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Pellet Stove
Burning
biomass materials like wood pellets, shelled corn, and wheat for
cooking, heating water and as a central or supplementary heating source
is nothing new. This technology has been around for decades and has
increased in popularity lately due to the devastating effects of fossil
fuels within our air. Wood pellets have a low moisture content
therefore burning these natural materials produces a clean burn while
posing no threat to the environment. As environmental concerns grow and
political pressures mount consumers are looking for cheaper, more
environmentally friendly alternatives to heat their home. Pellet stoves
are an excellent supplement to a central heating system, like a forced
air furnace.
Burning pellets in the pellet burner provides ample zone heat for the
areas of your home where you need it most. Pellet burning stoves are
most commonly found in the family room, living area or near the kitchen
to maximize heat distribution and create a consistent temperature
throughout your home.
Q. What is a pellet?
A pellet stove can be a free standing stove or a fireplace insert that
uses wood pellets for fuel. Wood pellets are made from ground wood
chips and sawdust, two by-products and common waste material of
furniture manufacturers, lumbar yards and saw mills. The saw dust and
wood chip mixture is compressed and formed into evenly shaped pellets
and bagged for sale. Bags of pellets weighing approximately 40lbs cost
between $2.00 -$4.00 depending on the brand of pellets. One ton of
pellets (approximately 50 bags) costs between $115 - $200.
Q. How long will one 40lbs bag of wood pellets last?
Generally, a wood pellet stove will burn one bag of pellets for about
24 hours, providing heat to approximately 1500 square feet of space.
This is also dependent on how efficient your home is at conserving the
heat and the temperature at which you have the your stove set. Drafty
windows and doors will allow for heat to be lost as will poorly
insulated walls. The size of the hearth (or firebox) should correlate
with the size of the space you are trying to heat. A firebox in a
pellet stove ranges from 1.5 to 3.5 cubic feet.
Q. How are wood pellets used as fuel within a pellet burning stove?
Most pellet stoves are free standing stoves that are vented out of any
exterior wall of your home via the back of the stove. They do not
require a chimney thru the top of the stove as wood stoves do. There is
a door that opens on the back or side of the pellet stoves that leads
to a compartment called a hopper. The hopper is where the wood pellets
are stored until they are burned. There is a mechanism called an auger
that transports the pellets from the hopper to the firebox. Most augers
are powered by electricity therefore you may need a generator if the
area you live in has frequent power outages or in case of emergency.
The wood pellets move from the hopper to the firebox via the electric
auger and are burned at a consistent rate. Pellet stoves are
thermostatically controlled therefore you can decide on the desired
room temperature. Pellet stoves are also available with a blower that
forces the heat into the room which increases the efficiency for your
stove. It is recommended that you place a ceiling fan in the room where
the pellet stove is located to help draw the heat and move it
throughout the home. Zone heating is best accomplished in this way.
Pellet burning stoves are a great supplement of heat for any home and
requires much less effort than a wood burning stove. Simply store the
bags of pellets in a dry place until you need them, then fill the
hopper , set the temperature on the stove and the pellet stove works on
its own to provide ample radiant heat to your home. The huge advantage
of burning wood pellets for fuel is that they emit no harmful emissions
and are environmentally friendly. Pellet stoves are an efficient choice
for additional heat and do not contribute to the fossil fuel crisis
that will affect our generation and generations to follow.
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