Why did You Buy Your Pellet Stove ?

[rowerwet]

after the oil company came and cleaned the oil furnace and said "that is it no more winters out of this one", I had them give me a quote, 8k for oil, and "you will need a liner in the chimney, new valves, pump, and expansion tank, oil tank, etc." or 5k for propane system. Then the prebuy was going to be @$2,500!
So I thought wood stove! but I don't have the room in the house for one, or the room/land for wood piles. Looked at pellet stoves until my wife said "not in the house, we don't have room", so I found outdoor pellet boilers.
10k or so later I made it through last year on pellets (I love central heat) and have 6 tons in my drive way for this year. I wish they cost less, but each ton cost me the same or a little less than last year. last year $250/ton plus $17.50 each for the rental truck, this year $235/ton and 17.50 each for delivery (unloaded them my self last year), can't complain.
So does this make me a pellet pig?

 

[tinkabranc]

Got our stove during the winter of 2006-2007 to keep the basement and my office warmer
during the day as I work from home. The forced air furnace just couldn't keep the office
comfortable unless it ran constantly.

My original plan was to install a wood stove in the basement, but after determining we did not
have enough clearance to install the vent correctly, we decided to go with pellet instead.

Other than the prices of pellets now, we could not be happier.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I hope you're not insinuating pellet prices will go up with oil/NG prices... Next you're going to tell me I cant heat my 2000 sq ft house (in northern ME) all year with only 2 tons of pellets.

Heh,heh,heh. I have to shake my head since there are actually some folks who believe pellets prices are not subject to price increases like oil.
That myth sure got debunked .

And 2 tons of pellets stretched out over a period from 01 Nov to 01 Apr constitutes a rather short 150 day heat season but for simple calculations we`ll use it. Do the math for 150 days and it becomes clear how much fuel you have alloted to burn on an average day for the heating season. It amounts to .67 bags a day . Not a lot of BTU`s to be heating my house with.

This does not take into account the other cold days/nights we get in Oct and April plus water heating needs that these space heaters don`t normally do. Those days added in ought to reduce it to 1/2 bag or less per day for those claiming they heat their entire house on those 100 , 40lb bags a year.
Hahaha, most pellet stoves won`t even run properly at such a low rate (so from where I sit , somebody is not burning that pellet stove on a daily basis or spreading tall tales.

First of all, I thought the moderators didn't tolerate such arguing?????? I made one post early on and got chastised severely.
Your last point about 'hahaha, most pellet stoves won't ever run properly at such low rate...." points out your broken reasoning. You CAN easily use less than 1/2 bag a day. Doesn't your stove shut off if the temp stays above your setpoint for a period of time. Shut off means NO pellets being used so it the stove runs intermittently then you can easily use 1/2 bag a day.

 

[smoke show]

[quote author="tjnamtiw" date="1239987981
Your last point about 'hahaha, most pellet stoves won't ever run properly at such low rate...." points out your broken reasoning. You CAN easily use less than 1/2 bag a day. Doesn't your stove shut off if the temp stays above your setpoint for a period of time. Shut off means NO pellets being used so it the stove runs intermittently then you can easily use 1/2 bag a day.[/quote]
agreed

 

[MainePellethead]

Well....I...like everyone else was weary to say the least on the staggering prices of oil. I had burned wood for many years before depending on oil. Pellets were much easier and cleaner choice for me. BUT....also another of my reasoning was simply a no brainer to support LOCAL at home companies here in the States. Something that the Dept. of Energy was created to do back in the 70's.....to wean us from as stated BELOW....


Read this slowly.

Absolutely the funniest "joke" ever......"ON US "
Let it sink in.
Quietly we go like Sheep to slaughter.

Does anybody out there have any memory of the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Anybody? Anything? No? Didn't think so.

Bottom line . . we've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency ... the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember.

Ready??????? It was very simple... and at the time everybody thought it very appropriate...


The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977




TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.


Hey, pretty efficient, huh?????


AND NOW IT'S 2009, 32 YEARS LATER ... AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS


NECESSARY DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR


THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES


AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE!

THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY ' WHAT WAS I THINKING? '

Ah yes, good ole bureaucracy.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Energy


And NOW we are going to turn the Banking System & the Auto Industry over to them?




God Help Us

 

[lessoil]

For us it was oil at $4.50/gal last Summer and looking at paying over $2700 for oil. (08-09 heating season)
We bought 4 tons and have just under half a ton left. Still having 22 degree mornings!
Even after watching the price of oil fall, I still think we made the right decision.
We now have a choice and I am warmer than with oil. (First floor)
Second floor North bedroom hung around 64 with it -24 outside and 78 on first floor.
Insulation work to be done this Summer/Fall which will help the second floor heat easier.
Oil usage went from 900 gal/yr to 400. (Hot water and a very small amount of heat)
Works out pretty close to 120 gal=1 ton of pellets

 

[imacman]

......The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh????? AND NOW IT'S 2009, 32 YEARS LATER ... AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS NECESSARY DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES
AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY ' WHAT WAS I THINKING? '
Ah yes, good ole bureaucracy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Energy

And NOW we are going to turn the Banking System & the Auto Industry over to them?

