Now this is not meant to be an inflamatory thread of meant to insult.
So here goes.
Owning a pellet stove is not a "Spectator sport"
A pellet stove is a full time "Operator Position"
A pellet stove is by its nature an appliance that requires someone to fuel it, clean it and generally manage its operation.
For anyone about to buy a pellet stove, they need to understand the functions of the stove fully and be prepared to follow the manufactures cleaning regimens as well as other logical steps to maintain the stove in working order.
If the prospective buyer of a pellet stove has the notion that its a Plug it in and forget it sort of thing, then they need to fall back 30 and punt.
Around our house the stove is an integral part of the daily household operation.
6 am, get up, check and fill the hopper. Give the firepot a quick swish with the scraper to get rid of any clinker or ash accumulation in the firepot.
Just before leaving for work, check the hopper and top it off.
Get home and check the stove, check the hopper, fill up and give the pot a swish.
Just before bedtime, do it again.
The next morning its all the same.
Sunday is the cleaning day.
Shut down soon after I get up, allow the stove to cool for about an hour or so.
Remove the firpot, ash baffles and such and do a good cleaning.
Reinstall the parts, rekindle the fire and its off the rodeo again for another week.
Monthly during the routine cleaning, I remove the vent cap and suck out the vent pipe.
At the end of the season, the entire stove gets a cleaning, the mechanical cabinet gets vacuumed out and any other service work done (lube the exhaust fan bearings)
The stove will then sit idle for the summer months.
Come late fall, its time to get winter fuel stocked up and ready to go.
Along about late sept/Oct the process begins anew and its back in the saddle again for another 6-8 months of stove season.
Granted the shoulder season (late spring) will see the operation reduced to a more sporadic regimen rather than the full time 24/7 of winter.
For those stoves that are connected to a tall chimney, the pipe needs to be brushed out to make certain that there is not an accumulation of nasty stuff that could cause issues.
Direct vent stoves can be an attractive spot for such creatures as bees and birds to set up house keeping in. These need to be covered carefully after there is no danger of any live coals being in the stove.
Come winter, remove the caps and rock and roll..
Owning a Pellet stove is definately not a spectator sport.
I have owned Pellet stoves for over 20 years, have installed every one I have owned myself and have performed all the needed maintenance and repairs over the years.
Now I realize that not everyone has the needed tools to do all this stuff.
The key factor is that the owner needs to fully understand the function and operation of the stove.
The needed cleaning and such are not difficult to do, just requires a little time and patience.
The joys of a warm fire will reward those who are willing to invest the time and effort to become an Operator.
If being a spectator is more the style, then possibly an electric heater or an oil furnace with a Thermostat is the ticket.
Todays generation seems to be too busy fooling with their blackberry texting than having any interest in what heats the house.
I grew up a child of the 50's and 60's and have a great appreciation of all things mechanical.
The wood stove, the fireplace and yessssss my mom used to cook on a wood fired range in the kitchen, bakeing pies and such, all using a wood stove.
No touch pad controls on that old iron beast. Took a real hard case to make a pie come out perfectly and without either having it scorched or raw in the middle.
Todays pellet stoves have become IMHO far to complicated with too much computer controls.
Simplicity was what made the early pellet stove a joy to operate.
Literally, it was a "plug and Play" to use a current term.
They were very user friendly, IF you understood some very basics of fire.
Just the right amount of fuel and air, then light it and all works sweet.
Now I have to wonder about those who spend an enormous amount of $$$$$ to have a new pellet stove installed, just to use it "once in a while" to add some ambiance to the living room. ????????????????
A Pellet stove is a way of life, well almost.
Its a commitment to having a warm house and doing so at a minimal $$$$$ outlay every season.
For those not wanting to commit to careing for and tending a Pellet stove, the issue then becomes one of safety.
These stove are very safe to use, however, a lack of maintenance can lead to poor performance, an unhappy owner, a very stressed out dealer and frustrated tech line folks.
From this point it heads into the issue of safety.
The other thing that is required of the owner is to maintain several good quality "working" smoke and Carbon monoxide detectors within the home.
These are separate devices and come as battery operated or Wall plug in types with battery backup.
Any time a fuel burning appliance is used to heat the home, these detectors need to be in place and working.
One smoke alarm within the room that has the stove/s and one CO detector there, plus a CO detector in or close to each sleeping room.
More of these is better.
CO can kill easily and quietly without the victims having any forewarning, especially while sleeping.
Heating ones home the old fashioned way is definately rewarding, but does not come without some dedication.
