Best Pellet Stove- Review and Installation Guide

If you search for a new cost-effective, efficient heater, then a pellet stove is the best option. The best pellet stoves consume fewer pellets and provide you warmth as any other best heaters. These heaters use wood pellets that are used for these kinds of heaters. These heaters are easy to use. Stoves come in various designs and styles to match with the décor of your room and your budget. The pellet stoves are different from any other heaters you are using. If you are not familiar with the pellet stoves that work as a room heater, then read this post first. In this post, let me detail you: what is a pellet stove? How to use it for efficient room heating requirements? How does it work? What is the Best pellet stove available in the market.

What are Pellets?

The pellet stove heaters are furnace style wood-burning ovens. They evenly distribute the heat to your living room by burning the wood pellets. The pellets are usually made up of wood chips or biomass. They processed and compressed to remove moisture in the small pellets. They are energy efficient and clean energy source when compared to the traditional fireplace.

The wood pellets are made from the wood industry’s waste wood materials, and they also use agriculture waste, Coconut shells, crop by-products, and lumber. Since the pellets are compressed into small pieces, it can be easily stored and fed into pellet stoves hopper uniformly. The pellet stoves come with different capacities; therefore, they hold a different amount of pellets in one feed.

Though your pellet stove resembles your old traditional wood-burning stove, it is not the case. The wood pellet stove needs electricity to feed the wood pellets from the hopper to the burning pot with an electric auger. The harmful gases released are vented through the roof, and the ashes move down to the ash pot. The heat exchanger transfers the heat generated at the burning pot to your living room.

Advantage of Best Pellet Stove:

Easy to maintain: The best pellet stoves come with power modulation with automatic ignition. They have built-in thermostats to regulate the warmth efficiently.

Low carbon foot Print: They do not produce smoke; therefore, no fear of creosote build-up. The carbon emission is very much less when compared to other traditional burners. The best pellet stove has very low ash content with minimal carbon emission. And, most of the pellet stoves come with CO2 neutral certified. Besides, the burnt pellets produce less than 1% of ash. They also emit very toxic wastes.

Efficiency: The pellet stoves are ninety percent more efficient than the traditional fireplace. In terms of expenses, it is less expensive than electric or fossil fuel models.

Price: The wood pellets are easy to buy, and there won’t be any price fluctuation like any other fossil fuels. So you can entirely rely on it.

Entirely under your control: The heat settings and regulating the fan speed are all under your control to enjoy the warmth.

Automatic: with the inbuilt hopper, the pellet stoves can automatically feed the pellets to the burning pot.

Easy installation: The pellet stoves are easy to install, and they do not need any complicated work as that of a traditional fireplace. They only require a vent pipe to let out the smoke. Therefore they can be easily installed without any expertise.

Disadvantages of a Pellet stove:

Maintenance: Then need periodic maintenance of electrical parts like temperature control, hopper feed auger, and blower fan. The regular cleaning of the fire pot and ash pot is required.

Power: They entirely rely on electricity to control and regulate the fuel feed, burning of pellets, and temperature regulation.

Noise: The ventilation system, auger motor, and the fans create some noise.

Cost: Though the pellets are cheap, the investment cost is high.

Best Pellet stove Available in the Market:

US Stove Ashley Pellet Stove

Pleasant Hearth Medium Pellet Stove

Pelpro Pellet Stove

Castle Pellet Stove 

Comfortbilt

Englander Wood Pellet Stove

Wiseway Gravity Fed Pellet Stove

Castle Pellet Stove 12327 Serenity 

Deari Serenity Wood Pellet Stove

Napoleon TPI35 Pellet Stove Insert

Best Pellet Stove – Recommended Picks  

US Stove Ashley Pellet Stove:

US Stove Ashley Pellet Stove is a fully automatic stove with automatic ignition. It has easy to use electronic controls with a sleek design. Ashley utilizes temperature control circulation 100 CFM blower for even distribution of heat throughout the room. It is integrated with damper control and heat tube scraper for maximum efficiency. The Ashley stove has removable side panels. The removable side makes it easy to clean the Auger and hopper. The ash pan is a fixed one that cannot be removed.

The digital thermostat is at the top of the unit, which is easy to regulate. Ashley comes with three years limited warranty. Ashley is EPA certified. You need to use hardwood pellets for the better BTU, and softwood pellets’ usage doesn’t produce that much heat. The burn rate of the Ashley pellet stove is 43,900 btu’s per hour. The pellet consumption is roughly 5.1 lbs. of fuel per hour. Ashley comes with digital controls as well as a remote control unit for easy handling.

