Pellet Stove Buying Guide

More Economical

But many customers with smaller homes are choosing pellet stoves because they don’t necessarily need to buy a safety gate. 

This is because pellet stoves remain relatively cool to the touch on the exterior making them much safer for folks with pets and children. 

But also if you live in an are where harvesting firewood isn’t the best option or you don’t have someone that has readily available seasoned firewood. 

Or you just simply don’t have the time to split and harvest your  own firewood, pellet stoves are a great option.

Environmental Concerns

More people are being more mindful of the pollutants that some heating appliances release into the environment that we breathe.

Pellet stoves use condensed wood pellets that burn very efficiently and contain little moisture so less harmful gases are released into the air.

You might also appreciate the fact that the wood pellets are from recycled by-products and no trees are cut just to manufacture pellets.

Pellet Stoves vs. Wood Stoves

As with wood-burning stoves there are two basic types of pellet stoves: freestanding models and inserts that fit into existing fireplaces.

We made this table to help show the other differences:

Parts

Hopper: Stores the pellets to be burned

Convection Fan: Circulates the air through heat exchange tubes and into the room

Burn pot: Holds the pellets for combustion

Auger: Feeds the pellets from hopper to burn pot where they are ignited

Ash Pan: Collects the remind of unburned pellets

Grill: Allows room air to be pulled in by the convection fan

Intake Vent: Pulls air into the burn pot

Exhaust Vent: Takes away combustion gases

Combustion Fan: Pulls in outdoor air and exhaust gases

Blowers

There’s also a convection blower that draws room air into the stove and blows heated air into the room through a series of heat-exchange tubes. 

The stove will automatically deliver heat, based on the thermostat setting. 

All you need to do is keep the hopper full of pellets.

Feed Pellets into Your Stove

The top-fed stoves work well for high heat applications because the fire that is created in the burn pot won’t come back into the hopper and cause your pellets problems.

But top-fed pellets can quickly get blocked with ash or a clinker, which happens when ash is heated again after being cooled.

This means you’ll need to buy low-ash pellets and these often are more expensive.

The bottom-fed models aren’t as popular, actually. With these you won’t have the ash build up problems so you can use the cheaper pellets with them.

They have an ash pan that the stove funnels all of the waste products into that will need to be cleaned about once a week.

Look for models that have ash pans with large capacities so that you can make cleaning relatively easy.

What is a Pellet?

The pellets, which are commonly available in 40-pound bags, are made from compressed sawdust and waste wood that would otherwise be dumped into landfills or left to rot in the forest.

Another cool thing about pellets is that they are considered carbon-neutral

Pellet Stove Styles

Pellet stoves come in different sizes, styles, and colors. They can be tailored to suit the specific needs of your home.

Even though there are many different models with all kinds of bells and whistles, there are a few key characteristics that differentiate one pellet stove to another.

First is where the hopper is located.

In top feeder models, the pellets are loaded into the auger from the top of the stove and the pellets go down a tube into the fire.

This design minimizes the chance of fire burning up to the hopper but also a lot more likely to get clogged with ashes. For top feeder models, have the advantage of better heating efficiency because pellets stay in the burn box until they’re completely burned.

Then there are bottom feeder pellet stoves.

These deliver the pellets horizontally, from behind or beside the fire. This design allows you to use standard grade pellets because the horizontal movement inherently moves ash away from the burn area.

This helps keep air inlets open and requires less cleaning of the burn box.

But bottom feed models may not be as efficient.

Here are some crowd favorites:

Lopi Leyden

This stove has a 50 pound hopper capacity and an ash pan large enough to burn an entire ton of pellets before it needs to be emptied.

Cost – $3,600
BTUs – 40,000
Color – Matte black or gloss brown

Harman Accentra

This stove has a 50 pound hopper capacity and an ash pan large enough to burn an entire ton of pellets before it needs to be emptied.

Cost – $3,600
BTUs – 40,000
Color – Matte black or gloss brown

Enviro Empress

This cast-iron insert extends 9 inches into the hearth and has a 55 pound hopper capacity and a classical arched surround.

