How many BTU's do you need on the furnace? Pellet stoves are nice, but pellets aren't cheap. Hand fired coal with a hopper is a nice stove and probably the cheapest way to heat. Coal heat costs about 1/3 the cost of oil heat at this time.

i don't like the fact they require electricity to run the auger. if they don't use power then they work when the power goes out. perhaps they got around this? the advantage of a wood or coal stove is it runs without electricity.

tom

Hi there, I live in New Hampshire and heat my old farmhouse with firewood aprox. 4 to 5 cords per season...plus 500 galons of heating oil. The nice thing about heating this way is the house is always warm in the winter. Heating is a big concern of mine I hate a cold house.
I looked into pellet stoves but what steared me away from them is the pellets tend to absorb moisture and expand in the feeder chute. Also if you have power outage that lasts any length of time you will be out of luck for a while.
Coal burning is a good way to go but I have had my chimneys
lined with stainless steel and coal produces acid that will eat through the liner over time.
I have done enough research on wood stoves to write a book...happy enough with two Jotul firelights and a Vermont castings. The stoves are 10 years old and going strong every winter. I hope this gives you a good start on a warm winter. Wish you all the best!

Concerning the fear that coal produces acid.....so does heating oil if the stack temperature isn't high enough. It must be a minimim of 350 degrees for an outside chimney or you'll have sulphuric acid forming. My father's house is 77 years old with a tile lined, unaltered, original brick chimney. The first 50 years, we used coal exclusively, with no problems. The last 27 we have used oil and from low stack temperatures, the chimney is now deteriorating. Don't let coal scare you.

I run a Thelin Gnome pellet stove. It has battery backup to run the auger and fan, and float charges the battery when it's not being used. These aren't your father's pellet stoves ;) I've never experienced pellet swelling from high humidity and have over 10 bags remaining from last season in the shed presently that I'll use first thing this year. I have 3 things that annoy me with pellet operation. First is the fan noise. Mine is a hollow sound and on high, it's pretty loud. Second is the sound of the pellets clinking into the crucible. This is the way it is with a top feeder, and there's no getting around it. A bottom feeder like a Harman won't do this, but I was going for a look and the Gnome's is unique. Thirdly, the flame produced by the burn isn't pretty. There aren't dancing flames. It's an angry, blast furnace type fire, and the glass door (at least mine) soots over after 4 or 5 hours of operation.

Prior to this stove, I burned nut coal for 11 years in a parlor stove which sat on a fireplace hearth. Given the two, I'd choose coal over pellets. Greater heat output, quiet operation, and surprisingly....clean. Downside to coal is the heavy buckets, and the need to keep it burning. Coal is a pain to get started and once you get it going, you don't want to let it go out. The heat output is tremendous and even. You can load it in the morning, bank it slightly, and it's still burning when you get home from work. It needs to run 24/7 so it you plan to let it go out frequently, coal isn't for you.

I looked at pellet stoves and they are nice but I too did not want to be depending on electricity to operate it.

Also, pellets were too restrictive for me to use as a fuel. Had to get it at the local fireplace store so I got a wood burning stove. It puts out a lot of heat and although it was just intended to heat my 25 X 18 family room, it does far more than that.

Coal would have been better if it was readily available in Southern California but I haven't seen any coal here in the 35 years I have lived here. Coal really puts out the heat.

Our nation's hard coal, anthracite, which is suitable for coal stoves is only found in northeastern PA, so it's no surprise that there isn't coal in CA. I know that some people use soft coal, but I've never seen one of these stoves. Now that coal is 1/3 the cost of oil, I know that it is going to be offered in Philly and South Jersey soon.

I saw on my local business cable station that electricity
will be the cheapest energy source for this winter which is amazing.

Yes, BT, there is a sudden interest in electric boilers. I think electric might be a smart regulated choice for the time being. They were usually sold out in the midwest and west, but sales are now going to NJ and PA.

"I saw on my local business cable station that electricity
will be the cheapest energy source for this winter which is amazing."

That IS amazing.
I pay $0.156 KWH delivered, here ( VERY high) , what is your rate down there?

PPL in PA is 9¢ per KWH, which includes all taxes. Last month we used 965 kwh and the total bill was $89.

