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The Differences Between Wood Stoves And Pellet Stoves For Heating And How To Choose The Right One For You

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If you would like to cut your heating expenses this winter (and every winter that you live in your home), you can install a heating stove in your main living area. With the amount of heat that these stoves radiate, your home can be quite cozy all winter, and you will not have to rely on your furnace or boiler as much as you do now. There are two kinds of heating stoves; stoves that use wood and stoves that use pellets. Here are the differences between these two main types and how to choose the right one for your home.

Wood Stoves

Wood stoves are very popular in the northernmost regions and rural areas of North America. In these areas of the U.S. and Canada, you can chop down plenty of wood in the warmer months and then dry it to burn in the colder months. Since your fuel source is practically right out your back door, you rarely have to purchase any firewood unless you run out of trees in your yard/on your property. Wood stoves do no burn clean however. Like chimneys, the creosote from the burning wood will build up inside the ventilation chimney (which should be installed and connected to an outside wall to vent properly). Ergo, a wood stove will need regular cleaning and maintenance so that fires inside the house do not start as a result of a dirty wood stove vent.

Pellet Stoves

Pellet stoves burn corn pellets or wood pellets. They are more efficient than wood stoves, but only the corn pellet stoves leave less mess behind in the smokestack/chimney vent. Some people still prefer the wood pellets because you can purchase many different types of wood to burn and create a pleasant aroma in your living space. If you opt to install a pellet stove, you can try any kind of pellets in it and see which type--corn or wood-- you prefer and then decide if you like a particular kind of wood pellet (should you choose wood over corn).

Choosing the Right Stove for Your Home

If you live on a very wooded property, then the wood stove may be a better choice for your home. You are surrounded by free fuel you can harvest all year long. However, if you would prefer greater heating efficiency and less of a carbon footprint on the earth, then a pellet stove, especially a corn pellet stove, is the better choice for you. Because there is not much difference in how either of these two stoves are installed and vented, your contractor can install either type of stove for about the same cost.

For more information, contact Midnight Sun Sheet Metal and Heating Inc or a similar company.


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