Wood Stove vs Pellet Stove
What is the better option?
It is a question we often get, as people are considering what type of stove to pick for a basement, a garage or any other space for that matter. We will discuss below the benefits of both and why a certain choice might be better for you
Pellet stoves have been on the market for quite a while now, however, there are still plenty of people who associate burning logs with their childhood, or the task of splitting wood as a great way of working out. Simply looking at some burning logs or hearing the sound of crackling of the wood may bring back some warm memories. For those people, choosing a wood stove may be the best decision, as burning pellets simply doesn’t give you the same experience as burning wood. Wood stoves will still run if there is a power outage and therefore do not require a back-up generator (unless you would like to run the fan that may be on the stove). Pellet stoves do require electricity for the fans that supply air to the combustion chamber and move the hot air around and for the hopper (if it is not gravity-fed).
If you have easy access to scrap wood or cheap fire wood, a regular wood stove would be more desirable, as pellets will have to be bought from a supplier and can’t simply be sourced from your own back yard.
It sounds like the simple tested-and-true wood stove is not a bad choice at all; however, there are quite a few reasons that a pellet stove might be the choice for you. Pellets are a clean burning fuel and mess is minimal, so no dust or wood debris on the floor! The pellets are kept in bags that only need to be emptied in the hopper as required. A pellet stove is more efficient than a wood stove and can be controlled thermostatically. Also, there is less venting required for a pellet stove. The venting is typically installed directly out behind the stove and no chimney is required.
If you are still not sure what the best option would be for your situation, feel free to talk to one of the sales staff at Prestige Home Comfort for more advice. In the mean time, stay warm!