wood or pellets?

[heavy hammer]

As said above both have their advantages and disadvantages. You just need to see which one will work better for your heating applications. In the end both heat and both use wood in some form. I prefer wood stoves, but I'm younger have access to a lot of wood and have a lot already processed for future years. This may also change in the future though. With gas as low as it has been I know of a lot of wood burners this year who said the heck with all that work and just turned the thermostat up. I know this it not what your talking about, but I'm what I'm getting at is they got sick of cutting splitting stacking etc. processing firewood still takes effort. I'm sure you will figure it out, one thing to keep in mind is does the wife want to deal with pellets or wood. Both make their share of a mess but what is easier for her will also matter. Good luck let us know what you decide on!

 

[webby3650]

I've seen lots of different pellet stoves burning, nearly every stove you can imagine at the trade shows. The only one that ever stood out to me is the new one from Lopi. They spent tons of money on sound deadening! It's extremely quite and made tons of heat. They also developed some new pellet delivery system, can't remember how it works right off hand. I almost got one.. Almost

 

[zig]

In a long winter like last year, you try to plan for everything but sometimes you run out..... You can always go and cut more wood, but you can't go cut more pellets.

 

[bags]

Pellet stove pros:
1. Many are a set it and forget it meaning pick your desired temp dump a bag or two a day and enjoy the heat. 2. Burn times between 12 to 24 hrs. depending on outside temps and size of hopper. 3. Pellet bags are easy to move, stack, store, and pour. 4. Usually preferred by the wife for ease of use. 5. Tonnage is easy to find and cheap if you buy it right. At least around me. 6. Many will run and operate themselves much like a furnace. 7.Very easy for self installs and venting pipe etc; is much cheaper than a wood stove chimney. 8. Maintenance and cleans are simple quick and easy. Harmans can run a month without a clean and a quick daily pot scrape involving 20 seconds a day with it running. 9. Many are easily capable of heating an entire home if sized and set up correctly. 10. They require very little monitoring while in operation. 11. Most are easy to clean and work on so you can do it yourself. 12. They can be a very easy to deal with and cheaper source of heat. This year and last I heated 100% with a pellet stove and enjoyed every minute of it. 13. Pellet stoves can free up much time for busy schedules and life styles.14. If you get set up right you will not be running outside in the cold for fuel. Same for a wood stove though too. 15. Hopper extensions can be added if needed and extend burn times into days. Again more cash. Not an option for wood. There are some stoves with very long burn times but get your wallet out. Same holds true for good pellet stoves. Cha-Ching!

Pellet stove cons:
1. They can be expensive to buy 2. Some require much cleaning and maintenance. You can save money but is it worth the aggravations? 3. Some pellets can be dusty and yes that will get into your house each time you dump a bag. It is minimal IMO. 4. They require electric to run at all times or another cost of a battery back up set up. 5. Many electrical and mechanical parts that can fail or wear out in time. 6. Some parts can be expensive but realistically overall they run for many years without hiccups. 7. Cleaning one once a month takes longer than a wood stove for sure. 8. Pellet prices are something you have little or no control over and is much worse in certain areas. 9. Many stoves you are on your own as soon as you buy it. Or at best the mercy of a dealer but parts are cheap and found easily all over the net and elsewhere. 10. They really require a UPS surge protector if you are smart and that is another cost. 11. Many stoves and models are a PITA to own and run if you can even keep them running. Research that here. 12 Many stoves do not offer radiant heat but just what the distribution blower supplies. 13. Can be noisy with all the blowers and mechanics running. So can the blowers on wood stoves though. Many complain about the blower on the NC-30's and I just bought one.

I'm just rattling stuff off of the top of my head here but in my case the pellet stove has been wonderful overall, simplified my already super busy life, and made heating nice and easy, but I paid a serious premium for the primary new stove I run too. As in Blaze King wood stove green back type cash.

