The title says it all. This is to all those out there that are looking to buy a pellet stove but really don't know which stove is right for them, or what is involved in owning one. The very first stove we purchased was an Englander pellet stove that we bought for around $1000 new. It was our very first introduction to pellet burning and it was almost the end of our pellet burning due to a number of issues with the stove. The first being maintenance. Going into this I did all my research and was aware of the maintenance requirements, what I was not aware of was just how hard it was to clean the ash trap located at the back of the stove. Maintenance was always a nightmare on this stove, having to shut it down daily to clean the ash trap for which there is little if any way to get in there. After a year that stove went and we replaced it with a Vista Flame VF100. We ran this stove for a good number of years and it served us well. Maintenance was much easier, but last winter we had to use some oil due to it not quite being able to keep up. This year we bought a Harman P61A and the extra BTU's should keep the oil man away, even if the polar vortex returns. The P61A is about as easy to maintain as it gets, very user friendly in that area. Now I don't want this turning into a brand war, this is just my experience.
So there you are at the stove dealer on this cool fall day trying to decide which pellet stove to get. You look at all the different brands and models, and finally find the one that you think looks the best. Here is where you need to stop and do some research. The first thing to find out is how much maintenance you are willing to do. Some models have really small ash pans and may require dumping them once or twice a week, while others have huge ash pan that go for a much longer period of time before dumping. Does the stove need to be totally shut down to clean the burn pot? Some do, and some don't. How does the heat exchanger get cleaned? Is it easy to do such as just pulling on the cleaning rod, or do you have to take the stove apart to get to it. A good resource to answer these questions are the dealer as well as the owners manual, most manuals are available for free downloads online. Read and understand the manual before you buy.
Another frequent concern is what size to get. Heating appliance output is measured in something called a Btu, or British Thermal Unit. A Btu is the amount of energy that is required to heat or cool 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. Getting a stove that puts out more than what is needed is OK as these stoves can vary their output by quite a bit. For example the P61A can put out as little as 8000 Btu's/hr or as much as 61000 Btu's/hr. Most pellet stoves have similar low burn rates. Another thing to consider is parts availability and the price of those parts. At some point the stove will break down, all brands will break down at some point. Parts availability is very important, and even the best dealers sometimes go out of business. If you have a great local dealer then support their business and buy your parts, or repairs thru them, this is what helps to keep them going. If you don't have a local dealer nearby then you can always order parts online. It may be good practice to keep a few spare parts around, things like ignitors tend to burn out on the coldest day of the year, and usually on a holiday. I wouldn't bother to stock expensive parts like blowers and the like, but I would at least have a spare ignitor on hand, or at least know how to start your stove manually.
So you've finally found that perfect stove for your home and can't wait to see it burning in your home. Do you install it yourself, or have your dealer install it for you. Well the answer to that question is really how mechanically inclined you are. If you can't use a hammer without ending up in the emergency room then let the dealer install it. If you can't follow the install instructions to the letter, let the dealer install. If you tend to take shortcuts or kludge things together, then let the dealer install it, we are after all talking about having a fire burning in your home, often unattended, when it comes to fire in your home, there are no shortcuts, period. If you are pretty handy and can install it to the exact specifications of the manufacturer then go for it. If you do install it yourself have your local fire dept come give your install the thumbs up, most fire departments don't charge for this. Also let your homeowners insurance know that you have installed a pellet stove, some care, some don't. I know mine wanted photos of the install as well a copy of the install manual.
Fuel availability for pellets is not like oil or natural gas, and I don't recommend that you buy as you go. Some years you can buy as you go, but last year this did not work out so well as there were shortages. The smartest bet is to buy what you think you are gonna need for the season and buy it early. Last year pellets went as fast as they came in, I watched one place sell out of 200 tons in about an hour. Trust me, buy your pellets in the spring as you will be sure to have what you need and often times you get a better price. Now I know that not everyone has enough space to store a whole seasons worth of pellets, I know I don't. Here is what I do. I usually go thru 3-4 tons per heating season but I only have room for 2 tons. I get my 2 tons stored and then I buy the rest as I go and I don't touch my stored pellets until the end of February. If there are shortages I have enough on hand to last me until I can locate more.
