My head is exploding- wood stove or pellet

[cshama]

I have done so much research my eyes are getting bleary. I am basically down to getting a Jotul woodstove or a Quadfire pellet stove.The pellet will cost $3000 with me doing the installation while the wood will be around $5000 with someone else building the chimney. The pluses of the wood stove is that a real log fire is nicer and there is less to go wrong. While I feel the pellet stove could be a big hassle maintenance wise and youhave the noise of the fan to deal with. But it is cheaper.

So I need help- I am completely at a loss as to what the right decision is. If I had a chimney it would be much easier.

 

[cshama]

and why would that be? or are you just betting on it?

 

[eightpilot]

Pellets stoves are easy and convenient to say the least, but.... Your tied to pellets forever!! Plus you can't get 70,000+ btu's out of a pellet stove. Also if your power goes out so does your heat... I would go with wood if it were me. 8

 

[cshama]

The question is - can you rely on a pellet stove like the quadfire or are they forever having glitches.

 

[SteveT]

Pellets stoves are easy and convenient to say the least, but.... Your tied to pellets forever!! Plus you can't get 70,000+ btu's out of a pellet stove. Also if your power goes out so does your heat... I would go with wood if it were me. 8

I think this nails it. PLUS ---

Pellets right now are way more expensive than oil on a BTU basis. I doubt they'll ever be a whole lot cheaper on a sustained basis. If you get a wood stove the fuel can be nearly free, or if you want the convenience of purchase and handling 40 pound bags of fuel you can get BioBricks or something like that

 

[lexybird]

Dont make the mistake i did last fall ,its more work obviously but id get a woodstove .youll get more heat(<gross understatment) and save yourself money over the long haul .In my opinion all the pellet stoves I have experiance around are a joke and a novelty

 

[Highbeam]

Cost of puurchase and installation is really almost a non-issue though I have to wonder why it cost 5000$ for a woodstove. Anyway, what you will deal with from this point on is getting fuel, feeding fuel, and repairing the stove.

It is cheaper to buy cordwood, more difficult to feed it, and no repairs. Wood is for folks that want cheap heat, plenty of it, don't mind putting forth effort, and enjoy the silence of a hot wood fire.

It costs way more to buy pellets if they are even available, easy to feed, and frequent repair and maintenance. Pellets are for the folks that don't want to buy petroleum products but do want a thermostatic heat source and are willing to pay for it. They are noisy and not pretty.

There really is a place for both stoves and where I wish I had a pellet stove is when I want a thermostatic source of heat like when leaving the home for a few days.

Why not buy a LPG stove from Jotul and enjoy the silence and ultimate dependability of burning propane? Easy venting and no moving parts to beeak.

 

[rachel.whitehead]

The deciding factor for us was when I heard I pellet stove wouldn't work when the electricity went out. We lose power here all the time and I just didn't want to sit in a cold, dark house anymore waiting for the pipes to freeze!

 

[harttj]

Do you have a woodlot? If yes do a woodstove.

If you go with a pellet stove, make sure it is multi-fuel. Right now corn is about a half to a third of the price of pellets where I am at. 70,000 btu/hr can be accomplished with the right appliance.

 

[Chris D 101]

i was in the same place you are now, torn between the two. I went with wood am never looked back. My friends went with pellets and STILL cant get any!! lets weigh your long run options. Wood Stove= scrounge for free wood after storm or lots of people give it away. Its quiet with no fan to run, and saves on electric,thus works when the power go out in a storm. Don't have to worry about lookin for pellets or how much they cost. Get to play with big saws :cheese: More romantic. Did you ever hear someone say "Lets go to my place and sit by the pellet stove."?? :lol: More reminiscent of the old days. No electronic parts or augers to clean. Don't have to sift your wood for fines
Now for the pros of pellet stoves......ugh....ummm.......err

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Free wood and heat makes the woodstove king for me. The power outage heat is a big plus also.

If pellet stoves were less expensive I would pick one up. I see the utility of one, but the NG furnace is pretty economical to run.

Here's how I decided if pellet stove was for me. Your mileage may vary. How many BTUs will you need each hour to heat the area you want the pellet stove in? A pound of pellets has about 8,000 btu and produces about the same amount of heat as 1 1/2 1500 watt electric heaters. (A 1500 watt heater gives about 5100 btu/hour.) How many pounds/hour of pellets does that equal? How many 40lb bags/day? 30 days in a month? How many months will you be heating? What is the cost of a bag? With the usage you predict, you can figure out how many tons you need and about how much it will cost for the season. Add in a margin of safety for a colder than normal winter like the one we're having.

For me, the costs started to add up. Add in the cost of the stove and installing one didn't make sense for my house. The cost of replacing the 90 year old windows didn't make financial sense either.

Now for the family cabin, I think a pellet stove would be perfect! But there are different use requirements for the cabin.

