Coal & Pellet Stove Advice

[homeguy]

I had a wood stove and hated the mess and how the heat would blow us out of the room and had a few questions. (thanks in advance)

1. I'm thinking of getting a coal stove to supplement my oil fired furnace. I was wondering how messy coal is when loading a stove? Also, does anyone have a direct vent and if so how do you like it?

1. We were also thinking of a pellet stove. Coal in cheaper in my area but pellets seem less messy. I can get a 68k btu pellet stove. Would this be enough to heat a 2000 sq. ft. home.

2. Would you choose coal or pellets? Why? Thanks

[bob kater]

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Coal produces far more ash than wood. That iwll be the messy part.

Probably pellets for the convenience. These days I find it easier to pay the oil bill though. Either stove will still be very warm in the room they are in.

[EXT]

Depending on where you are, buying a stove big enough to heat an entire house will force you out of the room if that is where the stove is, unless the room is a full open concept without walls to hold the heat in that space.

Simply put, a stove confined to a room cannot heat a whole house unless there is a way to distribute the heat. You may be better to have a small stove just big enough to take away the chill from the room and let your house furnace or heater (if you have one) look after the rest of the house. Much depends on where you are, your climate, the house design, the type of stove and finally the least important, the fuel. Also different fuels require different types of chimneys or vents, what do you have?

[homeguy]

I'm not using a chimney so I'll have to setup a full flue which needs to be 2 foot above my house or a direct vent which is much easier.

[EXT]

Are you talking about a prefabricated metal chimney for the stove? While I am not up-to-date on wood/pellet stoves, I did not know that any solid fuel stoves were approved for direct vent to an outside wall due the temperature of the exhaust produced by solid fuel. I was only familiar with the metal chimneys known as Class A chimneys, which must stand a much higher temperature than other vents, and which must be vented vertically to above the roof line.

[homeguy]

I went this weekend to look at stoves. I was told by the owner that direct vent is allowed in my area. So all I need to do is cut a hole where the stoves gies and then bring up 6-8' of pipe. The stove uses electricity to feed the fire with coal (holds about 80 lbs.), to regulate the thermostat, and for the blowers. The stove pulls cold air in to the combustion chamber. I am considering a normal flue that goes

2 feet above my roof. It's costly but I could burn coal and wood. The only problem is that these stoves are not automatic.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

That is the "no free lunch" theory at work. The fast few years I've paid for the labor in the form of oil, not wood. Yes, it is a lot of work. My wife can no longer help and it is just too much at times.