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The roots and benefits of pellet stoves

Have you been looking for a way to heat your home in a way that is efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly? Then a pellet stove might be for you. While pellet stoves have been growing in popularity in recent years, many people don’t know how they work or their benefits. When pellet stoves are understood, it’s clear that pellet stove technology makes an ideal home-heating appliance.

The history of pellet stoves

The development of the pellet stove fits an environmentally friendly narrative. They came about as a way to waste less while heating homes in a cleaner way. Pellet stoves find their origins in the 1930s: As a way to make use of wood scraps from factories, Pres-to-Logs were created and marketed. Fast forward to the 1970s, and the logs were miniaturized into pellets that could feed a woodstove. Developers believed that pellets could create a cleaner home fire than traditional wood-burning fireplaces. At the same time, people were searching for alternatives to carbon-based fuel. The first commercial pellet stove hit the market in the 1980s, and pellet stoves have been growing in popularity every since.

Pellet stove technology

To the untrained eye, a pellet stove seems to operate like a traditional wood-burning fireplace, with a mass of burning wood at the center. In fact, pellet stoves are much more high tech. The pellets are placed into a storage hopper, and an automatic hopper feeds the pellets to the fire. Some pellet stoves even allow users to regulate the flow of pellets to achieve a desired ambient temperature. As the pellets burn, air is pulled in from the room to maximize combustion. Heated air from the pellet stove is pumped back into the home.

Pellet stove benefits

Pellet stoves have ample benefits as a home-heating source. Here are a few of the advantages of heating your home with a pellet stove:

  • Pellet stoves are efficient. Among solid-burning heating appliances, pellet stoves are the most efficient option. EPA-certified pellet stoves have efficiency ratings between 70 and 83 percent.
  • Pellet stoves are cleaner. Because of their high efficiency, pellet stoves don’t generate creosote like other wood-burning appliances, and they don’t release high amounts of fine particles into the air. The only cleanup is occasionally emptying of ashes.
  • Pellet stoves are convenient. With pellet stoves, you get the warm glow of a wood fire without the work. Unlike wood stoves, pellet stoves don’t require regular tending. Depending on the size of the stove’s hopper, pellet stoves can burn for a day to a week without being refilled.

Pellet stoves are versatile. Pellet stoves come in all varieties. Inserts can be fitted into a hearth to mimic the look of a traditional fireplace. Decorative pellet stoves can add a beautiful look to your home, while more basic models can provide heat from a basement or utility room. Most pellet stoves can be direct-vented, so they don’t require a chimney and can be located nearly anywhere within the home.

Heating your home with a pellet stove

If you’re ready to learn more about heating your home with an environmentally friendly, efficient and convenient pellet stove, call Your Chimney Sweep today! We can answer your questions and help you find the right pellet stove for your home.

By Joe Sauter on September 24th, 2017 | Tagged with: Tags: , , , | Leave a Comment

Prevent Chimney Fires With A Chimney Sweeping

As the saying goes, clean chimneys don’t catch fire. That’s why it’s so important that you have your chimney swept and inspected by a CSIA-certified chimney sweep! Here’s what you need to know about preventing chimney fires with a chimney sweeping.

Why a dirty chimney is a dangerous chimney!

Every time you burn a fire in your fireplace, the smoke traveling up the chimney cools. It then forms condensation on the walls of your flue. That condensation hardens into creosote, which is incredibly flammable. If your chimney has a buildup of creosote, that creosote will ignite. If you’re lucky, your chimney will do its job and contain the fire. However, that fire could spread from the chimney to your home structure, damaging or destroying your home and endangering your family!

How a chimney sweeping can stop a chimney fire.

For the average homeowner, the creosote within your chimney will not build up to dangerous levels during the usual fire-burning season. Why should you have your chimney swept once a year? The high-powered rotating brushes used by your chimney sweep remove the creosote buildup from within your chimney, before it becomes thick enough to pose a fire hazard. Do you use your wood-burning fireplace or heating stove as a regular heat source? If so, you may need to have your chimney swept more than once per year; your chimney sweep should be able to help you judge how often to have your chimney swept.

There’s another important component of your annual chimney sweeping that helps to keep your home safe from a fire: the chimney inspection. Many chimney fires go undetected. This means that an unknown chimney fire can cause damage to your chimney’s structure. Even just from age and wear, your chimney’s lining can break down and fail to protect your home from the heat of your fireplace. Your chimney inspection ensures that your chimney doesn’t have damage or deterioration. Damage that would allow the heat or flames from your fireplace to reach your home’s surrounding structure and cause a fire!

Keep your home safe by scheduling your chimney sweeping today!

Fall is here, and that means homeowners will be lighting their first fires of the season any day. Before you use your fireplace this season, be sure to keep your home and family safe from the dangers of a chimney fire. Have your chimney cleared of dangerous, fire-causing creosote. Also, don’t forget an inspection to make sure it is in sound condition. To schedule your sweeping and inspection, call Your Chimney Sweep today! Our certified chimney sweeps will make sure that you are ready to safely enjoy your fireplace all winter long!

 

By Joe Sauter on September 7th, 2017 | Tagged with: Tags: , , , | Leave a Comment