Pellet stoves are used to heat up all different kinds of residences. From small and large homes to apartments and condos, pellet stoves are an effective appliance that many opt for. If you’re looking for a new pellet stove, or you want to make the switch over, then our best pellet stove reviews can help you.
Top 5 Best Pellet Stoves in 2018 – Short Reviews
Now that we’ve gone over everything you need to know about these appliances, it’s time to go over some pellet stove reviews.
As mentioned earlier, pellet stoves can get pretty expensive. But you would be surprised to know that you can find cheap pellet stoves if you look in the right places.
In the following reviews, we are going to go over high-quality pellet stoves for sale, as well as pellet stove insert reviews. Keep reading on to learn about some inexpensive and top-rated pellet stoves.
Product Name | Range | Burning time | Quality | Price | Our Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP22 | 2,000 sq. ft | 12-24 hrs | A+ | $$$$ | |
Nextstep Freestanding Wood Pellet Stove |
1290 sq. ft | 12-35 hrs | A | $$$ | |
Nextstep Freestanding Electric Fireplace Pellet Stove Heater |
645 sq. ft | 7-13 hrs | A | $$$ | |
Pleasant Hearth Cabinet Style Pellet Stove |
2200 sq. ft | 24-70 hrs | A+ | $$$$ | |
Castle 12327 Wood Pellet Stove | 1500 sq. ft | 12-24 hrs | A+ | $$$ |
Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP22
The Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP22 has the ability to efficiently heat up 2,000+ square feet and 55 pound hopper capacity.
This stove has a heating capacity of 50,000 BTU, making it a great choice for large home spaces.
Aside from the ability to heat a whole house, the Comfortbilt brand has given us a stylish design in charcoal gray as well.
Pros of the product
- A large bay design turns your pellet stove into both a functional and visually appealing part of your home
- Auto ignition so manual ignition is not required
- You get a program-able thermostat for easy controls
- A 1 year structural and technical assistance warranty after your purchase
- It has EPA certification.
- If you prefer the stove to use every last pellet before refilling, the Comfortbilt may annoy you. There have been reported flame outages with pellets still in the hopper
- It could take a little time to get used to the technological interface, especially if you’re not used to modern technology.
For $2000, you can get a best rated pellet stove that works for your whole family. This is the stove on our list that gives the most power, so if you need heat for an entire home, this is a beneficial investment for you.
Nextstep Freestanding Wood Pellet Stove
One of the next wood pellet stoves we are going to review is the Nextstep Freestanding Wood Pellet Stove.
This stove happens to be on sale. It is most suitable to use for up to 1290 sq ft with a 40,944 BTU heating capacity.
It hopper capacity is 61.7 pounds. Which mean it can offer you 12 hours of minimum burning time and 35 hours in max setting.
If you want to find a pellet stove on a budget and find yourself in disbelief that you can find an efficient pellet stove for under 1000, then this Nextstep proves you wrong.
Pros of the product
- Get up to 40944 BTUs for efficient heating of 900-1,500 square feet
- Multi-directional airflow that allows warm air out of the front & sides of the stove, making it more efficient for heating larger areas
- Mirrored glass turns the glass into a mirror when the stove is not in use and disappears once the flame is going again
- This stove is operated by an LCD screen button control panel
- The only con about this stove is that it’s not suitable for larger homes.
For the money you spend on this freestanding wood pellet stove, you get efficient heating for your small home. The Nextstep brand is a very popular wood pellet stove provider, and for a good reason.
Nextstep Freestanding Electric Fireplace Pellet Stove Heater
We will be reviewing another Nextstep Freestanding wood pellet stove.
This pellet stove has a heating capacity of 20,472 BTUs, making it great for spaces up to 645 sq ft.
It has small hopper capacity: 17.6 hoppers, that means with minimum setting it can burn in 7 hours and 13 hours with max setting
It is also more suitable for small spaces, being smaller than the previous Nextstep stove. This stove is a great choice if you find yourself or your family on a budget.
Pros of the product
- Up to 20,472 BTU
- Multi-directional airflow for a better heat up throughout the entire home
- The same mirrored glass available with the 40,944 BTU Nextstep Freestanding stove
- Easy to use LCD screen control panel for easy control of the heater
- This pellet stove is only suitable for small apartments and condos and is not effective for 1000 square feet.
If you are in need of some heating for your small home, then this pellet stove could be the right one for you. The stove is also good to use if you need some efficient heating for a basement.
Pleasant Hearth Cabinet Style Pellet Stove
For a powerful pellet stove that is strong enough to heat up a large home, the Pleasant Hearth Cabinet Style Pellet Stove is a great choice for under 2,000 dollars.
50,000 BTUs makes this pellet stove strong enough to heat up 2,200 sq. ft in 5 different settings. That stove comes with a kit supplied by a convection blower.
