Wood Pellet Stove Blog

Question

Terry asks: ()

used is cheaper….,broken in,………..??????

Answers

sensible…: (5 days ago)

It could possibly work well, but there is also the chance that there is damage to it or, if it is a sectioned unit, the seals in between the sections could crack.

jean ann j: (5 days ago)

I think so.

Question

Jenny asks: ()

I have to go out and purchase a co2 tester, but in the mean time I’ve noticed that ever since we turned our pellet stove on this year, we have constant headaches and dizziness when we are at home and sometimes while at work. When we shut the stove off & opened the door today (brrrrrr) our headache went away completely. Any advice on what we can do to fix? We don’t have a lot of money & would prefer to do what we can ourselves until it becomes necessary to call in a professional.

Answers

Fox: (1 month ago)

Your pellet stove may be leaking because your chimney is plugged. you may want to look into buying a chimney sweep kit, and sweeping your chimney out. You also may want to look at replacing the seals on the door where you load the pellets, and the viewing door. the seals are really the only place where a pellet stove can leak from, and should be periodically be replaced, as carbon builds up on them and they don’t seat properly.

fortynin…: (1 month ago)

If you think it is indeed carbon monoxide coming from your pellet stove you need to not fire it up anymore until you get a tester and check it out. The stuff can and does kill people. Be on the safe side and get it checked out before you fire it up again. You can always use electric heaters until you get a tester. Just be careful with the electric heaters.

Corey D: (1 month ago)

Those are all good signs you have problems. Bundle up to stay warm but keep that stove off. This will kill. If you want to do some checks before you call someone out start with this. First check the exhaust flue. This is done by taking it loose and getting physical. You can go to the roof and take the vent cap off and look down with a flashlight to verify it’s free and clear. Next check the stove inside and out and look for cracks, blockage around dampers, etc. 75% of all my call outs are maintenance related. If you take the time to study your system and look and be aware of your device you can save money. BUT if you have any doubts turn it OFF. It’s late tonight so keep it OFF until you have a chance to look at it. Please understand how serious this problem is. Get it looked at by a licensed company if you do not see any problems tomorrow. And if you get on the roof be careful

Cait: (1 month ago)

Call a professional. Not dying is probably worth the money, but hey who knows.

learnin7…: (1 month ago)

The fire department will test it for free. I had a similiar problem last year.

john: (1 month ago)

besides the seals. make sure you have no gaps in your chimney pipe.
or a birds nest

Question

Sunshine Child asks: (IE8)

I want to get rid of the baseboard heaters in my living room. I have a wood pellet stove which I use as my main source of heat and the baseboards are a backup. In all the three years that we’ve had the wood pellet stove, I’ve never had to use the backup. And if I do take out the baseboards, I can always use a space heater as my backup if anything happens to the wood pellet stove. And if worse comes to worse, I can use blankets! So what are your thoughts!?

Answers

Big Book Lisa: (4 months ago)

Two important questions – What part of the country are you in? And are the baseboards electric or forced hot water?

If you ever want to sell your house (or refinance) you could have trouble qualifying for a mortgage in certain parts of the country. A house without complete central heating can be considered “a cottage” rather than a regular single family home, by mortgage lenders. This could also lower the resale value of your house.

If you want to do it anyway, you’ll need an electrician if its electric heat or a plumber if its forced hot water. Electric heat would be easier and cheaper to remove than a hot water baseboard. A hot water baseboard would have to be re-routed through the floor or wall because all the baseboards in the house are connected in a loop.

So, my recommendation is its better not to. But if its electric and you feel that you MUST remove it – you can replace it later if/when you want to sell the house or need a mortgage. If its forced hot water – Don’t do it. It would be very expensive and messy and it won’t save you much on heat.

(Another thought – if its a hot water baseboard and the thermostat is in the living room you’ll also have to move the thermostat – another messy, costly project.)

Good luck,
Lisa

Tom the electrician: (4 months ago)

A pellet stove may work for you, but when you sell you will have to put the baseboards back in. Another option if you want to remove the baseboards is to use an in wall forced air heater. These are still electric, but they take up less space. The only catch is rewiring to the forced air heaters.

(Never install a Forced air Electric heater on an outside wall. You want the heater facing towards the window to prevent condensation and mold.)

Thomas McGuire

Big: (4 months ago)

Why take them out? Just don’t use them. If your worried about cosmetics then take them out.

Question

DAVID asks: (IE8)

Wondering the pros and cons of wood and pellet stoves for supplemental heating home is about 2000sq ft 2 floors ceiling fans and vents?

Answers

TommyMc: (2 months ago)

Whether you choose pellet or wood, supplemental heat is a good thing to have. Think ‘diversified’ fuel source. At the current prices for wood and pellet stoves, it will take a long time for the savings to justify the purchase solely for economics. As supplemental heat, you’ll still be using your regular heat as primary. The payback period will depend on how much you use the stove.

If you have a good system for circulating air, a supplemental stove can work very well. Otherwise, the room with the stove will be warmer than the rest of the house. If your thermostat is near the stove, your primary heat won’t come on at all, which can cause other rooms to be cold.

Pellet stoves are self-feeding and make less mess than wood. They are pretty high efficiency. Easier than wood to control the burn temperature. The fuel is easy to handle and store.
There are con’s to pellet stoves IMHO. You have to store the pellets in a dry place or you’ll end up with bags of wet sawdust. Unless you purchase a battery backup, the stove won’t work when the power goes out…just the time you need it most. Supply of pellets is limited to dealers and market prices just like oil, only currently less expensive.

Wood stoves are not just for looks and sipping hot cocoa!!!! The new wood stoves are quite efficient and don’t produce much creosote. You can stoke the stove and it’ll burn all night. Wood can be stored outside under a tarp or open roof. You can cut your own wood for free, or buy it cheap from the guys down the road. Truly a local energy source. When the power goes out, you’ll be snugly warm beside your wood stove.
The con’s of wood stoves are the mess and handling of the wood. Unless you pay twice as much for dry wood, you’ll need to let the wood season for at least a few months, preferably all summer. You’ll need to stack the wood which can be an art. All winter, there will be a mess of dirt and bark wherever you store your indoor supply of wood…usually near the stove.

WhachooS…: (2 months ago)

I hear pellet stoves are the thing. The burn really hot, really efficient, and supposedly there are ways to make the pellets your own self. I’d give one a shot. Wood stoves can waste a lot of heat, since it just flies right up the shoot. BUT, if I had my way, I’d get a masonry oven, the wonder of wonders, which circulates the heat back and forth within this massive brick structure, so the heat mostly gets kept in the home, and releases gradually into your air, even over the space of many days!

Hector: (2 months ago)

Wood stove is for show, bring your friends over and sip hot cocoa. Pellet stove is for heating at a low cost, they have auto feeders that keep the pellets going all day and night, you just keep the hopper full.