WOOD VS PELLET STOVES

[Martin Strand III]

Time for my 2 cents worth.

I looked at pellet vs wood stove vs wood/coal stove for and accessory heater. I live in a remote spot in NW MI known for nasty weather in winter and power outages anytime(wind + trees vs power lines). I'm not as high as you (about 1000') but on a hill where the snow comes at me horizontally causing drifts on my driveway most service trucks can't negotiate in winter. I wanted selfsufficiency (well, almost), simplicity and reliability.

After looking at pellet stoves and reading forums like this one, what struck me was that pellet stoves didn't pump out much heat and were mechanical, gear driven modern technology just waiting to break or asking to be fussed with, weaked, etc.

I chose wood/coal since I harvest my own wood and like the long burn time and brutal heat output with coal when I need/want it. Moreover, I don't like fussin' with mechanical contraptions (pellet stoves) when I'm cold and have numb fingers. Plus I chose no blowers, fans or moving parts. I wanted raw simple, reliable, dependable heat.

Purosing forums I saw a lot (read "many") posts complaining about some aspect of a pellet stove; auger problems, bad pellet batches, complaints about required maintenance, not heating as promised, yada, yada, yada).

Well, I'm here to tell you I did good. I'm happy with my (ugly) stove - Harman TLC 2000 - but it don't bother my eyes much since it's in the basement where it's not in my face except when firin' it up and an occasional load of fuel.

I have another wood burner up on the main floor but I don't want to get folks riled up and won't discuss it here. I'm happy with that too.

So, hope your choice works for you and stay warm.

Aye,
Marty

 

[kevinmoelk]

I have another wood burner up on the main floor but I don't want to get folks riled up and won't discuss it here. I'm happy with that too.

"Most men appear never to have considered what a house is and are actually, though needlessly, poor all of their lives because they think they must have such a one as their neighbors have."

Marty, I can only speak for myself, but I'd love to have what you have on the main floor.

Enjoy, Cheers! (Passing glass of good vino to Marty)

-Kevin

 

[Martin Strand III]

I have another wood burner up on the main floor but I don't want to get folks riled up and won't discuss it here. I'm happy with that too.

"Most men appear never to have considered what a house is and are actually, though needlessly, poor all of their lives because they think they must have such a one as their neighbors have."

Marty, I can only speak for myself, but I'd love to have what you have on the main floor.

Enjoy, Cheers! (Passing glass of good vino to Marty)

-Kevin

MrWrench:

Wanting what others have is, sadly, a never ending quest, a thirst never quenched, a goal never reached and satisfaction never obtained. It is much nobler and satisfying to the deep inner self to be happy with what one has, or even better, to be joyful and most happy with even less.

And, yes, tonite it 'vino tinto' by the fire... Aahhh, the simple pleasures.

Aye,
Marty

Grandma used to say, "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush."

 

[buildingmaint]

I have a pellet stove and it is the main heat source I use .When I was looking to go to a different heat source [I have NATURAL GAS FURNACE]I compared wood stoves and pellet stoves .My home insurance agent told me that my fire insurance would go up about 150 to 175% if I installed a wood stove, so we were talking about $250-300 more for fire insurance. I also read that if you put any kind of heat source in an uninsulated basement you would be heating the terra firma around your house not your inside house. So I would have to insulate my basement at a cost of around $600-800.I would have to buy wood so that would cost me around $300- 500. I thought I could heat my house with 2 tons of pellets but 4 ton is more like it. I paid $175 a ton last year and I paid $190 this year.A year before I bought my stove pellets were going for $125 a ton here in NWPA .Buyers Fair had pellets for $170 a ton this year but only had 2 tons per store and would only sell them 1 bag at a time.We have two or three pellet factories within 100 miles of where I live but with the cost of gas {$3.00 a gallon when I bought my pellets] it was a wash to buy mine at $190.00 then rent a truck buy fuel to get pellets at $150.00 a ton.

 

[vanhoesenj]

I'm not an expert like some of the guys on here, but I doubt that I'll ever get pellets for free. I really liked the low cost on vent install and hearth construction related to the pellets, but I visit the dump at least twice a week and find goodies to burn, sometimes just kindling and sometimes more. I also pick up branches and trees on the back roads around here in VT... so as some folks have already said, it all depends on your situation and how earnest you are to go'a scroungin'.

cheers
J~

 

[budman]

I have another wood burner up on the main floor but I don't want to get folks riled up and won't discuss it here. I'm happy with that too.

"Most men appear never to have considered what a house is and are actually, though needlessly, poor all of their lives because they think they must have such a one as their neighbors have."

Marty, I can only speak for myself, but I'd love to have what you have on the main floor.

Enjoy, Cheers! (Passing glass of good vino to Marty)

-Kevin

MrWrench:

Wanting what others have is, sadly, a never ending quest, a thirst never quenched, a goal never reached and satisfaction never obtained. It is much nobler and satisfying to the deep inner self to be happy with what one has, or even better, to be joyful and most happy with even less.

And, yes, tonite it 'vino tinto' by the fire... Aahhh, the simple pleasures.

Aye,
Marty

Grandma used to say, "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush."

CHEERS

 

[elkimmeg]

Guys I think we are being played
three times I posted asking questions about this guy's setup and expectations how he planned to vent which ever stove he bought
he never had the courtesy to reply and has not replied yet to this post.

