Do you wish you went with a wood stove instead?

[iamdrumming]

So, I'm still battling issues with my stove shutting down unexpectedly.
I'm confident I'll resaolve it eventually, but I'm sure something else will go wrong.
I wish I kept my Vermont Castings wood stove.
These pellet stoves are a pain in my A**!!
WAY too may things to go wrong...
With a wood stove:
- No moving parts
- Quiet
- Runs without power
- There's a ton of FREE wood all over the place
- I love chopping it

Other than the convenience of a pellet stove running off a thermostat (which I don't use anyway), I don;t see a big advantage.
Cleaner.. maybe.
Just wondering if anyone else felt/feels the same way?

Venting in NH...

Thanks,
Rob

 

[smoke show]

I can't believe you switched.

 

[Bkins]

There are lots of reasons for each one and it is up to each of us to decide which works best. I don't know what brand/model stove you own or what you have done to try to get your problems rectified.

Give the experts on this forum a chance to help you out. If you bought a clunker then its not a pellets stoves fault per-say.

I heated with wood for 30 years prior to going the pellet stove route and unless I have someone cutting stacking restacking etc for free. I will never go back. Just not having to deal with the almost daily ash removal and overall dirt from a wood stove is priceless to me. Ya, it does cost more money if you can get or have been getting your wood for free. Add in the time to go fetch, cut, transport, stack, and usually move again is a deal killer for me looking back at things. Let alone the expense of a wood splitter, chainsaws, special clothing, axes and wedges.

 

[bbfarm]

no, not at all.

We could not run a wood stove while not home.

We would have to dedicate a lot of weekends to getting, chopping and stacking wood.

the mess, wood, insects dirt, bark dragged in the house

we have the ability to regulate the heat on a thermostat

--------------------------------

 

[saladdin]

I'm 37 and will not age very well. I had wood as a kid, I know the work involved. NO way will I do wood.

 

[mfglickman]

I am a newbie to both but we are splitting the difference and going with pellets in the room that will keep the furnace from turning on (oil fired set at 57 to avoid pipe freezes/provide backup if needed) and then putting a used Fireview into our family room for comfort in the room we spend most of our time in. I think both have their positives and drawbacks...it was important to my husband to have a heat source that doesn't require electricity and I guess I'll be glad to have that too. I like how easy the pellet stove is though, set it and forget it for a few hours...

 

[PJPellet]

Heck no. I prefer my pellet stove. Yes there are more things to go wrong but everything is a trade off. IMHO both wood stoves and pellet stoves are a great way to heat. But I just love the time saving convenience of the pellet stove.

 

[Chelmsford Fireplace Center]

I agree with ya 100%. The only advantage that pellet stoves have is you only have to load them once a day Vs. an avg. wood stove you need to load two to three times a day. Wood stoves will work with no power and tend to have a lot less headaches and maintenance issues. However pellet stove can offer venting solutions for people that may not be able to vent a wood stove were they need the heat. So they do have their place.
Cory

 

[jtakeman]

I too am surprised you switched! I have both but use the pellet for my primary. My wood eater is only for back up(mostly power outages).

Love my pellet eater. Fill it once every 3 days. Clean it once every week or 2 if I'm lazy. Keep more than enough supply on hand for more than a season without taking up the whole yard/garage/basement to do it. I don't need to keep 2 to 3 seasons ahead for seasoning properly! It runs off a stat so the house is the temp I want it and stays consistent! I can go on and on!

IMHO a pellet stove wins hands down for me, But its where your heart is!

 

[yooper81]

I to could list all the "cons" of wood vs. pellets, but the biggest one for me was the ease of installing, such as hearth requirements, venting, location, and insurance hurdles...... I have an all electric home also, so any wood burning stove has to be freestanding without any major remodels such as forced air, and I have to believe my quad does a far better job than a "maintenance" free wood stove can..... IMO

 

[briggsy13]

After getting to my parents house a week or so ago and the fire had gone out while they were at church and had to get it going again and wait for it to start putting out heat, no I wouldn't. I grew up with a wood stove as the only source of heat. My memories consist of either hot or cold. I do love the heat they can crank out but don't like not being able to control it as much. If I could have both that would be my answer.

 

[bostonfan49]

Someone, hit this man with a bag of pellets!,

 

[ironpony]

I did go with a wood stove......................

it burns tiny little logs called

PELLETS

 

[St_Earl]

nope.

 

[vhmtach40]

This is my first winter using my pellet stove ..been burning wood for 21 years ..I'm 43 years old and all the labor involved with wood burning is not all that appealing anymore ...with all the equipment maintenance and vehicle depreciation with fuel costs and hauling wood considerable distances .....burning pellets is way cleaner than wood...I'm glad I switched now my house is comfortable and warm ...besides I would like to save my time and energy to do other enjoyable things in life..... just my thoughts.

