Pellet Stoves

[nickster60]

I know this isnt a RV or Sunline question but I value the insight and knowledge on this forum. I will be moving out west in the next few years and heat will become an issue. I know most of our members are from colder climates. Do you have a pellet stove? Would you recommend one?

 

[GhettoMedic]

I used to work at a stove company, I would recomend gas or wood stoves over a pellet stove. Pellet stoves require electricity so if you have no power you are out of luck. They aso require use of a mechanical auger which can require a lot of cleaning. Also the pellets are made of sawdust and wax, and wax can cause harmfull creasote in your chimney.

Just my $0.02

 

[Al in PA]

Another option to consider would be a coal stove. If you relocate in a state which has coal mines, coal can still be purchased at a fairly reasonable price. Here in PA, we can purchase hard anthracite coal for $180/ton. Depending upon your stove and the length of your heating season, 2-3 tons will do the job. Like wood, coal stoves do not require electricity during power outages and they burn 24/7 if you don't travel in the winter. Just as a reference, a coal bin 4X8X4 will hold 2+ ton of coal.

 

[Makers Mark]

I don’t own any kind of stove, so you know how valuable my comment is! However, my son-in-law has a pellet stove and he is constantly complaining of the noise and rattle of the blower that makes it more efficient by circulating the heat.
MM

 

[poppyandnana]

We use a wood stove - here in the North Country we tend to lose electric often during the winter and I would not want to be without heat for as long as it can take to get power restored in our area.....and another reason why we have 3 generators!!!!!

A friend offered us a pellet stove FOR FREE and we did not take it....I also rent a few camps out up here and they have pellet stoves and they do tend to be messy....not that wood isn't! :shock:

 

[donreitz]

I had two corn/pellet burning stoves and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Living in the heart of corn county as I do, a corn burner seemed to make sense (I used pellets too). However, they were simply more trouble than they were worth. The problems boiled down to these: the stoves are noisy, high-maintenance, and unreliable. If you have the time to devote to these machines (handling/storing the fuel, cleaning, maintenance, and adjustments) and can locate it so as to minimize the noise (fan, augur), then heating with one might make sense for you. Otherwise I'd look at something else.

That's my take. In contrast, you'll find hugely enthusiastic corn and pellet burners at www.iburncorn.com.
Don

 

[rich250]

6 years I been using my pellet stove,it's a englander from lowes,my main heat is an oil burner/forced hot air,I got tired of the cool then warm then cool of the forced air so I bought my pellet stove and it's been one of the best investments I ever made,now it's just a steady warmth,I have yet to have oil delivered since I got my pellet stove,thank god at all but $500.00 per fill up,I went from spending over $1000.00 a year to heat down to about $300.00.I do burn a pellet/corn mix which gives better heat but does require more frequent cleanings.so far in six years the only problem I had was one auger motor that the bearings started to get noisy so I replaced it.my stove is very quiet and unless your right next to it you don't even hear it running.one down fall is pellet stoves do require electric but there are several brands that have battery back ups,mine does not but I have a cheap genny that will run my stove in the event of a power outage.pellet stoves are not for everyone,but it's much easier then splitting and stacking wood and about the same amount of work as coal.as for dirt I don't see that as a problem everything goes from a bag right into my stove.One thing a lot of people don't know about pellet stoves is how much safer they are then coal or wood stoves,for ex.if you open the door while the stove is burning it looses vacumm and shuts down,if the vent pipe gets to dirty it won't burn,the exterior don't get hot enough to burn you if you bump against it,very very little odor at start up from then on it's odorless,has it's own fresh air intake so I don't burn the oxygen from in the house.I could go on about the safety but I won't bore anyone. Have I mentioned we love our pellet stove

 

[emam]

We just camped in a campground out in the middle of no-where that had a weird mix of people trying to stay off the grid and out of society. I know, sounds weird, but hey, it was free and sometimes these are some really interesting people....LOL

Anyway, this guy had a flue pipe coming out of the side of his camper, and at night I would see smoke just billowing out of the chimney.

