Pellet or Wood Fireplace Insert?

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bcarton

Feeling the Heat
Oct 15, 2014
313
Pelham, NH
I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a good deal on an insert for our living room, but part of me is wondering whether to go with wood instead of pellet.

Is there anyone here who has had both, and can help me with the pros and cons? I was told by one stove shop that wood insert distribution fans are noisier than pellet - true? Is one easier to clean than the other? (the vent, not the stove).

Any other pros or cons to think about?

Thanks
 
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Yes I have had both and I am now using the pellet stove now. While I agree with 90% of m159267's linked post I don't agree that wood stove makes a better whole house heater. My experience in which both stoves are or were inserts has proven to me that the pellet stove heat distributes more evenly throughout the house. (remember that both types are space heaters and not designed for an entire house but sometimes you get lucky with air flow and it will heat the entire house)

Insert wood stove firebox is in most cases much smaller than free standing wood stove thus requiring frequent feeding. Wood stoves present a much higher risk of fire. With a pellet stove I can go all night without feeding it and keep the house at a constant temp. Wood stove I was always up at 3 AM to put more wood in. House was never at a constant temp. Hot in the room with the stove and cold in the rest of the house. (Yes I had fans on the wood stove)

Pellet stove COST more money for everything...pellets, parts, electricity etc.. Requires more frequent cleaning than a wood stove. Pellets are not free and if you have access to free firewood and don't mind cutting, splitting and stacking wood all the time then maybe wood is for you. I did for many years and it became too time consuming.

The list of pro's and con's is endless so it comes down to cost, effort and personal preference. Good luck!
 
I have worked with both. I agree pellet stoves costs a bit more, but they are more convenient. I don't miss splitting and carrying wood. In my opinion, its easier to control the heat with a pellet stove. Wood also takes longer because it does radiant heat but the whole house warms up. I can't use a wood stove in my house because my wife would complain that it "smells" :)
 
, but they are more convenient. I don't miss splitting and carrying wood. In my opinion, its easier to control the heat with a pellet stove. Wood also takes longer because it does radiant heat but the whole house warms up.

+1 on all that, and among the reasons I converted to pellets. That said, if I had known about "wood bricks" before I had bought the pellet stove, the choice might have been more difficult. Never tried them, but they seems to have the better storage and mess attributes of pellets, but can be used in a wood stove thus used without electricity if desired.
 
I have had both and like it is said above Pellet stove is much easier . While I did enjoy the heat from the wood stove it almost has to be like a hobbie because of the amount of time and work it takes to cut, split , store and move the wood, then consider how much dirtier with insects, carrying it threw the house and stuff dropping off. Pellet stove does require more maintenence / cleaning and fuel cost is more. I enjoyed both but being a little older the pellet stove is easier . Good luck which ever you decide.
 
I have had both and like it is said above Pellet stove is much easier . While I did enjoy the heat from the wood stove it almost has to be like a hobby because of the amount of time and work it takes to cut, split , store and move the wood, then consider how much dirtier with insects, carrying it threw the house and stuff dropping off. Pellet stove does require more maintenence / cleaning and fuel cost is more. I enjoyed both but being a little older the pellet stove is easier . Good luck which ever you decide.
I agree. I have had both now myself. Just changed over to pellet last year. Much more convenient but does end up costing more to run than my wood stove did. I now have much more time since I am not always looking for wood and trying to get ahead several years to have good dry fire wood. If you don't want to be a slave to your stove than the wood pellet is a better option. If you want a new hobby then a wood stove is the way to go. Both I have found will keep me as warm as I want to be.
 
I have both a wood stove insert and a free standing pellet stove. I use the pellet stove to augment an oil furnace, which is my primary heat source.
The wood stove insert is in a very large brick work natural draft heat mass. When the wood stove heats the brickwork, air is drawn in near the bottom of the bricks and is vented out just below the mantle piece. The hot air comes out forcefully enough that you can feel the hot breeze when standing a few feet away from the bricks.
After the insert has been burning for a few hours, the bricks feel warm to the touch as high as I can reach and will continue to vent hot air for quite a while after the fire goes out at night.

I use the insert mostly when the weather is very cold and when the power is out. I live in a rural area where the power can go out for more than a week when there is a winter storm.

It is not an either/or situation, I think I should have as many different sources of heat as I can.
 
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I switched from wood to pellets a few years ago, and agree with all of the comments above. One big factor for me is the need to season the wood before burning to get max heat and a clean burn. In my area it's impossible to buy seasoned wood, and I have limited space for stacking wood to dry for months at a time. Pellets on the other hand can in a pinch be picked up at the local big box store and burned right away.
 
Thanks everybody. I've been reading your input, and doing a lot of thinking. Strongly leaning toward pellets, for many of the reasons mentioned here already. I still love a wood stove, but in the end don't have the tools, time, or physical capacity to deal with cutting my own, and I'd be in the same boat as Tim_M. I can get wood reasonably priced, but at best it's "semi-seasoned" and I would have to get real creative on storage.

This all started last week, when I passed on a very good deal for a used Quad pellet insert. I wasn't ready to decide to stick with 100% pellets. I'll wait until I see another lucky deal, and grab it - even if I can't get it installed until next year.
 
Seems the Aye's have it, everyone has had both and seem to be more happy with Pellets.
If you ask this in the wood stove forum, you'll probably get just the opposite in replies.

Bill
 
A wood insert would be more for a hobby, you really need to enjoy the amount of effort that it takes to properly burn wood as opposed to just dumping a bag of pellets.....
 
To do over on my 52i insert - WOOD! Many regrets, cleaning is the biggest issue soon followed by price and supply of pellets. Except for the flick of a switch, not impressed.
 
I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a good deal on an insert for our living room, but part of me is wondering whether to go with wood instead of pellet.

Is there anyone here who has had both, and can help me with the pros and cons? I was told by one stove shop that wood insert distribution fans are noisier than pellet - true? Is one easier to clean than the other? (the vent, not the stove).

Any other pros or cons to think about?

Thanks
I switched from pellet to wood about 2 years ago. The cost savings are significant. From a convenience POV I found that using Envi blocks are easier to store than pellets and eliminate the work involved with cutting, slpitting, going outside to get wood, and stacking. My solution is to use both cordwood and Envi blocks. I like the look of my fireplace. Despite being an insert I can get plenty of heat as my home is very well insulated. I load at 11:00pm and still getting heat around 7:00-8:00am when I reload.
With wood you can buy a decent cord already split and stacked for a premium price but it is still cheaper than pellets.
The problem I had with pellets was mostly storage and expense.
For the amount of work I have to tip slightly to pellet but in the end I feel wood is better for me.
 
One good solid chimney fire about 40 years ago took care of me and wood permanently. Switched to coal back then and in the last couple of years to pellets. I still like coal. Pellets just come in convenient packages is all. The issue here isn't really the insert but what fuel to use, for my wife and I wood is out, we were lucky we didn't lose our house..
 
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