 

[yooper81]

NO WAY when i bought this place there was about 10 cords of wood in logs gave it all away and im surrounded by woods. And from the first day i said no way i hell am i burning wood. considered a outdoor boiler. but didnt even want that labor. I was schocked at how much heat a pellet stove produced and even surprised my stubborness gave in to try one but i am very happy so far. The only thing i fear is pellet pricing soaring since so many are switching thats why im hoarding

are pellets any cheaper in say, July. Wasn't really paying attention to prices last summer as I was "stove-less" at the time.

 

[jtakeman]

The only thing i fear is pellet pricing soaring since so many are switching thats why im hoarding

Hoarding? Now that's an understatement! ;-)

 

[DexterDay]

I have both.... Wood and Pellet..

Have to keep 2-3 yrs worth of wood to have it seasoned properly (below 20%) which takes up a bit of space. Where my 10 ton (2-3 yrs worth) takes up less space than 3 cord of wood.

Pellets provide very even heat (pellet furnace makes heat completely even throughout) and depending on Hopper size, you only fill once a day. A woodstove not only needs 2 to 10 loads (firebox size) a day, but you must watch the stove while its heating up and shutting down the air in stages, until you get to "cruising" temp (watching you dont overfire).

Having both, if I had to choose... Pellets win hands down. I spent about $4,000 a yr on LP. So $800 in pellets (Max per yr), is well worth it to me.
No seasoning time.
Auto ignition.
Thermostat.
Even temps.
Takes some maintenance, but 20-30 min a week isnt much compared to my total time cutting back the air on the woodstove (add time for whole week). Also, add all your time Cuttin/Splittin/Stackin wood and its gonna be way less than your cleaning times. IMO

Wood heat is nice. I keep a Fire going constantly. Has saved me a ton of pellets this year (literally), but I would stick with my pellet stove if given the ultimate choice.

Everyones lifestyle is different. Everyones needs are different.

What stove do you have??? Adding it to your Signature line is helpful. Hope you get it figured. A well working pellet stove is hard to beat. Is it sized right to your home? Centrally placed so it heats efficiently?

 

[lbcynya]

I have both as well. Pellets downstairs, cord wood upstairs. The best answer for me is both. That way I'm not beholden to any one of the 3 fuel forms I can use to provide heat. Cord wood being plentiful and as free as free can be nowadays. If I had to buy wood, then pellets would be the only wood I'd buy.

Both have their own inconveniences, but pellets win for the ability to control with a thermostat.

 

[slls]

A wood stove is no match, for a GOOD pellet stove.

 

[Xena]

Nope.
No desire to spend all summer collecting, chopping and stacking.
Nor do I have the proper tools/vehicle to do so. I'm mechanically
inclined so the pellet stove is easy for me to maintain.
In the seven yrs I've had it there have only been a couple
of small issues and I fixed them myself.
Wood burning friend of mine is leaning towards converting to a pellet stove
after his wife has been bugging him to stop by and check out mine. :coolsmirk:

 

[iamdrumming]

I have a Quad Castille insert. It was my old house that had the wood stove. So, I didn't actually convert.
Its really just my frustration with this one issue that is cauing me to second guess myself.
A lot of people on here have offered advice and I'm still working through those troubleshooting steps. Thanks again.
Once its resolved, hopefully I'll feel better (and warmer!).

I'm 44 and in decent shape for now. I do actually enjoy playing with wood (insert jokes here!) chopping, stacking, hauling, etc.
So, the work is not a problem...
I appreciate the feedback!

Rob

 

[BrotherBart]

Time for a group hug. :coolsmirk:

 

[Weird tolkienish figure]

So, I'm still battling issues with my stove shutting down unexpectedly.
I'm confident I'll resaolve it eventually, but I'm sure something else will go wrong.
I wish I kept my Vermont Castings wood stove.
These pellet stoves are a pain in my A**!!
WAY too may things to go wrong...
With a wood stove:
- No moving parts
- Quiet
- Runs without power
- There's a ton of FREE wood all over the place
- I love chopping it

Other than the convenience of a pellet stove running off a thermostat (which I don't use anyway), I don;t see a big advantage.
Cleaner.. maybe.
Just wondering if anyone else felt/feels the same way?

Venting in NH...

Thanks,
Rob

If you have a big lot with lots of trees then go with wood. Just beware that wood piles attract rodents.

Otherwise I'm pretty happy with pellets. Convenience thing, and the thermostat option is just so nice. Don't see how you could replicate that on a wood stove.

 

[petemal]

cutting wood stacking them, bugs, covering wood pile stacking wood in stove lighting it, wet wood, splinters, pile in laudry room......... sucks, i put two bags in and thats it talk to me in a day or two it runs off a thermostat, when my wife is warm she lowers it or shuts off she presses one button and turns on where else can you do that. its all about making the wife happy