Can You Hook Up A Free Standing Pellet Stove To A Firplace? Average ratng: 9,2/10 2072 votes

Looking for the perfect small pellet stove? We recommend the best mini pellet stoves currently on the market. Make an informed decision with our guide. The earth stove 1000 manual - free for iPad google on 16.sreemaheshwaran.site. Click to see full answer. In this way, can you hook up a pellet stove to a wood stove chimney? Yes, your pellet stove can be vented through your existing chimney, providing your pellet stove is placed in front of your existing fireplace and you have the proper clearance, the airspace between the stove, the walls and you meet the minimums as defined in the owner's manual. Units like the Most can impart any one up to 3, problem feet and can be able to existing unlike websites. The pad should district at least 6 has in front of the outset and several flirts out can you hook up a pellet stove to furnace each side. Or you ohok can you hook up a pellet stove to furnace a premade hearth pad online or from your pelet. Energy.gov states that you can expect to pay anywhere between $1,700 to $3,000 for the majority of pellet stoves, but looking around you can find stoves for as little as $1,000 and as much $4,000 for the higher end pellet stoves. More expensive stoves generally have a better build quality and come from a more reputable brand such as Harman.

Advantages of Burning Pellets
How to Size a Pellet Stove

Pellet stoves may offer just the heating solution you’ve been seeking. This expert, unbiased report will help you choose the best pellet stove for your home and budget

With the cost of energy representing an ever larger chunk of the average American household’s budget, many homeowners continue to seek alternative ways of heating their homes. Increasingly, homeowners have been turning to pellet stoves as a supplemental (or, in some cases, primary) heat source.

Whitfield Free Standing Pellet Stove

Pellet stoves look similar to wood stoves or fireplace inserts, but the similarity ends there. Inside, they are quite sophisticated combustion appliances, and the result of their efficiency is low-cost heating.

Unlike wood stoves, they don’t burn wood. Instead, they burn small pellets typically made from recycled wood shavings, sawdust, or corn.

Advantages of Burning Pellets

The pellets that a pellet stove burns are actually recycled sawdust, wood shavings, corn, walnut and peanut shells, and similar bio-mass wastes that are ground up, compressed, and extruded. The 3/8-to-1-inch-long pellets look like rabbit feed and are typically sold in 40-pound bags. Pellets turn wastes that would otherwise be dumped at landfills into energy, lessening our dependence on oil.

Pellets Burn Cleaner

Both because of the fuel’s consistency and the stove’s combustion mechanics, pellets burn very hot. This means they burn more efficiently and more cleanly than wood—putting far fewer particulates into the air.

Can

Intense compression squeezes the moisture out of the pellets, dropping their moisture content to below 8 percent, which is very dry compared with cord wood, which has from 20 percent to 30 percent moisture. The drier the fuel, the more heat it can produce. And the hotter the fire burns, the more fuel it can consume. Compared with EPA-certified wood stoves, which give off about 5 grams of particulates per hour, pellet stoves give off less than 1 gram per hour.

Pellets also create much less ash than cord wood and produce far less creosote, a common wood stove and fireplace hazard that blackens glass doors and collects in chimneys, potentially causing chimney fires.

Pellets Produce More Heat

Combustion efficiency is a measure of how much of a fuel is converted to energy by an appliance. Pellet stoves offer 75 percent to 90 percent overall efficiency (be sure to look for “overall efficiency” ratings when comparing makes). In fact, so much heat is extracted that most pellet stoves may be vented horizontally out through a wall instead of through a conventional chimney (see How a Pellet Stove Works).

Most pellet stoves produce a small fire that, concentrated in the center of the unit, burns very hot. If you like the look of a fire, try to find a unit with a good flame pattern and a large viewing glass. You can get ceramic logs that help disperse the flames and give the fire a more traditional look.

Pellet Stove Drawbacks

One drawback of pellet stoves is that they’re relatively complex. As shown in How a Pellet Stove Works, they have a variety of moving parts and motors that require maintenance, so it’s a good idea to select a model that gives you easy access to its parts. It’s also not a bad idea to get a service contract. (For more about pellet stove care, see Pellet Stove Repair & Care.)

The Internal Workings of a Pellet Stove

Pellet stoves have an internal hopper for storing a day’s worth of pellets; depending upon the size of the stove, they may store from 35 to 130 pounds of pellets. Obviously, the larger the bin in stoves of similar output, the less often they require refilling. Inside, stoves are either bottom- or top-fed. When choosing between a bottom- or top-fed pellet stove, consider the benefits and drawbacks of each.

A top-fed pellet stove has a lesser chance of fire burning back into the hopper because of its pellet delivery system. But the combustion chamber is more likely to become impeded with ash and clinkers (the deposits caused by reheating ash). As a result, many manufacturers of top-fed models recommend burning high-grade, low-ash pellets.

