Help - Oslo 500 switching to Pellet

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I am in over my head with trying to figure out what brand and size of pellet stove to purchase. I am doing this on my own as my hubby had a stroke last year and I cannot continue with my Jotul. Too much work for me alone. We love the heat from the wood but I am too old to stack cords of wood by myself and lug it into the house all winter. Stove is older and needs parts and I'm not up to the job.

Anyway, looking for a reliable pellet stove and hoping to get some good recommendations here. Would love it if it looked similar to the Oslo, but not sure that will be possible. Don't really like the look of some of the pellet stoves but know that I can't continue with wood going forward. Thanks.

 

[Highbeam]

So you’ll trade lugging firewood for lugging 40 lbs sacks of pellets? Still have to most of them once per day. Cost is high.

If w we pod is physically too difficult then I would be looking at gas stoves. They heat a lot like wood but you have no physical work involved.

 

[johneh]

The Enviro Mini and P3 look a lot like Oslo
Good solid dependable stoves
It also depends on how much heat you need
as to the stove you need

Enviro - Home

Enviro: Gas & Pellet Fuel Fireplaces, Fireplace Inserts and Freestanding Stoves.

enviro.com

 

[Backspace]

So you’ll trade lugging firewood for lugging 40 lbs sacks of pellets? Still have to most of them once per day. Cost is high.

If w we pod is physically too difficult then I would be looking at gas stoves. They heat a lot like wood but you have no physical work involved.

Yes I have a little dolly that I can use and then scoop the pellets out into a 5gal bucket so I can more easily pour them into the stove. We aren't hooked up to gas so that is a no go. Dry split wood is expensive too. I have no desire stack 3 cords of wood in the back of the yard and then in the fall, move the dry stuff close to the house and stack again. I know the cost is high either way and I know the heat is not the same as wood. Pellet will be easier on me.

 

[Backspace]

The Enviro Mini and P3 look a lot like Oslo
Good solid dependable stoves
It also depends on how much heat you need
as to the stove you need

Enviro - Home

Enviro: Gas & Pellet Fuel Fireplaces, Fireplace Inserts and Freestanding Stoves.

enviro.com

We like a lot of heat but understand pellet won't heat as well as wood. Older 2 story home about 1800 - 2000 sq ft, so it's a bit chilly when temperatures fall to below 25 degrees.

Thank you so much for the recommendations. I will look into those stoves. Anything I should avoid?

 

[semipro]

To echo what @Highbeam said, don't underestimate the amount of work involved with pellets. I heat with both and there are tradeoffs both ways.

• in my experience, the pellet stove takes way more maintenance and repair and some of it can be fairly involved.
• 40 lb. bags have to be loaded/unloaded from vehicles and hauled to the stove. You can at least break cordwood down to smaller loads more easily. Of course, cordwood needs hauling to the house too but in many cases that is included with purchase - probably not so pellets.
• Most pellets stoves won't work without power. Your Jotul will.
• Even if cordwood seems expensive it may still be less expensive than pellets on a per BTU basis.
• My 60 something wife finds cordwood easier to deal with.

 

[Highbeam]

Yes I have a little dolly that I can use and then scoop the pellets out into a 5gal bucket so I can more easily pour them into the stove. We aren't hooked up to gas so that is a no go. Dry split wood is expensive too. I have no desire stack 3 cords of wood in the back of the yard and then in the fall, move the dry stuff close to the house and stack again. I know the cost is high either way and I know the heat is not the same as wood. Pellet will be easier on me.

If you don't have NG then you simply fill a propane tank for the gas stove. Same thing. Zero physical work involved. You can also buy manufactured firewood for your current stove that is like pellets in many ways. Clean, smaller storage area, delivered on a pallet. Pellets also need to be stacked and stored and loaded into the stove. Same with firewood.

I'm having a hard time understanding what you are trying to gain by switching to pellets. The only benefit I can see for you would be convenience of a thermostatic on/off but if you're home all day anyway then does that matter?

 

[Backspace]

If you don't have NG then you simply fill a propane tank for the gas stove. Same thing. Zero physical work involved. You can also buy manufactured firewood for your current stove that is like pellets in many ways. Clean, smaller storage area, delivered on a pallet. Pellets also need to be stacked and stored and loaded into the stove. Same with firewood.

I'm having a hard time understanding what you are trying to gain by switching to pellets. The only benefit I can see for you would be convenience of a thermostatic on/off but if you're home all day anyway then does that matter?

I was under the impression that a pellet stove needs to be cleaned about once or twice a month. You all sound like pellet stoves are not worth owning.

 

[johneh]

Heating with a wood stove to me is more work than the pellet stove
I heat with both a pellet stove in my summer kitchen converted to a
family /TV room. and a wood/oil combination furnace. The furnace
to me is more work processing logs, stacking it to dry, putting 5 cord
in the basement feeding the fire removing the ash, and cleaning the
chimney 3 times a year. All of it is hands-on heavy work.
The pellet stove 3 pallets of pellets are delivered in September right to the
door of my closed in back porch . 2 people hand balm the bags
(225) on to the porch. this takes about 3/4 of an hour The stove
uses on average 1 bag a day so that's 40 lb bag every evening
Stove is shut down and vac once a week and a total tear-down and
clean once a year. Your dealer will do the yearly cleaning for a fee
I have had my stove 20 years in September the only repairs done
in that time were the 2 blower motors (noisy) (combustion and convection)
The wife in her late 60s prefers the pellet stove she says it is much easier
to use and maintain than the wood fire. She also likes the constant heat and getting up
in the morning to a warm house. We also have a whole house generator for when the power goes out

 

[Backspace]

Heating with a wood stove to me is more work than the pellet stove
I heat with both a pellet stove in my summer kitchen converted to a
family /TV room. and a wood/oil combination furnace. The furnace
to me is more work processing logs, stacking it to dry, putting 5 cord
in the basement feeding the fire removing the ash, and cleaning the
chimney 3 times a year. All of it is hands-on heavy work.
The pellet stove 3 pallets of pellets are delivered in September right to the
door of my closed in back porch . 2 people hand balm the bags
(225) on to the porch. this takes about 3/4 of an hour The stove
uses on average 1 bag a day so that's 40 lb bag every evening
Stove is shut down and vac once a week and a total tear-down and
clean once a year. Your dealer will do the yearly cleaning for a fee
I have had my stove 20 years in September the only repairs done
in that time were the 2 blower motors (noisy) (combustion and convection)
The wife in her late 60s prefers the pellet stove she says it is much easier
to use and maintain than the wood fire. She also likes the constant heat and getting up
in the morning to a warm house. We also have a whole house generator for when the power goes out

Thank you! This is the type of information I need. Absolutely love our Jotul, but I know I just won't be able to do all the hard work it entails. I was stressed out all last winter handling it by myself.

 

[Ssyko]

with an older 2 story house i would look at the enviro MAXX it holds 3 bags of pellets and pumps out a lot of heat. it is however a more modern looking box type stove