Common Pellet Stove Challenges And How To Get Around Them

13 January 2016
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Pellet stoves, which burn pellets made from wood scraps, provide many homeowners with eco-friendly heating. With automatic feeding apparatuses and air circulation devices, they can warm entire small homes or serve as supplemental heating in really cold environments. However, many people do not use their pellet stoves as much as they'd like to because they run into some challenges along the way. Here's a look at some of the most common pellet stove challenges and how to get around them.

When the power goes out, you don't have a heating source.

Since pellet stoves have electric ignitions and need electricity to power their air blowers, many homeowners become frustrated when the power goes out and they can't use their pellet stoves. Thankfully, there is an easy solution to this. Most pellet stoves can be fitted with a backup battery. Some come with factory-installed hookups for a battery, and others must be modified by an HVAC technician who has experience with pellet stoves. In either case, once you have your pellet stove hooked up to a backup battery, you can continue using it to heat your home in the event of a power outage.

Pellets can be tough to find.

When the cold weather starts rolling in, everyone who has a pellet stove flocks to the store to stock up on pellets. This can lead to shortages. To avoid being left without pellets when you need them the most, plan ahead more carefully. Look for pellets in the middle of the summer, when hardly anyone else will be buying them, and store them in plastic totes in your basement or attic to keep them from absorbing moisture in the meantime. Also, see if any of the HVAC companies in your area offer pellet delivery services and will deliver them to you on a monthly basis. Not only will this save you the hassle of potentially running out of pellets, but you won't even have to drive to the store.

You're not always around to turn the stove on and off.

Many pellet stoves can actually be hooked up to a thermostat, which solves this problem completely. When the temperature drops below a certain level, the electronic ignition will automatically light the stove. When the temperature rises again, the stove will stop burning pellets until the temperature drops again. If your pellet stove is not currently connected to a thermostat, have your HVAC technician make this upgrade. It will make your life so much easier.

Visit a site like http://www.alliedme.com for any other information you need about pellet stoves.