Pellet stoves

[fasteddieyj]

Been looking for a house and found one that I really like. The only issue is that it has oil heat. I would eventually switch to a natural gas furnace, but in the meantime (2-4years) I was thinking a pellet stove would be a good option to supplement the furnace and help keep some of the cost down.
Anyone using a pellet stove to add some supplemental heating, how much has your oil usage dropped? How long for your payback on the stove?
In general anything I should look for in buying a stove? Anything to avoid?
I've done some searching on the internet but am looking for some personal experience.
TIA

 

[bjoehandley]

Might check with who ever you have your insurance through. One of my cousins had a wood burning stove put in a portion of his garage that had been turned somewhat of a mancave for he and his boys and shortly after installing that stove his agent happened to stop by (small town Iowa, pretty much everybody knows everybody) and when he saw it, apparently he wasn't thrilled. When my cousin and his wife were do to have their next insurance bill come in the mail, they received a cancelation notice instead.

 

[jeepcj/jeepxj]

The info you are asking for is impossible to determine. Every situation is different. Because every house is insulated different, has different exposure to sun/wind. Every winter is different from year to year. and the BTU's from wood pellets differ from brand to brand.
However, that said.
Any BTU's generated by a biomass stove are less BTU's that your oil furnance will need to generate.
We also don't know how efficient your oil furnance is. Some are better then others.

Do your research.
Check on pellet stove dealers in your area. Look at ones that can be serviced locally. They need regular maintence and cleanings.
Check on fuel prices in your area. Check on buying by the ton for the best price. Living in PA you should also look at Corn Stoves. Corn burns hotter and cleaner then wood pellets, and depending on where you live, cheaper then wood pellets.
Some stoves with burn both, but check, they need to have been built to burn both.
Next thing is you need to find is a good central location to place the stove for the best heating. If you place it in a room off in the corner of the house, it will not perform good.
Lots to think about but feel free to post up and concerns.

 

[fasteddieyj]

Thanks guys, I'll find out more tomorrow when I meet with the realtor. Stopped in at a pretty nice stove/grill store here in town and was treated to a pretty good education on pellet, wood and coal stoves, as well as some pricing comparisons. I'll see what happens after tomorrow.

 

[tbburg]

When I lived in Ohio, a buddy of mine installed a dual pellet/corn stove in his basement. Open floor plan basement under the whole house. With the pellet stove running, his gas furnace would never kick on.

Do check about the insurance. Some companies get really iffy about open flame heating of any kind.

 

[derekza1979]

fasteddieyj, pellets are cheaper than oil or some other kind of fuel. That is why pellet stove is a good choice if you want to cut your expenses. In case you want to install wood pellet stove, you should choose one, which will fulfill a range of demands. For instance, it is necessary to calculate how much energy your stove has to produce and how big this stove should be. Keep in mind, that the most appropriate amount of heat produced equates 2,500 Btu/h for every 100 square feet. Therefore, your task is to calculate the area of heated room. It will help you to take a decision, which stove you should choose.
There are also some characteristics of pellet stoves, which should be taken into account to make a right choice. This about which type of pellets are you going to use? The content of ash should define the choice of stove. In this case, you are too choose between top and bottom fed pellet stove.
Do not forget, that all these stoves are driven by electricity. Therefore, you should take into account whether electricity is supplied without fail. In case there are frequent power outages in your area, you'd better choose stove provided with battery backup unit.
Read more about wood pellet stoves at: http://pellets-wood.com/pellet-stoves-some-tips-to-make-a-choice-o13915.html

 

[sidriptide]

the cost-effectiveness of a pellet stove is on a sliding scale depending on oil/gas pricing and so many other variable, BUT it will consistently be lower.
dont just buy a stove from the first guy you talk to who says he will intsall it for you. it's one of those markets where the cost of a particular service will vary greatly between businesses.
the calendar says winter is basically here, so find out if there are any home shows near you, they tend to be a winter event. great deals on large purchases at events like that.
we installed a pellet instert in our fireplace in November 2014 after we realized our previous 12 month total for oil purchases was $4000 (one of the coldest winters in a while) high oil prices, and using it to heat a non-insulated house to only 66 degrees and hot water year round.
we bought a used stove, had it installed, bought 3 1/2 tons of pellets and heated the house to mid-70s for $3500 only using the furnace for hot water and the occasional day when it needed a boost to heat the outer corners of the house.
so for the basic cost of oil for a year i bought fuel AND a stove, it paid for itself in 1 year. this year has been so mild it's not hard to over heat the place.

thngs i've learned...
1. get a service manual for you stove and learn how they work. you CAN fix it yourself.
2. older used stoves are easier and cheaper to fix.
3. there really isnt a "bulk discount" for buying pellets by the ton as opposed to a few bags a week as needed, at least in my area. i'm budgeting my pellets into smaller purchases this year rather than dump $1000 at once into filling my garage. so far it's working out but it could bite me in the a$$ if there is a "shortage"
4. the cost involved with using cheaper pellets compared to the more expensive "premium" pellets is negligible... you burn more of the cheap product in the same time period, but they are cheaper... premium pellets burn slower but more $$... to me it's been a difference of a few $$ per ton so it hasnt been enough to effect the wallet.
5. whether they are premium or cheaper pellets, the amount of ash and creosote produced seems to vary by actual product, and not so much the classification it is given.
6. buy a good quality vacuum designed for cleaning stoves, the ash filter for my shop vac turned out to be a fiasco........
7. if i ever replace it, i'm going to put a large unit in the cellar, with some open floor vents in each room. it will give me better heat distribution of the heat to the house above.
i could go on....