Snowy
So here goes.
Owning a pellet stove is not a "Spectator sport"
A pellet stove is a full time "Operator Position"
A pellet stove is by its nature an appliance that requires someone to fuel it, clean it and generally manage its operation.
For anyone about to buy a pellet stove, they need to understand the functions of the stove fully and be prepared to follow the manufactures cleaning regimens as well as other logical steps to maintain the stove in working order.
If the prospective buyer of a pellet stove has the notion that its a Plug it in and forget it sort of thing, then they need to fall back 30 and punt.
Around our house the stove is an integral part of the daily household operation.
6 am, get up, check and fill the hopper. Give the firepot a quick swish with the scraper to get rid of any clinker or ash accumulation in the firepot.
Just before leaving for work, check the hopper and top it off.
Get home and check the stove, check the hopper, fill up and give the pot a swish.
Just before bedtime, do it again.
The next morning its all the same.
Sunday is the cleaning day.
Shut down soon after I get up, allow the stove to cool for about an hour or so.
Remove the firpot, ash baffles and such and do a good cleaning.
Reinstall the parts, rekindle the fire and its off the rodeo again for another week.
Monthly during the routine cleaning, I remove the vent cap and suck out the vent pipe.
At the end of the season, the entire stove gets a cleaning, the mechanical cabinet gets vacuumed out and any other service work done (lube the exhaust fan bearings)
The stove will then sit idle for the summer months.
Come late fall, its time to get winter fuel stocked up and ready to go.
Along about late sept/Oct the process begins anew and its back in the saddle again for another 6-8 months of stove season.
Granted the shoulder season (late spring) will see the operation reduced to a more sporadic regimen rather than the full time 24/7 of winter.
For those stoves that are connected to a tall chimney, the pipe needs to be brushed out to make certain that there is not an accumulation of nasty stuff that could cause issues.
Direct vent stoves can be an attractive spot for such creatures as bees and birds to set up house keeping in. These need to be covered carefully after there is no danger of any live coals being in the stove.
Come winter, remove the caps and rock and roll..
Owning a Pellet stove is definately not a spectator sport.
I have owned Pellet stoves for over 20 years, have installed every one I have owned myself and have performed all the needed maintenance and repairs over the years.
Now I realize that not everyone has the needed tools to do all this stuff.
The key factor is that the owner needs to fully understand the function and operation of the stove.
The needed cleaning and such are not difficult to do, just requires a little time and patience.
The joys of a warm fire will reward those who are willing to invest the time and effort to become an Operator.
If being a spectator is more the style, then possibly an electric heater or an oil furnace with a Thermostat is the ticket.
Todays generation seems to be too busy fooling with their blackberry texting than having any interest in what heats the house.
I grew up a child of the 50's and 60's and have a great appreciation of all things mechanical.
The wood stove, the fireplace and yessssss my mom used to cook on a wood fired range in the kitchen, bakeing pies and such, all using a wood stove.
No touch pad controls on that old iron beast. Took a real hard case to make a pie come out perfectly and without either having it scorched or raw in the middle.
Todays pellet stoves have become IMHO far to complicated with too much computer controls.
Simplicity was what made the early pellet stove a joy to operate.
Literally, it was a "plug and Play" to use a current term.
They were very user friendly, IF you understood some very basics of fire.
Just the right amount of fuel and air, then light it and all works sweet.
Now I have to wonder about those who spend an enormous amount of $$$$$ to have a new pellet stove installed, just to use it "once in a while" to add some ambiance to the living room. ????????????????
A Pellet stove is a way of life, well almost.
Its a commitment to having a warm house and doing so at a minimal $$$$$ outlay every season.
For those not wanting to commit to careing for and tending a Pellet stove, the issue then becomes one of safety.
These stove are very safe to use, however, a lack of maintenance can lead to poor performance, an unhappy owner, a very stressed out dealer and frustrated tech line folks.
From this point it heads into the issue of safety.
The other thing that is required of the owner is to maintain several good quality "working" smoke and Carbon monoxide detectors within the home.
These are separate devices and come as battery operated or Wall plug in types with battery backup.
Any time a fuel burning appliance is used to heat the home, these detectors need to be in place and working.
One smoke alarm within the room that has the stove/s and one CO detector there, plus a CO detector in or close to each sleeping room.
More of these is better.
CO can kill easily and quietly without the victims having any forewarning, especially while sleeping.
Heating ones home the old fashioned way is definately rewarding, but does not come without some dedication.
Snowy