Pellet stove in Home Repair & Improvement http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21072948 en Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:07:15 EDT Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:07:15 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21085362 Rxdoxx : I haven't noticed any dust problem, but I have also made sure I've gotten northern hardwood pellets, not the cheaper softwood.. dunno if that has anything to do with dust issue.

Here in the Baltimore area, firewood has gotten more expensive every year, and consistancy has varied from year to year. (gone from $85/cord to $265 last time I bought).
For sure if hardwood is plentiful, that is going to be the cheaper way to do things.

Pellets can't get wet, they crumble, but no more work/precautions than having to shift firewood from the stack to the covered porch so that what I was bringing into the house would be dry.

I do miss the smell of a wood fire, but not the house smoke when backdrafts would hit, or a log would fall funny.
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Was a Cruise Fanatic, one cruise on Princess cured me. Bleah]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21085362 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:25:58 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21085236 Corona : My dad has friends with cabins up in the upper peninsula of Michigan. They just removed their pellet stove and replaced it with a wood burning stove. Some of their reasons were:

-bags of pellets were increasing in price, around $4 a bag, and he would go through a whole bag in a day of heating.

-bags had an incredible amount of dust that permeated the house.

-wood burning allows him to burn whatever hardwoods is plentiful during the non-snowy season up there.
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"To be sincere, you don't have to know anything, you just say whatever makes you feel good and spin and smug circles in your tiny fucked up little head, happy as long as you're true to yourself. In other words, Sincerity is bullshit!" -Penn Jillette]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21085236 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:02:36 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21085149 Rxdoxx : I've had a Cortland Quadrafire a couple of years now.
A fireplace insert.

Love it.
Much cheaper and more efficient than the fire place, a h*ll of a lot less work
Not the atmosphere a good wood fire can give, but it is ok in its own way.

Firewood was costing me maybe $600/yr and that was if I moved the 2 -2 1/2 cords myself from where they dumped it in the driveway... otherwise 150-200 more for labor.
Had to move wood inside daily, clean the ashes a couple of times a week, and when the fire died down overnight, the fireplace would draw heat out of the house.

Now I put a bag of pellets in every 1 & 1/2 days in the heaviest winter use, stove runs all the time (thermostat controlled, so electricity is essential for the switch and the pellet feeder), and empty out the ash maybe once a week (little tray at the bottom and vacuum the firepit).

2 pallets of pellets delivered and stacked runs about $450, and the heating bill is at least $100 less per month.
I save roughly $1000/yr over fireplace.

Installation shouldn't be major, it vents pretty much out, not up like a chimney (need it close to an outside wall probably). Needs some electrical work (and thermostat wiring) ... assume you are looking at stand-alone units, not inserts like mine so can't give you much on that.
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Was a Cruise Fanatic, one cruise on Princess cured me. Bleah]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21085149 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:45:42 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21084307 hortnut : Check out this site put up by the makers of Lopi Wood and Pellet Stoves. Good to calculate different costs and total heating costs -
»www.travisproducts.com/CostOfHea···kSht.asp]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21084307 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:15:24 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21078900 Acc708 :
said by wave_sailor See Profile :

Here's a great resource www.hearth.com

I've been looking at getting a gas one.
That's a lot of info on that site. That's for all of the responses folks.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21078900 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:32:53 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21074730 wave_sailor : Here's a great resource www.hearth.com

I've been looking at getting a gas one.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21074730 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:03:08 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21074078 Jeffrey :
said by Acc708 See Profile :

Does anyone have any info on the these? I see them in Lowe's. Are they worth the investment? Are they difficult to set up? Expensive to set up? Any help is appreciated. I'd consider installing one, but have no info on how much is involved.
I'm looking into one. A buddy of mine who has a split has a pellet stove on his main floor. He keeps the damn house around 77 in the winter (about 15 degrees hotter than I'm used to), and his whole house is cozy. He says he goes through about a bag of pellets/2 days, but his gas bill per month is like 1/2 a tank of auto fuel, at worst. It's nuts.

With the cost of oil, I'm looking into it. He says the big deal is storing the pellets and getting them...he said that in the beginning of the season to order like 5 tonnes, and then keep them dry. Once they get wet, they're garbage.

As far as installation, they need the exhaust. I'd never do it, as I don't trust myself. But my friend with the stove, he's good with that stuff and he did it himself and it's great.

It fits nicely in his living room, heats the whole damn house (even the basement is cozy which is odd since heat rises), and it's like a conversation piece.
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"Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy." - George Carlin

[my ramblings]]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21074078 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:46:16 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21073910 ttiiggy : Years ago, we had one we could burn dried corn in.

Buying the pellets cost more than they said it would. :(

Pellets can be cleaner than split logs with bark and bugs and sawdust... ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21073910 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:08:08 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21073618 jrs8084 : Not a very helpful post, but I remember my boss bragging about his when he moved into a house that had one in '04. He loved it. I saw it, and it did put off a nice amount of heat.

Then, last year, we got on a conversation of heat and the winter. I brought up his pellet stove, and his opinion had done a 180. Nice heat, but the cost of pellets had gone through the roof. He doesn't use it anymore.

Again, not very helpful, but look at the cost of the consumables in your area.
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512Ke, LC, Classic, Qudra 605, Centris 610 AV,Performa 6112, PM 6500, Cube, iMac G4 17", iMac 24", PB 5300, PB 3400, PB G4, and a few PCs]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21073618 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:10:42 EDT Re: Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21072985 PoloDude : I think you have to look at the cost of the pellets and the electricity to run it. They are noce and put out a fair amount of heat. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21072985 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:16:23 EDT Pellet stove http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21072948 Acc708 : Does anyone have any info on the these? I see them in Lowe's. Are they worth the investment? Are they difficult to set up? Expensive to set up? Any help is appreciated. I'd consider installing one, but have no info on how much is involved.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21072948 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:07:12 EDT