The next morning I went over and asked him if he actually was burning wood in his RV and he told me he had bought one of those small wood burners from Harbor Freight. Under $100! He made an aluminum lining/sheild to go around the stove and now heats his motorhome with wood!! :shock:

I thought I had seen everything till I saw this. Just thought I'd share that story since we're on the wood stove subject

Pat

 

[nickster60]

Thank you for all of your imput on this subject. Living in Florida there isnt much information on stoves. We are planning to move to Idaho in next few years and I am trying learn as much as I can about new heating systems. I moved to Florida about 15 years ago from Connecticut and things have changed. Oil is king there and we always had oil. I would like to rid myself from oil when we move out west.

 

[Poor Man Campin']

Anyway, this guy had a flue pipe coming out of the side of his camper, and at night I would see smoke just billowing out of the chimney...
I thought I had seen everything till I saw this. Just thought I'd share that story since we're on the wood stove subject

Picture Pat? Truthfully, I can't say that I've ever seen a woodstove in an RV.

When we lived in the Farmhouse, the woodstove was the cheapest and the best heat we had for 7 yrs. DW made me get rid of it when our 1st daughter was born. Fuel oil made us $3800 :shock: lighter that winter. That was when we decided that we could afford to buy our own house that was more energy efficient! I'd hate to think what we'd be spending now if we would've stayed there...

 

[HappyCampers-SUN]

Neat thread. I'll put in my 2 cents. I recently bought a corn stove and have been burning it for approx. a month and a half. I can also burn pellets, wheat, rye, cherry pits, etc... Right now I'm burning a mix of about 60% corn and 40% premium hard wood pellets. It's a smaller stove, rated at 30k BTUs, and stated to heat approx 1,500 Sq ft. It's effectively heating my entire house which is a little over 1,800 Sq ft. We do have an Eden Pure quartz heater running on low in the family room since the heat doesn't get to this room as well as I'd like. The only time the Natural Gas furnace runs is when the temperature drops below 20 or so degrees. And it only runs for about 5 mins every hour and 15 minutes. The effectiveness of a stove like this is the placement of the stove and the layout of your home. My house is over 100 years old and is a 2.5 story (plus basement) colonial. The heat travels very well with the layout of my home. I've not found the stove to be a nusance, or messy. I keep the hopper (50 lbs) topped off and forget it. I top it off before I go to work and again a few hours before I go to bed. If you are burning corn you need to remove the "clinker" about every 14 hours or so. This takes about 60 seconds. Also Hardwood pellets don't contain wax. Pellets are made with sawdust and lots of pressure. I visited a facility where they make pellets, a really neat process. Rich brought up a good point with the safety factor of the pellet stove. They also don't give off any carbon monoxide. Also a corn or pellet stove can be direct vented right through your wall. This makes cleaning very easy. A lot of stoves can be ordered with a battery back-up feature in case of power loss. I love my stove, it's saving me a lot of money. Besides I'd rather support my local farmer rather than the gas co.

 

[nickster60]

I agree with supporting the farmer. My biggest concern is saving money. We both own our own companies and have worked more hours than we should for years. I would like to take it easy when we get out west. I would like to have more time for fly fishing and less time for work. So saving money on heating is a big part of the equation.

 

[emam]

Picture Pat? Truthfully, I can't say that I've ever seen a woodstove in an RV.

Ok, I finally was able to get a few pictures of the Wood Stove in the RV. I thought I'd post them to show you what it looked like :shock:

It's hard not to notice the full size antenna that when I asked him about his reception, his reply was "Nah, it still sucks!"

Needless to say, I'm thinking the guy has a few screws loose, but he is fun to talk to and usually hasa some wacky stories to keep Cindy and I entertained for a few days worth of laughs

Pat

 

[rich250]

some of the best redneck work I have ever seen but I bet it's nice and toasty inside

 

[poppyandnana]

Well maybe his TV reception "still sucks" 'cause the wire is burned from the chimney heat!

 

[MACK C-85]

:shock: As long as there are people like this in the world, we firefighters will never be out of work :!:

 

[emam]

:shock: As long as there are people like this in the world, we firefighters will never be out of work :!:

Ha Ha!! That's Funny!!

 

[JohnGB]

You would "think" some things would be obvious on what not to do. Mack - C85 summed it up pretty good.

 

[GhettoMedic]

:shock: As long as there are people like this in the world, we firefighters will never be out of work :!:

One of my favorite sayings......As long as there are crazy people doing stupid things, I'll never be out of a job.