New article on pellet stoves

[Chris Morrell, CTO]

Use this thread to discuss the entry New article on pellet stoves at the InterNACHI Blog

[George A. H. Luck]

I heat my home (3000 + sq. ft.) with two pellet stoves. They are very good heaters and very much more efficient than a wood stove. However, because they are a mechanically driven combustion system, inspectors should be very careful before they report on the stove and mark it as in acceptable working condition.

While it may appear to be OK, the installer must be aware that there are several conditions that may render the stove, if not inoperative, then at least unacceptably inefficient. The fine dust produced can clog the combustion fan to the point where the stove will operate but combustion will be incomplete. The heat exchanger tubes can be covered with soot or partial combustion products that causes the stove to lack 'draft' or to reduce efficiency. Cold run sensors, overheat sensors, fuel feed computers etc. etc. etc. are all needed to operate the stove correctly. In order to test all of these systems you must operate the stove under all conditions and this may add to the amount of time you need to conduct an inspection by several hours.

Inspectors are better to identify these stoves and declaim them to a professional in the field. Other than that, have fun!