Pellet Stove Suppliers:
The Ease of Heating with Pellets
Interested in an economical, renewable heat source with less frequent loading cycles and more controllable heat ranges? If you said yes then a pellet stove might be the perfect option for you. With many automatic options and styles pellet stoves can offer days of operation without user intervention.
Pellet stoves are a mechanically operated heat source which use an auger to feed pellets into a firepot located under a heat exchange system in the top of the stove. When the pellets are combusted the resulting heat is passed into the room using a blower that passes air through the heat exchanger. Most modern pellet stoves offer the option of automatic ignition and thermostatic temperature control. Both of these features offer a savings in fuel consumption. Stoves which ignite manually adjust the flame higher or lower depending on the room's demand for heat while a stove with automatic ignition turns on and off accordingly.
Fuel pellets are a small cylindrical pellet which are made from waste wood products from a variety of a manufacturers like the furniture, flooring and lumber industries. Pellets are usually sold in 40lb bags and by the tonne for people who are heating regularily. An average sized home will usually go through 2.5-5 tonnes per year of pellet fuel depending on how well insulated their homes are and what the outside temperatures are. Pellets are easier to store than wood but they should be stored somewhere dry because they do have a tendancy to absorb moisture otherwise. A pellet stove will usually hold about one full bag of pellets in the hopper at a time and can last for up to two days without refilling. Some stoves offer the option of a "hopper extension" which can provide up to 72 hours of continuous operation before re-fueling is required.
Because pellet stoves do not require a traditional chimney they rely on a blower forced exhaust system and require only a minimal amount of vertical rise in the piping system. Like all vented heating products some maintenance is required and the stoves should have a thorough cleaning each year. Pellets are a very dry condensed fuel and they tend to leave a very fine ash which can, over time, start to find its way into the "guts" of the pellet stoves if this annual maintenance is not performed.
Although a pellet stove's flame is not the same a traditional wood fire it still creates ambience, beauty and the warmth of a wood fire. There are many options for the exterior look of the pellet stove, its heating capacity, decorative options and trim packages.