Can I Burn Pellets In My Wood Stove?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The answer is

yes! Wood pellets are versatile and clean burning. They can be used in a fireplace or wood stove with a special insert

. Energy Pellets of America responsibly makes recycled premium wood pellets that can be used to fuel a pellet stove, fireplace and more.

What should you not burn in a wood stove?

  • Painted or varnished wood, trim or other wood by-products.
  • Pressure-treated lumber – due to the treatment compounds.
  • Driftwood – salt water driftwood contains some amount of salt which is corrosive.

Is it cheaper to burn wood or pellets?

Wood (Good)

Wood burning stoves are generally priced similar to their pellet and gas counterparts. In terms of fuel cost, unless you have a free source of wood, you’ll have to pay for wood, although

wood is typically cheaper than gas

.

Does pellets make good firewood?


Wood Pellets Take Up Less Space

The amount of useful energy in a cord of wood varies a lot. The species of tree makes a big difference. How well it’s dried also affects how much heat you get. In general, however, a cord of firewood and a ton of pellets contain about the same amount of energy.

Can I turn my fireplace into a pellet stove?

The obvious way is cranking up your central furnace, which gets expensive. But you can turn your fireplace into an effective heater, too.

That drafty, heat-sucking fireplace can become a fuel-efficient heating source with a pellet stove insert

. What is a Pellet Stove Insert?

Is pellet stove better than wood stove?

Many even feature a programmable thermostat that will let you set the heat output to maintain your desired temperature. However,

wood stoves offer greater heating power than pellet stoves

. Whereas most pellet stoves have a BTU rating under 50,000, there are wood burning stoves with BTU ratings above 100,000.

How much does a 40 lb bag of pellets cost?

Pellets are normally sold in 40 pound bags and average $5 per bag. The type of pellets and where you order them from also factor into price. Expect to pay anywhere from

$4 to $9

for one 40 pound bag.

How many bags of pellets equal a cord of wood?

A: Pellets are normally sold in 40 pound (18 kg) bags. You can estimate how much fuel you will need for a heating season by noting that

one ton of pellets is equivalent to approximately 1.5 cords of firewood

. Many homeowners who use a pellet stove as a main source of heat use two to three tons of pellet fuel per year.

What are the disadvantages of a pellet stove?

  • The Costs are high. …
  • Storage Issues. …
  • The Availability of Pellets. …
  • Uses Electricity. …
  • Some Pellet Stoves are noisy.

Can you burn Hackberry wood in a fireplace?

Resilient and adaptable, it tolerates wide-ranging soils and urban pollution, and it usually scoffs at wind. But occasionally, the soft-wooded, rugged-barked tree becomes weakened by disease and branches give way in storms. When it does,

the wood performs admirably in your fireplace or wood stove.

Should I burn pine in my wood stove?


Pine firewood can be fine for use in wood stoves at any stage of a fire

, but is more popular for use as kindling when building and starting fires because of its hot and fast burning properties. If Pine is to be burnt in a wood stove it should be kiln dried or properly seasoned down to below 20% moisture content.

Is burning cardboard bad for chimney?

Cardboard in all forms (including pizza, cereal, and shipping boxes)

should never be burned in your fireplace

. These materials are often treated with wax, plastic, ink, paint, and other materials which can release toxic fumes when burned.

What are the pros and cons of a pellet stove?

Pros Cons Automated fires Size Ease of use Needs electricity High efficiency Maintenance requirements Clean burning Fuel availability & cost

What burns hotter wood or wood pellets?

While the densities for hardwood and softwood pellets are the same, the key difference between the two is the British thermal unit (BTU) measurement.

Softwood has a higher BTU output, meaning it burns hotter than hardwood pellets

due to the higher concentration of lignins.

Can a pellet stove cause a chimney fire?

Although pellet stoves burn much more cleanly than other solid fuel stoves, and

most of the creosote that causes chimney fires gets burnt up

, after a while creosote will build up in the exhaust venting. An exhaust vent fire is very dangerous as pellet stove venting is not designed to handle high temperatures.

Do I need to line my chimney for a pellet stove?

If installing a pellet stove within a masonry fireplace,

a stainless steel liner is typically required for use with a masonry chimney

. An internal or external pellet stove flue must be used and installed in line with the manufacturer’s guidelines and local building codes.

Can I replace my gas fireplace with a pellet stove?

Gas fireplaces typically feature masonry that is both decorative and durable, able to withstand the heat of a gas flame. This means that

the tile, stonework and base for the fireplace can support an appropriately-sized pellet stove

. The size of your fireplace will determine the size of the stove you can install.

Is a pellet stove worth it?


Pellet stoves are worth it when you consider that a 40 000Btu pellet stove will generate enough heat to warm the average 3 bedroom house up to 25% cheaper than a conventional wood stove

. Pellet stoves are cheaper to run as they are more efficient and pellets are cheaper to buy than wood.

Can a pellet stove heat a whole house?

Pellet stoves are efficient and sustainable sources of heat. These powerful appliances are

capable of heating entire homes

. When deciding on a pellet stove, be sure to consider where you’ll put it and how you’ll circulate air around.

How long does a 40 lb bag of pellets last?

So, if you are burning pellets on the “low” setting, say 1 1⁄2 lbs./hour (or 12,000 BTU), a bag will last about

26 hours

. If you need a lot of heat, burning five pounds per hour (or 40,000 BTU), one bag will last about 8 hours.

Can you use a pellet stove without electricity?


Pellet stoves require a source of electricity in order to operate

. Without an alternative source of power, the stove will be unable to turn on or ignite.

Do pellet stoves raise insurance rates?


Pellet stoves can raise your home insurance

because they increase the risk of structural damages and fire. Pellet stoves emit smoke and, over time, can cause damage to the structure of your building. Similar to the wood stove, you may need to get inspections and show proof of installation and service records.

How long does a 20 lb bag of wood pellets last?

As a wood-fired smokers, Traeger grills use wood pellets for fuel. In both cases that works out to slightly more than $1 per pound. The smoker burns 1 to 3 pounds of pellets per hour. Traeger says that means each 20 pound bag provides between

6 to 20 hours

of cook time (at high or low heat).

Which is better hardwood pellets or softwood pellets?


Softwood pellets actually rate at about 10-15% higher in BTU (more heat) than hardwood pellets

. This is because softwood contains resins that have a higher heat value than hardwood fibre. Softwood pellets generally have a lower percentage of ash (by weight) than hardwood pellets.

Is pellet stove better than oil?

One ton of pellets has about 13.6 million BTU, and heating oil has about 115,000 BTU per gallon. So, one ton of pellets = approximately 120 gallons of heating oil.

Consumers heating living areas directly with a pellet stove can achieve a 20-40% gain in energy efficiency

*.

Is it cheaper to heat with pellet stove or propane?

Both heater types have their benefits and downfalls. Propane heaters are cheap and require little maintenance, but are expensive to run.

Pellet stoves cost more to install and require constant refueling

, but are very cost effective heaters.

Can a pellet stove run all day?


Many models of pellet stove allow for 24 hours continuous burning each and every day as long as the hopper has a sufficient supply of pellets

. Many pellet stoves also allow users to input certain times of day in which to generate heat.

David Martineau
Author
David Martineau
David is an interior designer and home improvement expert. With a degree in architecture, David has worked on various renovation projects and has written for several home and garden publications. David's expertise in decorating, renovation, and repair will help you create your dream home.