Old school wood burner.

[Erdco]

Hi everyone.

I am new to the pellet stove world, never thought I'd own one.

I grew up in the sticks and we always burned firewood for heat, it wasn't till I got married and bought a house that I didn't have wood heat,

Our house has a heat pump, it works but I'm not a huge fan of them.

Years ago I wanted to install a wood stove but the wife was dead set against it.

I recently had a 24x30 metal workshop built, I insulated it and purchased a good used Earth Stove and pipe.

I just hooked it all up a couple weeks ago and have ran it twice just for test runs.

Well the other day I made a good score, I was at my local farm supply store and noticed a couple pellet stoves sitting on the back dock, so I asked the manager what the story with them was.

They were brand new US Stove 5502M's, mice had built a nest in both, the were going to dispose of them.

I got them both for $20 each, got them home, still on the back of the truck, opened the back of one, cleaned out the mess, repaired one of the igniter wires, replaced the 3' vacuum hose and cleaned out the auger.

I plugged it up after feeding it what I has which is horse stall pellets, the ting runs great, I was very pleased with my good fortune.

The second one only required the same vacuum hose replaced and clean out of the former mice bed.

It also ran great, I ran each one about 4 hours, I also tried mixing crushed corn with pellets on one, it seemed to run allot better with that mix.

I know already that these type of pellets would most likely be a recommended fuel source but it's what I had.

I have been looking for info on these stoves and picked up a few mod tips from posts here.

Can anyone here that has run, or runs one of these give me any tips or general satisfaction using a pellet stove versus a wood/coal stove?

I did like the fact that it was a hell of allot easier to start than the wood stove, kindling and all.

 

[articcatbill]

We burned wood for 20 years, we always enjoyed the hot dry heat from wood. So when our flue liner had cracks it was either replace it or go pellet I was thinking it wasn't going to be long and I didn't want to be doing wood, we went pellet. Still get the hot dry heat. We also like heating the basement area since it keeps the floors warm and then the house feels much warmer. I have a Harman P68 in our basement.

I typically figured 6-8 cords of wood a year when heating with wood. The coldest winter I burned as high as 10. That included burning some wood in the fireplace. So I would guess in most winters I was running 6-7 cords through my wood stove for heat.

I am looking at using about 4-5 tons of pellets this year. There are definitely some efficiency gains in the pellets as far as regulating the heat with pellets. With wood for instance on a 40 degree day the house would get to warm. With pellets I simply turn it down or off. My Harman is in our basement so I run it in stove mode almost exclusively. So I am not wasting heat/wood by trying to keep a wood fire burning on a warmer day.

On the other hand during shoulder season I am much more likely to just turn on the pellet stove on a cool evening than I was to build a fire in the wood stove. Ours did not draft well and it required some patience to get it fired up without smoking out the house, this also caused me to keep it burning when maybe I didn't need it. So I think that I used the pellet stove a bit more then and honestly love that feature of the stove. Walk down, turn it on, a few minutes later heat, no fuss, no smoke, no time at all I have heat.

So for what it is worth I went from using typically 6-7 cords of wood to about 4-5 tons of pellets maybe a bit more depending on the season.

 

[articcatbill]

Also should have mentioned the heat is definitely not as intense as the heat off a wood stove. But it is more consistent. So it burns all night evenly, unlike a wood stove that is down to coals in the morning. So a more consistent heat but not as an intense heat when you need it.

 

[tlc1976]

Sounds like a good score.

Firewood vs pellets, both have their pros and cons. My take on it:

Cost - more with pellets, between parts that could fail, and considering I had a nearly free source of firewood. Still way cheaper than gas for me.

Heat - pellets give more even and predictable heat, can run more consistently unattended, easier to start and stop. But output is more limited by the range of your stove.

Maintenance - about the same, but with pellets the chimney is smaller and easier to clean.

Cleanliness - much cleaner with pellets, not bringing bugs and junk into the house.

Storage - easier with wood, just stack it outside and cover it with a tarp. Pellets absolutely need to stay dry, pretty much need a garage or shed.

