Pellet stove venting layout

July 1, 2008 · Filed Under Pellet Stove Installation · 1 Comment 

Options for venting layout?
Mechanical Exhaust:

  • Sidewall horizontal venting (Figure 9). Is the least expensive venting system. Disadvantage of potential smoke spilling into the house in the event of a power outage or component failure, or house depressurization , also can leave an ugly black smoke mark on the wall.
  • Horizontal vent with backup vertical venting (see Figure 10). Preferred horizontal method that avoids venting problems associated with unexpected appliance shutdown. Smoke mark will still occur.
  • Vertical venting through the ceiling and roof (Figure 11). Has the advantages of keeping vent gases warm and of providing natural draft to prevent problems in an unexpected shutdown.
  • Venting into existing chimney. Stove manufacturers provide recommendations for venting into masonry and factory-built chimneys, which may include partial or full chimney relining and cealing around the pellet stove.
  • Natural Draft: All vents for appliances designed without mechanical exhaust fans must meet stove manufacturer’s requirements for minimum draft and must terminate above the roof line.

Vertical (Figure 12) Extends up from the stove and penetrates the ceiling and roof . Horizontal and vertical (Figure 13). Extends from the top or back of the appliance, penetrates the wall, turns up to penetrate the eave and roof.

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Pellet Stove Starting Operation

June 29, 2008 · Filed Under Pellet Stove Operation · 2 Comments 

Where do we start?

The obvious would be the instructions that accompany the pellet stove appliance, generally operating a pellet stove is not difficult, but it maybe new technology so it calls for some basic knowledge.

Training vides accompany some stoves, and hands on demonstrations are done by many dealers and installers.

How do I start a fire?
Most designs make start up easy by using Small dry pellet fuel and combustion air. Operating instructions provided with the stove give the specific steps to follow.

Manual ignition stoves call for the owner to apply an approved gel or solid starter material (no liquids), light the pellets, and monitor the fire to see that the fire catches and the flame gradually grows. On the automatic ignition pellet stoves, pushing the start button feeds pellets to the burn pot and heats the self-igniter device.

What if the stove doesn’t start properly?
For this a safety device monitors startup and stops fuel feed if operating temperatures are not reached within a specified time period. If startup fails, the operator makes sure that the hopper has fuel, that fuel is feeding, and restarts the stove. Repeated failed lighting cycles indicate the need for maintenance or professional service.

What do I do after the stove starts?
After the initial start up the control panel or air inlet adjustments and a quick performance check, the pellet stove is set to provide hours of even, comfortable heat. Stoves equipped with a remote wall thermostat respond to owner setting and room air temperature by cycling on and off or by cycling from a low to high burn, depending on pellet stove design.

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What Size of Pellet Stove?

June 27, 2008 · Filed Under Pellet Stove Appliances · Comment 

There is a wide range of heat outputs for a pellet stoves which will reduce the number of different sizes in the market. Within the range of pellet stove designs choices involve input from different sources. Information from manufacturers is of necessity general in nature given the many variables in climate, home construction, and personal comfort.

The efficency rating and the Btu output can be useful to comare pellet stoves. The overall efficiency is the measure of the percentage of the energy available in th efuel that is delivered as heat and is more imortant than combusion efficency, always refer to a knowledgeable delaer for more information on sizing of pelet stoves.

Bring the following information when seeing your dealer as this will help him select the best pellet stove design for your needs:

  • your intended purpose-primary or backup heat source for the entire house or a selected area
  • house size and layout-sketch with room and house size estimate or building plans very helpful
  • heating characteristics of your home- insulation and tightness of construction
  • your idea of comfort- day and night.

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What Pellet stove appliance features should I look for?

June 25, 2008 · Filed Under Pellet Stove Appliances · 3 Comments 

Pellet stove designs come in different sizes,types and apperances these are the key areas when selecting. The choice may then include the considerations of:

  • Performance
  • Cost
  • Convenience.

Operational design convenience is affected by the number of features. Like hopper capacity which can range from 40 to 100 pounds will effect the number of times need fill the pellet stove. The hopper size should match the heating needs and have a reasonable loading cycle.

Manaual control pellet stoves require occasional adjustment of the inlet air dampers as the pellet fuel rate is changed. Pellet stoves appliances with more sophisticated controls are able to monitor burn conditions and make these adjustments automatically.

So depending if you want the ease of automated pellet stove or enjoy the interaction of a manual control pellet stove.