Bottom-fed models don’t require premium fuel because the ash and clinkers are pushed into the ash pan. But, with steady use, you will have to remove the ashes about once a week. An easy-to-use, large-capacity ash access drawer makes cleanup easier.

Pellet Stove Hook-Ups

The motors of most pellet stoves, of course, require electricity (some models have battery backup units), so the stove should be positioned near a 110-volt outlet. If you live where there isn’t any electrical power or power outages are frequent, buy a pellet stove with a battery backup, a non-electric pellet stove, or have a gas-powered generator on hand (see Buying an Emergency Portable Generator). This and related installation issues are discussed in the article How to Install a Pellet Stove.

Freestanding Pellet Stoves vs. Inserts

Manufacturers produces both freestanding stoves and fireplace inserts in a variety of styles. Some manufacturers also make pellet-fueled furnaces and boilers that will take the place of, or supplement, conventional forced-air heating systems.

Heat Output Range (Heating Capacity)

Whitfield free standing pellet stove

Pellet stoves are measured in heat output range, also called heating capacity. Most have a rating of 8,000 to 90,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units) per hour. To choose the right-size pellet stove, it helps to work with a knowledgeable dealer who can take into account the many variables that will determine the best choice for you.

The Cost of a Pellet Stove

Because pellet stoves are quite sophisticated, they’re not cheap…but when used for an extended period of time, they can earn back their cost in energy savings. For a complete discussion of this, please see Pellet Stoves: Costs & Savings.

How to Size a Pellet Stove

Though the physical size of a stove may be a consideration if you have limited space in which to put it, the primary issue is the heat output. If a pellet stove’s heat output is too little, it won’t warm a space sufficiently. If its output is too high, it can make a space uncomfortably warm. If it makes the area too warm, homeowners typically burn a smaller, smoldering fire, which is highly inefficient and causes undue pollution.

When comparing BTU output among various stoves, be sure you are clear about each unit’s overall efficiency—that is, how much heat it delivers to the room (not including the heat that goes out the chimney). But many other variables come into play. These include the stove’s location, how open your home’s rooms are to one another, whether a blower or other form of heated air distribution is available, how well your home is insulated, whether the stove will be providing primary or supplementary heat, and so forth. When meeting with a dealer, be prepared to discuss these issues.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a helpful rule-of-thumb is this: A stove rated at 60,000 BTUs can heat an open-plan, 2,000-square-foot home. A stove rated at 42,000 BTUs can heat an open-plan, 1,300-square-foot space.

The location of the stove has a great deal to do with how effectively it will heat a space. In most cases, it’s located in the room that you want to heat. If you wish to heat an entire house, a central location or a fan system to circulate the heat is imperative. (For more about this, see How to Install a Pellet Stove.)

Featured Resource: Get a Pre-Screened Local Pellet Stove Installation Pro

Can you hook up a free standing pellet stove to a fireplace cover

How To Run A Pellet Stove Without Electricity

Do you want to know how to run a pellet stove during a power outage? If you have a pellet stove and rely on it for your heat, then pay attention to this article. I’ll show you how I measured my stove for watts / power consumption, and how I can run it during a power-outage for awhile.

Without electricity during the winter (severe storm, snow/ice, high winds), your home or cabin will get cold quick!

It’s really not that complicated to set this system up. I will first run through the calculations to exemplify typical power consumption of a pellet stove. Then we’ll see what we can do to keep it running during a power outage / blackout.

How Much Electricity Does A Pellet Stove Use?

First, as with all typical pellet stoves that I’m aware of, they require a 120 volt AC power source (typical in-home electricity).

Second, we need to discover the operational power consumption (watts) or the AC current (amps) before we can figure out what we will need to run our pellet stove during a power outage.

I am going to use my own pellet stove as an example, which is a Harman model. This will likely be typical for most pellet stoves with fans and motorized auger.

The electrical requirements listed in their spec sheet are as follows, however I will give you real world measurements afterwards:

Specifications:
Start up: 4.0 amps (460 watts)
Run: 3.0 amps (345 watts)

Note: I am certain that these specs are for everything full-on, (all fans, auger speed, etc.) on highest settings, plus a margin…

My real world measurements are MUCH LESS during normal run time. When the ignitor initially fires up there is a brief condition (a few minutes) of higher power consumption.

Real world measurements:
Start up: 3.0 amps (360 watts)
Run: 0.7 amps (80 watts averaged over time)

How many watts does a pellet stove use?

So, for a few minutes during the ignition period, my Harman consumes almost 400 watts. Though once lit and running, the average consumption was almost 100 watts, averaged over time.

How did I measure how many watts / amps?

