Multi fuel stove versus Pellet only stove

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carlg

New Member
Nov 9, 2010
9
Southern PA
What are the advantages of buying a multi-fuel stove (corn, cherry pits, etc.) versus a stove that burns wooden pellets only?

And yes I obviously know that I can burn more different things with a multi fuel stove, but are there advantages to being able to burn these additional sources of fuel? If so, what are they?

Thanks for the info

Carl
 
There is a few advantages and maybe a disadvantage or 2 as well. Here are few items to mull over. I am sure you get some more from others. Could even start a blasting debate. But after owning a multifuel, I personally would never own a pellet only stove again. It would have to be at least partially multifuel tolerant.

Pro's are

Able to burn even the worst pellet without messing up the stove. They tend to be more junk pellet tolerant overall, A bad batch doesn't bother them as bad. If the price of pellets sky rockets you will have alternatives to fall back on.

Con's

Stoves are priced more. They have a few extra moving parts to wear and maintain. Multifuel is still in its youth, Not a lot of choices, But there expanding.
 
j-takeman said:
There is a few advantages and maybe a disadvantage or 2 as well. Here are few items to mull over. I am sure you get some more from others. Could even start a blasting debate. But after owning a multifuel, I personally would never own a pellet only stove again. It would have to be at least partially multifuel tolerant.

Pro's are

Able to burn even the worst pellet without messing up the stove. They tend to be more junk pellet tolerant overall, A bad batch doesn't bother them as bad. If the price of pellets sky rockets you will have alternatives to fall back on.

Con's

Stoves are priced more. They have a few extra moving parts to wear and maintain. Multifuel is still in its youth, Not a lot of choices, But there expanding.

Hmmm....I debated over the Multi-Fuel for awhile, I just didn't see any other fuels locally, and the higher ash of at least corn made me think twice. The biggest factor to me was the look of, and top vent option, of the XXV. So far I am happy, but I admit it would be nice to have options, mine are now HHO or Wood Pellets.
 
I own two Whitfields and feed them a steady diet of nut shells.

The stoves on the market are far more tollerant than many manufactures will let on.

The feed auger on the Quadrafires seem to be good for pellet fuel only.

If the stove has an auger with full flights (solid and not a spring type) they can usually run many different things.

I have run nuts shells in the Earthstove, Whitfields, Avalons and know some folks that are running them in a Harmen

The bottom feeders do quite well with the shells.

If I had the choice and was starting over and was going to buy a new stove I would look at the multifuel units.

I hardly ever buy anything much anymore thats new. I wait until someone else has gotten tired of it then pick it up for a fraction of the new cost.

My total $$$$ Invested in two Whitfields with ther Heaths and pipe would not buy one new stove, not even close.

Once of the Whitfields I bought, cost me $200 and I got the hearth pad, pipe and a few bags of pellets too.

The other Whitfield was $200 and I had to buy the pipe and build the hearth.

Go with a multi fuel, it gives you far more options.

Basically I modified the burn pots on my stoves so they work really well with the shells.

If your handy and have tools and such, there may be an option for you.

Last winter I bought and sold several pellet stoves.
Some came with pellets, which I kept and used. I cleaned the stoves up as most would not work due to lack of maintenance.

I sold them at a profit and pretty well paid for everything I now have, free and clear.

There are indeed many options for you to choose from.

It just depends on what you are willing to put up with to reach the ultimate goal.

Snowy
 
lordgrinz said:
j-takeman said:
There is a few advantages and maybe a disadvantage or 2 as well. Here are few items to mull over. I am sure you get some more from others. Could even start a blasting debate. But after owning a multifuel, I personally would never own a pellet only stove again. It would have to be at least partially multifuel tolerant.

Pro's are

Able to burn even the worst pellet without messing up the stove. They tend to be more junk pellet tolerant overall, A bad batch doesn't bother them as bad. If the price of pellets sky rockets you will have alternatives to fall back on.

Con's

Stoves are priced more. They have a few extra moving parts to wear and maintain. Multifuel is still in its youth, Not a lot of choices, But there expanding.

Hmmm....I debated over the Multi-Fuel for awhile, I just didn't see any other fuels locally, and the higher ash of at least corn made me think twice. The biggest factor to me was the look of, and top vent option, of the XXV. So far I am happy, but I admit it would be nice to have options, mine are now HHO or Wood Pellets.

You would be surprised on the options. I have local grown corn, wheat and barley. Grass pellets are really growing. For the grains check the local co-op. I don't have oil as a back up so my backup has to be a fuel I can burn in this stove or my wood stove. I have went thru 2 pellet shortages and much prefer the pellets, But if I got to I will burn corn and or grass pellets! Mix them with the cheapest pellet if I have too! I'll save and burn acorns if I gotta!
 
carlg said:
What are the advantages of buying a multi-fuel stove (corn, cherry pits, etc.) versus a stove that burns wooden pellets only?......

Carl, as Jay has mentioned above, the multi-fuelers are much more tolerant of high ash fuels, whether they are grass, grain, shells, pits, or whatever. Also, even if you never burn anything BUT wood pellets, there may come a time "down the road" where we have another big pellet shortage like a couple of years ago. If that happens again, and all you can find for wood pellets is something that has a LOT of ash, the multi-fuelers will handle it with ease.

Jay, Schoondog, and myself burned grass pellets last year, and they have a LOT of ash. We all have multi-fuel stoves, and burned the grass pellets no problems. It DOES make for more frequent cleaning, but we still had heat!

One last thing I want to mention.....the multi-fuelers will also be more tolerant of not having to be cleaned as often due to the pot-stirrer keeping the pot clean.....believe me, I can attest to that since I am on bag #38 without having opened the door to clean the stove.....I started in the beginning of October.
 
The other guys have pretty much covered the pros/cons.
If the Multi Fuel stoves cost more the biggest concern
for me would be if in fact I had several resources for
the fuels. In my area I do not so it would be of little benefit
for me. May want to check around and see what types
of fuel are available to you.
 
Snowy Rivers said:
The feed auger on the Quadrafires seem to be good for pellet fuel only.

If the stove has an auger with full flights (solid and not a spring type) they can usually run many different things.

the quad mt vernon AE is a muti fuel with a spring type auger.
just sayin.
 
I bought a multi fuel insert on the suggestion of the dealer. I only plan on using pellets, but as was said several times you can burn the worst pellets there are or the cheapest and you dont have to worry about the auger getting messed up. If pellet prices go sky rocketing like they did a couple years ago you always have the option to burn pit, shells, corn, or any of a number of things that you can burn straight up or mix them with pellets if you like.

My Multi fuel cost more but to me its well worth it knowing Im not stuck with pellets only.
 
One year I tried some cherry pits in one stove. Worked fine

As I have mentioned, I use nothing but Hazelnut shells, they burn with twice ++ the ash of pellets but it just means a more serious cleaning program is all.


Snowy
 
"The feed auger on the Quadrafires seem to be good for pellet fuel only."

I wish you would have told me this before I burned the dog food, corn, horse food, sunflower seeds......

The list goes on. Yes I think the Quads do best with corn and pellet, but the spring auger is pretty forgiving IMHO. The feed rate is the hard thing to control.
 
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