# Wood Burning Or Pellet Stove?



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I am finishing my basement and was wondering what the best stove would be to put down there. What are the pros and cons to each?


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

Wood burning are brutal for my asthma. Typically can't control heat on them either. Rounding up wood every year can also be a pain in the rear and they are messy as far as stove go.

Pellet stoves are more efficient. You can connect them to a thermostat. They are less messy. Pellets cost more than gathering wood in bulk. Pellet stoves are typically more expensive to purchase.

We just installed a new radiant gas heater that we think is great. They are not cheap by any means but long term it will pay for itself more quickly than the other two.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

We have a pellet stove at the cabin and really like it for the reasons listed above. I like how it still smells like a real fire and can be shut right off when we are leaving, puts off a decent amount of heat and comes apart really easily to clean up.
There is no comparison as to the pellets being better, cost is really the only downside. Beyond the thermostat, I like that I don't have to get up in the middle of the night to stoke it up, the pellets feed steadily all day long and fill up the hopper the next day or so.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Pellet stove in our cabin as well.


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

Pellet stove. I've had both. If I never use a chainsaw again I'm okay with that.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

This is what id go with if i were going to do one. Most efficient, little smoke, and will heat your house all day with one log.

http://www.russianstove.com/how.htm

There are more photos on the net if you do a search.


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## Ifish (Aug 22, 2008)

We installed a ventless gas fireplace. It is 99.9999% efficient and is on a thermostat. I love the heat that it puts off. We don't have any heat vents open in the basement except in the kids rooms. Plus, I like the rock!


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

I am in the same boat- finishing a basement and want to put in a stove.
#1 PRIORITY is an alternative heat source in case of bad ju ju- that rules out a lot of alternatives- no gas- no electricity.

aren't there stoves that can burn anything ? I'm not real fond of cutting wood and stacking but is that my best bet for emergengy if there is an earthquake that shuts everything down ?


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## The Naturalist (Oct 13, 2007)

I've attached a list of EPA certified stoves with low emissions. My daughter and son-in-law just put in one of the quadra-fire models and absolutely love it. You can burn any type of wood so you don't have to worry about playing with pellets. 

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources ... edwood.pdf


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

Packfish said:


> I am in the same boat- finishing a basement and want to put in a stove.
> #1 PRIORITY is an alternative heat source in case of bad ju ju- that rules out a lot of alternatives- no gas- no electricity.
> 
> aren't there stoves that can burn anything ? I'm not real fond of cutting wood and stacking but is that my best bet for emergengy if there is an earthquake that shuts everything down ?


I had a pellet stove that had 12 volt motors. It ran on 110 volts from the wall with an internal step down but you could run it on a car battery when the power was out (it used to be out _a lot_ in Rush Valley years ago). I had to look hard to find it back then and the place I bought it is gone. I can't remember the name brand even, sorry.


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