Corn/Pellet Stove Or Wood Stove

[dman]

OK, it cost me $1100 to fill my fuel oil tank this year and I have a feeling that this will be a long, cold winter which means I'll probably need it topped off again by mid-January or so. I've seen an advance copy of Sutherland's ad for next week and they have some corn/pellet stove and wood stoves on sale for decent prices coming up.

For anyone with either of these types, what would you suggest? Right now I'm leaning toward the pellet/corn stoves, but you can get a high BTU wood stove for half the price. But, I was figuring by the time I get the necessary hearth pad and stove pipes for the wood stove I will have the equivalent into it that I would've had in the corn stove.

The corn stove however, is reliant on a blower where as the wood stove would be producing enough convective heat to keep my place warm in the event of a power outage.

Any and all suggestions are welcome

[LoganBuck]

My parents ordered a corn burning fireplace insert last winter. It didn't come in until April and by then they decided to go another direction, because of the physical labor involved. They would have had to carry 60 lbs of corn down a flight of stairs and then lift it to the hoppper daily. Corn is really good if you can put in a corn burning boiler for outside use. 5 gallon buckets of corn and dealing with the ash can be messy. Also buying corn in bulk is much cheaper than the bagged corn. That can be tricky for some. Central Boiler has a really nice setup if you want to go that far. My neighbor put in a corn stove last fall and his biggest complaint is that it requires daily maintenance, and he worries that his wife will have problems with it when he isn't around.

Here is one link.
http://www.bioadvantage.com/

[cincinnati chili]

While I admit that I'm a bit out of the loop these days, I sold wood, gas and pellet stove as my first job out of college for about 4 1/2 years in the mid to late 90's.

I think pellet/corn stoves are a bad idea because they are useless in power failures and are more prone to breakdown due to moving parts (auger, motor, etc).

Even with the increase in the price of gas, if you have natural gas to your house, I would strongly recommend it over pellet/corn. If you're on propane, then you'd need to do the math.

If you don't mind the hassle of brining in wood, there are some very efficient EPA certified wood stoves out there. Travis Industries (which makes both the Lopi and the Avalon brand) is very reliable. They do wood and gas. I'm pretty sure they got out of pellet years ago.

However, I caution you that woodstove piping is very expensive from the ceiling on up, particularly if you have to run it a long way.

It only makes sense as an investment if you're going to be in the house for a long time, or if you do a really nice setup that improves the value of your house.

[wolfboy]

My parents have a cabin in the Red River Gorge area, and they recently purchased a pellet stove. It was installed over the summer, so they haven't used it yet, so I can't offer any first hand experience. I know that storing the corn was an issue for them since they may not be at the cabin for extended periods (mice, bugs, etc...). They spent a considerable amount of time weighing their options, and wood burning, pellet, and corn were all considered. Of course, they may have had different concerns as the cabin is primarily for short term/weekend use. I'll pass along any helpful information.

[westofyou]

I have Oil, and my tank is getting ready to be filled.. (Oh Joy!!) prices are pretty good for this year. Bio is $2.69 (200 gallons to get in) and oil itself is $2.09 for 300 or more gallons, $2.19 for 200 or more and $2.29 for under 200.

I think it's gonna be a mild winter myself... we're just going with 150 gallons to start.

[dman]

I have Oil, and my tank is getting ready to be filled.. (Oh Joy!!) prices are pretty good for this year. Bio is $2.69 (200 gallons to get in) and oil itself is $2.09 for 300 or more gallons, $2.19 for 200 or more and $2.29 for under 200.

I think it's gonna be a mild winter myself... we're just going with 150 gallons to start.

You got a steal at those prices. Mine was $2.44 p/gal.