Wood stove pros:
1. Pretty much the cheapest and most reliable heat source ever. 2. Wood can be "free" < I'll bite my tongue or not type about that. 3. Wood is plentiful in most places. 4. It is great heat. 5. No electric required and pumps heat during outages. Blower won't work but you will not be cold either. In general many good wood stoves cost less than pellet stoves but the catch is you can slim that down fast once you get into the chimney pipe all said and done. That is even installing yourself. 6. You can have total control of your fuel and costs. 7. Many stoves now have burn times that actually let you sleep at night. 8. They are simple and very few maintenance or parts replacement situations for the life of the stove. I'll even include cat models in this because the extended burns makes up for the $200 - $300 cats every so often. Far out weighing that chump change if you look at it rationally. 9. Wood heat has been proven forever. 10. Processing wood can be enjoyable (at times). 11. You can still buy wood reasonably priced but you had better do your home work and CYA. This will also be listed in the cons. Around here a cord of wood sells for what a ton of pellets goes for. 12. Overall IMHO chunks of burning wood is just more real and grounding. Although my P68 does offer a nice fire and flame show. Wood can be more satisfying of sorts vs. the more controlled flame in a metal box type deal. 13. Many stoves can be used to cook possibly if needed and heat water for java. My Harman can too. Many bake potatoes in them. That said wood stoves overall offer more and / or better options in this department especially when you are stuck in caveman mode and no electric. 14. Cleaning a wood stove is very quick, simple and easy and does not really need done as often.

Wood stove cons:
1. Busting wood and handling it all. 2. Buying wood can be an adventure on its own. Many horror stories and rarely does the buyer get a fair deal on seasoned stuff. That said you can buy in advance and do the seasoning so you are covered. 3. Wood can be very messy. 4. Doing your own involves owning or buying expensive saws, splitters, equipment, truck, on and on. (4 1/2.) Space to keep all the equipment and toys to do wood. 5. You need space to do wood and store it. More than pellets. Much more. 6. Burning wood usually does not work out well in the Boss Lady's mind. Case in point right here. The very reason I had to drop big bucks on a pellet stove. 7. Free wood is not free. 8. Dealing with wood requires much time and effort but can be well worth it. 9. A stove with lower burn times can wear you out in more ways than one. 10. More likely to drag messes and insects into the home. 11. Wood burners can experience the nice chill and trudging thru snow to fetch wood at inconvenient times but you can get an inside stash maintained. 12. Get ready to spend a decent amount of your free time dealing with wood. 13. Not all but many stoves require handling wood more often to keep them going. 14. Waking up in a cold house. 15. Coming home to a cold house. Not as much an issue with longer burn times in some stoves but much more common than running a pellet stove. 16. Wood in general is much more work and harder to handle and heat with than pellets. 17. Cutting wood is much more dangerous than 40 lb. bags. Never heard of cuts and lost toes or stitches from a bag of pellets. 18. Many hidden costs associated with wood often not included in all that "free" wood. Oil, fuel, chains, running the truck and tractor, splitter, on and on. I'm being petty here but still. It all adds up 18. Many times the Boss Lady wants NOTHING to do with wood chucking nor handling. This was just confirmed yesterday. I visited Ralphie Boy to check out his Buck 80 cat setup and his wife said she wanted nothing to do with the stove. LOL! My wife is the same pretty much. Still not a deal breaker. They sure as hell like that heat though....

I am sure I missed many pros and cons with both types of stoves. And I am all for wood stoves and heating with wood but I'll tell you how it is and not fluff either with the Rainbows and Unicorns Fairy Tales hype of either. They both require effort and inconvenience. Bottom line. My wife was hating the wood stuff and to be honest I was really burned out myself. I had to give myself and her a break.

I am not done with wood at all and I do really like it. It is a great way to heat for the willing. I am awaiting my new NC-30 wood stove that shows up tomorrow. I have pellet stoves and like them. Keeping those also. If I did not like wood or the pellet stoves were a solve it all remedy I would not have bought a new stove either. I have a lot of fully wooded acres here and would be an idiot not to take advantage of that.

