DexterDay said:
Bubbavh said:
I wonder if it is really cheaper than oil to do it this way? Pellet stoves are not really a huge savings over oil.
This is my 1st year with a woodstove. But I have been using pellet stoves for the last 3 seasons. And all I can say is it depends on what you used to heat your home. We used Propane and spent almost $4,000 a yr doing so. Since the pellet stove, we have not used LP at all and only burn 4 tons a yr (avg around $200/ton) . So thats a savings of $3,000 a yr to me. To say they are not efficient is not true. Mine runs on a thermostat (if needed, But I normally run on its lowest setting/ 24/7 during the coldest months) and will keep your place just as warm. .
To the OP. I made a basket this Summer to use in our outside wood pit. Worked pretty good, but imagine that the draft created by the woodstove would make them burn much better. Pellets need a good deal of air to burn effectively. I may be building a larger basket, just to give it a try. I have plenty on wood for this season. Almost 5 cord is good to burn. And plenty for years to come.
I will continue to burn my Pellet stove and the Woodstove. Both cost equal parts money to me. Even if you get your wood for "Free", it aint free. My time and equipment cost a lot of money. So do pellets. It may actually be cheaper, by the time you factor in the time. I get paid very well at work. If I were to use this same #. Then it would cost much more. I do it for the savings, YES... But I also enjoy it. Both thr C/S/S of wood and the hunting for a good deal on pellets.
Looking forward to a experiment soon. Thanks for the video's....
50 lbs of pellets a day x 5 months (150 days)= $800 (@ $200 a ton)
Now, figuring in all the hours I spend pondering scrounging, scrounging, loading, unloading, cutting, splitting, stacking, fetching splits, and feeding the stove.....I might as well move to Bermuda. However, oil costs $4 a gallon here - and that means, for me, about $4000 a winter.
We dont get "paid" for raising our kids either.... but sometimes you allow yourself to take facts and figures off of the see-saw and just live. I, for one,
LOVE the whole experience of self-reliance, and keeping my family as warm as they want all winter..... all for the "cost" of my blood,sweat, and tears. Well, usually theres no tears (unless I drop an oak round on my toes). ;-)
Heating with wood is not for everyone. You either LOVE it - or you dont. I do.