I think he wanted to get us all riled up and sit back smugly and LOL at us. I have a feeling we have been played

 

[GVA]

Guys I think we are being played
three times I posted asking questions about this guy's setup and expectations how he planned to vent which ever stove he bought
he never had the courtesy to reply and has not replied yet to this post.

I think he wanted to get us all riled up and sit back smugly and LOL at us. I have a feeling we have been played

I agree.

 

[Martin Strand III]

Guys I think we are being played
three times I posted asking questions about this guy's setup and expectations how he planned to vent which ever stove he bought
he never had the courtesy to reply and has not replied yet to this post.

I think he wanted to get us all riled up and sit back smugly and LOL at us. I have a feeling we have been played

I agree.

Yes, maybe. But maybe he is has a life outside this Forum; busy working, travelling to see his kids, gone fishin', maybe in the hospital without his laptop or cyber hookup (dreaded thought).

Being played is a risk in cyberspace as the typed word only conveys a minor
e of the true meaning behind the words. Tone of voice and body language are absent. The latter two contribute much more to the intended message. This accounts for the seemingly rampant gum flapping, chest thumping and ego twistings which have occurred here (read: Dylan's demise).

So, what ever to do? For me, it's not going to make the dairy in my morning coffee curdle. Just let it go and move on...

Oh, one last thought on pellets besides my previous posting (a negative diatribe) as I usually like to end on a positive note: if you like buying them, they are convenient.

Aye,
Marty

 

[jimkelt]

Guys I think we are being played
three times I posted asking questions about this guy's setup and expectations how he planned to vent which ever stove he bought
he never had the courtesy to reply and has not replied yet to this post.

I think he wanted to get us all riled up and sit back smugly and LOL at us. I have a feeling we have been played

Checking his other posts I have to agree with you...

 

[MrGriz]

Sure looks that way. However, it did make for some good sharing of opinions and ideas. Maybe reading through this thread will help someone else with similar questions.

 

[elkimmeg]

since I never entered the poll can some update where it is at now

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

You have to enter Elk!! We cant spoil the secret

 

[elkimmeg]

I read the poll and they don't have a catagory for I don't give a chit for me to enter plus I posted earnest request that were never addressed 3 times
I draw the line not to add to this troller's jollies

 

[Roospike]

Member: Retired_N_Lovin_it

Join Date: January 18, 2007 05:02 PM

Thread posted: 18 January 2007 05:53 PM

Most Recent Forum Post: January 18, 2007 05:53 PM

Last Visit: January 18, 2007 08:24 PM

 

[Metal]

He probably froze to death while trying to decide how to heat his house.

 

[hearthtools]

Guys I think we are being played
three times I posted asking questions about this guy's setup and expectations how he planned to vent which ever stove he bought
he never had the courtesy to reply and has not replied yet to this post.

I think he wanted to get us all riled up and sit back smugly and LOL at us. I have a feeling we have been played

Im sure he is the Man that spent a few trips in my showroom and talked to my wife and I.
He is an Older Gentleman and might not get online alot.

With the questions he asked it looks like him.
He told me he logged on here seen a lot of negitive comments on Pellet stoves so he was leaning toward wood.

It if is him he has A new 1300 sq foot Manufactures home in a 3 year old Mobil home park.
The climate is mild Average Winter temp around 40 for the lows. We just had the coldest few weeks here and the temps were in the 20's

 

[Roospike]

nope , the member hasnt been back sense post #7 from GVA . From ELK post #8 and on he has not seen.

Well , At least i found out there are a lot more Pellet stove owners then i thought. But at only 57 votes the results are going to be incorrect at best.

 

[rakuz66]

I guess I'll chime in as well. I posted this same topic weeks ago as I was in the market for a stove for a recently purchased cabin. All the info here is great and exactly correct. Bottom line: What works best for you and your spouse in your situation. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Pellets sound great except for price, power outages, etc. Wood is great except for uncontrolled heat, reloading, etc. I think the best advice is lifestyle choice and what you can invest( I mean time/energy/cleaning/etc) Nothing is cheap these days so cost is somewhat relative. If everybody strats using wood, you can bet wood prices will skyrocket.

 

[rakuz66]

By the ways guys and girls, Just so you don't think all your posts were for not, I read all of them about this topic and decided to go pellet. It suit my purposes for a cabin. Recreational use, no fussing, easy venting, the wife likes the idea. But, for you wood guys, I do have wood stove at home, so I guess one of each will do.

 

[Martin Strand III]

Eee gads, another politician...

Aye,
Marty

 

[Kenny1]

OK rakuz66, now the next tough question.

Which pellet stove are you gonna get?


Cheers

 

[HarryBack]

By the ways guys and girls, Just so you don't think all your posts were for not, I read all of them about this topic and decided to go pellet. It suit my purposes for a cabin. Recreational use, no fussing, easy venting, the wife likes the idea. But, for you wood guys, I do have wood stove at home, so I guess one of each will do.

WOOT! Pelletheads win!

 

[rakuz66]

I am considering the quadra-fire, mainly because the dealer is very close to the cabin and it seems to suit my needs away from home. By the way, here's a new topic, What should I do with an old wood stove? Does anyone have any idea's? I'd like to keep it, but I don't have any room for it. The name on the stove is Old Erie.

 

[elkimmeg]

$.10 per pound at the scrap yards. Someone has to supply China with the scrap metals