God Help Us

Amen to that.

 

[countk]

......The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh????? AND NOW IT'S 2009, 32 YEARS LATER ... AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS NECESSARY DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES
AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY ' WHAT WAS I THINKING? '
Ah yes, good ole bureaucracy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Energy

And NOW we are going to turn the Banking System & the Auto Industry over to them?

God Help Us

Amen to that.

Again I say AMEN God help us all!

 

[countk]

Hey macman we both used the words G_ d and A_ _ n in our posts. Hope this doesn't cause this wonderful thread to hit the ash can!

 

[imacman]

Hey macman we both used the words G_ d and A_ _ n in our posts. Hope this doesn't cause this wonderful thread to hit the ash can!

Yep, wouldn't doubt it.....the far left has a problem with those words, UNLESS it involves spending American $$ with those words printed all over the currency....then their OK with it.....interesting hypocrisy.

 

[countk]

Hey macman we both used the words G_ d and A_ _ n in our posts. Hope this doesn't cause this wonderful thread to hit the ash can!

Yep, wouldn't doubt it.....the far left has a problem with those words, UNLESS it involves spending American $$ with those words printed all over the currency....then their OK with it.....interesting hypocrisy.

mac, I just reached into my pocket to look at some currency, but it appears someone has already been in my pockets. I wonder if it was BHO!

 

[rayboggsjr]

Hi all,
We bought our pellet stove about 4 weeks ago. So far we really have enjoyed the heat. We have a propane furnace that is very efficient but we still spent $1500 on propane this year with the themostat set on 70 and running electric heaters when we where home in the evenings. If we would have just ran the furnace we would have spent $2000 plus. We talked about it before we bought the stove and agreed that even if it costs us the same to heat with pellets as it did with propane the house will be warmer. It is a shame to spend that kind of money to heat your house with LP and still be cold. Here in Ohio good pellets can still be bought for $275 a ton or $5.49 per bag. I hope the pellet industry does`nt price themselves right out of being a viable source of alternative heat. Love the forum. I have learned a lot by reading your posts.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Hey macman we both used the words G_ d and A_ _ n in our posts. Hope this doesn't cause this wonderful thread to hit the ash can!

Yep, wouldn't doubt it.....the far left has a problem with those words, UNLESS it involves spending American $$ with those words printed all over the currency....then their OK with it.....interesting hypocrisy.

Allah would be a safer choice........................ (

 

[tjnamtiw]

Hey macman we both used the words G_ d and A_ _ n in our posts. Hope this doesn't cause this wonderful thread to hit the ash can!

Yep, wouldn't doubt it.....the far left has a problem with those words, UNLESS it involves spending American $$ with those words printed all over the currency....then their OK with it.....interesting hypocrisy.

mac, I just reached into my pocket to look at some currency, but it appears someone has already been in my pockets. I wonder if it was BHO!

Did he leave any CHANGE.......????

 

[flamegrabber]

I bought mine to stick it to OPEC.

FG.

I will admit,My main reason to buy a wood pellet stove wasn't to save money. I bought it for several reasons. The ease of cleaning up is easier than a wood stove. The way my home is configured it would be costly and difficult to put a wood stove in. Storing wood pellets in my basement is easier than it is for wood outside. I look at the big picture when it comes to saving money with this Quadrafire Sante Fe. This economy will get better sooner than later. When it does,watch oil/gas prices skyrocket because of supply and demand. Closing.....I really enjoy coming home from work on a cool/cold night,turn up the thermostat and relax in front of the fire. The ease of this stove is the selling point for me the most.

 

[save$]

$cost and comfort. Cashed out my vacation time. Able to pay cash for the stove and winter's worth of pellets. So with my new "space heater" I was able to heat my 2000 sq. ft in my raised ranch with pellets and about 200 gallons of oil. Was much warmer than last winter. Able to keep the house at 74-76 with no problem. Using the stove had a real learning curve, but with all the help posted on this forum, it was fun and easy to learn. I was really impressed with the leaf blower trick. Made deep cleaning really easy (and entertaining).

 

[Stentor]

I think the point to all this is, there is no real way to calculate the "ga-zintas" on pellets vs. oil vs. propane vs. wood. vs. corn vs. Godzilla Way too many non financial factors to consider that you can't put a price on like a back problem, time to split, stack and re-stack. Some folks would just assume pay a premium and have them delivered, some don't. Some folks may have moral issues about fossil fuel vs. wood/pellets and corn.

Also, what kinda of a house do you have, cathederal ceilings, new windows, old windows, big windows, good insulation, no insulation. Ok, how about where to put the stove, what do you want to heat? Some poeple may like the look of the fire, some don't. How about cleaning a wood stove vs a pellet stove..I could go on and on, but I won't.

So when the math geeks do some of the comparisons, just know that's not all there is to it. I think that's my point.

People have come up with lots of different answers and that's good for all of us. It suggests pellet stoves will be around as a a solid long term solution. They'll be a minority solution but probably enough of a niche product to support investment in the technology. Growth may also make pellet supply and pricing more rational and transparent.

