# Anyone use a wood pellet furnace?



## lmholmes11 (Nov 12, 2008)

I'm considering selling my outdoor wood boiler and switching to wood pellets. Has anyone used a wood pellets furnace? I found a Harmon furnace for sale, from what I have heard they are pretty good. I have access to cheap hardwood wood pellets from a buddy. The thought of not having to go outside in blizzards to fill the boiler twice a day is awful tempting. 

I'm heating 2200 sq ft main floor, and a 2000 sq ft finished basement (sometimes). Windows upstairs aren't the best. 

Thanks guys 

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## walleyemagic (Mar 14, 2015)

We bought a new house about 3 years ago, had a Cumberland pellet stove in the living room. I loved it so much bought Identical one for my 30x40 attached garage.For the last 2 Winters in Northern Mi I burn 7 tons of pellets a year heating a 1600 sq ft house and 1200 sq ft of garage. I have no experience with a actual pellet furnace though.


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## wmmichael20 (Nov 1, 2012)

My dad has used one for the last ten years and his place is around 3000 square feet,I believe this is a st.croix free standing unit,I believe he averages a bag a day.


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## grapestomper (Jan 9, 2012)

My neighbor switched from a wood stove to a pellet stove and hates the expense.
Says its way easier on his wife to load but he just doesn't like the added expense. 
I think he said he uses 1 1/2 bags per day.


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## DaWiz9578 (Dec 9, 2018)

I bought a home with it and everyone said it would save us a bundle, its just switching cost from gas to pellets. And I would have to go get the bags, stack them in my garage and fill the hopper everyday. Gas is just there. Im not sold on it. And its located in the living room and the blower is pretty noisy. Not a comfortable crackling fire by any means. 

Now Im switched from propane to NG and should see a good cost drop. This year we will probably abandon the pellet stove. Id rather have a good ole wood burner for the hassle of all the hauling.


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## MIoutdoorsjunkie (Oct 11, 2006)

I'm thinking of going from pellet burner to OWB. I bought a Enerzone ductable pellet burner 2 years ago and think it's just ok.. it must be cleaned once a week (pain in the ass if you do it right) and being in the basement, it only works OK to heat the upstairs of my 2000sf house even with two ducts running to the main living area. I'm not entirely happy with it. 

I'm looking at getting an OWB as the thought of a 72 degree house in the winter, heating for a possible garage or pole barn in the future, and unlimited hot water is very appealing. I dont mind dealing with wood and could provide most all I need from my property.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

DaWiz9578 said:


> I bought a home with it and everyone said it would save us a bundle, its just switching cost from gas to pellets. And I would have to go get the bags, stack them in my garage and fill the hopper everyday. Gas is just there. Im not sold on it. And its located in the living room and the blower is pretty noisy. Not a comfortable crackling fire by any means.
> 
> Now Im switched from propane to NG and should see a good cost drop. This year we will probably abandon the pellet stove. Id rather have a good ole wood burner for the hassle of all the hauling.


Wood pellets will never be cheaper than natural gas. Back 12 yrs or more ago when propane skyrocketed I switched to pellets from propane. I saved thousands per yr but at the time propane was north of 2.30 a gallon and even hit $5 a gallon twice for a short while. Back when I made the switch you could get pellets for $100-130 a ton if you bought bulk in the middle of the summer. I burned 4 tons most winters with my best being 3 tons and worst almost 5. Now I am buying propane for $1.50 per gallon. 4 tons of pellets at $230 ton isnt worth the hassle. I use about 1k gallons of propane. For the $200 difference in price for the year I dont carry and store wood pellets and deal with cleaning the stove monthly. It is nice for a super cold night to help the furnace or when there are furnace issues and you need heat as a backup. Came in handy one year for that. 

I don't think pellets will ever go down in price because back when I started using it pellet companies got sawdust free and companies wanted to get rid of it. Now sawdust is commodity and it is sold for $25-30 a ton.


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## cakebaker (Sep 13, 2011)

Keep the wood boiler. Buy half the wood and cut the other half. Pound for pound the wood boiler wins over any other heating system.


