product (usually from a sawmill) and the pellets are clean burning. There is no smoke or smell that comes from a pellet stove and because it keeps cool on the outside, it can be placed near a wall and is not harmful to animals or children.

A downside to the pellet stove is that it runs on electricity which is not only a cost and resource issue, but also a problem if the power goes out. Another disadvantage is that the pellets need to be purchased and added every day or two. Pellets are not expensive to buy, but they need to be hauled from the store to the stove. This may be inconvenient to those people who are used to a gas stove doing all the work; however, compared to a wood burning stove where wood needs to be added every few hours, a pellet stove would be much easier. If you get in the mindset that buying pellets is like filling the dog food bowl, it becomes even easier to enjoy the huge savings.

Pellet stoves work by taking the pellets from the hopper and releasing them as needed based upon an internal thermostat. The stove pulls air in from the room and cycles it through the pellet combustion chamber and pushes out the warm air. There is a small flame deep inside the chamber and if you enjoy the look of the real fire, get a pellet stove with the larger flame and view glass. The ash drops into a tray and may need to be dumped as often as every week if used regularly.

Pellets are becoming an increasingly popular choice as fuel prices rise, and are most common in weekend-use cabins, or any other structure that may have a regular span of inactive use.