Just checked the latest electric bill! 5.9 cents per KWH. This is 12 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, Pa.! As the crow flies!
20 years ago, the elec. co. installed a demand meter at my home, probably after they saw the arc welder and the big air compressor. It helped my bill, i think. not as large as it had been before the changeover!
I guess we're at the mercy of the utility companies. And, for the times in winter when we go away for a long weekend, or leave the house to go shopping, etc. i guess gas is best, and least troublesome!
Rustyj

I looked into a corn fired boiler, but the cost of about $5-7 thousand didn't do much for me. I could not find one that was a hot water pressure boiler, an open boiler does not put out the BTU's need for my base board heating system. Corn is cheap here in Oregon, no.2 is listed for about a $110 per ton. But I suppose if I would get set up to use corn. They would start using it to make alochol and drive up the price. Furnace oil is running about $2.50 gallon and power is about 10cents per kilowatt.

I installed a Dovre catalyzed wood stove in my addition 12 years ago, and with a new catalytic combuster last year, fires as new. Wood is quoted at $250+ /cord, and I have a 1 1/2 cord per season habit. I did install radiant heat in that addition last year and am doing the rest of my house with it this fall, with an instant hot water, gas fired boiler, same for the domestic hot water. No sense storing hot water, we are slowly adopting the European ways of heating homes. Check the Energy Star website, there is a huge rebate for this stuff!

What stove is better: First consider the source of fuel. If you can get an inexpensive supply of wood that would make the most sense. If paying for fuel, Coal may net the best BTU per cost ratio.

Convinces and ease use: The wood stove will require the most user direction and involvement. Coal and Pellet stoves one can load set the dials and sit back and enjoy. All stoves will require cleaning getting rid of coal ash can be a problem. Wood ash is great for neutralizing acidity in your garden. Pellets stoves produce a very fine ash does not take much to get fine ash all over the place. Wood stoves are a dirty operation, bark falls off a and leaves a trail of sawdust and mess your wife is not too pleased about.
Pellets are the cleanest operation but require inside storage where moisture can not interact with the pellets.
If trying to achieve auxiliary heat source all will work out. Pellets and wood are renewable heat supplies. Coal and wood reduce the dependency of using imported foreign fossil fuels. We all win, whether pellets cost more or use electricity to run their stoves.
One other point Mechanical blowers motors or augers do break down and will need repair in time. So coal and pellet stoves will need more repairs Wood stoves non cat will require least repairs. One other consideration, many Pellet and coal stoves can be direct vented, Meaning no expensive chimney required, Atmosphere nothing beats the look of a real flame. The Pellet stove one watches a blast furnace..

This is a starting point hoping the thread will be fine tuned and developed. No one stove choice is best for all

Elkimmeg.........All stoves will require cleaning getting rid of coal ash can be a problem.....

In PA, we just put them out for the garbage or throw them in the driveway or use them for fill.

Elk, very good summary!

Bush, $250 a cord is insane! In NY, I pay $150 a cord, delivered, split and seasoned.

Cord = 4x4x8.

Just so nobody mistakes my bias here I suggest to those why are looking to purchase a wood stove to Buy Vermont Castings
Are they the best? They are good but not as good as they used to be.. So they why suggest buying VC stoves? Every stove bought, saves 164 Jobs right here in USA Bethel VT. Foundry. There are a lot companies subcontracting to Indochina and more manufacturing jobs are lost overseas. That Ridid tool you just bought made in China Craftsmen wrenches China. VC proud to be American made. Be carefull about buying HomeDepot Pellet stoves. What good is a warranty when there is no one to fix them? The money you think you saved would have been better spent buying Vermont.Castings Quality. There are other web sites that discuss all the questions one may ask concerning wood stoves. Check out this Forum http://hearth.com/ceilidh/ceilidh.html
And welcome: Also check out the consumer ratings and informational areas of the site. Near Boston $250 per cord. Mine free, 14 dry cords cut split and stacked. good luck

Little Bio: I have been burning wood the past 30 years two American made stoves, one Being a Vermont Castings Ressolute Accclaim 2 years old. I am also the local building and Mechanical Inspector for my town. I inspect all permitted stove installations.( part time). I own my own Construction Remodeling Co. I work the tools everyday. I am very mechanically inclined and repair almost anything. Right now I will be doing a demo follow up on a 12 ton Electric log splitter. Which is a follow up to Home Depot's Ryobi 4 ton electric log splitter.