So hopefully this has helped to shed some light on what stove is right for you, and given you a few things to consider while out shopping for a pellet stove. Probably the most important advice I can offer is this. Don't rush into buying a stove, and don't buy the cheapest stove you can find. While we all love to save money, and that big box store stove seems like it might be the best buy, do your homework on it first. You may just find that all that money you saved didn't save you anything as you now need a new stove because that cheap one was just to much of a pain to deal with. If all you can afford this year is the cheapest thing out there, you may be better off waiting till next year and save up some more money to get the stove that's right for you. Of course this doesn't mean that you should buy the most expensive stove out there either, as with most things we buy there is a happy medium. There's a saying, "It's a stingy man that pays the most". Hope this is helpful to those shopping for their first pellet stove. Happy burning!
So there you are at the stove dealer on this cool fall day trying to decide which pellet stove to get. You look at all the different brands and models, and finally find the one that you think looks the best. Here is where you need to stop and do some research. The first thing to find out is how much maintenance you are willing to do. Some models have really small ash pans and may require dumping them once or twice a week, while others have huge ash pan that go for a much longer period of time before dumping. Does the stove need to be totally shut down to clean the burn pot? Some do, and some don't. How does the heat exchanger get cleaned? Is it easy to do such as just pulling on the cleaning rod, or do you have to take the stove apart to get to it. A good resource to answer these questions are the dealer as well as the owners manual, most manuals are available for free downloads online. Read and understand the manual before you buy.
Another frequent concern is what size to get. Heating appliance output is measured in something called a Btu, or British Thermal Unit. A Btu is the amount of energy that is required to heat or cool 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. Getting a stove that puts out more than what is needed is OK as these stoves can vary their output by quite a bit. For example the P61A can put out as little as 8000 Btu's/hr or as much as 61000 Btu's/hr. Most pellet stoves have similar low burn rates. Another thing to consider is parts availability and the price of those parts. At some point the stove will break down, all brands will break down at some point. Parts availability is very important, and even the best dealers sometimes go out of business. If you have a great local dealer then support their business and buy your parts, or repairs thru them, this is what helps to keep them going. If you don't have a local dealer nearby then you can always order parts online. It may be good practice to keep a few spare parts around, things like ignitors tend to burn out on the coldest day of the year, and usually on a holiday. I wouldn't bother to stock expensive parts like blowers and the like, but I would at least have a spare ignitor on hand, or at least know how to start your stove manually.
So you've finally found that perfect stove for your home and can't wait to see it burning in your home. Do you install it yourself, or have your dealer install it for you. Well the answer to that question is really how mechanically inclined you are. If you can't use a hammer without ending up in the emergency room then let the dealer install it. If you can't follow the install instructions to the letter, let the dealer install. If you tend to take shortcuts or kludge things together, then let the dealer install it, we are after all talking about having a fire burning in your home, often unattended, when it comes to fire in your home, there are no shortcuts, period. If you are pretty handy and can install it to the exact specifications of the manufacturer then go for it. If you do install it yourself have your local fire dept come give your install the thumbs up, most fire departments don't charge for this. Also let your homeowners insurance know that you have installed a pellet stove, some care, some don't. I know mine wanted photos of the install as well a copy of the install manual.
Fuel availability for pellets is not like oil or natural gas, and I don't recommend that you buy as you go. Some years you can buy as you go, but last year this did not work out so well as there were shortages. The smartest bet is to buy what you think you are gonna need for the season and buy it early. Last year pellets went as fast as they came in, I watched one place sell out of 200 tons in about an hour. Trust me, buy your pellets in the spring as you will be sure to have what you need and often times you get a better price. Now I know that not everyone has enough space to store a whole seasons worth of pellets, I know I don't. Here is what I do. I usually go thru 3-4 tons per heating season but I only have room for 2 tons. I get my 2 tons stored and then I buy the rest as I go and I don't touch my stored pellets until the end of February. If there are shortages I have enough on hand to last me until I can locate more.
So hopefully this has helped to shed some light on what stove is right for you, and given you a few things to consider while out shopping for a pellet stove. Probably the most important advice I can offer is this. Don't rush into buying a stove, and don't buy the cheapest stove you can find. While we all love to save money, and that big box store stove seems like it might be the best buy, do your homework on it first. You may just find that all that money you saved didn't save you anything as you now need a new stove because that cheap one was just to much of a pain to deal with. If all you can afford this year is the cheapest thing out there, you may be better off waiting till next year and save up some more money to get the stove that's right for you. Of course this doesn't mean that you should buy the most expensive stove out there either, as with most things we buy there is a happy medium. There's a saying, "It's a stingy man that pays the most". Hope this is helpful to those shopping for their first pellet stove. Happy burning!