It is all what fits your life and what you can deal with in time, money, and effort. Both are alternative ways to heat which come with a cost in more than one way. I like them both and utilize both. I have not heated with electric, NG, or other utility involved heat sources for many, many years. I also will not for as long as I am able. Just because. Read up a lot here because there are many good thoughts and differing opinions. Not saying my input is the answer either. just sharing my thoughts and experiences. No matter which route you go get a proven quality stove and that is all over the board too so research pays off well. It did with my outrageously priced Harman and also my cheap seats wood stove I just bought that has a cult following for a reason. Looking forward to see it in action myself.

 

[bags]

Pellet stove is tempting, the thermostat feature, etc I would need a low maintenance stove. I wonder if my stove installer would come by periodically and do the maintenance/cleaning for a monthly fee?

I'm sure some one would be willing to come and beat some money out of ya. Be it cleaning a pellet stove or wood stove and a sweep of the chimney. Much of the maintenance on either type of stove is fairly easily handled doing it yourself if you are up for it.

Cleaning a pellet stove might take a little more effort and time but who says climbing around on a snowy roof to clean your chimney doesn't take some effort too. Most pellet stove owners do their own cleans and repairs.

 

[Kosmonauts]

@bags you really hit the nail on the head...

 

[bags]

Kosmo,
The wood stove vs. a pellet stove is always a contested issue here with great arguments on both sides. And some not so great ones also. Some are sold 100% on the wood and some 100% on the pellet bag toting fun. I am sold 100% on both for different reasons. They are very different animals and the only thing they have in common is they are an alternative heat source that uses wood in some shape or form. Another poster Heavy hammer pointed this out too. Other than that you really can not fairly compare them. Ones pros are the others cons and vice versa.

I am not pushing you in either direction because you need to figure out which would be best for you. It is a tough choice. Do yourself a favor and read up before you pull the trigger. Keep asking questions. Everyone will answer. Debate on it is a good thing because some things that help you decide will be discussed or revealed.

Post this over in the pellet mill and watch what happens. LOL! Let the cage rattling begin.....

Are you looking at this for supplemental heating? Trying to heat your entire house? Occasional use? Give more details on what you are really looking to do with one or the other of these stoves. Doing it to save as much money heating or what? I chose my pellet stoves for certain reasons and I also have wood units for various reasons. Definitely both to heat with but for very different situations and reasons.

 

[cableguy]

Pelllet maintenance?? I bought a used harman accentra. $1700 a few years ago. I have not done anything to it but clean it every other year. Put pellets in it, you can set temp to 70 degrees, and forget it. My wife loves it for our basement. keeps the basement warm and It will heat the whole house. 1200 sq ft. The negatives are need power and pellets. I have a wood stove in my pole barn. constant temp changes and loading and adjustments. Ive never had a wood stove in the house and don't want the hassle for full time,but would for a weekend or emergency.

 

[Heftiger]

Pellet stove is tempting, the thermostat feature, etc I would need a low maintenance stove. I wonder if my stove installer would come by periodically and do the maintenance/cleaning for a monthly fee?

I'd be careful with this. When we moved in we hired the local heating shop to clean our pellet stove and install a new igniter. I was gone, but my wife was home when he came. After I got home I realized that all he did was clean the glass and the burn pot. I removed the burn pot and there was inches of ash throughout the stove. He didn't even remove the brick and clean out the through access panels. He didn't sweep the flue, and when he asked I was told "we never clean the flue for pellet stoves". And I later discovered he didn't adjust the set screws for the igniter properly. It's hard to find trustworthy people with the knowledge to properly maintain a stove (both pellet and EPA wood).

 

[webby3650]

I'd be careful with this. When we moved in we hired the local heating shop to clean our pellet stove and install a new igniter. I was gone, but my wife was home when he came. After I got home I realized that all he did was clean the glass and the burn pot. I removed the burn pot and there was inches of ash throughout the stove. He didn't even remove the brick and clean out the through access panels. He didn't sweep the flue, and when he asked I was told "we never clean the flue for pellet stoves". And I later discovered he didn't adjust the set screws for the igniter properly. It's hard to find trustworthy people with the knowledge to properly maintain a stove (both pellet and EPA wood).