Cerain features the effect ash tolerance and fuel compatibility may influence both convenience and preformance, espically where fuel grade choice is limited, but nowadays newer pellet stoves perform well with most pellet fuels.

Bottom fuel feeding pellet stoves appliances moves ash and clinkers away from air inlets. Whereas specially designed grates in top feed designs either allow heavier ash and clinkers to fall through to the ash drawer, or they rotate themselves to move ashes and keep air inlets open.

In both pellet stove designs, a larger ash drawer reduces ash removal frequency and thus becomes more convenient, and grates which can be dumped without stopping operation add extra convenience. As long as a compatible pellet fuel is available, the issue of ash tolerance is one of convenience and not the acceptability of stove design.

Ease of pellet stove maintenance is enhanced with such features that make routine cleaning tasks easier for the end user. The heat exchanger can be cleaned by simply moving an external rod handle back and forth on some pellet stoves.

Ask your pellet stove applaince dealer to demonstrate the heat exchanger cleaning as well as access to ash traps, receptacles behind the fire chamber designed to separate fly ash from the exhaust. Although pellet stoves are safety tested as a solid fuel heater by an accredited laboratory, stoves safety tested to ASTM Standard E 1509 undergo stringent testing specifically designed for pellet appliances to assure their safety and performance reliability .

Hers’s some other features bring added convenience and enjoyment when using your stove:

  • Automatic ignition. Offers simple, reliable startup. Typically more desirous on stove used intermittently than on one used continuously.
  • Remote thermostatic control. Controls heat output based on room temperature. Ensures even temperature from unattended stove regardless of changes in the weather. Discuss with the dealer the merits of thermostats and stove startup design: automatic ignition stoves cycle on and off according to heat demand; manual start stoves keep fire at low setting and return to high.
  • Large glass view and air wash system. Offers fire viewing, particularly enjoyable in living area installations. Air wash keeps glass clean by directing warm air over the glass during combustion.
  • Imitation log sets (stove manufacturer approved only). Improve aesthetics of the fire. May increase frequency and difficulty of maintenance; ask if removable.
  • Blower quietness. A concern in some areas of the house, depending on room use and personal preference.
  • Backup power source. Consideration for primary heat stoves in areas subject to frequent power outages. Should automatically switch from utility power to battery and back again.
  • Extended warranty for components. Low cost, high value extension of warranty on components (from normal one or two years to as many as five).

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What types of pellet appliances are available?

June 22, 2008 · Filed Under Pellet Stove Appliances · 2 Comments 

Pellet stoves designs come in a wide range of sizes, styles and finishes. Your first choice is the basic configuration of the applicance.

Free Standing Pellet stoves (figure 4)
floor protector can be installed in almost all living rooms, they are installed a specific distance away from. these have a great range of flexibility in the installation, supported by legs and sits on a non-conbustibleconbustible materials but still can be placed closer than typical wood cord burning appliances.

Fireplace inserts (Figure 5)

Firepalce inserts are installed in existing working firepalces, panels are added to fill up the void around the new pellet stove, certsian pellet stoves can only be used with masonary fireplaces, whereas others can be installed in apporved factory built metail firepalces.

Built-in appliances (Figure 6)

Built-in appliances are an excellent choice for homes without an existing fireplace but can give the look of having one. A built in pellet stove can be boxed in with a close clearance to combustible framing, materials like brik can be added around the pellet stove to give appearance of a fireplace.

Pellet furnaces are large units designed to heat an entire house through duct work. They are usually installed in a basement or other non-living area of the house. Like pellet stoves, furnaces require venting to the outside.

Pellet stoves can also be categorised accordling to the deliverly of pellet fuel.

Top feed pellet stoves deliver pellet fuel from a tube or chute above the fire, and bottom feed stoves deliver pellet fuel from behind or beside the burn pot directly to the fire (see Figure 2).

There are many variations within these two categories depending on manufacture, but bottom feed stoves preform better with the wider range of ash content in standard grade fuel because the feeding action moves ash and clinkers away from the burn area thus keeping the air inlets open and will reduce the frequency of cleaning.

To feed pellets stoves do have advantages in overall heating efficency sice thepellet fuel remains in the burn pot and exhaust gases move slower and improves the heat transfer. Special grates or rotating burn pots in some top feed pellet stoves will also reduce maintenance frequency.

If only standard grade pellets are available to you, or if there is a desire to burn a higher ash or special fuel like shelled corn or nut hulls, special attention must be paid to the issue of fuel delivery, ash content, and stove compatibility. Otherwise, design differences are less significant considerations of relative degrees of efficiency and maintenance frequency.

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