Please Help: To Pellet or Not To Pellet?

[maple1]

To me,this is about the same as subsidizing solar.Help should come from family first,community next,and on up,not taxing everyone in the state for such programs.

But if they are there he should use them.

 

[Mt Bob]

But if they are there he should use them.

Yes,do to his age and medical condition,I agree.I just do not agree with the system.Yes,you are right.

 

[Nitro-Fish]

If I were in your position, I would keep the Fisher (you don't mention the model i.e. baby bear, papa bear, grandpa bear), get rid of the barrel stove (they are notorious for eating lots of wood with no lasting heat effect) and the one that you have to fiddle with all of the time, I would then find two more stoves older name brands like perhaps a Sierra (usually can be had for $100-$200 early in or after the season) or even more fishers. One thing to note, slab wood buns hot and quick; again, no lasting heat, get yourself a source of real firewood and you will get the burn times you are looking for as well as the heat output.

A pellet stove is not the same as a woodstove, they are merely space heaters that run on pellets IMO (OK guys, you can pile it on now that I've said it), although if you get the right one, it will produce heat comparable to a wood stove but it will eat the pellets to do so. That being said, my Harman will run you out of the house if needed (I very seldom run the Englander at the same time as the Harman unless it is going to be below freezing for an extended period of time), but it likes the pellets to do so, for me it was more of a convenience thing, but I'm in a well insulated house, I have a tractor to unload pallets (ton) of pellets at a time, and I have a place to store at least 6 pallets at a time out of the weather. I would be willing to bet you would not get by with the amount of pellets your dealer is telling you, not and be comfortable! I would stick with the wood until you get the place insulated (craw space & attic too), maybe even some better windows, your money will probably be better spent on those improvements as opposed to the outlay for a good heat producing pellet stove. Once you are completely worn down from all of the home improvements, you can then purchase a (or maybe two) pellet stove(s), sit back and enjoy not having to mess with wood anymore!

 

[tlc1976]

I have the 5770 which is the little brother of the 5790 stove, it uses a lot of the same parts. I had to replace and modify a few things early on, but all in all it's been a very reliable stove for me. But I too see that many others seem to have had back luck with them. Just like with a woodstove, pellet stoves are not plug and play, there is a learning curve that's different for everyone's situation.

I too went from nearly free wood, to pellets. At my old house I was broke for years and every dollar mattered, and wood was the only thing that saved me. Pellets are cleaner, can burn longer unattended. Little risk of a chimney fire. But can be more expensive. Also more to go wrong, like if a blower or board suddenly goes out you lose that source of heat until you can fix it. Much less chance of catastrophic failure with wood. Also if the power goes out, unless you've got backup power, you lose that heat source, where wood just keeps burning on. But I stock up on pellets, have a backup generator and backup heat source, and at this point in my life, even though at times I miss the wood I prefer the pellets.

Another consideration since I don't know your disability. I just had a major surgery and still can't lift much of anything. If I burned wood I could haul a piece or two at a time and manage myself. But with pellets, it's 40 lbs at once. Even though I can scoop pellets into the stove, I can't get the bags from the garage to the house, my mom has been doing that for me since October. Hopefully in another month I'll be able to do it myself but I'm not getting any younger either, anything can happen.

I agree with putting what money you have into insulation and other things that will be the most bang for the buck. Maybe heat tape on the pipes. Maybe old blankets over the windows and expandable spray foam to stop the drafts. Close off rooms you don't absolutely need heated. I've done those at the old house. That will help your situation now AND later. After you do that, your wood requirement will be less. And if you decide to go with a pellet stove later on, you may be able to get by with a smaller stove and and burn less pellets too. Which means less physical work in either case, which is a plus especially when you are disabled.

 

[FunkDaddyG]

If I were in your position, I would keep the Fisher (you don't mention the model i.e. baby bear, papa bear, grandpa bear), (I very seldom run the Englander at the same time as the Harman unless it is going to be below freezing for an extended period of time)

is that an Englander woodstove if yes how do you compare it to fisher in general? another veteran has an englander side load he's getting rid of that I'm wondering if it's worth trying to buy. we also may have a trailer woodstove we can get repaired and use.

 

[FunkDaddyG]

[
also it took some digging but I believe the Fisher is a papa bear

 

[FunkDaddyG]

hopefully I'll post a picture of the Englander successfully

 

[Todd67]

[
also it took some digging but I believe the Fisher is a papa bear

Post a pic of your Fisher. The Papa Bear is a single door stove and puts out a bunch of heat. The double door stoves are good stoves, but less efficient than the single door stoves.

I heated with a top of the line ($5,000) Quadra Fire pellet stove for 5 years. I had to replace the electronic control unit in it every year. In April 2012 one of the feed augers (it had 2) shorted out and started a smoldering fire in the pellet hopper, at midnight. Filled the house with smoke. I dumped a 5 gallon bucket of water inside the hopper and that was the end of my pellet stove heat.