It has 120-pound hopper capacity and can burning in 24-70 hours depending on your setting.
Pleasant Hearth made this stove appealing and “pleasant” with a sleek black exterior and the easy heat adjustment.
Pros of the product
- A whopping 50,000 BTUs for heating
- Automated ignition system
- Easy use dial to change the amount of heat produced at a simple turn
- The stove comes with a 5 year limited warranty
- A jumbo, 120 pound hopper
- It’s approved to be safe for mobile home use
- If you would prefer a quiet pellet stove, the output fan on this one is a bit on the louder side.
- There have been some reports of stove parts being low in quality.
While this pellet stove may not be the absolute best deal on this list at just under 1500, it’s still a competitor for the best quality pellet stove. This is because of it’s versatility and ease of use.
Castle 12327 Wood Pellet Stove
Our final pellet stove review is the Castle 12327 Wood Pellet Stove.
It’s made to use for spaces up to 1500 square feet and is usable in spaces under 1000 square feet as well.
With 40 pound hopper capacity, this pellet stove offer you 12 – 24 hours of burning time
This pellet stove is good for a small area like a master bedroom, a gathering room, a cozy cabin, or for a garage.
Pros of the product
- Automatic ignition capabilities
- Five different feeding and blowing rates
- Programmable controller to automate cycles
- Safe for mobile home use
- It has 3 certificate: EPA, Mobile Home, ETL
- While the hopper is 40 pounds, it may be a tight fit for an entire bag of pellets.
- The Castle’s fan is a bit loud which may be bothersome.
All in all, the Castle 12327 will heat small homes and spaces efficiently, while at the same time saving space.
What are the Benefits of Pellet Stoves?
They are commonly used for a reason. People gain several benefits (aside from saving money) from switching their main source of heat from oil, electricity, and gas.
Let’s dive into some of the advantages you can experience when choosing a pellet stove.
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Are There Any Disadvantages?
While there are indeed many benefits of pellet stoves, we can’t forget that like anything else, there are a few disadvantages.
Upfront costs can be a hassle for many, making it an unattractive choice in the short term. The additional hassle with pellets can be troublesome for someone who doesn’t have enough storage to keep a good supply on hand.
Overall, if you’re looking for an alternative way to heat your living space or home in order to save money, a pellet stove could be a good choice for you.
How Does a Pellet Stove Work?
Basically, a pellet stove is able to burn a consistent flame that you don’t need to tend to. To understand more about what a pellet stove is and how it works, it would be beneficial to go over it’s different parts and functions:
- Heat-exchange tubes – These tubes send the heated air into the room or space that needs to be heated.
- Hopper – Hoppers are where the pellets are stored before they are used for burning.
- Convection fan – This is what helps circulate the air through and from the heat-exchange tubes into the room it’s in.
- Burn pot – This is where the pellets end up to be burnt to create heat.
- Auger – The auger brings the pellets to the burn pot from the hopper.
- Ash pan – Ash is collected here so it doesn’t build up in the burn pot.
- Grille – The griller lets the air from the room get inside the stove via the convection fan.
- Intake vent – This is what pulls air into the burn pot so the burning gets enough oxygen.
- Exhaust vent – This vent takes away any smoke or gases caused by combustion.
- Combustion fan – Combustion fans on pellet stoves pull air from outside while exhausting gases.
As you can tell, pellet stoves work by burning pellets to create heat. The pellets are usually a product of either sawdust or wood shavings.
Pellets are super compressed to be dense and low in moisture in order to create hotter flames. While that in itself may sound pretty old school, pellet stoves are a bit more technological than one would assume.
These machines run off electricity and contain motorized pieces. Pellets make their way through the stove by starting out In the hopper. Then the auger delivers pellets into the burn pot.
The faster the auger moves, the hotter the stove. Pellets are burnt in the burn pot while ashes are caught in the ash pan.
Pellet stoves heat rooms through what is called convection which relies on a combination of both cool and hot air.
Through convection, the pellet stove’s burn pot is able to create hotter flames, making the pellets more effective and even burning. As heated air move through the heat-exchange tubes, clean air is released into your home.
As for the gases, the pellet stove creates, those are released through a narrow pipe that is located on the stove’s backside.
Depending on the type of pellet stove, it can be vented through a chimney or through a pipe directed outside.
A thermostat helps control how many pellets are being dropped into the burn pot in order to prevent overheating.
More pellets in the burn pot (aka the faster the auger moves) means the pot will burn at a higher temperature. Vacuum sensors may be used to shut the pellet stove down when dangerous conditions are detected.
Most pellet stoves need daily maintenance, meaning the ash pan needs to be cleaned of its ashes. The best thing to use for this is an ash vacuum which is specially designed to remove ash.
