Swapping out a woodstove for a pellet burner. Just waiting for the chimney liner to show up before I make the change.

Anyone here have experience burning pellets or other biomass fuels?

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

I used a rice coal stoker stove. I loved it.

Do you have a source for the pellets?

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Jim

Walmart!

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

Not yet. You got some pine straw pellets?

Lowe's TSC, or HD.... Everything else around here seems like boutique pellet$...

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

what prompted the switch?

You would not have to pelletize the pine straw but it would burn fast.

Pellets are cheaper than firewood? I have a lot of firewood that thankfully, I don't have to pay for other than my labor and running a chain saw/log splitter.

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Jim

here is a cool little comparison calculator just change the prices accordingly.

Fuel Comparison Calculator for Home Heating

Wood is still cheaper up here. I typically can buy cords between 140~175.
Pellets are around 210~265 a ton. All mixed hard/softwood.

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

My friend has a pellet stove and really likes it though it is his first "alternative heat" appliance. I think you will be happy with the ease of use.

It won't put out the heat of a woodstove and be sure to keep the pellets dry.

I went from burning wood to coal and really would never go back. Coal burns alot hotter then pellets and is fairly cheap here in NY. If you ever get a chance to check out a coal stove for your place take a look.

I lived in an old frame house one time that had a coal stove. It was one of the best ways of heating I have ever had the experience of using. Put a baseball sized piece of coal in it and it would keep the house warm all night. Only problem with it was finding a place to purchase the coal. Had to get it from a place in Atlanta. I would buy a grocery bag at a time.

__________________
Jim

If all goes well, we will be moving and our current house becoming a rental.
Didn't want to leave a woodstove..... but also didn't want to leave our tenants at the mercy of electric heat only either.
Thought it was a good compromise.
I have one month to install it and figure out how it works best.
I also bought one for the fireplace of the new house, so I will have one to play with too.

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

This is our first season heating with a Harman PB105 pellet boiler. We had to get out from under fuel oil bills that were getting ridiculous. Our heating bill has been cut by over 60%. I figure the unit will pay for itself in four years.

Here's a pic:

Very nice.

Can it do domestic as well?

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

Hot water? I believe so, although I don't have it set up for that.

There are some new pellet furnace/boiler designs arriving here from Europe that are very impressive, in terms of technology and price. Okofen and Frohling are a couple of examples. The Frohling uses a lambda sensor to regulate combustion and has an optional condensing heat exchanger that's supposed to deliver nearly 100% efficiency. They start at $14K.

The Harman cost about $6500 last summer after some incentives. It's supposed to be 86% efficient, about the same as a modern oil boiler. I've been burning two bags of pellets a day to heat the house.

A nice feature is that it can be direct-vented, so a second chimney is not required. I think most Harman stoves are like that.