Handling - one thing I recently learned. Pellets I'm stuck with 40 lb bags I couldn't lift after surgery. Wood I could have carried a piece or two at a time. Wood was a lot of work a couple weekends a year, but stacking 3 tons of pellets is no picnic either.

Power failure - woodstove doesn't care. Pellet stoves require a backup power source.

So even though I prefer the pellets, sometimes I do miss the wood. Especially a couple weekends ago when my backup generator didn't start. I considered going with wood if it was just me, but the gal I was with at the time was dead set against a woodstove too.

 

[Erdco]

I know we use to burn 6 cords of wood per winter, it runs $45 a cord here usually and no tax.

I have a small hydraulic splitter that I use, it makes it easy but I also have back issues.

I haven't priced the pellets your supposed to use in these yet.

The ease of startup does seem like a big plus and I have a couple generators so power outages aren't a big concern.

 

[mikkeeh]

Sounds like a good score.

Firewood vs pellets, both have their pros and cons. My take on it:

Cost - more with pellets, between parts that could fail, and considering I had a nearly free source of firewood. Still way cheaper than gas for me.


Handling - one thing I recently learned. Pellets I'm stuck with 40 lb bags I couldn't lift after surgery. Wood I could have carried a piece or two at a time. Wood was a lot of work a couple weekends a year, but stacking 3 tons of pellets is no picnic either.

.

Ran into the same situation a couple years ago. Bought a big plastic tub at the feed store. Had someone empty 4 bags into the tub. I fed the pellet stove with a grain scoop. Worked pretty well.

 

[tlc1976]

Ran into the same situation a couple years ago. Bought a big plastic tub at the feed store. Had someone empty 4 bags into the tub. I fed the pellet stove with a grain scoop. Worked pretty well.

My mom ended up hauling the bags from the pole barn into the house. Then I would load the stove with a scoop.

 

[Connecticut Yankee]

Sounds like a good score.

. . . Pellets I'm stuck with 40 lb bags I couldn't lift after surgery. . . .

I hope that's only a temporary problem. I have a bum shoulder that would make chopping and splitting wood a real problem, but I can manage the 40 lb. bags of pellets, thank God.

 

[tlc1976]

Thankfully it was temporary, about 2 months. I'm healed up and I have my strength back.

 

[Connecticut Yankee]

Glad to hear it. Stay strong. And warm!

 

[velvetfoot]

$45 a cord???
Is that a full cord (4x4x8)?

 

[Erdco]

I meant $45 a rick.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Hi everyone.

I am new to the pellet stove world, never thought I'd own one.

I grew up in the sticks and we always burned firewood for heat, it wasn't till I got married and bought a house that I didn't have wood heat,

Our house has a heat pump, it works but I'm not a huge fan of them.

Years ago I wanted to install a wood stove but the wife was dead set against it.

I recently had a 24x30 metal workshop built, I insulated it and purchased a good used Earth Stove and pipe.

I just hooked it all up a couple weeks ago and have ran it twice just for test runs.

Well the other day I made a good score, I was at my local farm supply store and noticed a couple pellet stoves sitting on the back dock, so I asked the manager what the story with them was.

They were brand new US Stove 5502M's, mice had built a nest in both, the were going to dispose of them.

I got them both for $20 each, got them home, still on the back of the truck, opened the back of one, cleaned out the mess, repaired one of the igniter wires, replaced the 3' vacuum hose and cleaned out the auger.

I plugged it up after feeding it what I has which is horse stall pellets, the ting runs great, I was very pleased with my good fortune.

The second one only required the same vacuum hose replaced and clean out of the former mice bed.

It also ran great, I ran each one about 4 hours, I also tried mixing crushed corn with pellets on one, it seemed to run allot better with that mix.

I know already that these type of pellets would most likely be a recommended fuel source but it's what I had.

I have been looking for info on these stoves and picked up a few mod tips from posts here.

Can anyone here that has run, or runs one of these give me any tips or general satisfaction using a pellet stove versus a wood/coal stove?

I did like the fact that it was a hell of allot easier to start than the wood stove, kindling and all.

Maybe try a different wife?