Matt

 

[stejus]

I was on the fence too until I saw pellet prices and how they are going up every year. I also didn't like the pellet stove needs maintenance while the wood stove just needs to be cleaned. That with the fact I have access to lots of hard wood, it was a stove for me.

 

[iceman]

well let me see... i have one pellet stove now.. but its my third overall... i have a woodstove, ng fireplace insert and oil furnace and oh yeah electric... my pellet stove is in the electric area... set it and forget it.. nice but it takes forever to heat the area up if its real cold... unless i crank it which chews pellets!
i would rather a ng stove in there but can't get a line over there... i like the stove its good for what i need but when i first started on pellets they were 120 a ton.. and have gotten more expensive since... even at 200 a ton if oil is 2.00 is easier to use the furnace... i like my wood stove the best (insert) it heaats the largest area (2000+) AND yes the wood can be a pain but when the electricity goes i still have heat... and it is more mess but pellets aren't THAT clean either!
so to answer your question... i have one more fireplace left.. and i am thinking wood but might go with ng..... i am not even considering pellets for it!.... the way the economy is going ... i can always get wood........ and the gas man takes payments... pellets prices go up and down and depend on the housing market ... so i will stick with wood

 

[brucej]

My friend yesterday said, "Wood sure does keep you warm." He was reffering to cutting, splitting, stacking, and moving the wood around. Add the dirty mess with wood and there is no question in my mind that pellets are the way to go. Sure, if the power goes out you can't use a pellet stove, but that is why we buy generators. Are you really going to sit in your house with no electricity for an extended time? No. If you are at your house you want heat, lights, and your refrigerator to be on. Buy a pellet stove and buy the best - buy a Harman.

 

[cshama]

Ok you guys convinced me- my smarter side was already going with wood but my cheap lazy side was pushing for a pellet stove.

So my deal is - I have a 4500sf house but won't bother heating the basement - so figure a pretty open 3000sf house. What is the best woodstove- Its gotta look good( don't like the soapstone) and its gotta be reliable and well made. Price not a big deal. I was thinking Jotul Firelight but throw your 2 cents in....

 

[stejus]

My friend yesterday said, "Wood sure does keep you warm." He was reffering to cutting, splitting, stacking, and moving the wood around. Add the dirty mess with wood and there is no question in my mind that pellets are the way to go. Sure, if the power goes out you can't use a pellet stove, but that is why we buy generators. Are you really going to sit in your house with no electricity for an extended time? No. If you are at your house you want heat, lights, and your refrigerator to be on. Buy a pellet stove and buy the best - buy a Harman.

Wood is not all that messy. I have a Dyson vac and it sucks up all the wood around the hearth.

 

[weatherguy]

Are you looking for a freestanding or insert?
I like the Blaze Kings for their long burn times, my friend has a pacific summit and he heats about 2400s.f., another friend has a freestanding Jotul, she heats almost 3000 s.f., nice looking stove but dont remember the model.

 

[potter]

Ok you guys convinced me- my smarter side was already going with wood but my cheap lazy side was pushing for a pellet stove.

So my deal is - I have a 4500sf house but won't bother heating the basement - so figure a pretty open 3000sf house. What is the best woodstove- Its gotta look good( don't like the soapstone) and its gotta be reliable and well made. Price not a big deal. I was thinking Jotul Firelight but throw your 2 cents in....

If you've decided on a wood stove, you should be buying the wood now. Stoves might be on sale in the spring, so focus on getting fuel so it can be adequately seasoned. Just an opinion. Very fond of my Jotul- where in New York- can recommend a dealer in Rochester.

 

[yukiginger]

Ok you guys convinced me- my smarter side was already going with wood but my cheap lazy side was pushing for a pellet stove.

So my deal is - I have a 4500sf house but won't bother heating the basement - so figure a pretty open 3000sf house. What is the best woodstove- Its gotta look good( don't like the soapstone) and its gotta be reliable and well made. Price not a big deal. I was thinking Jotul Firelight but throw your 2 cents in....

Okay, 3+ cu. ft. stove from Lopi, Avalon, Quadrafire, Pacific Energy, Jotul, or Regency (probably missing one or two here). Check all their websites and see what pleases your eye and then it's off to the dealers...

MarkG

 

[Wet1]

Ok you guys convinced me- my smarter side was already going with wood but my cheap lazy side was pushing for a pellet stove.

So my deal is - I have a 4500sf house but won't bother heating the basement - so figure a pretty open 3000sf house. What is the best woodstove- Its gotta look good( don't like the soapstone) and its gotta be reliable and well made. Price not a big deal. I was thinking Jotul Firelight but throw your 2 cents in....

Go wood!
Blaze King - King. If you're more into looks, Hearthstone Eq.

 

[jadm]

I second the suggestion to get your wood now so it is dry by next fall. You won't regret it. Get as much as you can and then get some more. Rarely is having too much wood a problem.

