wood or pellets

[dixie chick]

Hi - First timer here. I'm sure this question is very common but I have searched a few times and cant find the answers so here goes.
I was thinking that pellet stoves were a good idea but then local dealers are telling me that they can not keep them in stock. Sales have quadrupled this year they say. Now I am thinking that wood is the better route. You can always get wood and since there is no real processing the cost should not skyrocket. It seems that creating a dependency on pellets is not too different from oil. Pellets are a byproduct of other construction, right? Or has this changed since my husband sold them 10 years ago. My fear is that I buy a pellet stove for $4,000 and then face $10 bags of pellets (if I can find them at all)in a couple of years. Here are my questions:

What is the consensus on the future availability of pellets to meet the demand?

The guy in the stove dealership said that people are not happy with stoves anymore due to the new EPA standards? the catalytic converter? please help. I did not want to look stupid.

I would rather have the wood insert or the pellet insert (if I go that route). The dealer also said that if you go with wood you have to get the chimney cleaned much more often. Is this more expensive than the standard chimney sweep service? Do they have to pull the unit out?

The dealer also does not install wood stoves but does install pellet stoves. If I go with the wood insert, who do you get to put it in - do chimney sweeps do this?

Thanks for any advice. I am leaning towards wood but the one dealer that took the most time to talk to me is very pro-pellets. Is this because he is right or because he will sell me the pellets all year also?
I am from the Southern Va and not used to stoves (or oil)

Thanks

 

[jtp10181]

The choice between pellets or wood is a lifestyle choice more than anything.

People are MORE happy with stoves now due to EPA regs. It forces stoves to meet certain efficiency regulations, which helps consumers burn less wood for the same heat output.

For wood stoves you should clean the chimney just as often as a pellet stoves. It should be inspected / cleaned once a year. If people find themselves needing to clean a wood chimney more often than that they are either not using a modern stove, or not burning good wood. If the wood stove is fully lined to the top they wont have to pull it to sweep the chimney.

Yes, often times sweeps install wood inserts.

There could be many reasons why the dealer wants you to buy a pellet unit. Maybe he just likes them better personally. Maybe he makes more money off them. Maybe he hopes to sell you pellets for life after the sale. Maybe he has bad views/information about wood stoves so he thinks he is doing people a service by steering them away from wood.

 

[trailblaster]

Sounds like he only deals with pellet stoves. As for the new EPA standards, stoves work better IMO. There is a new high demand for the pellet stoves due to the price of heating oil and propane so the demand for pellets will increase likewise. My chimney sweep cleaned my chimney and dropped down and capped my liner for me for around $150 and even stuffed insulation around the top and I did the rest. Where in Nh are you. I got my stove,liner and supplies for my wood stove insert in Hooksett and they gave me a great price and were very helpful. They were more interested in educating me with whats best for my situation than what they had in stock to sell me.

 

[savageactor7]

From what I've read here there's no shortage of good deals on buying wood in NH. So if I lived there I'd be getting a wood stove. Now if you buy pellets at the right time...like right now there are less expensive but plan on going through a ton (a pallet load) a month. Also it helps to know the sq footage of your house...does it already have a chimney, is it centrally located.

I agree with your thoughts on the unstable price of pellets..right now the house construction industry has cratered so there is less by product to make into pellets...so what so all the pellet stove owners do?

 

[Todd]

I vote wood. That salesman is definitely bias towards pellet stoves. Dry wood plus EPA stove equals very little creosote. Probably makes alot more money on them than wood stoves. I also for see a high demand for pellets this year causing a shortage and price hike. Didn't we have a shortage a couple years ago? 5-6 years ago pellets around here were $150 per ton, now they are $200 or more. Yes, pellet stoves can be convenient, but so is gas and oil. If you really want to save money on heating go with wood.

 

[fossil]

...You can always get wood and since there is no real processing the cost should not skyrocket.

Wow, a multi-part question. At the first go-round, you might get more questions back than solid, satisfying answers, so just stick with the folks here and don't run out and do anything until you feel you've got your head wrapped sufficiently around the options. You're likely to get questions like: "What's the square footage and the configuration of the living space you want to heat?", "Are you looking to heat exclusively with wood (or a wood product), or just as supplemental?", "If wood's gonna be primary, what's the backup?", "How much time & effort are you willing to put into the overall process?"...stuff like that. To address the one statement I pirated from your original post, firewood for a woodstove actually takes a great deal of processing...it just isn't as "industrial" as the production of pellets. Firewood comes from trees, of course, and those trees have to be felled, limbed, bucked, split, transported, maybe split again, maybe transported again, and then stacked to season, then maybe split again, then taken to the stove and burned. Then the ashes have to be removed from time to time. That's a lot of processing. The cost of firewood is already increasing, as the cost of the fuel involved in all of that effort really has skyrocketed, and as more and more people seem to be looking at wood heat as an economical alternative to the costs of other energy sources. Demand is increasing, cost of production is increasing, so end user cost is increasing. Tell us more about your situation, Dixie. And welcome to the forum! Rick

 

[Wet1]

I think the more fundamental question is what actually works for you??? Are you a person who is around to tend to a wood stove throughout the day/night or are you away from the house frequently? Are you willing to do the work associated with wood burning? Can you cut, split, and stack your own wood or will you have to rely on others for this? Are you okay with keeping the stockpiles in proper rotation for seasoning and having to wait a year or two for the wood to become seasoned? Are you okay with going out to grab wood on a daily/nightly basis? Tending to the ash? What about the bugs and dirt that gets brought in with it?