Cost – $2,800
BTUs – 34,000
Color – Gloss black, white, or brown

Hearthstone Manchester

This stove is really nice. It has a large glass door, a 60 pound hopper capacity, and an automatic cleaning cycle that minimize upkeep

Cost – $4,300-$4,600
BTUs – 51,000
Color – Gloss black or brown

Thelin Gnome

This is a 34 inch stove that resembles the old potbellied wood stoves. Its size and output make it ideal for small spaces.

Cost – $2,490
BTUs – 27,000
Color – Gloss black, matte black, or gloss cream

Lennox Bella

This stove has an LCD panel to monitor the stove’s operation. It also has a whisper quiet combustion fan and auger motor.

Cost – $4,300
BTUs – 43,000
Color – Gloss black or brown

What is a BTU?

Basically, a BTU is the amount of heat needed to raise one pound of water 1 degree F.

Sounds like an odd requirement, but knowing the amount of heat and energy is necessary to keep your home comfortable.

The easiest way to figure out the BTUs needed is to take a look at the square footage of the space you want to heat. In warmer climates multiply this number by 10-15. In moderate climates multiply it by 20-30. In colder climates multiply by 30-40.

For example, if you’re trying to heat 1000 square feet in a cold climate, you’re looking at 30,000 to 40,000 BTUs to warm the air in your home.

But to help you out, we’ve also put together this chart:

BTUs for 8 foot Ceilings

BTUs for 10 foot Ceilings

• Number of windows
• The climate
• Age of the building
• Orientation to the south
• Type of and amount of insulation
• Construction techniques
• And more

When you are calculating the BTUs you’ll need for your whole house, you need to include the worst-case scenario. Which means that you should account for the coldest that it will get.

For example, maybe the coldest it will ever get is -30 degrees F. And maybe that happens once every 3 years. You’ll want to make sure the BTUs you are accounting for considers that huge outlier.

There are a few more things you’ll need to consider to will help determine the BTU range, hopper capacity and size of the pellet stove you’ll need.

How Often will the Stove be Used

But if you’re looking for something with supplemental heat or you won’t be using it that often, you’ll be fine with a smaller hopper and a lower BTU range.

Area to be Heated

Decide if you want to try and heat your entire home with your pellet stove and use it as a primary heat source or a single room or as a secondary heat source.

Where to Put a Pellet Stove

They can be placed 1-3 inches from the back wall and 6-7 inches from the side walls. There are still some other considerations you’ll need to think about.

Safe Clearances

Venting

You can also install a second intake line to provide outside air for combustion. 

Power Supply

Floor Protection

A rule of thumb is that pellet stoves must rest on a noncombustible surface, such as stone or ceramic tile to guard against embers.

Build of Your Home

These notes will be key parts on which pellet stove you choose. Here’s what you need to think of.

Insulation

This is because a home that is poorly insulated will need a more powerful pellet stove with a higher BTU range to compensate for the lack of insulation.

If your home is well insulated you will not need as powerful of a pellet stove.

You can make an educated guess to determine how well your home is insulated. Basically, newer homes are well insulated, while its safe to assume older homes aren’t as well insulated.

Windows

If there are a lot of windows or windows are in bad shape, then you’ll need to increase the BTU range of your new pellet stove.

Ceiling Height

This is because hot air rises and heat can collect above the living area and get trapped where it is of little use.

You can fix this by installing paddle fans along with your pellet stove to push the warm air back down to the living space, where you’ll need it.

Climate & Geographical Location

If you live in an area that is usually warm and maybe it reaches 30-40 degrees a few times a year, you don’t need a powerful pellet stove.

But if you live in a cold area, then you’ll want to increase those BTUs.

Pellet Stove Size

Whether it’s placed in the high output or low output categories will depend on the amount of heat your stove is able to generate.

This is known as the pellet stove’s efficiency or heat output range. Generally pellet stoves have efficiency ratings of 75-90% and a heat output range of 40,000 BTUs or higher.

The physical size of the pellet stove you choose will depend on the heat generating capabilities and the hopper size of the pellet stove.