Pros: 

Heat Output: 48,000 BTU

Hopper Capacity: 46lbs

Heat Coverage 2200 Sq.ft

Clean footprint with the heat output of 48,000BTU

Physical unit size: Height 32 ¾” Width 19″ Depth 23 ¾”

Life span more than ten years

Cons:

Ash Pan is fixed, and it cannot be removed for easy cleaning

Spare parts are pricy.

Price: 899$.

Pleasant Hearth Medium Pellet Stove

Pleasant Hearth Medium Pellet Stove is a highly efficient indoor heating equipment. It is EPA certified with a lesser emission of 0.34 grams per hour. It is perfect for single-family. With little modification, you can use the pleasant hearth pellet stove for your mobile home also. The Pleasant Medium Pellet Stove features chrome handles. Its air-wash system automatically maintains the cleanness of the window glass. It comes with a solid cast iron door with a larger ceramic glass viewing area. This stove comes with five years of limited warranty. The heating coverage area is up to 1750 Sq.ft. It comes with a green light stove status indicator.

Pros:

EPA Certified

40lb Hopper capacity

Dimension: 24 x 21 3/4 x 30

Up to 35,000 BTU’s/hr

1750 sq ft heating capacity

Approved for mobile home installations

Essay comfort control system to set a comfortable heat level with automatic features.

Comes with trim adjustment for combustion air

Automatic blower for efficient heat distribution

Cons:

Smaller Ash-pot

Pelpro Pellet Stove PP130-B

Pelpro Pellet Stove is an excellent match for heating a space up to 2500 square feet. PP130-B is equipped with 60 lbs hopper with the heat out capacity 50,000 BTU. Pelpro has elegant dial control with ten pre-defined heat settings. PP130-B comes with the auto-ignition feature with a stove status indicator. Pelpetor Pellet stove is certified 2020 compliant; therefore, it far exceeds the upcoming 2020 EPA standards.

Pros:

130 pounds of hopper capacity for up to 3.5 days between fuel loads

Automatic Thermostatically Controlled Ignition Heats up to 2,500 square feet

The powerful blower of 265 CFM variable-speed to distribute the heat

Large Viewing Glass to See the Fire, Rugged Cast Iron Door

1 Year Parts Warranty

Approved for use in mobile homes which included fresh air intake

C02 neutral and environmentally conscientious

Cons:

No Separate Ash-Pan

Castle Pellet Stoves 12327 Serenity 

Castle Pellet Stove 12327 Serenity is a compact stove. This budget-friendly pellet stove is more user friendly compared with other pellet stoves available in the market. It has a fully automatic digital control that can do everything for your preference. Castle Pellet Stove 12327 Serenity has an automatic thermostat control with a scheduler that controls the stove’s functioning on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

The hopper capacity is 40 lbs; therefore, you have to feed the hopper daily. The Castle Pellet stove has a perfect design with easy access to the combustion chambers and ash pan. Besides, stove capacity is 32000BTU, suitable for smaller rooms, not more than 1500 square feet. It is a high-efficiency heater with 78 percent efficiency. With Castle Pellet stove, you can use different types of pellets. It is EPA certified.

Pros: 

24-hour programmable smart controller

High quality and innovative heat exchanger

Fuel feed system with a digital control mechanism

Fully Automatic

Easy maintenance

One year limited warranty

Cons:

Very hot outer surface

Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP 22

Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP 22 is a one of a bestselling pellet stove with a programmable seven-day internal thermostat with high power heat delivery. HP 22 is best suited for 2800 square feet of room capacity and with an output of 50000 BTU. Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP 22 is EPA CSA certified and complies with all federal emission mandates. It comes with 55 lbs hopper capacity with high efficient blower. The ashes fall automatically into a larger removable ash pan for easy cleaning. Five pre mode setting is available.

Pros:

Hopper capacity 55lbs

Heat Capacity 2800 Sq. feet

1year warranty for parts

Automatic ignition

Removable Ash Pan

EPA certified

Cons:

Hopper capacity is significantly less

Englander Wood Pellet Stove

Englander Wood Pellet Stove can heat the entire home of 2000 square feet. It is best suited for mobile homes also. The hopper can hold up to 120 lbs of pellets. It has an external thermostat. The output capacity is 48,000 BTUs.