You can usually buy these with a pellet stove kit to help make cleaning the stove’s interior easier.
In order to operate, a pellet stove needs to be ignited. Some can be lit manually, while most models these days have an automatic ignition built in.
The igniter is very similar to the electric cigarette lighter heating coil that is found in many car models. Automatic ignition systems are able to have thermostats and remote controls implemented in them for easy use.
While a pellet stove can be used by itself, there are furnaces and boilers that are also available to enhance the stove’s decorative look. It is also possible to fit these units into your home’s existing heating system.
All it requires is some changes and work done with the system already in place.
Different Types of Pellet Stoves
As mentioned earlier, there are two main types of pellet stoves: freestanding and fireplace inserts.
- Freestanding pellet stoves resemble the typical conventional wood heater and are usually good for heating one room.
- Fireplace inserts are placed in a fireplace, and utilize the chimney to emit it’s gases.
There are other types of pellet stoves that burn other fuels such as corn, seeds, grain, or wood chips.
How to Determine What Size Pellet Stove You Need
Pellet stoves come in many different sizes. The main difference that really matters when it comes to these appliances is their heating capacity.
Most pellet stoves range anywhere from 8,000 to 90,000 BTU per hour. Because of this, pellet stoves can be suitable for apartments and condominiums, as well as homes.
Generally speaking, 5,000 BTUs is ideal for up to 200 square feet. With that being said, 40,000 BTUs is strong enough to heat up a 2,000 square foot home efficiently as long as it is well insulated.
If you live somewhere where it gets cold, then you should look for a higher BTU capacity. If you live in a warmer region, then you can heat your home or unit with fewer BTU.
It’s always best to get only as much as you’ll need. If you live in a small apartment or studio, then it’s completely unnecessary and wasteful to burn a high capacity pellet stove on a low setting.
When choosing a pellet stove for your home, consider where the heat is needed the most, and place your stove strategically since the heat is going to be concentrated in the room it’s placed.
How Much do they Cost?
Pellet stove prices can range anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 for the stove alone. Factor in at least an additional $300 for the vent pipe or liner so the stove can emit gases properly.
While it costs a bit of money upfront, pellet stoves have many advantages that we will cover later on.
Not only are you going to need to cough up for the stove itself, you’re most likely going to need a professional installation if you aren’t able to do it yourself.
The pipes are required to either run horizontally through an exterior facing wall or vertically through the roof. Pipes aren’t required to be straight, making it easily adjustable to your home’s needs.
Even if your stove is placed into a chimney, a pipe is required to bring emissions all the way up the chimney.
For the installation itself, the costs vary from a couple hundred bucks up to $1000.
Of course, this is all going to depend on how complex the job is.
Remember to consider all the costs aside from the stove in order to plan accordingly to your budget.
In case you want to save budget, this complete pellet stove inserts installation guide will help you: https://tinyspacesliving.com/pellet-stove-inserts-installation
Additional Costs of Owning a Pellet Stove
Similarly to a wood burning stove, a pellet stove is going to require maintenance and additional costs in order for it to keep functioning properly for your home.
Electricity is going to be one of the main costs, which means you’re going to want a battery backup for emergencies, such as when the power goes out.
A generator to use for power outage for your stove will usually cost a couple hundred dollars.
Another obvious cost is going to be the pellets your pellet stove is going to burn.
These pellets come in 40-pound bags. It may be tempting to opt for the cheaper pellets, but it could be in your best interest to invest in great quality pellets rather than the cheapest ones.
This is because the ash content from pellets is different.
One of the best brands of pellets may only leave behind less than 1% of ash content while lower quality pellets can leave on average 6%. This will require you to spend more time cleaning out the ash pan.
People on average are using anywhere from 1-3 or even 4 tons of pellets in a year. On average, 2-3 tons of quality pellets is going to cost around $200-$250 per year.
When considering pellets for your stove, it’s always better to choose high quality and to be consistent with the brand you use.
Inconsistent wood quality has negative effects on a pellet stove over time. Low quality pellets will give you problems that could have easily been avoided by using better quality pellets.
If you don’t live close to a pellet provider, then you should also consider the shipping costs of your pellets. All of these additional costs may sound intimidating, for many homes, it’s actually worth it in the long run.
Overall, the costs of running and owning a pellet stove will turn out to be less than running a gas heater throughout the year.
Conclusion
All the pellet stoves we covered are on market for under 2000 dollars. In order to determine which one is the best, you will need to consider your circumstances.
If you live in a small apartment, then the Nextstep Freestanding Electric Fireplace Pellet Stove Heater is the best choice.
If you are looking to heat up a large home for your family, then the best option is the Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP22.
Overall, the pellet stoves covered are good choices and are inexpensive, affordable options to choose from.