It really boils down to what works for you and your lifestyle. I've done both for a long time now. Burning wood is great if you're okay with the commitment and effort it takes or if you can get the wood for next to nothing (plus still be willing to do the work of maintaining a wood stove). The thing about wood burning is it has to become a part of your lifestyle. Some people are okay with this, some nut cases (like many of us) actually enjoy it, but it's certainly not for everyone. OTOH, pellets are much less work and are much simpler. With a good pellet stove (such as a Harman), you can pretty much just through a bag or two in the stove every day and clean it once a week or so. The pellets can be stored indoors (garage or basement) and are so much easier to handle and are generally much cleaner as well. There is hardly any ash and what ash is produced is contained in a nice ash drawer so all you have to do is dump it once or twice a month. There's also generally less build up within the flew. You can get them with auto start, have them hooked up to a thermostat, and even battery back up if power outages are a concern (although wood stoves have the advantage of generally not needing electricity). Have to leave town for a day or two, no problem with a pellet stove. Overall they are much easier to live with and take a lot less work and commitment (IMO). Yes they are more work than oil, but they don't take the lifestyle & commitment wood burning takes.

I've had a pellet stove(s) since 2001 and I've never once had a single problem with getting pellets, and at a reasonable price at that. The secrete is to buy in the spring or early summer. I do believe there will be issues with getting pellets this winter and if you do have to buy then, expect them to be pricier, but again the secrete is buying early. It's also worth noting wood prices have and will likely continue to go up as well... I know it's a lot more difficult to get wood today than it was a year ago (and the price reflects it), and it's probably going to get tighter in the future in most areas. Finding truly seasoned wood today isn't easy either, so keep that in mind for this year if you do decide to go with wood. OTOH, I can get wood for next to nothing, but after 20 years of dealing with cutting, splitting, stacking, seasoning, rotating, plus the dirt, bugs, and PITA of having to go out a get it every night (never mind having to tend to the fire day and night), I'd rather pay for pellets and be able to enjoy the easier living through pellets.

Since this is the wood burning sub-forum, I'm sure the vast majority will push towards wood burning, and I certainly wouldn't rule it out, but just make sure you realize it's not as simple as just lighting a fire and walking away from it...


BTW, sorry about any grammar or spelling errors, I'm tired and don't feel like rereading my own diarrhea. ;-)

 

[dixie chick]

Wow - I wasnt expecting such fast replies. I was watching the Celtics.
The stove will be supplemental to oil. I have a 2 story 2400 sq ft home near the coast in NH. If I can heat the ground floor with a stove I am guessing that I will cut my oil use well over 50% and should pay for the stove witht he savings in 2 years.
I have a chimney and it does face an outside wall. I called today and seasoned wood is 250/cord

Another question - do all pellet stoves need electricity to run?

Thanks
DC

 

[Wet1]

Another question - do all pellet stoves need electricity to run?

Thanks
DC

Yes.

 

[fossil]

If you put the stove (of whatever flavor you choose) on the first floor, the benefits of having it there are going to naturally migrate (however quickly or slowly depends on a lot of things about just how your house is configured) to the upper floor. Your choices are myriad...wood or pellet?, freestanding, hearth, or insert? Spend some time exploring all the resources here on the website outside this discussion forum, and all over the internet, and see what appeals to you. Ask more questions. Have fun! Rick

EDIT: Lots of folks from NH here, maybe some will weigh in with their personal experiences.

 

[Dix]

Dix ( I love that name, I have a mare named Dixie ), I don't have much to offer on the pellet thing, but I'll add my 2 cents with these guys know what they're talking about.

They won't steer you wrong.

 

[mjbrown]

hi dix,
i just wanted to add...i grew up on wood heat, nothing in the world like it. i myself have burned wood in my home for the past 12 years. i even got the wife so she would tend the stove when i was at work.

last year, i opted to go pellet as i have to do all the back work myself...by back work i mean MY back, and it is getting tired.i didnt mind the work, i got tired of the mess.my pellet stove is great, i pour the bag in the hopper and throw the bag away, and the wife doesnt get mad because she just vacuumed the floor.

i bought all the pellets i will need for the coming winter early (as in march) and they are put away and covered, but i still have my wood stove and if need be , i will go back to it before i pay the price of oil. as a matter of fact, i have a full barrel of oil that should last for the next 5-10 yrs depending on how often i have to start the k1 heater for power outage...hopefully not at all if i can talk the wedding band into a generator. all joking aside , she is pretty good about it.

just my .02, good luck with your desicion(sp).


mike