Pellet Heating FAQ

What are wood pellets?

Wood pellets are small fragments (approx. 1/4” diameter x ½” long) of compressed biomass, usually sawdust, which are produced by heat compaction of the wood fibres, rotating through a mould, with no additives or chemicals. They ship in 40 lb. (18kg.) bags, a suitable size for residential use.

Where does the fuel come from?

Pellet fuel supplies in North America come from areas where lumbering activity takes place, such as in Quebec and Western provinces such as Alberta and British Columbia. In the U.S., it is manufactured in various regions throughout the country.

Are the pellets hard to find?

Supply of pellet fuel is generally very good. However, the availability of the raw sawdust will ultimately determine the supply. In Canada, given our plentiful forest resources, we will always have the fuel, but in some cases, due in part to some temporary local shortages, they may have to be transported longer distances, thus increasing the price to some degree.

How much will I use per year to heat with a pellet unit?

To heat full time with one pellet stove for a year varies to some degree, depending on the area and the level of insulation and heat distribution. Most families use between three to four tons per year or 150 to 200 bags.

How many bags will I use per day?

If you averaged it out between days when you may use a fraction of a bag and days when you might use up to two bags, it comes to about one bag per day, per each day of the heating season.

Can I store the pellets outside?

Yes. We store hundreds bags of pellets at our store outside throughout the heating season. However, they arrive wrapped in two layers of plastic. It is best to shelter them from the elements. Wood pellets do not store well on top of basement floors, especially over the summer, where they can pick up moisture and turn back into sawdust.

Can I dump the ashes in the garden?

Pellets are made of pure sawdust fused together under pressure, aided by naturally occurring resins, so the light fly ash is suitable for disposing on gardens.

Do pellet stoves need electricity?

For the auger motor and fan motors to run the unit, they plug into to a 110 outlet. They do not require hard wiring.

What is the efficiency rating of a typical pellet unit?

Pellet stoves efficiencies are not as yet independently rated. By mixing the right fuel to air ratio and with proper cleaning, most stoves are considered to be in the 80% efficiency range.

What is the BTU capacity of a pellet stove?

Pellet heating is a popular choice for large areas or whole homes in some cases, due mainly to the wide range of Btu capacity. Small units at 30,000 Btus (up to four lbs per hour) offer heating for areas up to 1,000 square feet. At the large end of the spectrum, we see stoves at 40,000 Btus (up to five pounds per hour) some stoves will generate 70,000 Btus (up to nine lbs per hour). All pellet units operate with a large turn down range, so it is possible to have a large stove turn down to 8,000 Btus (one lbs per hour), often operating on a thermostat.

Are pellet furnaces available?

Certain manufacturers produce pellet furnaces, of various Btu capacities, with the larger ones ranging up to 112,000 Btus.

Can I burn switchgrass, corn or other suitably dried grains in a pellet stove?

One can if the stove is certified to burn these types of fuel; typically they are referred to multi-fuel stoves. As well, the stoves have usually been designed to achieve a proper air to fire ratio using the various different fuels and have incorporated some kind of mechanism to help break up the clinkering (fusing of ash) in the burn pot.

Can I get a pellet fireplace instead of a stove?

Yes. Certain models of pellet insert can be adapted through the use of a “zero clearance” or “built-in” heater kit. This allows them to sit on regular floor non-combustible surface and can be built and finished like any other type of fireplace, often with a mantle, tiling or masonry. Instead of venting with a liner, such as in an insert application, they use the rigid pellet venting.

Can you keep a pellet stove going all the time, day or night?

As long as the hopper has fuel, the stove will operate. They are very safe to keep going, and have mechanisms which will shut the unit off automatically should it run out of pellets, overheat, experience a blockage in the exhaust or if the door is left open.

Do pellet stoves break often?

Proper cleaning and maintenance goes a long way towards preventing stoves from breaking. Decent warranties on the mechanical parts cover the purchaser generally for up to two years. Better quality units are designed with better quality parts, with better track records for reliability.

Does the glass get dirty?

Pellet stoves come with a feature called an “air wash” which directs some air flow inside the stove over the inside of the glass, to keep it reasonably clear. However, over the period of a few days, burning continuously, a film of light dust will appear and can easily be cleaned, when the stove is cool, with regular glass cleaner.

How do I clean a pellet stove?

Routine cleaning in the front of the stove, where the fire burns, should be done on a regular basis. Depending upon the model of stove, this can vary from every few days to every few weeks. This involves clearing the clinker, or fused ash, from the burn pot, brushing or vacuuming out the excess fly ash, clearing the heat exchanger and cleaning the glass. Most models have a means of keeping the heat exchangers clean of ash build up, by way of a scraper or a built in “rake”. With every fifty or so bags of fuel, it is a good practice to vacuum or brush out around the exhaust fan and in behind the panel separating the front and back of the stove.

