That cat is already out of the bag. I've already purchased and installed the pellet stove. We do have natural gas in our area, but not like you are thinking. There are wells everywhere, but our communities don't have the infrastructure to supply the households surrounding the wells. In other words, I can't call the gas company and have a meter placed because residential lines are not even considered. Most of the gas that comes out of the ground here gets piped up north, primarily to Pittsburgh and the surrounding area. The biggest gas company around here is EQT. They have no desire to run residential lines to communities and supply natural gas to residents door to door. They're more interested in the bulk transport of the gas out of here.

 

Over the mantle of Henry Ford's Fairlane mansion in Dearborn, MI, it says "cut your own firewood and it will warm you twice".

 

Did your stove have a very well insulated wall pass thru - Don't want any wall fires

 

LOL. If that was the case, I should have burned up with spontaneous combustion by the time I reached 20 years of age. Ole Henry also said, "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." I guess I just finally figured out a way to not spend my winter cutting and carrying wood, but rather working on my truck. It looks like 3 bags of those pellets will probably last me way over a week if not 2 weeks (I don't plan on heating the shop when I'm not there.)

Thanks for the heads up. The three inch exhaust pipe goes through a 6 inch sleeve that keeps it from anything combustible. Speaking of which, it is absolutely amazing how cool the top of the stove and the hopper with all the pellets stays as compared to the rest of it.

 

I thought I would revive this old thread and give you guys an update. I am very satisfied with my stove. I used about 2 or 3 bags every 2 or 3 weeks when I was spending a couple hours per night in my shop last winter. One lesson learned if you buy one of these stoves--It requires a dedicated 12/2 electrical circuit to consistently ignite. I had a 14/2 extension cord last winter, and it couldn't pull enough amperage to get the ignitor hot enough. I am well satisfied. Cleanup is about 3 times per winter with a shop vac (when running it part time like I am). MUCH cheaper than gas and a HECK of a lot easier than cutting, hauling, and splitting wood. I hooked it back up yesterday and started it. Works like a charm. Winter is coming guys--don't forget this option.

 

Doc, if you use the smaller gage wire you should be able to get additional heat from that also. Anytime I use an extension cord it has to be 14 ga minimum. For any kind of major piece of equipment I use 12ga. I just like to go as big as reasonably possible. It's something my dad always hammered into my head. Your shop outlets should be wired with 12ga, so it make sense to continue that with the extension cords.

Good thing you didn't have to fire up that unit week before last. What a difference a couple of weeks makes. It's in the mid 60, down to the 50s up here during the day and we've already gotten frost. When we left here the week before last to come down by you we were sweating in the truck and had all of the windows open and the cowl vent popped up.

We resist turning the heat on until we really have to. I'll be working on leaking water pipes in the barn later today, I'm sure I'll be wet and cold by the end of the day, there is no heat in there.



In my shop I'll probably have to turn on the heat this week just because I can't have my two employees getting chilled. If it was only me I'd hold a little longer.

 

I finally won the battle and installed a pellet insert in my house about 3 years ago (my wife was against it). Since then I've never turned on my central gas furnace. I use at most, a ton and a half of pellets through the winter. Thats less than $300 to heat my house all winter.
Back when I used my furnace my gas bill would be about $150 to $200 per month. And that was keeping the thermostat below 65. Now I can keep my house warm and comfy.

Clean up is easy. I vacuum out the stove about once a week or so. Once a year I run a brush down the chimney and take my air hose and blow out the back of the stove.

Bobby

 

I've heard good and bad about these types.... mostly the bad is from folks complaining they didn't get the top of the line model. The good is from the folks who got the top of the line model. I love wood heat, and had a woodstove in both my old trailer house and garage. When I built the new house, the insurance guy said I had to take the stove out of the garage. Not happy about that, but my wife sided with him, so out it came. Since then I've tried electric heaters, and last year I installed a 7500watt ceiling hung unit w/thermostat control. It worked pretty good, but with drafty barn doors, it ran steady, and the electric bill was way high. So I just turn it on, on weekends now. I'm sure the pellet stove is still considered a "solid fuel" and my insurance guy would argue with me using one, like he did with the woodstove. In hindsight, I could've bought a pellet stove for the money spent on the electric heater and higher utility bills. Live and learn.

This Winter, I have an outfitter's tent woodstove to try out with some pipe elbowed out the window.... easy to take out of there on a moment's notice, lol.

 

Bob, don't be mislead. The weather is about the same as it was when you were here. But the nights are getting much cooler. I dread winter so badly. And yes, I wired my shop with 12/2 romex. Those pellets are so easy to use.

 

Well, except for having to hack those trees down to those little, itty, bitty, logs to feed the stove with....LOL

 

Take my word for it, Kentucky wood doesn't like to burn!

I'd like to get a wood burning boiler, and a storage tank, so I can burn wood (logs) once or twice a week, circulate it to the garage and house as needed. A guy I knew who was "thrifty" beyond anything you'd believe, got a used municipal swimming pool filter, 16 ft diameter, 8 ft tall, hauled it home in a 1/2 ton pickup and used it as a reservoir. Only had to burn wood once a week to heat his house and a big shop.

 

Wow, interesting!

My uncle, who had the F6, uses an outdoor wood boiler. On his land, 200 acres, he's able to ride his Rhino around, pick up scraps, and park it next to his boiler. He just chucks it from the Rhino bed into the firebox. Heats both his shop and farmhouse. Someday, I will do the same..... someday.

 

I live in an old farm house, my wife's great, great grandparents built it in the mid 1850s. It had 18" log walls and that offers some decent insulation. It also had water radiant heat so switching to a outdoor wood fired boiler wouldn't be that hard but the cost is up there. Probably would pay for itself in a couple of years but just don't have the $$ for it right now. That's the way I'd like to go.

 

You need heat ??? Never heard of such a thing......

 

If I did not know better, I would say you were hinting at the fire making skills during Truckstock. Haha

Good thread starter, I just found it getting ready to heat my new garage. I have natural gas, and it is an attached garage so the selection will almost certainly be a natural gas heater. I have seen them reasonably on craigslist, I do not have far to run the lines, but most importantly for me - answering yes for a fireplace or wood-burning appliance jacks up the home insurance. (I am not willing to risk saying no and having a claim not honored.)