Unfortunately you got a hack. All service persons should not be lumped into his category.

 

[webby3650]

Pelllet maintenance?? I bought a used harman accentra. $1700 a few years ago. I have not done anything to it but clean it every other year. Put pellets in it, you can set temp to 70 degrees, and forget it. My wife loves it for our basement. keeps the basement warm and It will heat the whole house. 1200 sq ft. The negatives are need power and pellets. I have a wood stove in my pole barn. constant temp changes and loading and adjustments. Ive never had a wood stove in the house and don't want the hassle for full time,but would for a weekend or emergency.

Never had a Woodstove in the house? You should really give a good Woodstove a try. There are stoves that don't need constant adjusting or loading, I'm on a 24 hour cycle with my Blaze King.

 

[drz1050]

Pellets vs wood for me really just depends on access. If I had to buy split wood, I'd probably have a pellet stove. It's real tough to find an honest seller, and even if you do get an honest cord, 9/10 times it'll be soaking wet, so you'll have to leave it stacked for at least a year. I scrounge a good amount, and get log lengths delivered for ~100/ cord. I paid 600 for this last load, and it's stacking out to be a good deal more than 6 cords so far.

With pellets, you know exactly what you're buying and what to expect. They're also guaranteed dry, as long as you don't get a pallet that's been out in the rain too long... they're also much easier to run. A Blaze King isn't hard to run by any means, but once you have the pellet stove going... just dump another bag in the hopper and you're done. Doesn't get easier than that.

 

[kennyp2339]

but once you have the pellet stove going... just dump another bag in the hopper and you're done. Doesn't get easier than that.

Some of the posts on here scare the crap out of me with the extra maintenance a pellet stove requires like weekly cleanings then a big monthly cleaning, vacuum switches going bad, mother boards going bad, bad or crappy pellets, clinkers ext.

 

[edyit]

a lot of that, IMO, is you get what you pay for. granted there are some exceptions to this rule but generally if you buy cheap you get cheap...

 

[mass_burner]

Some of the posts on here scare the crap out of me with the extra maintenance a pellet stove requires like weekly cleanings then a big monthly cleaning, vacuum switches going bad, mother boards going bad, bad or crappy pellets, clinkers ext.

Me too. A pallet of pellets taking up floor space isn't helping either.

 

[webby3650]

Me too. A pallet of pellets taking up floor space isn't helping either.

You will 2 or 3 pallets of pellets.. It can take a lot of room to keep pellets dry.

 

[St. Coemgen]

What happens if you run out of pellets?

Well, one option, if you have problems acquiring pellets, simply consider buying a chipper and a home DIY pellet mill (may not be available in all countries -- what a pity):

http://www.biomasspelletplant.com/products/Small-Pellet-Machine.html

Not cheap, so one would need to consider it an investment. There is usually a DIY option if you look for one.

I have also seen biomass heaters that can use just chipped wood directly, no need to compress to pellets, but only for boilers.

 

[Kosmonauts]

Well, one option, if you have problems acquiring pellets, simply consider buying a chipper and a home DIY pellet mill (may not be available in all countries -- what a pity):

http://www.biomasspelletplant.com/products/Small-Pellet-Machine.html

Not cheap, so one would need to consider it an investment. There is usually a DIY option if you look for one.

I have also seen biomass heaters that can use just chipped wood directly, no need to compress to pellets, but only for boilers.

That's interesting...so one is definetely able to process ones own fuel?

 

[edge-of-the-woods]

I personally would prefer the wood but I'm certain my wife is going to want the pellets.

What are her reasons for wanting pellets?

