Any Pellet Stove users?

[JMAC]

I've been considering trying to find a used pellet stove to augment my wood heat. I've been working at a friend's shop lately and have been coming home to a cold house. Any opinions?

[Dutch.Rub]

..... the ones that interest me burn corn kernels....... grow your own fuel every year.......

[Meerkat]

Only thing to keep in mind about pellet stoves is that they require electricty to operate the screw that feeds the pellets to the combustion area. Thus, they are not good as emergency backup heat. Depending on locale, the pellets can be pricy too.

A good air-tight woodstove that's been well banked can come back up to temperature very rapidly...

[Jay]

I just installed a small pellet stove in our 1400 sq ft house three months ago here on the Olympic Peninsula. So far I'm very pleased. The pellets run around $150 - $170 a ton. Two ton should easily see us through a winter. I am amazed at how little ash is produced. I may need to empty the pan once a month. I believe our stove draws about 450 watts. I would think that a couple deep cycle batteries and a small inverter would carry it through most power outages. It still has the aroma of a woodstove without much mess. Environmentally, I believe they are fairly benign as well- efficient combustion and carbon neutral.

[Oyvind Snibsoer]

Have you considered a soapstone oven as an alternative? The high heat capacity of soapstone means that you can fire up the oven, and the heat absorbed in the stone will then be slowly released during the night when you're asleep, or while you're off working during the day. Pretty pricey, though.