# pellet stove vs. propane stove



## tony guthmuller (Jul 20, 2013)

Hoping you can help me out:  my wife and I are moving from the Binghamton NY area   to Clayton NY which is on the St. Lawrence.  The house has an oil-fired boiler, and we are going to install some other heat source, as oil is pretty expensive.  I had originally thought: pellet stove, but since power loss is not uncommon in winter up there, I would need a small inverter generator for backup, which would be acceptable.  But then I thought: maybe a large propane stove would be better since it would work, (at least without the fan) during power outages.  But my question is, would it be far more expensive to heat with a propane stove than a pellet stove?  Which would you recommend, and why?  I'd rather stay away from battery backup for the pellet stove, since power outages in that area can sometimes be lengthy.  Thanks a lot for your help.......tony


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## pen (Jul 20, 2013)

Is there natural gas hook-up in the community?


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## Stevekng (Jul 20, 2013)

tony guthmuller said:


> Hoping you can help me out: my wife and I are moving from the Binghamton NY area to Clayton NY which is on the St. Lawrence. The house has an oil-fired boiler, and we are going to install some other heat source, as oil is pretty expensive. I had originally thought: pellet stove, but since power loss is not uncommon in winter up there, I would need a small inverter generator for backup, which would be acceptable. But then I thought: maybe a large propane stove would be better since it would work, (at least without the fan) during power outages. But my question is, would it be far more expensive to heat with a propane stove than a pellet stove? Which would you recommend, and why? I'd rather stay away from battery backup for the pellet stove, since power outages in that area can sometimes be lengthy. Thanks a lot for your help.......tony


I researched gas stove a month ago, so I also might have another back up plan for a power loss.(I also have a Honda inverter generator) The bottom line... gas stoves don't come equipped with a blower unless you buy it as an expensive option. You would have to have a fairly open floor plan to heat without a fan. Next, the cost of a gas stove without a blower is equivalent to a pellet stove. Blower options will run $350+. If you do decide to go gas, the best way to go is with a Rinnai gas heater. The pilot isn't on all the time and the unit is much more efficient that a traditional style gas stove as well as having a room fan. Most fuel companies will sell and service the Rinnai. A whole house Rinnai would run about $2500 installed. The Rinnai is more contemporary in appearance, but is the best way to go. And there's no pellets to lug around or store.

By the way, my Honda generator will power my pellet stove , microwave and fridge for 8 hours on a gallon of gas. It's small, weather proof and runs about $1000 new.


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## tony guthmuller (Jul 20, 2013)

Stevekng said:


> I researched gas stove a month ago, so I also might have another back up plan for a power loss.(I also have a Honda inverter generator) The bottom line... gas stoves don't come equipped with a blower unless you buy it as an expensive option. You would have to have a fairly open floor plan to heat without a fan. Next, the cost of a gas stove without a blower is equivalent to a pellet stove. Blower options will run $350+. If you do decide to go gas, the best way to go is with a Rinnai gas heater. The pilot isn't on all the time and the unit is much more efficient that a traditional style gas stove as well as having a room fan. Most fuel companies will sell and service the Rinnai. A whole house Rinnai would run about $2500 installed. The Rinnai is more contemporary in appearance, but is the best way to go. And there's no pellets to lug around or store.
> 
> By the way, my Honda generator will power my pellet stove , microwave and fridge for 8 hours on a gallon of gas. It's small, weather proof and runs about $1000 new.


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## tony guthmuller (Jul 20, 2013)

no natural gas available......only propane.  I'm leaning heavily toward a good quality pellet stove.  Thanks.  tony


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## imacman (Jul 20, 2013)

Putting your wood pellet and propane costs into a calculator like this may change your thinking on Propane.

http://pelletheat.org/pellets/compare-fuel-costs/


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## tony guthmuller (Jul 20, 2013)

imacman said:


> Putting your wood pellet and propane costs into a calculator like this may change your thinking on Propane.
> 
> http://pelletheat.org/pellets/compare-fuel-costs/


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## tony guthmuller (Jul 20, 2013)

Wow.  Question answered.  Thank you,.   tony


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## moey (Jul 21, 2013)

They sell oil stoves too probably get a used one pretty cheap  Its possible its cheaper then propane.

Buy a generator and pellet stove.


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## Stevekng (Jul 21, 2013)

Try this calculator. It seems coal is the cheapest.

http://nepacrossroads.com/fuel-comparison-calculator.php


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## mepellet (Jul 21, 2013)

imacman said:


> Putting your wood pellet and propane costs into a calculator like this may change your thinking on Propane.
> 
> http://pelletheat.org/pellets/compare-fuel-costs/


Yup. Propane is more expensive than oil when comparing BTUs/$. At least around these parts.


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## Stevekng (Jul 22, 2013)

mepellet said:


> Yup. Propane is more expensive than oil when comparing BTUs/$. At least around these parts.


