Heating with wood pellets

Stove Help & Advice Home

Other wood pellet pages:
Wood pellets are renewable
What are wood pellets
Wood pellet delivery and costs
Heating with wood pellets
An overview of wood pellet stoves
CO2 comparison of fuels
UK wood pellet suppliers

Wood pellet stoves

Wood pellets are suitable for automated burning in specialised wood pellet stoves because the pellets are consistent in size, energy content, and moisture levels. As they are easier to light this also means that pellet stoves and boilers can be self igniting. Because the pellets are small they can be burnt in a relatively small fire chamber at a high temperature. The oxygen supply can be well controlled meaning that pellet stoves can achieve almost complete combustion - they are very efficient. Wood pellet stoves are usually around 80-90% efficient. Because they are so efficient pellet stoves make very little ash - 2% or less of the volume of pellets burnt becomes ash.

Pellets are fairly easy to move mechanically because they act a little like a liquid. Moving pellets around is done using an auger, which is a big screw that turns, feeding the fire chamber with pellets as needed. This lets a pellet stove regulate it's own heat output. Autoignition and programmable operation are also common features on pellet stoves so you are getting an appliance that burns wood but functions much more like a gas or oil boiler.