At least once a year, sweep out the fly ash accumulation in the vent pipes, especially in key areas such as the clean outs and any horizontal pipe runs.

Most importantly, refer to the manufacturer’s owner’s manual regarding the routine maintenance of your pellet appliance.

Which parts are most likely to wear out the soonest?

Motors, such as the auger motor or a fan motor tend to wear out the soonest, with an average life span of 4-7 years.

Are pellet stoves noisy?

The sound you hear with any pellet heater is the sound of the convection (heating) fan. The fan speed varies, so sometimes on a high setting, it is a noticeable “white noise”. The combustion fan and the auger motor are always on, but the sound they produce is seldom detectable. At times, with certain models, the sound of the pellet fuel gently dropping into the burn pot is audible.

Do pellet stoves smoke up the house?

The smoke produced from the combustion of a pellet stove is minimal and is channeled through the exhaust fan into the venting system. If, due to a power failure, the smoke is left in the stove, not evacuated by the fan, then the vertical orientation of the vent system will take up the smoke, due to natural draft.

What kind of venting do pellet stoves need?

Code compliant venting for pellet units is called “PL” vent. It is comprised of a stainless steel inner layer, ringed with a galvanized outer pipe, with a small airspace in between. Three and four inch diameters are both available. Since 1993, we have exclusively sold and installed four inch pellet vent. The four inch vent allows the stove to perform better typically resulting in a higher efficiency.

How much pellet vent is required?

Each pellet heater manufacturer will recommend various venting set-ups, from barely acceptable to optimal. Building officials, who interpret the building code, will follow the recommendations of the manufacturer. It is always good practice to plan some back up natural draft in the system, and the best way to do that is to extend the venting with a good vertical run and to terminate the venting on the vertical, clear of the roof line, away from wind turbulence found around the roof area.

Can a pellet stove be connected to a code-compliant wood chimney?

A code compliant wood chimney is capable of safely venting wood smoke, which typically burns hotter than the smoke from a pellet stove. Therefore, it is safe to vent the pellet exhaust into a wood chimney. The flue size required for most wood stoves is 6” and most pellet stoves have either a 3” or 4” flue size. Even though most woodstove chimneys are 6” in diameter or greater, this difference has somewhat little effect on the operation of the pellet stove, as in this case, the chimney simply functions as a back up to the positive exhaust system of the pellet stove.

What are the clearance requirements?

Every manufacturer of pellet burning heaters will have their products tested in an independent testing facility for their clearances from the backs, sides and tops of the units to combustible surfaces. They tend to vary somewhat, but most stoves usually require between 2” to 6” from the back of the stove to a combustible surface, such as a regular wall. Most pellet vent has between one to three inch clearances. For individual clearance, it is best to refer to the owner’s manual of the appliance or vent.

What are the hearth requirements?

The manufacturer of every pellet burning heater on the market will list out the proper front, back and side hearth clearances in the owner’s manual. Typically, the minimum hearth distance out in front of the stove, measure from where a spark would leave the stove with the door opened, is 6”. Again, typical side hearth distance is around 6”, the same for the distance behind the stove. It is always best to double check with the specifications listed in the owner’s manual.

What makes a wood pellet?

When we speak to our seasoned pellet stove owners, they all have the same comments, all wood, no bark and no paper or cardboard products added. This is the most important issue when choosing pellets. All wood pellets produce the most heat and the least ash. A clean running pellet stove will produce the most heat, most efficiently.

What is the difference between quality wood pellets to inferior ones?

The easiest way to check the quality of a wood pellet is smell. Simply take a hand full of pellets and smell them. You should smell a pleasant clean fresh wood scent. If you notice any strange odor it’s a clear indication of by-products in the pellet.

Most warehouse clubs and retailers carry pellets that have a strong smell of cardboard, or other unpleasant scent. DO NOT BURN THESE PELLETS! Although they will burn, they have a lot of glue, inks etc. in them and will greatly reduce your pellet stoves ability to create heat, as well as cause buildup and heavier ash content adding to the stove’s maintenance. Some of these retailers try to sell you on the idea that it’s recycled products. Burning cardboard is not recycling! The best method for this is to recycle it back to a cardboard plant. Sure it’s cheaper for them to add cardboard instead of real wood, but it’s not recycling, it’s not good for your stove, and it’s not good for the environment!

What is better Hardwood Pellets or Softwood Pellets?