2. Pellet Stove Tips

Brief History of the Pellet Stove

To this day pellet stoves are more common than you might think, simply because they use biomass materials for fuel and burn completely clean. Some of the different materials that these stoves use include corn kernels, sawdust, wood chips, and cherry pits which are eventually compressed into small pellets. Although these stoves are incredibly popular right now with the eco-friendly, they are by no means new. There is a very long and detailed history behind pellet stoves which dates back many years. The modern pellet stove as most of us know it however was first made back in the 1970s during the oil crises which was going on at the time.

  • During the oil crises of the 1970s, Americans were looking for fuel-efficient heating systems that would cut down or completely eliminate the need for oil. This is in turn how pellet stoves came to be. The original pellet stove was created back in the 1930s during the time of the Great Depression. The reason that these pellet stoves did not catch on very quickly and become used widespread is because of the fact that during the 20th century fossil fuels were in abundance so there was not a lot of demand for biomass heating systems like these stoves.
  • The primary reason that the modern pellet stove became popular is because during the 1970s, Americans had to start looking for more fuel-efficient ways to heat their homes as well as businesses. The pellet stove as we know it today was introduced as a way to burn recycled materials while giving off a significant amount of heat. Because pellet stoves are able to burn cleanly, they are extremely popular with those who are more eco-friendly than others. This means that pellet stoves create less carbon dioxide when they are used because of the fact that they burn recycled materials like wood chips and corn kernels.

wood-pellets

  • Carbon dioxide is given off by many different things, including cars and various types of stoves which do not use recycled materials in order to work. This is one of the primary reasons for global warming, which is a gradual increase of the earth’s overall temperature due to the disappearance of the ozone layer. Pellet stoves started becoming much more popular in the 1980s, though their popularity did start to decline when the price of oil and natural gas started to go down.
  • The pellet stove started to enjoy more popularity in 2005 though, mostly because of the increasing energy costs. Pellet warehouses found themselves shorthanded due to the overwhelming popularity. When the pellet stove has been popular, it has almost always been because of demand which has been driven up because of increased energy prices. People are always looking for the best, cheapest, and most efficient way to heat their homes and businesses. Often times pellet stoves have provided people with a way to do just that.

From the time they were first created and introduced to the public in the 1930s to modern day, pellet stoves have always been a clean-burning and efficient alternative to oil and natural gas stoves. Today energy costs continue to increase, making the pellet stove more popular than ever before. Many people who value alternative energy sources favor pellet stoves because they do not harm the environment in the same way that many others do with the production of carbon dioxide. For now the pellet stove is enjoying a fair amount of popularity, mostly because of the fact that energy costs are still fairly high and with the state of the economy people are looking for any way to save money while still having an efficient heat source.

Pellet Furnaces

If you have considered investing in a new stove or fireplace but want to heat your entire house instead of just one room, then you might want to look into pellet furnaces. These are designed to be effective in the way they heat, both in terms of how quickly they burn the pellets and the amount of heat that is generated each time you turn it on. There are very specific things you should look for when you are going about buying one of these, including how it burns. Since you probably don’t want to spend too much money on pellets, you will want a furnace that can stay lit and warm your house for days on end until the pellets in the loader run out completely.

Buying Pellets

  • You can buy the pellets that act as fuel for these furnaces both online and in certain stores in your area. It is highly recommended that you buy them in bulk, so you won’t have to keep running out the door every time you run out. Many stores sell bags of pellets that weigh as much as 40 or 50 lbs, and you can find them at discounted prices on certain websites. Since you will want to spend the very least amount for what you need to keep your house warm all season long, it would be a good idea to look around at all the places you can buy them from.

Heat output – BTU’s

  • Before settling on a certain furnace, you will want to be sure you take a close look at all of the specifications and technical aspects, such as the heat output. You certainly have to make sure that the one you get is able to warm up your entire whole in a minimal amount of time. Typically pellet furnaces are fairly good at doing this, so you shouldn’t have any problems.

Making them more efficient!

  • Some of these furnaces come with special features that will allow you to stretch your dollar a little bit farther, such as automatic temperature control and room sensors. Both of these features make it so that you don’t have to keep checking the temperature and setting it yourself. You will be able to count on the furnace to do everything for you, including checking the current temperature and making the proper adjustment as needed.

Pellet furnaces are a much better decision for your energy solutions, mostly because they are a cheaper way for you to warm your house during the colder months where you live and still get enough heat. A lot of stoves or fireplaces only heat the room they are in, however with a pellet furnace you can count on every single room getting the same amount of heat. When it comes to finding an inexpensive way to heat your house, nothing beats a furnace that runs on pellets. They are simple for you to operate and supply you with the kind of automatic features that make climate-control easier than ever before. Buying one would be a great investment for the future, because they tend to last for a long time.

3 Hot Tips for Pellet Stove Installation

Here are a few things you will need to keep in mind when investing in pellet stove installation. This is because the pellet stove burns very hot. If it is not properly installed, you will have big problems on your hands. However, if you follow a few simple guidelines, you should be able to install the stoves just fine and enjoy great, cheap heat throughout your house or at least in the room the stove is in.

Create a Foundation

Because the pellet stove burns so hot, there must be a proper foundation for it. This is easy to accomplish if you have purchased an insert pellet stove. For pellet stove installation on a single room unit, you will need to make sure to have a proper base for the stove. This is a heat resistant pad which the stove will sit on. It will protect your floor from being damaged as well as lower the risk of fire. The ideal setting is on cement or brick.

Location of the Pellet Stove

It is very important that during pellet stove installation that the stove is placed at least one inch away from the wall for a free-standing model. You should have considered the location of the pellet stove before making a purchase. This will not only make sure that you have enough room. It will help to make sure that you reduce the fire hazard as much as possible.

Heating the Home

Since the goal of the pellet stove is to heat the home, this is something which must be taken into consideration. Think about the amount of rooms you would like to heat with the unit. This way the pellet stove installation will be able to include the right strength of blower. You will also need to determine whether the air will be pumped directly into the room it is in or into the homes main air system.  Make sure the blower will reduce the amount of draft which will be allowed throughout the pellet stove to generate even more heat. This will also help to reduce mess and circulate cleaner air in the home.