If you are trying to decide whether or not to purchase a pellet stove, this article will help you make the right decision for you.  These pellet stove pros and cons will help you decide if investing in a pellet stove to heat your home is worth the money you will spend. Also see tips to purchasing pellet stoves.

Pellet Stove Pros

• Burns Solid Fuel Cleanly - Pellet stoves are a perfect choice for people who are concerned about air pollution.  Pellet stoves are considered to be the cleanest of all residential heating appliances because they effectively combust fuel and create less ash than wood.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not require emissions testing because of how clean they burn fuel.


• Size - Pellet stoves come in different sizes.  They offer pellet stoves that have BTUs ranging from eight thousand to ninety thousand.  Therefore, whether you have a small room to heat or you need to heat the entire home, you have an option. Pellet stoves can even heat multi-family living environments, such as apartments, townhomes, or condominiums.


• Small Pellets vs. Splitting Firewood – This is a huge pro for many people.  No more splitting and carrying firewood in the freezing cold winter.  The fuel for pellet stoves comes in small pellets in the size of rabbit food.  You can purchase them in many size amounts, but the most common sold for a single family home is in 40 pound bags.  Bags verses firewood – you pick.


• Ease of Use – A fire can be started by the push of a button or adjusting the thermostat.


• Ecological Benefits – While pellet stoves burn effectively there are some other ecological benefits.  There are not any trees being cut down, no gas reserves being used, and the pellet stoves do not require much electricity.  The pellets are made from waste materials, like sawdust and agricultural byproducts.

Pellet Stove Cons

• Price – Residential models can range from $1700 to $3000.


• Vent System Needs Installed for Exhaust – While it is not as expensive to install as building a chimney, a pellet stove does require the exhaust to be directed out through a wall or the ceiling.


• Cost of Fuel – Pellets cost three to four dollars a bag for a 40 pound bag.  Generally, a family will go through two or three tons of pellets per winter.  This will be about 50 bags of pellets approximately two to three times a year.  Therefore, pellet stove fuel can range from $300 to $600, excluding the cost of electricity.  The electricity to run a pellet stove runs a homeowner about 100 kilowatts per month.


• Repairs are Expensive – Repairs of a pellet stove can get expensive because of its complex components.


• Unexpected Shutoffs can Cause Smoke – If the electricity turns off unexpectedly, such as in a storm, pellet stoves do not produce heat and smoke can come into your home.

Pellet Stove Pros and Cons – Is it worth it?

The above pellet stove pros and cons seem to even out.  The question, “Is it worth it?” depends on what is important to you and your family.  Decide which pellet stove pros and cons outweigh each other, and make a decision of whether purchasing, installing, and operating a pellet stove is best for you.

• Add New
• Search

Comments (1)

• |2010-10-05 13:52:07 MARY  - re: Pellet stove repairs
  [quote=MARY] The above statements are so true. The deal though also with pellets..I started out paying 3.99 a bag and now they are up to 6.00 and not much cheaper to buy by the tons. So it starting costing as much as electric. The fact it is enviromentally cleaner for air maybe is so, but still alot of dust.
  Also, if you cant repair yourself, forget it.
  Started out costing 90.00 for a cleaning and now up to 230.00. And the places all stay in same price ranges, so you cant find much cheaper. Then the actual repairs...if you cant do yourself, that is a huge expense. THey pull in the driveway and charge a huge amount and then charge again once they decide what the problem is..add the parts and over period of time, it IS NOT worth. The electric boards that control are in the 200.00s.
  I gave up on mine. I tried to get some "do it yourself " help and no one that advertised could fix either, so back to the places that sell and repair..they know they have the market and charge h...
  • 0
  • 0

  ReplyQuote

Write comment

Your Contact Details:

Name:

Email: do not notifynotify

Website:

Comment:

Title:

UBBCode:         -color-aquablackbluefuchsiagraygreenlimemaroonnavyolivepurpleredsilvertealwhiteyellow -size-tinysmallmediumlargehuge

Message:

Security

Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Do it yourself - Home