Best Insert for a Tiny House? and a Few Other Odds and Ends

[Adella]

Hello. I'm new to this world and would be grateful for input and suggestions. We live in Portland, Oregon where it's wet a lot and have a 1940's ranch house--950 sf. Our house is uninsulated and chilly. We have an existing fireplace and are looking into inserts. Will an insert make a dent, even in our back bedrooms?

We'd love suggestions as to which models are best. Ease of use, including ability to clean, is important. Cost is a consideration, too--definitely hoping to spend under $3,000.

I have a few other more unusual questions I haven't seen answered.

What are pellets held together with? Is it a glue? Anything that a family of highly allergic folks is likely to react to?

Are there benefits to stoves that can burn cherry pits(!?) etc. in addition to pellets? What are people's experiences with those?

And then, a curiosity--why are pellet stoves, on the whole, so darn homely? Wood stoves can be understated and even beautiful. I've yet to see a pellet stove that fits that description. What am I missing?

Thank you!

 

[TimfromMA]

Ill take a stab at your unusual questions.

Pellets are pretty gentle on allergies. Im allergic to just about everything and I have no issues.

Multi fuel stoves are good if you live in an area where some of the alternative fuels are plentiful and cheap. People in the midwest can get corn cheap while here in the northeast, corn costs more than pellets.

There are ugly and pretty pellet stoves just like there are ugly and pretty wood stoves. You can see what mine looks like by looking at my avatar. I think its quite nice and have received many compliments on it.

 

[bags]

Pellets are mainly held together by compression. Some manufacturers might use some type of binding agent...... Not sure. Shouldn't have allergy problems unless you are allergic to wood...... No ears, eyes, nose, throat specialist either.

They produce many attractive pellet stoves now. What have you looked at? Many companies offer quite a few options to dress the things up........ Get out your checkbook though! Many look nice as is in the standard package. Do you like heat or looking pretty? You can have both.

Throwing more heat into an uninsulated structure is somewhat futile. Get your home's envelope buttoned up. It will reward you well. There are inserts that will cook you out of 950 SQ FT. Insulate and getcha one!

 

[Lake Girl]

Our house is uninsulated and chilly. We have an existing fireplace and are looking into inserts.

definitely hoping to spend under $3,000.
What are pellets held together with? Is it a glue? Anything that a family of highly allergic folks is likely to react to?

Are there benefits to stoves that can burn cherry pits(!?) etc. in addition to pellets? What are people's experiences with those?

understated and even beautiful

I agree with bags, insulate the house first, upgrade windows and seal up the building envelope ... a better use of that $3000! What type of exterior finish is on the house?

The lignin in the wood holds the pellets together once compressed. If you have any tree allergies, you'll have to pay special attention to the type of wood used in a particular brand of pellets. They do create dust - both in pellet form and as ash. Some folks set up screeners that vacuum dust off pellets before bringing them into the house. I have one I have to put back together ... There used to be plans to build one somewhere here. A pic... https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/my-diy-pellet-sifter.73263/#post-73263
This is what I used for mine ... https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/filter-fines-from-pellets.30591/#post-398528 (mjbrown) I tried gluing on a plastic funnel initially - started falling off & box got repurposed for a semi-feral stray cat (when the cold really started, he figured it was OK to come inside but still wary of men with boots - he's over that ) New set-up I will be using an aluminum heating duct boot instead of the funnel.

Snowy Rivers from Oregon heats exclusively with hazel nut shells - extra work hauling and screening...

There are some very beautiful pellets stoves but they usually have a higher cost attached... I love my Ravelli (Ecoteck) Elena with her bourdeaux coloured ceramics but that added about $1000 to the price tag for the ceramics. ($4000 +/-).

 

[Adella]

TimfromMa and Lake Girl--okay, you both have me swayed. Your stoves are far lovelier than anything I've seen in shops here. Maybe a silly question, but how does a skinny stove like the Ravelli work in a standard-sized existing fireplace hole? And would we need to purchase such a stove in person, in a store, to get the added service benefits? What if they're not available locally?

The story of our drafty house is a long one. We've done a lot so far to combat the drafts, and the attic's now insulated, but not the walls. The windows are new and efficient. But this isn't our forever house, or probably even our ten-years-into-the-future house, so we're looking to warm ourselves up in the short-term without going broke. I realize it's a bit of a band-aid.

I like the screeners idea--thank you for sending.

Heating with hazelnut shells? I'm intrigued!

 

[Lake Girl]

What have you seen for inserts so far? You could always leave the fireplace intact for back-up for power failures and use a free standing pellet in another location... choices!

 

[TimfromMA]

Fireplaces are notoriously inefficient. They can even make a house colder by drawing in cold air as the fire consumes it. I'd recommend an insert.

 

[Wilbur Feral]

As noted earlier, quality pellets need no binder - just the natural lignin in the wood and compression bind the sawdust to create a pellet.

I would spend some time on Craigslist looking for a used stove in a "starter" house. I just saw a used Mt Vernon from Quad for $2k asking price - a very attractive multi-fuel stove and enough to heat two of your size home, or more (tstat prevents overheating). Quad Santa Fe another option, or an older Whitfield (just saw one for under $1k).

Others are correct re: insulating, though. And check your home's air sealing, which is often the biggest culprit, and often addressable with a few tubes of caulk.

 

[mr47930]

Our stove works swell on our 2300 sq ft 2 story. The lady has slight allergies and hasn't had any issues with the pellets or stove.as far as looks I'm partial to the Harman but that will be above the price limit. Maybe you could find a nice used one?

 

[TimfromMA]

Most allergies are caused by the pollen of a particular plant.

 

[Lake Girl]

Only problem with used stoves - you have to know what trouble spots to look for. Any friends have a pellet stove or insert? Anyone in the household mechanically inclined? If you don't get to see it run, walk away...