Pros:

Heat Capacity 2000 Sq. feet

Safe for Mobile homes

Hopper capacity 120 lbs

Warranty 5 years

Cons:

Need regular maintenance

Wiseway Gravity Fed Pellet Stove

Wiseway Gravity Fed Pellet Stove eliminates the need for electricity. It utilizes natural gravity to feed the furnace system. It is EPA certified. Gravity Fed Pellet Stove only heats the burn chamber and chimney with the propane it burnt, and it doesn’t have a mechanical Auger to move the pellets. Instead, it depends on the gravity to feed them via a zig-zag path.

Through the window, you can see the flame traveling up the body of the stove. Since it doesn’t use the electricity, the heat radiated off the tube, and the steel baffles on the back. It needs only limited space and clearance. Therefore it is easy to install. Wiseway Gravity Fed Pellet Stove is perfect sourcing for those living in the power cut prone areas.

Pros:

Gravity-fed

60lbs capacity Hopper

No moving parts; therefore, Silent operation

Easy damper adjustments

40,000 BTU output

Heats up to 2000 square feet

Three years warranty

Cons:

No use of electricity

Castle Serenity Stove

Castle Serenity stove has the capacity of heating 1500 square feet. The hopper of the furnace has a 40lbs capacity. It has fully programmable controls, and it has a small footprint. The Castle Serenity Stove comes with a built-in smart thermostat. This thermostat can be programmed for a week with pre schedules. Serenity wood pellet stove backed with five years warranty. It has a heating capacity of 35000 BTU.

Pros:

Heating capacity of 35000 BTU

The heating area is 1500 square feet

Warranty 5 years

High power efficiency

Cons:

Low heating area rating

Deari Serenity Wood Pellet Stove

Deari Serenity Wood Pellet Stove – is an Electric Fireplace Heater with Smart Controller. This wood pellet stove is an environmentally friendly way of heating with a new smart controller. The intelligent controller has four levels of pre-defined modes to warm your home. It is a fully automatic pellet stove with auto-ignition. It can heat a room of 500 square feet.

Pros:

Hopper capacity 17.6 lbs

Optimal heat flow within the room

Napoleon TPI35 Pellet Stove Insert

Napoleon TPI35 Pellet Stove Insert can be put upright against the wall easily. It has a unique wall guard that is fixed behind the stove. Napoleon TPI35 is relatively small and simple. It has a small viewing window. The Napoleon TPI35 Pellet Stove Insert resembles the traditional wood stove. It has a heating power capacity of 38 250 BTU. It heats the area of 2000 square feet. The hopper has 45 lbs capacity. It comes with a 120CFM blower kit, which does the excellent job of uniform heat distribution. A lifetime limited warranty is available.

Things to Consider Before Buying Best Pellet Stove:

British thermal unit (BTU):

BTU is the output heat measured in most pellet stoves. Therefore, the larger the BTU, the greater the heat output will be. The area of 1000 square feet room needs around 24000 BTUs. Based on this thumb rule, you can work out BTU required for your room. For 1000- 1500 Sq.Feet you need 30,000 BTU. For 1500- 2000 Sq.Feet you need 35000BTU.

Energy Efficiency:

Most of the stoves discussed here are the best energy-efficient stoves in general. They are energy efficient to a maximum of 90%. The best pellet stove is a more energy-efficient one. Therefore, the best pellet stove consumes less fuel and deliver more energy.

Heat Coverage Area:

While purchasing a stove, you need to work out your home’s maximum heating area. If your living room is open to your home’s other areas, you need to include those areas also as the heating area. In a closed living room, the maximum heating area is the area of the living room itself. Based on this area coverage, we need to select the best pellet stove to fill our energy requirement.

Venting Options:

You have to study the venting options in your pellet stove. The harmful emissions from the burning fuel may hazard to our health. Therefore we need to buy a stove with proper insulation and venting options. Most of the pellet stoves have outdoor kits for adequate venting. Therefore it should be installed with the help of a professional. If the outdoor kits are not correctly fixed, then your warranty may ease.