A smaller pellet stove will keep you room warm but if the hopper is small, then it won’t stay warm long due to the small amount of wood pellets it can handle at any given time.

Zone Heating

This is useful because it prevents you from wasting fuel and money by putting the heat where you need it when you need it.

Pellet stoves are great zone heaters because they warm the area within the room and around the stove rather than the whole perimeter walls like most central heating systems do.

Zone heating with a pellet stove is a very energy efficient way to heat your home because it creates warm and cozy living areas and cooler outlying bedrooms for sleeping.

DIY vs. Hiring A Pro

Pipes can run horizontally out an exterior wall, vertically through your roof or up the chimney if you add an insert.

Cost Comparison

The time it takes for the stove to pay itself off depends on your current heating fuel.

Log Set

Steamer

Scuttle

Many will also have a double handle to make it easier to pour.

Prefab Pad

Remote Control

EPA Certification

Look for a label from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stating that your stove has passed all inspections. And check to make sure the label states the overall efficiency range and the heat output in BTU. 

That EPA stamp is your guarantee that the stove you’re buying will burn cleanly and efficiently. But also will reduce your home heating costs and protect the air. 

Because they pollute so little, pellet stoves actually don’t require an EPA certification. But some manufacturers voluntarily seek this certification to prove that they: 

• Burn more completely, 
• Offer greater heat output, and
• Produce less creosote build up

How to Identify Pellet Quality?

The Pellet Fuels Institute has two grades for pellets: premium and standard. Premium pellets are usually made of only wood. Standard contains some bark.

Premium pellets are marginally more expensive than standard, but they produce less ash.

Another indicator of quality is the amount of dust at the bottom of the bag. That should be less than 0.5%, which is about 1/2 cup.

More dust creates fused ash chunks, called clinkers, that will block the airflow into the stove.

The last variable is sodium content. Pellets should have less than 300 parts per million to ensure efficient burn.

Get Insurance Approval

So before buying a stove, obtain a clearance diagram and installation specifications from your insurance company.

This will detail the amount of space you need to provide between your pellet stove and nearby furniture, floor coverings, draperies, and walls.

Follow these installation guidelines and return the form to your insurance company for approval. Keep in mind that your insurer will be more likely to approve the installation if it’s done by a professional.

They’ll likely also want it inspected before approval is given.

Additionally, every area has fire and building code restrictions. Be sure to review and follow these guidelines.

How to Hire, What to Look For

1. Can the company provide references? 
2. Does the company carry a valid business liability insurance policy? 
3. Does the company ensure that a certified chimney technician will be on the job? 

If they guarantee all three of those, then you are in a good spot. The technicians don’t necessarily need to be certified by the CSIA, but I do recommend putting in a bit more due diligence before accepting a certification that’s not by the CSIA. 

This is because certifications are a tricky thing, especially in an unlicensed industry like ours. Any company can craft a list of job-related questions and sell them as an exam and certify those who pass. 

Certifications

I recommend you take a few extra minutes in your research before making your hiring decision to learn more about the certification the company has. Here are a few tips to make sure the certification is reputable:

• Is the word “certified” just part of the business name or is it an earned designation?
• Is the certifying body a for-profit business or non-profit?
• Does the certification need to be maintained and renewed through continuing education as the industry evolves, or is it well enough to be certified through a one-time exam?
• Is the certifying body well-established or are they relatively new to the scene? New doesn’t mean “bad” but you should make sure the requirements for certification are more or at least equally stringent as those of more established certifications
• Is the mission statement of the certifying body focused on educating and protecting homeowners or is it more focused on making it easier to earn a certification?
• Does holding the certification require following a code of ethics?

If you can answer all of these questions, then I think it will be safe to allow the company in your home to work on your chimney.

Besides, it’s probably cheaper for them to buy a cap at the dealer discount than for you to buy one at retail cost.

It doesn’t matter if you are in Roanoke, Lynchburg, Blacksburg, or some other city anywhere in the USA — if you have any questions about the safety of hiring a chimney company, please don’t hesitate to email me at mitchell@patriotchimney.net or call me at 540-225-2626. I’m happy to help!