 

[johnnywarm]

I will admit,My main reason to buy a wood pellet stove wasn't to save money. I bought it for several reasons. The ease of cleaning up is easier than a wood stove. The way my home is configured it would be costly and difficult to put a wood stove in. Storing wood pellets in my basement is easier than it is for wood outside. I look at the big picture when it comes to saving money with this Quadrafire Sante Fe. This economy will get better sooner than later. When it does,watch oil/gas prices skyrocket because of supply and demand. Closing.....I really enjoy coming home from work on a cool/cold night,turn up the thermostat and relax in front of the fire. The ease of this stove is the selling point for me the most.

To heat the wood floors.more automatic then a wood stove.

 

[MCPO]

I think the point to all this is, there is no real way to calculate the "ga-zintas" on pellets vs. oil vs. propane vs. wood. vs. corn vs. Godzilla Way too many non financial factors to consider that you can't put a price on like a back problem, time to split, stack and re-stack. Some folks would just assume pay a premium and have them delivered, some don't. Some folks may have moral issues about fossil fuel vs. wood/pellets and corn.

Also, what kinda of a house do you have, cathederal ceilings, new windows, old windows, big windows, good insulation, no insulation. Ok, how about where to put the stove, what do you want to heat? Some poeple may like the look of the fire, some don't. How about cleaning a wood stove vs a pellet stove..I could go on and on, but I won't.

So when the math geeks do some of the comparisons, just know that's not all there is to it. I think that's my point.

People have come up with lots of different answers and that's good for all of us. It suggests pellet stoves will be around as a a solid long term solution. They'll be a minority solution but probably enough of a niche product to support investment in the technology. Growth may also make pellet supply and pricing more rational and transparent.

 

[MCPO]

I think the point to all this is, there is no real way to calculate the "ga-zintas" on pellets vs. oil vs. propane vs. wood. vs. corn vs. Godzilla Way too many non financial factors to consider that you can't put a price on like a back problem, time to split, stack and re-stack. Some folks would just assume pay a premium and have them delivered, some don't. Some folks may have moral issues about fossil fuel vs. wood/pellets and corn.

Also, what kinda of a house do you have, cathederal ceilings, new windows, old windows, big windows, good insulation, no insulation. Ok, how about where to put the stove, what do you want to heat? Some poeple may like the look of the fire, some don't. How about cleaning a wood stove vs a pellet stove..I could go on and on, but I won't.

So when the math geeks do some of the comparisons, just know that's not all there is to it. I think that's my point.

People have come up with lots of different answers and that's good for all of us. It suggests pellet stoves will be around as a a solid long term solution. They'll be a minority solution but probably enough of a niche product to support investment in the technology. Growth may also make pellet supply and pricing more rational and transparent.

But the one thing that is hard to dispute is the fuel cost comparison calculator .
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

It can open your eyes .


.

 

[johnnywarm]

[
People have come up with lots of different answers and that's good for all of us. It suggests pellet stoves will be around as a a solid long term solution. They'll be a minority solution but probably enough of a niche product to support investment in the technology. Growth may also make pellet supply and pricing more rational and transparent.[/quote]


Its the greed that will kill the pellet stove.they can made as much or as little(pellets) as they want,a good way to keep the prices and there profits up.

 

[mandkj]

Thanks for that link, I never saw that before. Based on my 25 year old boiler, I'm actually saving a lot more than I thought with pellets based on BTUs.

 

[tjnamtiw]

But the one thing that is hard to dispute is the fuel cost comparison calculator .
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

It can open your eyes .


That calculator is very nice. My only question, as in most calculators, is that electricity is always portrayed as 100% efficiency. That addresses space heaters but not heat pumps, which have a higher efficiency. I have a 14.5 SEER heat pump but that is for cooling. The efficiency rating for heating is defined so nebulously that I can't figure out what the efficiency really is to plug into the calculator. Any Einsteins out there that can shed some light on this?
Thanks

 

[tjnamtiw]

But the one thing that is hard to dispute is the fuel cost comparison calculator .
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

It can open your eyes .


That calculator is very nice. My only question, as in most calculators, is that electricity is always portrayed as 100% efficiency. That addresses space heaters but not heat pumps, which have a higher efficiency. I have a 14.5 SEER heat pump but that is for cooling. The efficiency rating for heating is defined so nebulously that I can't figure out what the efficiency really is to plug into the calculator. Any Einsteins out there that can shed some light on this?
Thanks

Well, I found the answer for anyone who has the same question as to how to rate their heat pump. One watt/hour of electricity at 100% efficiency yields 3.4 btu's of energy. Heat pumps in heat mode are rated using an efficiency number called a Heating Season Performance factor or HSPF that is typically about 6.5 to 9.5. These numbers are in btu/watt-hour. Therefore if you have a heat pump with an HSPF of 6.8, (2X3.4) then your electrical efficiency is 200% over the heat strips or space heaters. That would be the % that you put in the formula.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Yep, 3400 btu's per KW-hour is 3.4 btu's per watt-hour. Divide by 1000. The ground water or geothermal heat pumps are the best as they have the highest SEER and HSPF.