Top or Horizontal Hopper Feed:

Most of the pellet stoves available in the market are top feed hoppers. In the Top feed hoppers, the fuel pellets are feed to the burning pan vertically. In horizontal feed, the fuel fed into the burning pan horizontally. The top feed hoppers or vertical feed hoppers are easy to feed, whereas in horizontal feed hoppers loading the pellets into the hopper is a little burdensome job. Besides, the common belief is the horizontal feed pellet stove is better than the vertical feed pellet stoves.

Hopper Size:

If the hopper size is small, you need to reload the hopper more frequently. Suppose the size of the hopper is larger, than the reloading frequency may be lesser. But keep it in mind; if your heating space is small, don’t allow the bigger hopper to occupy more space in it. Most of the basic models come with a standard hopper size of 40lbs. Some stoves discussed above have the hopper capacity of 120 lbs.

Ignition Automatic or Manual:

The auto-ignition option is purely of our choice. The auto ignition only needs the electricity to start our pellet stove. However, the manual ignition needs our time to light the pellets in the burning pan. So the choice is our convenience.

Thermostat:

Most of the pellet stoves have built-in thermostats on them. The thermostat displays the temperature reading and can regulate the heat adjustments with the help of the thermostat. If your pellet stoves are hard-wired to wall thermostat, then you do the installation with the professionals.

Safety Features:

Generally, every pellet stoves’ safety mechanism will automatically shut it down when it becomes hotter. Apart from that, you have to check the less carbon monoxide emission. The pellet stove must be properly insulated to protect your kids and pets from burns.

EPA:

EPA is nothing but the certification of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA certification ensures the high standard and safety of your furnace. If you prefer to use your pellet stove for mobile home units, then the pellet stove should be approved for that purpose.

Warranty:

When you buy a pellet stove, compare the warranty of the product selected. The price is directly related to the warranty. If the warranty period is of more years, then the price also is more. Opt for an extended warranty option for better cost saving.

Price:

The price is directly proportional to the warranty period, so keep that in mind while selecting your best pellet stove.

Types of pellets:

The pellet fuels are of different types and grades. Each type and grade directly affects the efficiency of the stove. There are three types of pellet fuels. They are premium wood pellets, standard wood pellets, and food-grade wood pellets.

The premium graded wood pellets contain less than .5% of ash. They are produced from hardwoods like maple or oak trees. Moreover, premium graded wood pellets are expensive. However, these wood pellets meet the highest industry standards. Besides, it delivers clean energy.

In the standard wood pellets, the organic ash material is over 0.5%, with more moisture. The standard wood pellets are produced from the sawdust and wastes of the forestry industry. The moisture must be less for higher efficiency.

The food-grade wood pellets are generally used for BBQ smokers; they are exclusively used for cooking purposes. Some of the food-grade pellets are used to add extra flavor to the BBQ meat.

The other pellets are made from corn, recycled paper, and other agricultural wasted. They do not deliver clean energy, but they help you reduce the expenses.

Factors Affecting Efficiency of a Pellet Stove:

Generally, the pellet stove heats the room much more than the typical space heater, so people often prefer the pellet stoves to heat the small houses and mobile houses. The pellet stoves heat the entire room by circulating the air throughout the room. The well-insulated room prevents heat leaking; therefore, it is vital to insulate the room properly.

Carpeting the entire space may serve the purpose. The heat energy may be wasted if your room ceiling height is more. Since the heated air is very light, it rises to the ceiling and needs more fuel to heat the entire room. To prevent the heat conduction through the floor, it is advisable to keep the pellet stove on the hard surface or the ceramic titles. Place the pellet stove where the members of the house will be spending most of their time. The living room is a better option. That too, keeping it at the bottom of the open stairwell is a good option.

Pellet Stove- Safety Tips and Precautions:

Do not buy a low-quality pellet stove

Install a carbon monoxide detector to alert you when carbon monoxide level increases.

Protect your kids and pets by keeping the pellet stove in a gated enclosure.

Strictly follow the manufacturer guidelines

Periodically inspect your unit physically

Clean the ash pot regularly and thoroughly

Check the ashes before disposing off of the ash-pan. Never put it in your trash can to prevent the fire.

Use the manufacturer-recommended grade of pellet fuel

Clean the exhaust and chimney regularly

Don’t keep or store highly inflammable materials near your stove

Avoid keeping the furniture near the pellet stove

Keep a portable fire- extinguisher handy

How do Wood Pellet Stove Works?

The wood pellet stoves have a complicated method of heating operation to deliver the desired room temperature.