That summer I bought a Fisher Mama Bear on Craigslist, installed it in September 2012 and it heats my 1927 house, poorly insulated and 2.5 stories tall with a full walk-in attic.

Your Fisher stove is the only wood stove you need, out of the three stoves you have. If you want some tips on how to get the most out of your Fisher stove, please visit the Fisher Stove section on this forum. The other woodstoves might be working against each other.

I don't miss my pellet stove. I'm in northern NY and my pellet stove didn't heat my house as well as my wood stove does. I understand not wanting to deal with cutting/splitting/stacking/hauling firewood. Pellet stove are more maintenance than a Fisher stove, and all those electronics in a pellet stove has me scared to buy another pellet stove.

 

[Todd67]

By the way, welcome to the forum!

Here is the link to the Fisher Stove section;

https://www.hearth.com/talk/forums/fisher-stove-information-parts-history-and-more.28/

 

[Hot Foot]

If I were you, I would buy two of the Englander 25-pdv pellet stoves. Each one can heat 2200 square feet and produce 48,0000 btu/hr. We've had ours for 5 years with zero issues. We live in the Northeast, burning two bags per day in the coldest weather. We burn 3 to 4 tons per winter. Yes, you have to make some minor mods to the burnpots to maximize air flow but that's easy. You can usually find these stoves on Craigslist for around $400.00 used. They are $1,499.00 new. The stoves pump out the heat in C mode. Check em out.

 

[mikkeeh]

If I were you, I would buy two of the Englander 25-pdv pellet stoves. Each one can heat 2200 square feet and produce 48,0000 btu/hr. We've had ours for 5 years with zero issues. We live in the Northeast, burning two bags per day in the coldest weather. We burn 3 to 4 tons per winter. Yes, you have to make some minor mods to the burnpots to maximize air flow but that's easy. You can usually find these stoves on Craigslist for around $400.00 used. They are $1,499.00 new. The stoves pump out the heat in C mode. Check em out.

The OP was considering spending 1200 on a stove, and currently spends 650 on wood. He’s trying to save money. You’re suggesting he buy 2 stoves at 3000 and spend 1600 on pellets.. don’t understand your reasoning.

 

[Hot Foot]

The OP was considering spending 1200 on a stove, and currently spends 650 on wood. He’s trying to save money. You’re suggesting he buy 2 stoves at 3000 and spend 1600 on pellets.. don’t understand your reasoning.

My suggestion, is to buy two stoves used at around $800.00 total. Even adding in the price of new gaskets, the price is still cheap.
In reading the member's posts, it sounded to me like the gentleman was getting tired of the work that comes with heating with cordwood. Pellets are cheaper than oil, propane, electric and are far easier to work with. The Englander 25-PDV, as Mike Holton says, "flat out heats".
If the man really wants to move on from cordwood, for my money, I would consider my suggestion.

 

[greg13]

My thoughts are that if you have a free supply of wood and are healthy enough to do the work associated with it stay with wood.
If you have to buy wood, you may as well switch to pellets. No mess, easy to stack.

 

[Highbeam]

My thoughts are that if you have a free supply of wood and are healthy enough to do the work associated with it stay with wood.
If you have to buy wood, you may as well switch to pellets. No mess, easy to stack.

There are several levels of “buying” wood. Many of us buy logs or raw wood that needs to be cut and split for hardly more than the fuel people spend picking up their “free” wood. Then there are people in the city who buy firewood ready to burn and even have the woodman carry it up into their apartment.

I think it is a bad shortcut to lump all firewood buyers together. The op buys truckloads of waste “logs” from the sawmill and just cuts them to length. Very cheap since he’s not getting apartment firewood.

He has a fisher. Just burn it!

 

[SpaceBus]

I agree, he needs to focus on insulation and the Fisher.

 

[Todd67]

If he puts a 5/16" plate steel baffle in that Fisher, it'll burn cleaner, hotter, and burn less wood than it does without a baffle. Maybe it already has a baffle, which would be great for him.

Adding a baffle plate to my Fisher stove made a very noticeable difference with less wood, less smoke and more heat.

 

[george255]

Unless you do a full weatherization upgrade to your place, a pellet stove would be a huge waste of your money, it will never keep up during the sub zero times you will experience soon. An updated air tight very large wood stove would benefit you more than a pellet stove and cost less in the end.

 

[Mt Bob]

I just filled my propane tank,$1.75 gal.,is now cheaper to run the gas.Have not seen that for quite some years.

 

[Rneal55555]

I think Insulation/Weatherization should be the first priority and after that see where your at. There maybe some help here (broken link removed to http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/index.php/housing-programs-and-assistance/73-weatherization.html)

Once you've tightened up the building envelope you can figure out the most economical means to heat it.