 

[blades]

I wood vote for a Wood stove, Don't want to process wood - no problem Giant wood pellets- ( bricks of compressed wood) course still the concern on the flue issue. Have both, too much messing around with the pellet unit, plus the cost of fuel- but then my base cost for firewood is zero- ya there is the cutting splitting stacking drying - still cheaper than most folks pay for gym memberships and of course those by pre-done loads of wood ( which you still have stack and dry, 2 year minimum cycle). Everyone's circumstance are different . A wood stove is a way of life, and other than the folks here and a few other forums most don't get it. Me I just do not like paying the utility/ supplier more than I need to. Now if I could get a wood fired system that would generate enough power to run my electrical needs I wood be in 7th heaven.( at a poor persons cost factor because deep down I am a cheap sob)

There is at least one pellet stove that does not use electrical power for basic operation by the name of Wise Way. ( located on the western side of the country I believe)

 

[dirk_411]

We are considering phasing out our air tight regency in the next few years. The heat from wood can't be beat, but what we are finding through friends and family are the constant heat from pellet stoves a major benefit over wood. Example, we go to bed at 9pm, get up at 5am, the stove has cooled off by this time, no problem get a fire going again, well, we go to work, leave around 630am get home around 5pm, on a normal day, stove and basement has cooled off. Now with pellets what we find is the heat output isn't that of wood but it's constant, the basement never cools, the concrete basement floor, the finished drywall and the lumber framing all hold a constant temperature. As for pellet stoves, imo, there is only one, Harman. There is harman, then there is the rest, then after that there is junk, ie, home hardware, canadian tire and so on. Also we are seeing best luck with quality soft wood pellets. My house is a spilt entrance bungalow built in 1996. Its fairly efficient with a finished basement around 1400 Sq ft. If I do end up switching to pellet it will be a harman P68. I was raised on wood. But I'm the only one who cuts and splits, wife can only help so much. There are quality concerns even time I order wood, what mix am I getting this year, planning 2-3 years ahead. The labor of cutting splitting and clean up. Bugs come off the wood, I actually picked up a tick last winter embedded tick in my back last winter, came from wood, verified. Yah they use electricity, don't find the harmans to be anymore maintanace than my air tight. The person with the harman is my grandmother, she was wood her whole life. Next is my dad, going to pellets for fall of 2016. I have 3 years wood left, that will give me time to see how dad likes the P68 harman that he will be buying. He likes it hot and has studied the differences for a few years now. So time will tell.... I love wood but pellets are catching my attention. We have an efficient home which helps are cause too

 

[kennyp2339]

Today I'm helping move my best friend, We both started burning wood relatively at the same time, he's leaving a NC30 that took care of the whole house, his new house (larger) has oil heat and pellets, he already knows that he will be using oil heat at least for the upstairs (bedroom area) but is willing to give the pellet stove (a newer englander type) a shot, He has hesitations on running pellets over wood due to cost of pellets and required stove cleanouts (to keep operations running smooth) but says he'll do at least one season with it. This will go perfect with this thread to see his unbiased opinion of wood vs pellets (since he's not a nut like us)

 

[Lake Girl]

but is willing to give the pellet stove (a newer englander type) a shot,

Hopefully the folks that owned that pellet stove maintained it well. My advice would be to do a deep and thorough clean. Outside with compressed air works the best but a leaf blower (with vacuum switch disconnected) is supposed to do a good job...

So ... why does the wife want to try pellets???

 

[3650]

10 year pellet burner here. When I started burning I could heat my house for about $500 a winter. The pellet industry got very greedy and I now costs $300+ a month. I'm done until the prices come back down, meanwhile, I've bought a use Fireview and am sourcing a coal burner for the basement. I've got 3 cords of seasoned wood and will be piling up more this summer. I'll be burning bituminous coal sourced 15 miles from me for $90 a ton. I've filled my propane tank for the first time in 10 years at .99 a gallon. Hopefully I won't be experiencing $300+ heating expenses anymore.

 

[cptoneleg]

Aslo, you can burn pellets in a wood stove but not the other way around. I get a 2-3 hr hot burn from my pellet cage. Perfect for shoulder or 4-5 hours before bed.

A pellet cage. never heard of one.