Benefits of Pellet Stoves

We have discussed the benefits of wood stoves in the past. We thought it was time to look at the benefits of pellet stoves:

• Easy to operate. 
• Easy to fuel.
• Doesn't produce smoke.
• Higher combustion and heating efficiency than traditional wood stoves.
• Lower fuel cost.
• Wood pellets are made from recycled components making them more environmentally sound. 
• Most are easier to clean than traditional wood stoves. 

There area few disadvantages to the pellet stove, one of those being that they use electricity to run, so they are not the best investment for a heating back up for power outages. However, some pellet stoves do come with a battery back up. But if the power is out for an extended period of time, there is the risk of the battery running down.

What do you consider an advantage to the pellet stove?

Basic Pellet Stove Tips

For those of you that are new to pellet stoves here are a few tips to help get you started:

Our first tip is a simple tip, but it is important. Be sure to read the owners/instruction manual that came with your pellet stove. As with any type of appliance instructions can vary between brands and models. If you have misplaced or cannot find your owner's manual then you will want to try contacting the company that manufactures the stove you own to see if they can mail you a copy or email a .pdf version of it.

The correct type of pellets can make a big difference in how efficient your pellet stove is. Pellet stoves do NOT use firewood like you would use in a wood stove. Instead, a pellet stove uses compressed pellets. These pellets are designed specifically to use in your pellet stove. Most of the pellets are wood compressed pellets, but there are other options for pellets such as waste paper pellets and grass pellets.

Before you use your pellet stove for the first time you will need to check that your stove pipes and venting meet your local building requirements. You want to do this to be sure that your set-up is safe to use. When you install your stove refer to your manufacturer's instructions. Make sure all your stove pipe seams are sealed properly. High temperature caulk or stove cement can be used to seal these seams. Be sure to use a type of stove cement that is recommended for stove pipe.


To start up your stove you will need to read your instructions as each pellet stove manufacturer configures their pellet stoves differently for the start up process. If you fail to follow your manufacturer's start-up instructions problems can be created with the pellet stove's operation. To shut off your stove you will need to use the controls to set the shut off for your unit. Do not unplug the stove to shut it down, the stove needs to cool down before it completely shuts itself off.

Tips for Keeping Indoor Wood Stacks Clean

When toting wood into your home to keep on hand for those days when the weather is below freezing and you don't want to be outdoors anymore than you have to can cause quite a mess. Even the wood stack itself seems to be dirty some days. Sometimes it seems like wood chips can be found in nearly every nook and corner of your home. So how can we keep those wood stacks contained and as neat as possible?

One tip to help keep wood chips and dirt off of the floor and from being tracked around your home is to have a large boot tray setting underneath your firewood rack. This tray will catch everything that falls off of the wood, keeping it contained until you are ready to clean it up. Some people keep these wood chips to use as a fire starter helper.

Also be sure to check any wood for signs of bug infestation. These should either be put directly into the fire or not stored in your home. If you leave these pieces of wood in your firewood rack then you are inviting the bugs to warm up and spend the winter in your home.

What are your tips for keeping your indoor wood stack neat and tidy?

Wood Stove Outlet Most Popular Posts 2012

While we welcome in a New Year in our offices we also celebrate the 2nd year anniversary of our blog. Our first post was on January 3rd of 2011. So in celebration of the New Year we would like to share with you our top 5 most read posts of 2012.

1. How to Check Your Chimney
2. Wood Stove Glass Cleaning Tip
3. Wood Stove Chimney Connection
4. Fireplace Cleaning
5. Chimney & Fireplace Tips

It looks like our readers favored Chimney and Cleaning articles this past year. We would love to hear from you on what you would want to read on our blog in 2013. Just leave us a suggested topic in the comments below and we will see what we can come up with for our readers.

Hope you have a great 2013.

Why you need a Wood Stove Thermometer

If you own and use a wood or coal stove, then you should have a wood stove thermometer. The stove thermometer will tell you if your wood stove is operating efficiently at just a glance.

The Rutland stove thermometer is designed so that you can easily see if your stove is burning at a temperature that can cause creosote build up.

Installation instructions for the Rutland Stove thermometer are as follows:
Install thermometer on the vertical single wall pipe of your coal or wood stove.
The recommended placement of the thermometer is not more than 6" above the surface of the stove. However, the thermometer may also be placed on the top surface of the stove.
A safety wire is provided to prevent the unit from dropping if it becomes overheated.
The most efficient burn zone may vary, depending on specific stove or area of stove or pipe surface being measured.
Be sure to consult your stove owner manual for proper burn temperatures as each stove can be different.

DIY Pine cone Firestarters

Pine cones make great firestarters, if you aren't up to making your own you can purchase firestarters at http://www.woodstove-outlet.com/fireplace/startmatch.htm.

