Pellet Stove Primer
There are many different types and brands of pellet stoves to choose from.
Most pellet stoves contain a hopper that you can pour the pellets into. The hoppers are sized to hold at least 1.5 bags(60 lbs) of pellets. This way you can just load up the hopper once or twice a day.
The pellets are fed from the hopper to the burn pot. There are two different methods of feeding the pellets to the burn pot, top feed and bottom feed. You may hear people debate which is better. The bottom line is that both can work equally well in a quality stove.
The heat output is controlled by how fast the pellets are fed into the burn pot. Some stoves have a dial to control the feed rate. Some stoves have a thermostat to control the feed rate by temperature. There is a small fan to that blows air through the stove and then exhausts to the outside.
Because pellet stoves are forced ventilation devices there is no need to have a chimney. Most pellet stoves can be direct vented straight out the wall to the outside.
What if I lose power ?
Pellet stoves need electricity to run the feeder and the blower. Fortunately it does not require a lot of electric power to run the stove. A small generator can easily handle the task. I have also heard of people using a deep cycle battery and an inverter to run the stove for short periods of time in an emergency.
In addition to stand alone stoves you can also buy a fireplace insert. An insert is great if you don’t want to have a stove in the middle of your living room.
Maintenance
Typical maintenance is minimal for a pellet stove. You typically need to load the hopper once a day. Every week or so you will need to empty out the ash tray. Every 2-4 weeks you may need to clean off the heat exchangers with a brush. Because there are so many moving parts it’s wise to have the stove inspected and thoroughly cleaned by a professional once a year.
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Hi, hey i have bought a quadra fire 1200 pellet stov a month ago, knowing is not that cold no more….sorry I live in Wisconsin it gets pretty cold up here.
Anyway, I’m so happy with it…what do you think about this brand name?
Quadrafire is a good brand. A couple of years ago the two best stoves were Harman’s and Quadrafires.
Does anyone have a John Deere Stove? We are have a whistling sound. I’m thinking it is the automatic ash cleaner. Reallly grates on the nerves – like fingernails on a chalk board. Thanks
THAT NOISE YOU ARE HEARING IS PROBABLY THE AUTO GRATE SYSTEM.
THERE AR 3 POINTS THAT NEED TO LUBED WITH NEVER-SEEZ.
I WORK AT A JOHN DEERE DEALER AND WE HAVE SOLD SEVERAL OF THESE STOVES. I HAVE ONE MYSELF AND I REALLY LIKE IT.
HOPE THIS HELPS YOU JULIE.
TOM
I have a Harman. Sometimes the trap door between the hopper and the auger squeeks but will go away. Any other weird noises I hear seem to correct themselves.
I installed a Quadra-Fire Mt Vernon model pellet stove in Oct. 2008. It has worked very well so far and the fan is extremely quiet. I am still experimenting with pellet types and using LG and Boreal. I think the Boreal pellets produce a little more ash. I installed my stove in the basement hoping that I would get a good flow of convection heat in the upstairs living portion of mr ranch house, but that has not been the case. I also installed a floor register and used a fan to help circulate the air but that didn’t help much. The basement is very comfortable and the floors are now much better but I want more heat upstairs. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?
thanks
Do you have a furnace with ductwork? Torn it on to “fan” mode to circulate the warm air from the basement around the rest of the house.
is anyone burning a us stove 6220 corn/pellet furnace.??
I am burning the 6100 which is just below the 6220. I like it.
HI,
I live in Western New York near Buffalo, so we get lake effect snow from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario its always COLD from Oct til April.
Looking at a Breckwell Big E 1000, what do you think of it? It’s been used and they want $500 for it?
We presently have a wood stove but want to convert over to the pellet stove? Need help on this one!!!!!!!!!!!!
I prefer to place the stove where the extisting one is, can I place it is up the chimney its stainless steel pipe?
I Live in WNY as well..near Lake Ontario–and own a Breckwell Pellet stove. I think you could replace it in your exisiting chimney with no problem as long as the chimney itself was cleaned out and ready to go and the fittings are tight and secure. I find pellets vary –heat and ash content. I have had alot of ash produced with Alleghany Pellets. One thing about pellet stoves..the bags are usually 40#..i used 1-2 bags on cold winter days..or windy days..and theyre almsot $6 bucks a bag. I use this as supplmental heat. I have my stove for 9 yrs..some problems..nothing major.
I have a breckwell Big E 1000. Cost new $1800 on sale. (avg price approx $2000 new) It works very well. Holds lots of pellets ,has 3 thermostat controls, cleans easily and heats up to approx 2200 sq ft.
How much it’s worth depends on how long it was used and if it was taken care of. Even though it is easily servicable and most parts are not to expensive to replace,there are parts that will wear out probably within 3-4 years with moderate to heavy use in cold climates.(6-7 months of use per year) Sept -march. Find out that info from the seller, inspect the stove for signs of excessive wear and go Breckwells website to see the cost of replacement parts that might be needed.If you are not handy, you will have to include installation labor $. Hope that helps.
Ibought a Harmon stove and it has been a continual nightmare. At this time I have replace almost every subassemply with the exception of the vacuum pump and the controls. I’ve now been told that the vacuum pump is going.
AAARGH”
Bought a Harmon Advance Pellet Stove . Love the auto start and thermocouple temperature feedback control as well as the Heat output. Got one complaint. When the stove slows down or is low burning and then calls for more heat, I’m getting small Puffing out of the burn pot or the fire area and it sounds like deep low small explosions. The flame actually jumps. Can get Irritating. This continues until a big flame is attained, than no problem.
I sold 200 mt vernon pellet stoves in 2008. It has proved to be unrealible at best. 50-60% service call in less than 1 year. way too many glitches. parts failing,loud tuba noise, missed igniton . stopped selling pellet stoves altogether because of this stove. If you want happness & heat,burn a woodstove