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## Scadsobees (Sep 21, 2006)

I've had a quadra fire santa fe for many years as a supplemental heater. Fully automated so it's nice, keeps that room quite a bit warmer than the rest of the house. It can get a bit noisy as some of the bearings in the motors are showing their age...
It's simpler than wood, but yes, you'll probably pay more long term. Still a bunch of work hauling bags around. Used to be I'd have to get a ton or two at a time, and I don't have a good hauler and it was a pain storing all the pellets. Now there's plenty of stores nearby, or we'll do the menards 11% when we can and get a bunch.
Depending on the model, you'll need to fill it once a day or so anyway and clean it out.
If it's convenience, can you get natural gas?


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## onlinebiker (Sep 19, 2019)

Where are you going to get pellets if there is a shortage or stoppage of supply, or if market forces drive up prices to ridiculous levels?

With your woodburner as long as you keep planting trees - that will never be an issue.


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

onlinebiker said:


> Where are you going to get pellets if there is a shortage or stoppage of supply, or if market forces drive up prices to ridiculous levels?


That is happening as i type. Burning wood pellets this winter is not going to cheap and probably never will be again.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

onlinebiker said:


> Where are you going to get pellets if there is a shortage or stoppage of supply, or if market forces drive up prices to ridiculous levels?
> 
> With your woodburner as long as you keep planting trees - that will never be an issue.


New types of pellets come out all the time. Place by me started selling biomass pellets when wood pellets went to $220 a ton. The biomass are made of straw and hay type material. I have heard of them being made from sugar beet by product etc... as long as there are burners on the market and people buy them. companies will come up with different materials to burn. When something comes out that is competitive it stabilizes the proce of sawdust for woodpellets.

My stove will burn just about anything pellet size. I have run corn and cherry pits before.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Scadsobees said:


> I've had a quadra fire santa fe for many years as a supplemental heater. Fully automated so it's nice, keeps that room quite a bit warmer than the rest of the house. It can get a bit noisy as some of the bearings in the motors are showing their age...
> It's simpler than wood, but yes, you'll probably pay more long term. Still a bunch of work hauling bags around. Used to be I'd have to get a ton or two at a time, and I don't have a good hauler and it was a pain storing all the pellets. Now there's plenty of stores nearby, or we'll do the menards 11% when we can and get a bunch.
> Depending on the model, you'll need to fill it once a day or so anyway and clean it out.
> If it's convenience, can you get natural gas?


I would buy 4 pallets a year from menards when they had 11% sale. They would deliver them to me for $60. That was about a wash when i considered 4 round trips to menards with a trailer to haul a ton of pellets home. I would easily use a tank of gas in my truck trying to get 4 loads.


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## cakebaker (Sep 13, 2011)

Just fired it up.


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## JAA (Oct 6, 2004)

If you have a cheap source for wood go for it! Heck I have a NG 90+ furnace, However I still burn wood every night when Winter sets in, Why?? Because the wife, myself, and the dog love the heat!! I was raised with a wood burner since I was a toddler. We have been burning a Pacific Energy super 27 for 10 years, Never had a Problem or issue with it, Love the huge glass window, It will hold a fire overnight no problem. However I do get my wood cheap, I made friends with a tree removal service, And he brings me a Tri Axle load of small to med logs every year, He doesn't have time to screw around bucking, and spitting, and selling, Of firewood. So this helps him keep his yarding area clear. He is not one of those Chip Everything and run operations. All his large size Grade A wood is sold to private sawmills for Natural edge slabs, All the rage these days for Tables, Mantels, Benchs, And art. Here's a Great site. For wood or pellet burners as well. Cheers!! https://www.hearth.com/talk/


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## lmholmes11 (Nov 12, 2008)

Awesome thank you all for the input. Fall seemed to come in a hurry up here in Gaylord so I just bought some wood for the boiler. I found a guy down in Grayling that was pretty reasonable compared to everyone else. Ill re visit the boiler/pellet debate in the spring!


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