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The Origin of Smart Heating Systems: Pellet Stoves
If you agree that the smartest way to heat your home is one that is economical, convenient, and environmentally friendly, then a pellet stove is the perfect heat source for you. Even the seed of inspiration for pellet stoves speaks volumes about how inventive they are; oil drum stoves used during the Great Depression together with the Pres-to-Logs of the 1930s sparked the idea. It was another economic crisis which pushed the idea to the technological marvel pellet stoves are today; the oil shortage of the 1970s forced Americans to seek more cost-effective heating methods. The pellet stove was invented in the 70s for the specific purpose of producing an efficient heating system that uses recycled products.
Pellet stoves come in a wide variety of designs, some which are similar in appearance to wood stoves or pre-fab fireplaces. They can also come with glass doors that allow you to enjoy watching the flames inside. Make no mistake, however; this clever invention doesn’t operate anything like fireplaces or wood stoves. The following are the key differences and the primary reasons pellet stoves are so smart:
Eco-Friendly Fuel Source
Pellet stoves are designed to burn small pellets made with biomass or recycled materials. Corn kernels, cherry pits, and other natural products can be used, but small pellets made with sawdust or wood chips will be the focus here. These highly compressed pellets are made with wood waste, which means it is a fuel source that makes no contribution to deforestation.
Pellets have extremely low moisture content and do not produce creosote because they burn so cleanly. Pellet stoves produce a very dry and comfortable radiant heat. No heating system is available for your home that gives off less pollution than a pellet stove. Because of their clever design, the stoves have greater heat output than any other type of wood stove or fireplace.
Sold in 40-pound bags, wood pellets can be neatly stored. A huge consideration to be made before buying a pellet stove is whether wood pellets are available for purchase in the area where you live. Since it requires about 3 tons of pellets to heat a home during a cold winter, some of the eco-friendly benefits of pellets are lost when they must be transported by oil-burning sources to get to you.
Impressive Technological Design
Fireplaces rely on proper chimney design to move combustion particles from the home, but much of the heat is lost in the process. The operation of pellet stoves is starkly different. Here is how the stove operates:
- There is a hopper on the stove which you fill with the pellets. There is no adjusting logs or constantly checking the status of the fire with this system. In essence, you pour the pellets in the hopper and let the stove do the rest.
- The pellets enter a burn pot or combustion chamber either by means of an auger or with simple gravity.
- Air and wood pellets are mixed in the burn pot to keep the fire burning.
- Convection blowers in a pellet stove pull air from the room and pass it over the burn pot, which causes the fire to burn hotter, more efficiently, and more evenly.
- The amount of heat produced is determined by how many pellets are burned at one time. Some pellet stoves include thermostat controls which control how quickly or slowly pellets are released into the burn pot.
- The only routine maintenance needed is to remove ash from the ash chamber.
- A chimney isn’t necessary for use with pellet stoves. The stove can be vented directly outside through a nearby wall.
A small amount of electricity is required for pellet stoves. Backup systems can be employed to ensure that the stove can still work during power outages.
If you agree that pellet stoves are the smartest heat source around, contact our chimney experts for more information and help in choosing and installing a pellet stove for your home.
Northeastern Chimney, Inc.
formerly Nayaug Chimney Services, LLC
37 Cody Street, West Hartford, CT 06110
Phone: 860-233-5770
