Switching from wood to pellets.

[Edsson]

I am picking up a new Quad E2 today to replace the old Hearthstone I that I burned for 30 years. Woodstove in the basement is shot, putting the pellet stove in the living room on the hearth that the woodstove was supposed to be on. woodstove was too hot for the living room, moved it to the basement and it was awesome for 30 years. Am I doing the right thing by switching to pellets vs buying a new wood stove.

 

[drz1050]

Well, pellets are generally easier.. guess it all depends on what you want.

Ya can't really scrounge pellets from the woods behind your house, and they need power to run.

 

[Michael6268]

I would have bought a smaller woodstove. IMO both require work. Hauling wood or hauling pellets.
Pellet stove requires cleaning from weekly to several times a week depending on stove. Maintenance and break downs factor into pellet stoves. Wood stove not usually. Right now pellet prices are more than oil in most cases. Wood is cheaper or free if you have access to.
Wood stove doesnt require electricity. A small wood stove would be substantially cheaper to purchase and run/fuel.

 

[Husky]

I made the switch last year after burning wood for 20+ years. It really all depends on the reasons you want to switch. For me, my free access to wood dried up and I was buying wood for the last 8 years. The cost is about the same when I look at what I pay for pellets vs what I was paying for wood. I have to admit it is much easier dealing with pellets than it was with wood. Wood I figured I touched a minimum of 4 time before I burned it and it always made a mess. Pellets, I order they deliver and put them in my garage right where I want them and I am done until I burn them. I don't need 2 years ahead, so the space they take up in minimal. There is a little more general maintenance but with the Harman it is only a weekly scrape and every 1.5 tons a chimney sweep. I am happy and will never look back.

 

[bogieb]

Need a whole lot more of your story before advising on pellets versus wood. However, you are doing the right thing by placing the pellet stove on your main floor .

Pellets are less messy and easier to deal with in general. I don't miss having to fill the wood rack on the deck every 7-10 days - bringing it from the woodshed 100' away in the middle of snow/ice storms that is for sure. Nor do I miss filling the wood rack in the living room every two days. Also don't miss the weekends I spent stacking wood after the EX split it. Certainly don't miss the creepy/crawlies that came in with the wood and would crawl/fly around in the house after waking up from their slumber in the stacked wood . And, don't have the room at my place to store 2 season's worth of wood.

Pellets are more expensive (if you get wood for free), but living where I do now, I would have to pay for wood anyway, so it is probably a wash.