Prices of oil and gas are rising day by day. This has increased the cost of heating homes during cold winter. Pellet stoves can be a good solution for homeowners.

Pellet stoves look similar to wood stoves or fireplace inserts but instead of burning wood, they burn small pellets that are made from recycled wood shavings, sawdust, or corn. Pellet stoves are indeed a very sophisticated combustion appliances that offer very low-cost heating.

Most pellet stoves produce a small fire concentrated in the center of the unit. A pellet stove with a large viewing glass offers a great view of this fire and flame. Some pellet stoves also come with ceramic logs that help disperse the flames and give the fire a more traditional look.

However, pellet stoves have a number of moving parts and motors that require proper maintenance. When buying a new pellet stove, you should select a model that gives you easy access to any parts that need care.

Pellet stoves can be very effective at heating rooms or even the entire home. Sizing heat output of pellet stoves is important when it comes to choosing the right stove for your home. A stove with too little heat output won’t heat effectively. Similarly, if its output is too high, its heat can consume too much fuel and become uncomfortably warm.

Pellet stoves are sized according to their heat output range, measured by BTUs (British thermal units) per hour. Pellet stoves may output from as little as 8,000 BTUs per hour to 90,000 BTUs per hour or more. When comparing BTU output between various stoves, be sure you’re clear about each unit’s overall efficiency, that is, how much heat it delivers to the room. Location of the pellet stove also plays a vital role when it comes to how efficiently stove will heat.

Here is a helpful rule:

• A stove rated at 60,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) can heat an open-plan 2,000 square foot home.
• A stove rated at 42,000 BTU can heat an open-plan 1,300 square foot space.

Pellet stoves are basically of two types – bottom-fed and top-fed. When choosing between a bottom- or top-fed pellet stove, you must look into the benefits and drawbacks of both. With a top-fed pellet stove well protected pellet delivery system hence there is less chance of fire burning back into the hopper. But the combustion chamber of this type of stove is more likely to become impeded with ash and clinkers. This is why most manufacturers of top-fed pellet stoves recommend burning high-grade, low-ash pellets.

With bottom-fed pellet stoves, there is no need of any premium fuel. The ash and clinkers are pushed into the ash pan. It is important to remove the ashes about once a week.

The motors require electricity. Some units also have battery backup. A pellet stove needs 110-volt outlet. You may want to have a gas-powered generator on hand so that you can use the stove if the power goes out.

When it comes to style, pellet stoves are available in a variety of styles in both freestanding stoves and fireplace inserts. Some manufacturers also make pellet-fueled furnaces and boilers designed to supplement conventional forced-air heating systems.

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• Pellet Stove Cleaning and Maintenance

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• Do it Yourself Home Repair and Maintenance