You need to load the hopper with the wood pellets. The Auger connected to the hopper delivers the pellets slowly to the combustion chamber. The thermostat regulates the feed rate, depending on the requirement of heat. It also controls the auger speed of delivering the pellets into the firing chamber.

The combustion chamber contains a fire pot or burner ring, at which the Auger deliver the wood pellets. And the air is blown into the chamber for the efficient burning of the fuel. Most of the pellet stove has self igniter to fire the wood pellets. The pellets burn with a much hotter flame inside the burn pot or in the combustion chamber due to the high density and low pressure.

The burning pot mixes the air and fuel in proper proportion for high efficiency. The burnt fuel is collected at the ashtray. The combustion chamber is connected to the heat exchanger. The air from the room blown over the heat exchanger, and the heat is conducted into the room through convection.

The heat exchanger ensures the pellet stove exterior does not become too hot to hold. It receives the heated air from the fire chamber and transfers the clean heated air inside the room through the blower. The exhaust gases escape through the vent pipe towards the chimney with the help of the exhaust blower.

Proper ventilation is needed for the appropriate burning of the fuel. The vent pipes provide necessary and sufficient air to the combustion chamber and vent away from the toxic gases and smoke outside of the stove through the venting duct to the furnace’s chimney.

Types of Pellet Stoves:

There are two types of pellet stoves. They are free-standing model and insert types.

Insert type of stoves can be used in a room where the fireplace is already available. The free-standing stove comes with its exhaust pipe

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Can Wood or Corn Be Burned in a Pellet Stove?

No, it is not advisable to burn wood or corn in a pellet stove. The pellet stove exclusively designed to burn wood pellets. Besides, the hopper also designed to feed the pellets to the burning chamber, so the corn or wood pieces could not be fed through the hopper. However, burning wood in a pellet stove won’t heat the room efficiently.

How Long Do Pellets Last in a Pellet Stove?

40 lbs of the wood pellet can last for 24 hours of heating of a medium-size room.

Do the Pellet Stove Environmentally Friendly?

The pellet stoves are environmentally friendly. They use forest industrial waste products. It is a better alternative for the people who want to live in an Eco-friendly atmosphere.

How to store the pellets?

The pellets must remain cool and dry to burn efficiently. In addition, the pellets must be stored outside of your living room, with enough ventilation. It should be protected away from the moisture. If you live in a more humid region, use a dehumidifier to keep the wood pellets dry. Do not stack it on the ground. Keep it in a raised platform and tightly pack it with waterproof tarpaulin.

Do the pellet stove safe for a pregnant woman?

Yes, the pellet stove is safe for a pregnant woman. The best pellet stove designed to eliminate hazardous carbon monoxide. Therefore it is always good and safe for a pregnant woman.

How do I start using a pellet stove?

First, read the user manual carefully. Strictly follow the safety measures and start the stove. If it is automatic, it will ignite automatically; else, you need to ignite it as per the instructions manually. You need to strictly use the starting gels or solid starter materials for the ignition.

Which is a more efficient wood or pellet stove?

The pellet stoves are more energy efficient when compared to the wood stoves or the fireplaces. The pellet stoves use moisture-free fuel with negligible ash percentage; therefore, they have higher combustion and heating efficiency. They have little pollutants and cheaper to install than the conventional wood stove.

How many years a pellet stove last?

The live span of the pellet stoves is shorter than the traditional wood stoves. The life span of a conventional wood stove is around 20 to 25 years. In contrast, the life span of the pellet stove is 15 to 20 years with proper maintenance.

How are pellet stoves safe than the wood stoves?

The pellet stove is safer than the traditional wood stove. They are safe, and they pose virtually no fire hazards. Compared to the conventional wood stove, they are an ideal choice if you have children and pets.

Can you get carbon monoxide from a pellet stove?

The pellet stoves are correctly vented; therefore, it won’t allow the poisonous carbon monoxide to enter the room. The harmful gases pushed through the vent pipe towards the chimney with the help of the exhaust blower. Therefore it is very much safe you will not get carbon monoxide from the pellet stove.

How often should I clean my pellet stove?

Proper cleaning and periodic maintenance are vital for the pellet stove. The pellet stove is easy to clean when compared with the traditional wood stove.

What should I look for when buying a pellet stove?

Select a stove with a good flame pattern with more oversized viewing glass. Select the pellet stove with an automatic preset thermostat.