Should I go pellet or gas?

[sksmass]

I want to utilize an existing basement fireplace by putting in a new insert. I have the opportunity to either go with a pellet insert or go with a natural gas insert.

My main heating source is natural gas hot water baseboard supplemented by a Woodstock Soapstone woodstove on the main floor.

I've been reading these boards and I hear about the hassles of cleaning pellet stoves. But at the same time a unit like the Quad Mt Vernon produces a lot of heat. And I like the idea of a 3rd source of heat (multiple redundancy with gas/wood/pellet).

On the other hand, natural gas inserts seem pretty low-maintainence and there is no hassle with storing and loading solid fuel. They also seem less expensive (for the unit anyway). But they don't seem to throw as much heat.

Advice would be much appreciated.

 

[rickwai]

pellet insert is going to require cleaning, hauling pellets, dust ect. If you are thinking about a pelllet stove be prepared for the weekly maintance. Another concideration is fuel cost. Natural gas in OH is the cheapest to heat with and price should stay down due to a abundant supply. I wish I had NG!!

 

[briansol]

What do you use the basement for? is it finished?

is your gas line plumed in from the street, or is it tank/delivered?

pellet stoves are space heaters. if you're looking to do more than 'heat the basement while you're in it' you may be disappointed.

 

[moey]

If it were me I would add another zone off the boiler for the basement and go with a gas insert. You already have another source of heat in your woodstove should you need it. If I had a relatively inexpensive form of heating I would rarely use my pellet stove. Why? Because it requires some effort cleaning dumping pellets etc.., you can turn up a thermostat with a reaching broom.

 

[Sir_Lancelot]

I have a forced air electric furnace with an ECM motor that costs a fortune to run. So instead of heating my house with it, I have a pellet stove in my finished basement and a woodstove upstairs. Although they keep my place nice and warm, if I ever had the opportunity to install natural gas, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to install a high efficiency natural gas furnace. Some people may not mind the work involved with a pellet or wood stove, but I can think of things that I'd rather be doing with my time instead. Also, I don't know what the insurance companies are like in your area, but in mine it's a pain to find a company that will even insure you if you have a pellet or woodstove. Even if you do find one, they charge you an extra premium on your policy. As such, you may want to check with your insurer as part of your decision making process (probably not an issue considering you already have a wood stove). Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[JoeS]

If I had it to do over again I would go with NG.

 

[imacman]

If you can find out what the average price of pellets are in your area, and the price of the NG, plug them into this calculator and you have a pretty good idea which is cheaper to BURN.

Then, take into consideration the time involved in maintaining the pellet stove (going to get the pellets, carrying them around, cleaning the stove, etc), vs no real maint. for the NG stove.

(broken link removed to http://pelletheat.org/pellets/compare-fuel-costs/)

 

[Ironhorse74]

I rep both gas hearth products and pellet products. In my humble opinion, pellet products are for people who do not have natural gas. Cost of operation and maintenance is much less for gas.

Peace

Brad

 

[jvanase]

pellet stoves are space heaters. if you're looking to do more than 'heat the basement while you're in it' you may be disappointed.

I've heated my entire house from the basement this year. I'm not disappointed in the least. But brian is right, results may vary.

 

[gfreek]

Wish I had that choice... Natural Gas....

 

[Mike D]

I'm not an expert, but don't forget that you can't run your pellet stove without electricity. Not sure if this will impact the gas stove - I believe you can run it without power, just the blower won't work.

 

[jtakeman]

Ease of use has to give gas an advantage. But like big oil, Will the price skyrocket once its number one? Options are good and having the ability to bounce between pellet-gas-wood has to be a plus?

 

[john193]

Natural gas.

 

[DexterDay]

If I had NG, I wouldn't even know what the heck Pellets were..

 

[sksmass]

Thanks for the opinions folks. The feedback seems pretty conclusive.
Overwhelming advice to go NG over pellet if starting from scratch.