Items you'll need:
Pine Cones
Fine Candle Wick
Paraffin, Candlewax, or beeswax
Newspaper or wax paper
Cheap pot that you won't use for food after this project, deep straight sided pot is the best.


The first thing you need to do is gather your pine cones. If the pine cones are too dry then they will be brittle and tend to break as you handle them. Pine cones that are too wet need to be allowed to dry for seven to ten days in a weather protected area.

Next wrap the wick around the pinecone tightly being sure to leave a "tail" at the tip of the pinecone so that you can use this as a handle for when you are dipping the cone.

Melt down your paraffin or wax in the pot. While it is melting set up your dipping and drying area. Line your drying area with newspaper or wax paper. This is the area that the pine cones are going to rest on while they are drying. If you want them to come up easier, we recommend going with the wax paper, the pine cones will stick to the newspaper some.

Be sure to keep your eye on your wax during the set up so that it doesn't burn. Your wax needs to be liquid, but not so fluid enough that it just drips right off of your pine cone. If it is that fluid you will want to let it cool a bit before you start dipping your pine cones in it.

After you've dipped your pine cone let it drip over the pot for a bit before putting it in the drying area, this just helps to keep from making a huge mess by having wax drip everywhere. You may need to dip some of your pine cones again after they've dried for a bit. The wax needs to lightly cover the pine cone all over:

While waiting for being used as firestarters these pinecones make a lovely decoration when displayed in a small basket.

There are other methods to creating pine cone fire starters. Some use cupcake tins for an interesting take on this project. A quick search will give you tons of various tutorials.

Some Chimney and Fireplace Keyterms

Sometimes knowing the lingo to your chimney and fireplace can help when you are shopping for items, cleaning, or explaining things regarding your chimney and/or fireplace.

Air-to-Fuel Ratio: The ratio of air to fuel in an appliance that burns solid fuel. If you are burning 1 pound of wood you typically need 35 pounds of air.

Andirons: Two pieces of metal that are usually decorative in nature that support your firewood in the firebox.

Ash Pit: Typically located in the chimney base, it is a storage compartment for ashes. There is usually an Ash Pit Door that allows access to clean it out, the ash pit door is also called the Clean Out Door. Most wood stoves also feature an Ash Drawer, it serves the same purpose as the Ash Pit.

Back Puffing: this occurs when there is a negative pressure draft created in a venting system.


Blower: a fan that forces air that is under pressure.

BTU: British Thermal Unit. One BTU is the amount of heat energy that is  needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It is approximately the amount of heat produced by one lighted kitchen match.

Burn Rate: number of pounds of fuel that is consumed in one hour of combustion.

Chimney: One or more vertical passageways for conveying flue gases outside of the home.

Chimney Cap Or Flue Cap: a factory-fabricated appliance that is installed on the top of the chimney in order to protect it from water intrusion, birds, leaves, and other debris.

Clearance:  the minimum distance that is required between a wood stove or fireplace and any combustible materials. This is defined in your local fire and building codes.

Combustion: rapid oxidation of fuel that gives off heat and light. Also known as burning.

Creosote: deposits in the chimney and/or flue that originate as condensed wood smoke having three stages. 1st stage is soot, 2nd stage is lumpy and crisp, 3rd stage looks like roofing tar and is smooth as glass.

Damper: A moveable blade located in the throat of the fireplace. Designed to disrupt the air flow into the chimney.

Double Wall: chimney constructed of an inner liner and outer shell, reducing conduction of heat to the outside. This allows the chimney to be installed without the danger of combustion to support materials.

Draft: pressure difference caused by rising gas, which draws combustion air into the appliance and expels the exhaust gas outside through the chimney.

Efficiency: expressed as the percentage of heat that goes toward actually warming the room as opposed to being vented outdoors.

Firebox: The area that contains the grate or andirons upon which the fuel is arranged for burning.

Firebrick - heat refractory brick used in the construction of a firebox.

Fireplace - includes the hearth, firebox, fascia, and chimney.

Flashing - sheet metal used to make a water-tight seal between the chimney and the roof.

 Flue: passage in the chimney that moves the products of combustion up and out of the chimney.

Flue Collar: main point of connection between the chimney and the vent.


Flue Liners: materials that add protection to the inside of the chimney, protecting it from intense heat.

Grate: a raised grid-like metal (most used metal being cast iron) structure where fuel is placed in the firebox.

Hearth: area that surrounds the stove or fireplace, mostly created from non-combustible brick or tile.

Seasoned Wood: wood that has been allowed to dry from 6 to 12 months. This type of wood burns more easily and emits fewer particulates than freshly cut wood, which results in less creosote build up.

Vent: continuous passage from the flue collar to the draft hood. Flue gas temperatures at the outlet do not exceed 600 degrees.