Find a store/dealer who is knows what he/she is talking about and where you will get just as much attention after you pay them as before your pay them. Customer service after the sale is very important in my book!

Don't skimp on the install. Overall safety is primary as you will be 'playing' with fire. Many threads here on ss liners and block off plates etc. Good to read up on all that so you can converse with your installer and get the job done right the first time.

As stated here a lot. Choose a stove/insert that is bigger rather than smaller. You can always build a smaller fire in a bigger stove but you can't build a big fire in a small stove....I tried and it didn't work. I now have a bigger insert and love it.

If you get an insert, make sure blowers are mounted on the front or the side so that they can be cleaned etc. without pulling the entire insert out of the fireplace.

Sorry, I got carried away...

Have fun and enjoy your stove and the warmth.

 

[southland]

Give a look at the Buck model 91. It has a huge firebox and can be used freestanding or as an insert. The important thing now is to get your wood and let it cure all year.

 

[wellbuilt home]

I like burning wood . The pellets are easy but wood is every where . If i was to pay for a fuel i think it would be coal . Coal is a pain to lite but it burns long and hot and is easy to store . We burned 2 buckets a day and the fire never went out till spring . I have a Hearthstone Equinox . I don't like the steal box type stoves and the cast iron stoves aren't rated for 3000 x sf . I like the jotul stove but its not big enough for me , i have no other heat . I'm in Monroe NY where are you located John

 

[firefighterjake]

Ah, the big question . . . at least it was the one I had when I was looking at alternative heating sources. This is how I broke down the pros and cons of each type.

Pelletstove Pros-

+ Cleaner fuel storage (all bagged up, no sawdust, wood scraps, etc.)
+ Convenience of loading it daily vs. loading it up several times during the day
+ Convenience of "set it and forget it" with a thermostat (you set the temp you desire and the stove does the rest vs. fiddling with wood loads, air control, etc.)
+ Easy installation/Close clearances

Pelletstove Cons-

- Availability (at the time I couldn't get any of the makes/models that I wanted)
- Price of pellets (the price was pretty high at the time and rising . . . if you could even get pellets)
- Noise from fans
- Many do not work with a power loss (an issue for me where I live) without a generator or back up battery


Woodstove Pros-

+ I have access to a woodlot = cheap wood in return for some labor
+ Heat output from a woodstove is much different than a pellestove -- more radiational heating vs. convection heating
+ I could buy the woodstove I wanted without a wait
+ The fire from a woodstove is nicer to view, has distinctive sounds, smells, etc. -- it is a treat for the senses

Woodstove Cons-

- Mess . . . there is no two ways about it . . . the ash and woodchips are messy and do require daily clean up around the hearth
- Need to feed . . . yes they are more efficient and some woodstoves can go a long time between loadings, but it seems that you still load them more than pelletstoves
- No "set it and forget it" feature -- when you start up or reload you need to monitor the fire and adjust the air flow to get the best burn
- More work (with a pelletstove you buy the pellets, the pellets are delivered and you pretty much just take a bag and reload vs. wood which involves cutting, splitting, stacking, etc.)

For me the price for the woodstove and pellestove were pretty much comparable in price . . . and I looked at the maintainance and cost of installing it to be about the same. In terms of maintaining the stoves the pelletstoves would have more moving parts and would have more to possibly break and would need additional cleaning (i.e. blowers, vent, burn pot, etc.), but the woodstove would need to be inspected, cleaned, etc. periodically as well -- slight advantage to the woodstove in my mind. In terms of installing it the woodstove would need a masonry or stainless steel chimney vs. a much shorter pelletstove vent kit -- advantage to the pelletstove in my minid.

In the end what the final decision came down to was the ease of getting the fuel as cheaply as possible (advantage wood since I have a woodlot and do not have a pellet mill), the availability of the stove type (advantage woodstove since pelletstoves were a challenge to find at the time) and what would be the easiest for me to maintain (again advantage woodstove.)

As others have mentioned there is a place and purpose for both woodstoves and pelletstoves . . . what works best for me, might not work best for another. To me the biggest advantage pelletstoves offer is convenience -- less mess, less work, easier to set a temp and let the stove do its job. If a person has a woodlot or access to a woodlot going with wood is almost a no-brainer . . . unless they want the convenience of a pelletstove.

 

[firefighterjake]

OK, so you've opted to go with wood . . . but a travesty . . . someone that doesn't like the look of soapstone stoves? Shocking.

All kidding aside, based on your square footage I would most definitely recommend you go big if you're going to try heating the whole house with a single woodstove. If you're looking to just heat up a single room or maybe a single room and the adjoining rooms you can go smaller . . . and even if you go big I'm not sure you'll be able to heat your whole house with just one woodstove -- a lot will depend on the house lay out.