Maybe the most important decision is, slecting the right dealer. One that will ensure a correct installation, and one that stands behind his product. Actually I do two types of wood stove inspections. One to see if it is installed per code and correctly, the second one when disaster strikes (not very pleasent) So far the unplesent ones, are because I never inspected them the first time

I've had a Hearthstone for 20+ years, made in VT, and it's gentle heat far surpasses any cast iron stove. Have heated exclusively with wood for 30 years and wish I had the Hearthstone from the beginning.

Heed the words of Elkimmeg: "many Pellet and coal stoves can be direct vented, Meaning no expensive chimney required."

I burn wood. My Quadrafire 3100, built in Colville, WA, is a superior clean burning non catalytic wood stove. But the space age double-insulated stainless steel flue that runs from my basement through the roof of my two story house cost twice as much as the stove.

I'll probably never break even. I just wanted to be able to enjoy the basement in the winter and to know I can keep the house warm without electricity or propane.

For those of you seriously looking at an alternative way to heat your house, I'd suggest you take a look at an exterior wood burner. Very efficient, less work and mess than an inside stove, and more practical to retrofit.

I have inspected about 8 exterior wood boilers all claim the run efficiently. but they have quite an appetite 10 15 cords a year depending where you live and climate conditions. Many take 4Â log lengths and seasoning it not as big an issue. Though seasoned wood produces more BTUs. They have to be cleaned either daily or every other day. There is quite a bit of work processing 10 + cords a year. One need the space to store it and probably a bobcat type loader is advised. Then there is the expense they are not cheap.
Summary one needs a lot of wood, space, equipment and time or be able to pay someone else to do the processing. Good suggestion but its not for many people too much work

Qudrafire makes pellet stoves. Did an inspection on one yesterday They are nice looking stoves. This has always bothered me, if going to the expense of the metal chimney route why buy a cheap stove? Kiplingers magazine Sept issue has quite a story about wood stoves. It seems high fuel prices have created quite a demand. IT's the 70's all over again. Many retailers have no stock left and have to wait for shipment. Installations are running 4 to 6 weeks. With demand bargin hunter may not apply. Its a dealers market.
Expect pricing to rise and availability problematic

"Very efficient, less work and mess than an inside stove, and more practical to retrofit"

Looks to me like you burn with an interior stove. Your statement above must be purely speculation.

The one real advantage I could see with an outside wood stove is in not having a fire hazard.

Rusty and Folks. Check out this website. 20 years ago a colleague of mine installed one of these in her 200 year old twin chimney colonial house in Topsfield Mass. The first year they almost went bankrupt heating with an outmoded oil boiler. After putting in the HS Tarm they were warm and toasty. As I recall it used about 3 cords for a 3000 sq ft house, but don't hold me to that. The memory does fade as the years pile on! Any way here is the link: http://www.woodboilers.com/

3 cords for 3000sq, I doubt it, sounds good though! That would be 1 cord for 1000sq. I think just opening your house doors to go to work, get groceries, etc... will release more energy than 1 cord can supply for 1000sq in a New England winter. My house is a 1200sq ranch, I use just over 5 cords of an oak, maple, and birch mix.

Jeff, I agree, that is the main advantage. Problem is,my wife loves to curl up next to the wood stove with a book in the winter, she just loves it. I have to admit I realy like the fire too. Nothing like standing next to your woodstove while it is cold and snowy outside. We also cook on it when the power goes out, (often here). If I wanted an exterior, she would probably try to talk me into oil or gas!

Just a little info re: relative cost of fuels --

a million btu of electric heat at 100% efficiency and 10-cent Kwh would cost $29.30 That's pretty uncompetitive against kerosene, oil, wood or coal (even if efficiencies were MISERABLE!!) So, unless you can get 3-cent kilowatt hours and you have a geothermal heatpump, electricity is NOT the way to go.

I use a HITZER fireplace insert. I burn nut coal. (It can burn wood)It's hand fired and can hold close to 60lbs of coal or more. I have one of those stainless steel liners that is bolted right to the top of the stove and was installed inside of the taracotta flue. We cut out the fire box to allow the liner to drop down. I have heated my house for ten years using around 3-4 ton from early october through early may.
Everything in the stove is replaceable.

