pellet vs. wood vs. gas fireplace insert
melissastar
14 years ago
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vhehn
14 years agotigerdunes
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Fireplace Insert: Pellet vs Wood
Comments (7)OK, I'll give you that, but he also said he lives in Canada in a bungalow which probably means itÂs older and not too well insulated. He also said that the main floor is 1500 sq. ft. Does that mean the entire house is 3K. I think it's all academic anyway because he wants a fireplace insert instead of a stove unless he changed his mind. My stove is 20 yrs. old and has the catalytic combustor technology. The sales lady that sold it to me said this stove would fit my house. It did in the beginning, but as I added on, it's getting too small. It works great for temps above 25 degrees or so but when the temps drop below 20, the furnace turns on periodically. My house is fairly tight. It has 2x6 studs in the exterior walls with R19 insulation, R38 in the attic. It's a 2 story and is about 2600 sq. ft. It has many good quality windows. We live in southern Wisconsin. All these factors makes me wish I had a bigger stove! ******************* "This is a complete fallacy. Do NOT get too large a stove!!! If you do, you will have your windows open all the time" ******************* Don't forget, he lives in Canada! As far as building smaller fires in a bigger stove goes, sometimes it gets into the 30s & 40s around here in the middle of January which means that even the stove I have gets to be too much so all I do is just keep the fire alive and make sure the combustor temperature is at least 500 degrees or better to keep the creosote buildup to a minimum. It's 38 degrees here as I'm typing this and I just checked the stove and it's getting a little low right now and it's very comfortable in here so I just didn't feed it, but if I hear the furnace kick on, then I sure will!! An old fire has gotten rid of most of it's creosote building gasses so even if the combustor temperature does go below 500 degrees I don't worry about it. Any embers at all will restart the fire immediately with good draft. I always clean the chimney every fall and itÂs never that bad. IÂm actually considering doing it once every 2 years. Theories are okay but they only provide the ground work! Only practical application will provide the best end result! Jim...See MoreGas fireplace insert vs. house heat
Comments (12)I clipped this post from a previous discussion on gas inserts to provide additional info on the subject. Posted by: renron on 12.19.2006 at 07:28 pm in Fireplaces Forum First, DON'T install a ventless fireplace!!! Even though the MFG.s will tell you the exhaust fumes are OK, do you really want to breathe them? Many people end up with Major Headaches and chronic breathing issues. Does it sound like a good idea to breathe burnt exhaust gasses? B type flue(vent) pipes are dual thickness pipes. A pipe inside another pipe, suitable for use at 1" or more to flammable materials. Outer casing pipe is sealed and will not conduct air. D (Direct Vent) type flue(vent) pipes are also dual layers but they are capable of exhausting burnt gas through the inner pipe and importing exterior(outside) combustion air for burning. Think of a straw inside a larger straw. Inside straw blowing, outside straw sucking outside air for combustion. A fan is usually used to help exhaust the burnt gasses. Details below: B-Vent (Natural Vent) gas fireplaces are designed primarily for decorative use. Generally they produce a larger and more realistic yellow flame. B-vent fireplaces are sometimes available without a glass window, so many homeowners are attracted to this design because of the open, realistic flame effect; some models do have a glass window so the existence of a window on a fireplace does not define its product classification. Natural vent gas fireplaces use room air for combustion and vent fumes through a vent or chimney that must terminate vertically above the roof line. The key to determining whether a B-vent fireplace will meet your heating needs is to check the manufacturer's listed efficiency rating (gas consumed x efficiency = heat output). While efficient, heater-rated B-vent fireplaces do exist, many lower quality "builder grade" fireplaces have no efficiency rating and, therefore, will not supply substantial heat. In fact, this category of fireplace will often use the greatest amount of gas at the lowest range of efficiencies. If you live in a warmer climate where you want the aesthetics of a fire without much heat, this may be the appliance for you. Likewise, bedrooms and smaller rooms may be a good candidate for a b-vent fireplace, but please check building codes to see if this class of fireplace is approved in your locality or for installation in the room where you'd like to use it. Local/national codes in some areas prohibit the use of b-vent rated appliances, especially in colder climates. Be aware that very "air tight" houses can cause performance problems with b-vent rated appliances, so please consult an experienced fireplace installer who can advise you on the proper installation and use you are considering. Direct Vent Fireplaces offer the most features with respect to gas consumption, efficiency ratings and venting options. A direct vent fireplace will always have a glass window because these fireplaces are sealed systems using a double walled venting system. Combustion air enters the appliance via one section of pipe while fumes and moisture are vented through the other pipe. Most often, a double wall "pipe within a pipe" system is used. Subject to each model's requirements for distance and offsets, direct vent fireplace venting may be terminated either horizontally or vertically. Efficiency rating will average 65% to 84%, similar to ratings on gas furnaces. Keep in mind that these appliances must "waste" some of the heat produced to create a draft of rising warm air to evacuate the fumes produced without aid of a forced air exhaust system. Think of direct vent fireplaces as a decorative furnace: the beauty of a realistic flame with high efficiency. This appliance is great for primary or supplental heating and for emergency backup heating as most work without aid of electricity. Because this is a sealed system that uses outside air for combustion, direct vent fireplaces are usually the favored choice among those in the fireplace industry because of their greater efficiency and exceptionally reliable performance. Hope this info helps, I am a General Contractor. Renron...See Morepellet insert vs wood insert - not able to decide
Comments (3)Another consideration is the fact that pellet stoves and inserts depend on electricity and mechanicals. Some can be run for up to 8 hrs on a battery backup, so if you experience longer outages, you may not have heat. Mechanicals mean more maintenance. In our area, pellets are getting hard to find due to demand, and are actually being imported from outside our area at higher cost for lower grade-- that may not apply in your area. Yet. I am putting in a wood stove because I can support small local woodlot industry, which is enjoying a much needed resurgence. A stove rather than an insert might be a better option in terms of heat output and ease of maintenance, by the way. Have you given that any consideration? There is so much demand for pellet stove and inserts that in many cases people are having to wait until next year. I get my new stove this fall. Dayle Ann...See MoreHarman Accentra Pellet insert vs wood stove insert
Comments (1)One thing about a pellet stove is (I've heard, unless things have changed) that they require electricity. So do you ever lose electricity? If you do, that's when you'll most need your fireplace. In that case I vote wood burning. But if you never lose electricity or have a generator, then I hope someone with a pellet stove will answer you....See Moretigerdunes
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