Any comments about coal?


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## mepellet (Jul 22, 2013)

Yes,  looks like coal is cheapest.  I was just pointing out that propane is more expensive than oil.  Many people see that the price per gallon of propane is much cheaper than oil.  But the BTU/gallon is not the same….   Of course appliance/equipment efficiencies also come into play.


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## Seasoned Oak (Jul 22, 2013)

mepellet said:


> Yes, looks like coal is cheapest. I was just pointing out that propane is more expensive than oil. Many people see that the price per gallon of propane is much cheaper than oil. But the BTU/gallon is not the same…. Of course appliance/equipment efficiencies also come into play.


Coal is less than $250 a ton around here. About $150. So Cost per Million BTUs would be around $6   I use between 3 and 5 ton a year to heat a leaky 3000SF 100Yr old house.


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## Stevekng (Jul 22, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> Coal is less than $250 a ton around here. About $150. So Cost per Million BTUs would be around $6 I use between 3 and 5 ton a year to heat a leaky 3000SF 100Yr old house.


 What about coal gas from an improperly burning coal stove? I hear the gas is deadly.


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## Seasoned Oak (Jul 22, 2013)

Stevekng said:


> What about coal gas from an improperly burning coal stove? I hear the gas is deadly.


About the same as an oil furnace or gas furnace malfunctioning. You need a carbon monoxide alarm for any of these stoves which i have. We had a few people die about 2 blocks from me several years back,from a blocked chimney with a gas furnace.


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## briansol (Jul 26, 2013)

Coal is filthy.  dumping a bag of that is like being a miner.  Come out with black lung.  lol

it heats like a banshee though.

pellet all day over propane.

look into some other options like battery/solar backups as well.


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## Seasoned Oak (Jul 27, 2013)

briansol said:


> Coal is filthy. dumping a bag of that is like being a miner. Come out with black lung. lol
> it heats like a banshee though.


It dont have to be. Mine loads automatically.Not from bags.I dont handle the coal at all.
Theres some $1 Million homes around here with coal heat. 
I Pay about $50 a month for heat and hot water a year so,Im keepin it.


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## moey (Jul 27, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> It dont have to be. Mine loads automatically.Not from bags.I dont handle the coal at all.
> Theres some $1 Million homes around here with coal heat.
> I Pay about $50 a month for heat and hot water a year so,Im keepin it.


 
Is coal more regional? I see bagged prices around me for 330+ for a ton seems like maybe a little more BTU for your dollar at that price then pellets but not a huge amount.


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## Seasoned Oak (Jul 27, 2013)

moey said:


> Is coal more regional? I see bagged prices around me for 330+ for a ton seems like maybe a little more BTU for your dollar at that price then pellets but not a huge amount.


WHen i was doing cost comparison between coal and pellets, pellets were more than 2x the price of coal and you needed at least 50% more pellets by weight to get the same BTUs. IF they were anywhere close i would have a pellet stove.
And yes coal is VERY regional. I happen to sit in the middle of one of the few hard anthracite coal regions in the country.


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## Lousyweather (Jul 27, 2013)

we argue all the time about what the best fuel is here.....usually pellet versus coal......hard to argue with the wood burners and their free wood, and natural gas isn't available here.....pretty much agreed propane is a $crew job, given service charges, tank rentals, etc. Anyhow, I digress.....coal is pretty cheap for the folks who live in coal country, like Seasoned Oak does.....but otherwise, retailers have to pay to have it trucked up, for us its $50-$60/ton just for the shipping. Keep in mind that there is great heat potential with coal, but, its less efficient than pellets. Also, you will almost religiously take your ash out every day....and that's the dirty component of coal, not the actual fuel itself. Since you take out the ash every day, you get air born fines, etc. Pellets, well, you simply have ALOT less ash......ALOT less. But, nothing has the raw heat of coal, its amazing.
What it comes down to is the user really....do you have somewhere you can dump all that coal ash? You'll need it. Do you live close to coal country? Do you have retailers near you?


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## smwilliamson (Jul 30, 2013)

Stevekng said:


> What about coal gas from an improperly burning coal stove? I hear the gas is deadly.


it killed Sylvia Plath


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## Lousyweather (Jul 30, 2013)

smwilliamson said:


> it killed Sylvia Plath


 
oh, please Scott- she died of CO poisoning......which can occur from any device burning fuel....in fact, I believe she committed suicide by stocking her head in the oven (GAS, by the way), and sealed the doors to the room with wet towels.....in short, she committed suicide by CO poisoning....


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## smwilliamson (Jul 30, 2013)

...and the gas of the day was syngas produced from coal down draft gasifiers


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## pen (Jul 30, 2013)

If someone has a helpful reply or the original poster wants to update, start a private conversation with me and I'll open the thread back up. 

Otherwise, closed.


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