KILL A WATT™ meter
(view on amzn)

I explain more about it in the following article:
[ Read: How To Measure Energy Consumption Of Appliances ]

Battery & Inverter

Fireplace

Make your own emergency backup power source to run a pellet stove during a power outage. You will need at least one deep cycle 12-volt battery and an inverter to convert 12 volts DC to 120 volts AC.

DC to AC Inverter for Pellet Stove

The inverter that you choose will have to produce at least the maximum load of your pellet stove. In my case that would be 460 watts based on the Harman spec sheet, or 360 watts based on my real world measurements. It’s always wise to look at a worst case scenario when specifying a system, so lets look for a 500 watt inverter.

The only time when the inverter will be loaded down will be the few minutes when the ignitor is on. Otherwise it will be cruising well below it’s rated maximum during normal operation.

I have chosen the following inverter, Made in the USA. They manufacture several different wattages. The 600 watt will certainly be enough for the pellet stove during ignition. Plus, I can use it for other things too…

Samlex America PST-600-12 Pure Sine Wave Inverter (600 watts)
(view on amzn)

I have several Samlex America products and although a bit more expensive they are commercial grade. They’re professionally designed and built to safely operate electrical & electronics without damaging them. The “pure sine wave” output is the cleanest you can get, especially good and safe for electronic devices.

Think of it this way: This inverter can also be used for other duties to operated other 120 volt devices during an emergency, not just your pellet stove. Lights, a TV, etc..

Battery to Inverter Cables

You might either make up your own cables to connect from the battery to inverter, or you might simply purchase one ready made.

How many 12-volt DC Amps to run a Pellet Stove

Bear in mind that you will need a cable-set that can carry the full amp rating of the inverter. In my example, 600 watts, which is 50 amps (@ 12 volts DC).

The following 8 gauge jumper cables will do it. Simply cut the cable set in half and strip the non-clamp ends to bare wire. This will insert into the DC input connectors of the inverter.

8 Gauge Booster Cable
(amzn)

A Cheaper Inverter

A less expensive inverter may still get the job done, and I have selected one for your consideration. It comes with alligator clip extension for battery connection.

Can You Hook Up A Pellet Stove To A Chimney

BESTEK 500W Power Inverter
(amzn)

Note that I have no experience with the BESTEK brand. I selected it due to its mostly favorable reviews. It is however a “modified sine wave” inverter (one reason why it costs less, plus made overseas) and not as “clean” as a pure sine wave inverter. That said, in many circumstances this will probably be okay for a pellet stove. Pure sine is better for electronic devices.

Battery For Pellet Stove During A Power Outage

Now that you have an inverter, you will need a battery! Here’s the important thing to remember: The battery must have enough capacity to run your pellet stove for a reasonable amount of time.

What does that translate to? A typical 12 volt “deep cycle” marine type battery will be rated for about 100 AH (Amp Hours). This will be displayed on the battery itself. And this will be your limiting factor as to how long you can run your pellet stove.

Let me explain…

If you are using a 100 AH rated 12vdc deep cycle battery, and if your pellet stove draws 100 watts on average, this battery will be 50% discharged in 6 hours.

Formula:
100 watts = 8.3 amps (100 W / 12 VDC)
100 watts / 8.3 amps = 12 hours (fully discharged)
12/2 = 6 hours (50% discharged)

Important: Never fully discharge a lead acid battery. It will damage the battery. Rule of thumb not to discharge beyond 50% before recharging so to prolong the life of the battery.

Can You Hook Up A Free Standing Pellet Stove To A Firplace?

Note: If you connect two batteries in parallel (plus to plus and minus to minus) you will double the capacity and run time.

Can You Hook Up A Free Standing Pellet Stove To A Fireplace Kit

Use Your Car Battery

Another alternative would be to connect your inverter to your car battery. Run an extension cord into your house to operate the pellet stove. You could start your vehicle up now and again to charge the battery.

[ Read: Best Extension Cord ]

SUMMARY
All you need is an inverter and battery (or batteries) to run your pellet stove during a power outage for a relatively short term period.

Although I indicated that a single typical 100 AH battery may run a typical pellet stove for 6 hours, in reality you might not have it running all of the time. This would lengthen your run time.

Also, your own stove may have different energy demands. Here is an excellent and inexpensive electrical meter that I use to measure the power consumption of appliances. I have a solar powered off-grid system and this has been invaluable while calculating energy needs.

Can You Hook Up A Free Standing Pellet Stove To A Fireplace Conversion

Hopefully this article has helped some of you who may have been concerned about losing the heating ability of your pellet stove during a power outage.

Can You Put A Pellet Stove In A Fireplace

And before some of you say it, I’ll say it first… A wood stove won’t have this problem.