Pellet Stoves: The
Alternative cont..
What is Pellet Fuel?
Pellets are biomass products,
made-up of wood paste or sawdust. Pellets acts as a renewable and
clean burning fuels. More than 600,000 thousand people in North
America use wood pellets for heat. These pellets are used in fireplace
inserts, furnaces and freestanding stoves. The pellet fuels turn waste
materials into sources of energy.
How do pellet stoves
work?
Pellet stoves are basically
electronic devices. These stoves automatically adjust and control
combustion, blowers, fans and heating. You are required to insert
pellets into the hopper located at the top of the stove. A hopper
generally holds up to 80 pounds of pellets.
Most pellet stoves contain an auger. The purpose of the auger is to
deliver pellets to the combustion chamber from the hopper. The
movements of the auger can be set manually, but it’s generally set
automatically. Pellets are delivered at a rate of 1 pound per hour, in
case of glowing fire, and 5 pounds per hour, for a blazing fire. The
size of the fire depends on the amount of the feed.
The pellets are fed into the fire pot of the combustion chamber. To
encourage super heated flame, combustion air is blown into the
chamber. A fan, provided inside the stove, draws in the room air. The
drawn air is heated at about 250 degrees in the heat exchanger. Then
the warmed air is thrown back in the room. Pellet stoves rely on
convective heat. This is the reason why pellet stoves are not hot when
touched.
The combustion gases are vented outside the room via flue which exits
on the top of the unit. Pellet stoves do not require chimneys.
Types of pellet
stoves
Pellet stoves are available in
various styles and size varieties. There are different types of pellet
stoves available.
For great flexibility freestanding pellet stoves are available. These
stoves are available with installation options. These stoves are
supported by a pedestal. Freestanding pellet stoves are designed to be
installed in any area of the house. However there is one limitation,
they should never be installed in sleeping areas. These stoves are
placed on a protector which is non-combustible in nature. Freestanding
pellet stoves should always be installed at a safe distance away from
combustible surfaces.
Fire place inserts are also a type of pellet stoves. These are
installed in working fireplaces. The space between the fire place
opening and insert is covered decoratively by a panel. These pellet
inserts are typically installed in masonry fireplaces. These pellet
stoves offer your home a look of fire place setting. These stoves are
economical. You can apply bricks around and atop this type of stove to
give it a look of fireplace. You would require a non-combustible floor
protector to provide for air space under the unit.
Pellet stoves, no doubt, provide you with low cost fuel and
reduces your energy consumption bills drastically. Mother Nature
provides yet another better fuel alternative to keep you warm and
cozy. |
