You have come in the order of ideas to buy a pellet stove to heat your home and save on the expensive gas bill. A wise choice, but now comes the doubt: which model to choose? What power? What kind of system? They are not new questions because the risk is to make a wrong choice and buy a stove, or too big for your home, or insufficient to heat it. And then, once taken and installed, you do not go back. So here it is essential to immediately choose the right one and address the best pellet stove for our needs. But how can we identify it? Simple: reading our guide!
CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING THE BEST PELLET STOVE
To choose the best pellet stove, ie the most appropriate model for your needs, you must first know the volume to be heated. For example, considering a house of 90 square meters and a ceiling of 2.5 meters high, it can be deduced that the total volume to be heated is 200 cubic meters; in the case of this volume, a stove with a power of approximately 7 kW is sufficient. Based on the power required , then, you can make the choice of the model that, based on the technical characteristics and its cost , is the one best suited to our needs.
There are pellet stoves that can also heat rooms divided into several floors , such as houses or loft apartments. In this case, the so-called " canalized " stoves are indispensable that, through pipes , are able to bring the heat even on the different floors of the same house.
In this case the stove must always be installed on the lowest floor , to allow heat to rise spontaneously in the connecting pipes. These are more expensive models than normal stoves, but they have the undoubted advantage of avoiding the installation of a traditional heating system.
There are also boilers of the automatic or semi- automatic type on the market . In the first case, the boiler is totally autonomous and the pellet is automatically drawn from the storage (usually a silos connected to it) by means of a screw system whose operation is regulated by a special system connected to the plant. In the case of semi-automatic systems, the pellets must be loaded manually by the owner when the fuel tank is empty.
Both the domestic systems (the classic "stoves" to be kept in the living room) and the larger ones, capable of heating the whole house, can be semi-automatic. The autonomy of smaller size stoves, which require manual loading, generally goes from 15 to 45 hours and depends on both the quality of the fuel used and the size of the tank but, above all, on the system usage regime .
Other factors to take into account when buying the best pellet stove are the type of flue required, which is mandatory by law. At the time of installation it may therefore be necessary to prepare a special flue gas dispersion system or, in the case of an existing one (such as, for example, the chimney of a traditional wood-burning fireplace), it is possible to modify it to make it suitable. to the installed pellet plant. The ex novo flues must, in general, be made of stainless steel , have a diameter of twenty centimeters and protrude at least half a meter above the ridge of the roof.
BEST PELLET STOVE: THE IGNITION SYSTEM
Pellet stoves can be characterized by three different types of ignition . The less "technological" ones, that is to say manual starting , provide for the use of matches and a particular flammable liquid to start the combustion of the material. Some models, called " self-starting " or semi-automatic , can be started by simply pressing a button (on the stove, or remotely operated by a remote control); finally, there are completely automatic models that start with an adjustable thermostat according to the needs set by the user.
These thermostats can also be timed (so-called timer-thermostats ) and allow the heating system to be switched on and off according to user's hourly needs.
EXTERIOR FEATURES AND AESTHETICS
When the choice of a model falls on a stove to be kept in the living room, it is very important to evaluate the external characteristics and the compatibility of the model with the furniture already present in the home. Generally there are models suitable for all tastes: in fact, it goes from those that recall the old traditional stoves to models with more modern lines; the models that create more atmosphere present a glass that allows to observe from the outside the combustion in place and therefore to make the home environment warm and welcoming.
The most elegant versions of pellet stoves can also be finished in porcelain, terracotta, soapstone or other fine materials. But it is not said that aesthetics, although important, is the main element for choosing the best pellet stove.
COST OF A HEATING SYSTEM WITH PELLET STOVE
Also the cost is an important element in the choice of the best pellet stove for your home, as this system is purchased precisely on the basis of the savings it offers compared to gas.
The small plants with pellet stove called " living room " have a cost that generally ranges from 1500 to 4000 euros , and are able to develop a power that usually does not exceed 10 kW.
For larger systems, ie boilers capable of reaching 20 kW of power, more investments are needed, even higher than 10 thousand euros. In this case, it is necessary a suitable room in which to place the boiler and a sufficient space (inside or outside the building) to position an accumulation silos.
While until a few years ago the pellet was a decidedly cheap fuel, at the moment the price of pellets is quite high and those who decide to install a plant must carefully evaluate the future costs of managing it. Prices generally start at around € 4 for a 15-kilogram bag; this implies that, depending on the use, the time of depreciation of the investment in a pellet plant can exceed even five years.
To solve this problem, in our country technological research is progressing to make it possible to obtain pellets from raw materials other than wood and very abundant in Italy such as, for example, olive pits, shells of nuts, corn and seeds of oily plants. At the moment, in fact, a large part of the pellet consumed in Italy comes from abroad , and in particular from countries such as Romania, the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.
The decrease in imports would make it possible to obtain a short chain pellet , for which both the final cost and the carbon dioxide emissions due to transport would be reduced .
It is also important to consider the maintenance and any repairs required in future years. In general, these operations must be carried out by the same dealer, who is in possession of the specific spare parts or who is in direct contact with the manufacturer for the procurement of the same.
For this reason, at the time of purchase, it should be made sure that the seller also carries out the assistance service over time or has agreements with companies able to offer this service.
Finally, it is good to bear in mind that, together with the purchase of a pellet stove, an ashtray is also needed to remove combustion residues. Being in fact a very fine material, it is not possible to use a common vacuum cleaner, because this would be damaged. In general, the cleaning of a domestic stove should be done every two or three days , and the cost of this equipment starts at around fifty euros.
CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING THE BEST PELLET
Once you have purchased the best pellet stove that we could choose, to ensure proper operation it is necessary to choose the most suitable fuel. As mentioned earlier, it is essential to ascertain the origin of the product: in fact, the name of the producer and / or importer must appear on the packaging.
The pellet should contain as little ash as possible , to allow simple handling of the stove. Furthermore, the dimensions of the fuel should be compatible with those reported in the technical production specifications of the stove itself; in fact, it may happen that cylinders of too large dimensions go to clog the internal fuel transport systems. Also to prevent blockages or blockages, it is good that the fuel cylinders have a smooth and well-polished surface.
It is good to pay attention to the calorific value (expressed in MJoule / kg, kWh / kg or kcal / kg) of the material and to the content of substances such as chlorine , sulfur and nitrogen which, if in excessive quantities, can generate fumes not quite optimal for the health. Very important is that the fuel is certified by quality standards , which are assigned only to high quality products from an environmental and energy efficiency point of view. These standards also allow to go back to the entire production chain , and can be of different types:
Gold certificate , issued in Italy by the Italian Association of Agroforestal Energies;
Onorm certificate , based on Austrian legislation;
Din Plus certificate , based on the German legislation.
Important, in addition to consulting the label, it is also the visual examination of the product: in the bag should not be present chips and sawdust , which are indicators of a product not very compact, or characterized by excessive humidity; these characteristics are in fact to affect the caloric power. Always remember that the effort made to choose the best pellet stove could be thwarted by the wrong choice of its fuel.