Which pellet Stove to replace a woodstove?

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I have heard that you actually get slightly higher btu's from quality softwood pellets compared to hardwood, by weight. Can anyone verify this?

I scored my Cumberland MF3500 on the used market four years ago for about 1/3 off retail price. I did a little work to it. Customer service was great in taking care of my parts needs at no cost! It's been heating us faithfully ever since.Getting it going myself also made me more familiar with the stove.

I admit being addicted to shopping craigslist and from what I've seen, there are no shortage of deals on used pellet burners. I think much of it has to do with people who get frustrated when their stove isn't burning properly because of improper maintenance.
 
<-- we got this one off of craigslist for $2000 complete. it included the pad, all venting, cleaning tools and just over 2 tons of pellets.

It heats our 1800sq foot old 2 story farmhouse that was built in 1870 very well. I love the no mess and the automation of it.
 
pellets , not sure yet , I do know i will look for quality hardwood ,I aasume that is the thing to burn in these ?
jmp Many of our members who have access to softwood pellets from up north use them....I have read here that softwoods throw a little more heat than the hardwoods......others will jump in and give their .02 worth
 
jmp Many of our members who have access to softwood pellets from up north use them....I have read here that softwoods throw a little more heat than the hardwoods......others will jump in and give their .02 worth

My .02 is buy three bags of everything you can get your hands on, and see what works best for your particular setup.
 
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curious about the different pellets. My experience burning wood is clear that hardwood ( hard maple , oak etc , ) burns hotter than softwood (soft/swamp maple , birch etc) keeps a way better coal base , (but ash build up is also greater ). Would pellets not be the same ? what are pellets? i assume compressed saw dust or something ? Thanks for all the responses btw

Can you route the exhaust of a pellet stove out the chimney from a woodstove?
 
Softwood pellets have a higher BTU content than most hardwoods.

With Cordwood, wood has the same BTU's, but the wood weight is what depends on BTU. 60 lbs of Oak takes up half the space as 60 lbs of Pine.

With Pellets, they have about the same size and density. Because of the light fly ash of pellets, the softwood will stay cleaner longer and give more heat (not in All cases, but most)

There are others that can better explain it. But the common "Myth" about not burning Pine doesn't hold true with Pellet stoves or Woodstoves...

Pine is Fine :). It needs seasoned like any other wood!
 
yes it does , but burns very fast and is generally more smokey.Typically not a choice wood for burning (unless your pinr is different than ours )
 
yes it does , but burns very fast and is generally more smokey.Typically not a choice wood for burning (unless your pinr is different than ours )

Yes, but with pellets. The density and fiber consistency is the same.

Wood all has the same BTU. Pine through Oak. Its all based on weight. Oak weight more for the same size split. When put on comparable levels, the pine is a winner because of its burning characteristics. Hot, light, low ash.

As for Smoke. My chimney doesn't smoke on my woodstove with Pine, Oak, Ash, Locust, Maple, Etc. If you have smoke, its either burning moisture (not seasoned long enough) or you have to little air (choking).

A new EPA woodstove burning wood that is seasoned about 2 yrs, should only smoke lightly on cold starts and at the very beginning of a reload. After that, there should be Zero Smoke. No matter the wood species.

What type of woodstove do you have?
 
Here is a new thread about the myth of Pine in the Wood Shed Forum... Lots of folks think its still a cause of chimney fires.

Link : Burned again by the pine myth

The fact is, there Oak that has seasoned for 24 hrs is whats making there chimney a creosote making factory. Then they burn a few pieces of Pine, which seasons much faster than Oak (about a yr, compared to about 3 yrs for Oak) and it gets the flue hot and catches all that Sote on fire.

Again, many here can explain it better than I. Softwood pellets are a Super Premium Pellet. Higher BTU, Lower Ash, Etc...
 
I burned a brand a couple years ago called Rocky Mountain Pellets. They were produced from dead lodgepole pine trees killed by the pine beetle. Those were one of the best burning pellets I have tried to date. Ranked right up there, if not better, than Somersets.
 
OK i missed out on the Harman P61 a but located a 3 year old Quad fire MT Vernon AE is it worth 2700 with the piping included?
 
Just a couple of thoughts I had while reading through this post could you keep the wood stove in the kitchen and install a pellet stove in another room ?? this would give you 2 heat sources in a "hard to heat house".
 
Just a couple of thoughts I had while reading through this post could you keep the wood stove in the kitchen and install a pellet stove in another room ?? this would give you 2 heat sources in a "hard to heat house".
well that thought crossed my mind!.Original thought my wife had was ,She wants to get rid of the mess , dust , potential respitory issue we have on and off with some of our children due to the woodstove..

also looking at the Enviro Omega? anybody familiar with these?
 
well that thought crossed my mind!.Original thought my wife had was ,She wants to get rid of the mess , dust , potential respitory issue we have on and off with some of our children due to the woodstove..

also looking at the Enviro Omega? anybody familiar with these?

Is the Omega new? They discontinued the model about 3 yrs ago (maybe 4 IIRC). Seems to be great stove.

Calling Mr. Takeman.... Calling Mr. Takeman.... ;)
 
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Is the Omega new? They discontinued the model about 3 yrs ago (maybe 4 IIRC). Seems to be great stove.

Calling Mr. Takeman.... Calling Mr. Takeman.... ;)
Huh, What? ==c

I still see some new units out there. Not many peeps looking at the big beasts so they have hold overs. It can still have a full warranty even!

If its an 09/10 it should have all the upgrades. Pretty sure that was the last year made. The Maxx M is the same unit but with the larger cfm blower. They are beasts and eat "anything" I haven't found a pellet yet I can't burn. Some stuff I haven't posted here. Wood, paper/cardboard, bark, leaf, grass and torrified pellets. Plus pits, corn/grain/seeds, and dog/cat food(I know I missed something)! I got 30 pounds of peanut shells to try and I not worried! Amazing heat IMHO!

What year is the unit and how much they asking?
 
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well i ended up buying an ECO 65 . have to get the piping and install it. anyone know if you have to use an outdoor intake source? can this be exhausted in to a clay flu (woodstove ) maybe 15' high??
 
OAK is optional by the looks of it, But many here will recommend it. I was hoping fyrebug would reply since he works for the parent company(SBI). I'd run a flex vent up the liner. Depending on local code it might even be required.

Congrats on the purchase. Please share pictures once you get it install.
 
Congrats on the ECO 65! I heated our 1500sq ft home solely with a wood stove from the basement for 8 years - I made the switch to a pellet stove last year and couldn't be happier, the knowledge and support from this community / forum proved to be invaluable and the main deciding factor. I found it a whole new game with its own set of rules, and enjoying every BTU of it! My pellet stove uses the same 25' chimney that I had my wood stove on, I do however have a 6" SS liner inside of the existing clay liner, as stated earlier I would just double-check with local codes, etc.
 
what is the reason for the chimney liner?

If it a shared flue its a "must"!

The issue with a large flue is natural draft. If the flue looses the draft(usually during windy days) the exhaust blower will struggle to vent the gas from the unit. The liner will allow the small volume exhaust blower to properly purge the unit............ Adding the liner should get a strong vote from the installers.
 
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