I rake the coals hard around 7:00pm load it back up and don't mess with it until the next night. If we have those extended 0 degree days I need to tend to it twice because I'm burning it harder. I luv coal. I take the ashes out and put them in a galvanized garbage can and when it's full I load up some white buckets and haul them out to a friend of mine. During hunting season I have loaded it up on a Sunday morning and come back Tuesday afternoon and it's still going. However burning coal is an art, you need to learn it.
A few years ago I built a coal bin outside. Now all of the dirt is there. I figure it is no different then bringing in wood every night.
Hitzer's are made by the Amish in Indiana. However the Amish no longer own the original Co.

Oh the Question!
Corn and Pellet stoves are okay but neither one comes close to the btu output of coal. It was mentioned that corn was $110.00 per ton, that's over $3.00 per bushel currently local corn goes for 2.50 per bushel and that is 89.00 per ton. Pellets are around the same price as coal. Either way it will cost about $3.00 a day to use these products. I have chose coal because I want to feel warm for my three dollars.
I bought nut coal for $150.00 per ton and the guy said that was his last load until December because they started exporting nut coal to China so there is a big demand. Also the next load goes up to $165 per ton. Local dealers are selling coal only to their regular customers and turning the others away.

I have 22+ years experience heating my 1800 sqft home with wood and a soap stone stove. Also 15+ years with cast iron. I will not buy another soap stone because one or more stones will crack over time no matter how careful you are. Also I did not like having to wait atleast 1 hour before the stone would get hot enough to heat the house. I admit that I bought into the hype of how great soap stone was. My latest stove is the Harman III coal. Here in Massachusetts coal is cheaper than wood and the stove can burn both. The construction of the stove is top notch and it can burn coal for over 24 hours.

Pellets are in extremely high demaand and the prices have tripled this year. My next door neighbor has a pellet stove and had to pay $8.50 a bag when last year it was $3.50.

I have a soapstone stove since the early 80's. We heat exclusively with wood and I love the comfort of the gentle stone heat. I wouldn't want another stove.

I own a Vermont castings Intrepid II, and I think this particular model is poorly designed, although the construction is high quality. I'm not saying this is true of all VC stoves, just mine. Last time I tried to get customer support from the manufacturer, they were useless. The downturn in customer support occured around the time they were bought out by a company in Canada.

I don't own an outside wood boiler, but there is one about a mile away from me, and I'm glad it's not closer. The smoke from it is awful. I assume the owner fills it full of wood once a day and then turns down the air intake to get a long burn time.

If I ever buy another stove, it will be a high efficiency non catalyst model without a top opening, but with a side door. It would be nice if it could burn wood or coal too.

triton you MUST have the older catalist firelite. great stoves. they did away with the catalist and went to a stainless afterburner. sure cut down on the capacity/burn time. love mine any wouldnt trade for anything. have a nice warm winter.

i recentl purchased a used harman mark1 coal stove i have heated my hose for 6 yrs with a wood stove but thought that coal would be more efficent but im having some problems adjusting i cant get the stove to burn unattended for more than 6 hrs i have tried all different draft settings i always end up with alot of clinkers and a cold house i know its a trial and error thing but does anyone have any suggestions

Have you tried calling Harman? and asking for technical help? If they can't/won't help you, call efm, the Cadillac of coal stoves.

Here is a link that might be useful: efm Sales company

dano12 ,, are you filling to the top on the fire brick. I am using nut coal and sometimes stove size. My Harman III will burn for 24 hours on a low setting,, side temps are 400*. I fill to the top of the fire brick and mound it in the center a few inches. Make sure your ashes are shaken down and the pan is empty. How is the draft ,, if it is too low then fire will die out ,, too high and the coal will burn out sooner.

My father-in-law gave us his "Home Heater" wood and coal stove some years ago and it has been great. We had to buy a shaker grate for it and the guys who make them were very helpful. The stove must be at least 15 years old and heats the whole house with no problem. It is made of steel. If anyone is interested it is a "Home Heater" from Bennington Vermont and is made by L & G Fabricators Bennington VT U. S. of A. !!!! 802-447-0965. Proud to buy and support American products!

Well, i have learned about all there is to learn about stoves, so, please desist from sending me any more messages about them! thanks again!
rustyj

Are wood stoves repairable? I looked at a 22 year old Jotul stove today, in perfect condition except for an 8" long crack in a side. The crack appears as a hairline crack in the firebox. The stove has been in storage for 15 years. Can a blacksmith repair it, or am I nuts for even considering buying it?