Pellet Stoves and Furnaces

I am rarely caught up in new trends, but I was so impressed with the information I found on corn and pellet stoves that we bought one. Then, I found the reality behind the marketing propaganda. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the pellet stove, but as with all things, there is a good way, and a bad way to do things.

Pellet Stoves

The trend is toward corn stoves- mainly because the pellet manufacturers have no scruples. We have more than one ‘batch’ of pellets in the back garage that are useless. In fact, the wood used to make them are so wet that the creosote pooled (yes, you read that right) like syrup on the top of the stove. In fact, we didn’t realize it until too late, but we think the fumes burning in the house caused headaches, vomiting, and excessive sleeping.

We learned later that pellet stoves work well. But, never buy pellets from a feed or hardware store. Only buy them from a company that works with pellet stoves. Now, this does not mean that anyone who ‘jumped on the bandwagon’ knows the facts about pellet stoves.

Pellet stoves have been around for 25 years. Make sure that the company has been around for years. Make sure they bring in a year’s supply of pellets, and that they don’t receive complaints. Ask what happens if there is a complaint? Will the pellet manufacturer rebate the value of the pellets? Will they take back the unused ones?

But, even this is not enough to prevent noxious fumes and smoke damage in your house.
As an alternative fuel, the stoves work great. You don’t need more than a ‘stove’ to heat a 1600 foot, 2 story house. Just put it in the basement and let it burn. In most areas, it will cost about $5 a day to heat the entire house to a comfortable 70 degrees.

The good thing is ash – there isn’t any. Our pellet stove is older, before computer chips. We do not need to empty it to clean it, and it only needs to be cleaned once every few days.

Problems To Watch Out For

If the stove smokes, call a repair man. The problem is probably timing and only needs a small repair.

If the stove is not burning right, or you have a head ache, then open a window. The stove may have used up the oxygen in the house. The new pipes have an intake valve that feeds the stove. Try to buy one with the small wall pipe instead of a stove pipe.
Do not buy an old stove. The new ones are so much more efficient, cleaner, and have less problems.

Pellet Vs Corn?

Corn burns hotter. Some of the older pellet stoves let you mix pellets and corn. However, the new multi-fuel (corn, pellet, grain) stoves gives you a back up when the year’s dry pellets are used up.