|
|
Pellet Stove
Heating
with pellet burning stoves has increased in popularity over recent
years as environmental concerns regarding global warming top the
headlines and the political debates. With the consumption and misuse of
fossil fuels, we are seeing drastic changes in our atmosphere that will
affect us in our lifetime. Alternative methods of power, heating and
cooling, and water management are increasing consumers awareness of
this global crisis. Pellet stoves and biomass fuels have been used in
Europe for decades.
The concept of burning wood pellets continuously in your home as a
primary heat source is a relatively new idea in North America. The fact
is... with natural gas and oil prices on the rise and electricity
shortages becoming increasingly common, consumers are looking for an
inexpensive and reliable form of heat. Let’s face it- fuel
prices are not expected to fall in our favour any time soon!
How do pellet stoves work?
A pellet stove is designed in such a way that requires little daily
work. Unlike wood stoves, pellets made from sawdust and ground wood
chips are stored in a hopper bin within the unit and are continuously
fed into a fire chamber via an auger. Some augers do require
electricity for power so check with each manufacturer.
It is important that:
1 - proper venting procedures be followed to prevent combustion
byproducts from entering your home,
2 - to prevent condensation of water within the heating unit, vents, or
homes structure, and
3 - to provide enough fresh air to the heating appliance to counter
combustion air.
There is a thermostat on the pellet stove so you can control the speed
at which the auger moves the pellets into the fire chamber for burning.
This sure beats the wood burning stoves that require you to fill the
fireplace with logs regularly making the temperature more difficult to
regulate. The wood pellets are sold in bags that are simply put into
the hopper and stored there for your use, and because the wood pellets
offer a clean burn they do not leave large amounts of ashes like wood
burning stoves. Maintaining a pellet stove is quite simple- just fill
pellets when the hopper is low and set the temperature according to
your desired home temperature and climate. For those that are
purchasing a pellet stove to supplement a larger heat source like
a furnace, it is an economical and reliable heating
alternative.
Pellets are inexpensive to manufacture because they are made from
sawdust and wood chips which are readily available waste products of
lumbar yards, lumbar mills and wood furniture processing. Bags of
pellets weight approximately 40 pounds or can be sold by the ton( 50
bags at 40 lbs. each). You can also purchase pellets by the skid, which
contains approximately 60 bags. One bag of pellets weighing 40 lbs.
costs anywhere from $2.25- $4.00 depending on the brand. Typically one
bag will heat 1500 square feet of space for approximately 24 hours.
Ultimately this is dependent on the overall home efficiency and stove
settings.
The size of firebox in your pellet burning stove will also make a
difference in the amount of fuel needed to heat the space. A larger
firebox will burn more pellets faster than a smaller pellet stove.
Smaller pellet stoves may be more suitable for homes that have a
central heating system like a forced air furnace.
These can be placed strategically in your home to provide zone heating.
Zone heat is usually needed in a living room or family area where you
spend the most of your time. Pellet stoves are a great supplement for
central heat at an inexpensive alternative.
When choosing a pellet burning stove it is important to consider the
following:
- size of your home( square footage)
- kind of flooring
- wall insulation, airtight windows and
doors
- kinds of windows
- comfort temperature( where
you’d like to keep your thermostat)
Pellet Stove Pros:
- pellets provide a clean burn because
they are made of lumbar sawdust.
- burning pellets provides heat without
the harmful emissions.
- pellet stoves can be vented out of the
exterior wall of your home and do not
require a chimney
installation.
- the auger that transports the pellets
through the system and the blowers that
provide adequate circulation of air
both require electricity therefore heating your
home during a power outage could be a problem.
Generators can be used for
power to your pellet stove in a pinch.
- pellet stoves offer between 8,000 and
90,000 BTU’s of heat per hour. Generally
30,000 BTU’s will
effectively heat a 1,000 square foot area.
Some manufacturers of pellet stoves are: Breckwell, Lennox, Osburn,
Whitfield, Monessen, Napoleon, Harman.
|
|
