How do Pellet Stoves work?

Efficient & Environmentally Friendly
Wood pellet stoves have been very popular in North America and continental Europe since the 1980s.
If you are looking for many of the benefits of a traditional open fire but want a cleaner, more efficient and environmentally friendly option, then consider a wood pellet stove.

The stoves are fed pellets into a ‘hopper’ at the top of the stove and an automatic mechanism controls the dropping of the pellets from the hopper into the burn chamber as required.

As the pellets burn a fan is used to “blow” the warm air into the room. There is little cleaning involved as the ash from the used pellets is collected in the integrated ash pan. This pan only needs to be emptied every three weeks or so.

Benefits

• Cost effective - Costing just pennies per night to heat an average size room, the pellet stove is one of the most cost effective systems on the market.
• Highly efficient - Because the heat generated is ventilated from the unit, maximum heat is expelled.
• Safe - The pellet stove ventilates only the warm air into the room so the stove itself does not heat up.
• Clean - The pellets are dry, dirt free and suitable for storage indoors. Ash levels are extremely low and the small amount of ash that is removed can be used as fertiliser.
• Environmentally Friendly - The pellets are manufactured from natural wood without additives or artificial binding agents.
• Adaptable - The stoves are self contained and only need an outside wall for a flue. They can be installed in almost any dwelling with a minimum of disturbance and require a low level of maintenance.

Common Questions
Q: Can a Pellet stove be used to heat water or provide central heating?
A: No. Pellet stoves are room / space heaters only.

Q: Do I need a chimney to install a Pellet stove?
A: No. While all installations are different, a Pellet stove can be installed using a flue that is put out through an external wall.

Q: How long will a bag of pellets last?
A: Obviously this depends on how often the stove is on and what setting the stove is set to run at. Running on 'Low' a stove will typically use 0.5kg of pellets per hour, so over a six hour period 3kg of pellets will be consumed meaning an 18kg bag should last 5 to 6 days. In terms of cost, 3kg of pellets over a six hour period will cost you just under one pound.

Q: Do I need a power supply to run the stove?
A: Yes. Certain components of the stove, e.g. the fans, require electricity.
Q: If I buy a Windsor, Evolution or Bern, will Farm Fuels install it for me?
A: Yes.

Click Here to download a more detailed brochure on this environmentally freindly technology (PDF)