A buyer’s guide to pellet heating stove

What is a Pellet Heating Stove?
A pellet heating stove is a stove that burns wood pellets rather than wood or coal. Pellets are small, dense and heat very well. Pellets come from a number of sources including sawmills and corn produce. Since they burn pellets, the stoves are smaller in size and as such lighter and easier to install. This saves you time and energy in either cutting your own logs or buying, transporting and storing them
Pellet Stove Designs
Pellet stoves come in a number of designs, the basic classic models and the more modern styles, usually using Nordic simplicity. In both cases, it is advised to make sure you have a big glass viewing screen and add to it some ceramic logs so that you get the full flame effect.
There are also two types of feeders, top and bottom. The top feeder type requires feeding the pellets from the top. You should use high grade low ash pellets since the ash can clog up the combustion chamber. The bottom feeder can use lower grade pellets but they are less burn efficient than the top loader. So, choosing a type is really all about budget, not just purchasing but monthly costs.
How does it work?
Pellet stoves are powered by electricity, they have an internal fan that blows the hot air from inside the stove into the room. So, it is advisable to place your stove near an electricity outlet and have it positioned to blow air in the most efficient way into your room.
Maintenance
Pellet stoves are high maintenance since they are complex in design with lots of moving parts. Proper care and treatment should be maintained in order to ensure a long breakdown fee cycle and you must make sure that you have easy access to the various openings of the unit.
Automatic vs Hand
If you prefer a cheaper model you might consider a manually adjustable unit, on the other hand, if you just want to witch on and enjoy then getting a fully automated one with electronic control, self-adjustment and even air wash systems can provide you with a more hands-off approach. Remember, you will still have to perform a once a week maintenance check.
Where to buy?
A freestanding stove can range between $2,000 and above depending on the brand and size of the unit. Installations fees depend from whom you buy but they can be around $300 up to $500. Another factor to gauge is where do you get your pellets from and how much do they cost. Sometimes the incentives and promotions for buying a pellet heater will overshadow the price of the pellets, so make sure you know exactly how much they will cost and how easy it will be to buy them.