Pellet stoves are becoming increasingly popular for heating homes. This auxiliary heating system does not need to be connected to a central heating system. There are many factors that determine the performance of a pellet stove. So how do you choose the right pellet stove?
Check availability of spare parts
The pellet stove is a multi-part piece of equipment: motor, electronic board, spark plug, pressure switch, centrifugal and tangential fans, gear motors, smoke extractors, glass and vermiculite.
However, certain electronic components of the pellet stove can often cause breakdowns. Repairs can be problematic if these spare parts are not available on the market.
It is therefore important to check that all spare parts are available on the market before purchasing your stove. It is therefore necessary to contact a national distributor of spare parts for pellet stoves, wood stoves and combination stoves. To contact this specialist, click here and you’ll discover the parts you need for stoves, including spark plugs, gaskets, braziers, display panels…
The power of the pellet stove: a major factor
You need to consider the size of your home when checking the wattage of a pellet stove. While a minimum wattage is best suited to a small home, a maximum wattage is required for a large house.
For example, in a small two-bedroom house of 100 m², a pellet stove of around 10 kW is required for even temperatures and long heating cycles.
On the other hand, for a large 150 m² dwelling with five bedrooms, the stove needs to have an average capacity of 12 kW to serve the rooms properly. This means that pellet stoves with a capacity of 16 kW are also suitable for large areas. In any case, a stove’s output is easily modulated to meet all your temperature needs.
Test the comfort of programming
Programming optimizes the operation of a pellet stove. Stoves often have two different programming modes: stand-by and modulation. When buying a pellet stove, make sure that these functions are really operational.
Modulation mode actually prevents the appliance from operating continuously. When the stove reaches the set temperature, the automatic control system lowers the output and maintains the heat. So, for example, if you set your stove to a temperature of 20°C, it will use its maximum power range (power 5) to reach this target. It will then gradually return to its minimum output (output 1).
On the other hand, in stand-by mode, the heater switches off when the set temperature is reached. So, for example, if you program your heater to deliver 30°C heat to your home, it will automatically switch off at 32°C. Then, when the temperature level in your room drops to 28°C, your stove turns back on.
Check the noise level
The noise level of a pellet stove often depends on its heating power. It’s mainly the fan noise that’s audible when the stove is operating at high power. Stoves with a noise level of over 36 dB are a nuisance for the home and the neighborhood, as a stove emits 36 dB when operating at 30% and quickly rises to 45.5 dB when heating to 80%.
Today, only pellet stoves with forced or natural convection (sound volume between 32 and 36 dB) are considered silent. Forced-convection pellet stoves only emit the noise of the fan that spreads the heat. The frequency of this noise is relatively low, which is why the appliance is more or less silent.
Unlike the forced convection heater, the natural convection heater emits no noise at all, as it is not equipped with a fan. So there’s no blower noise when the unit is running.
Check the size of your pellet stove’s fuel tank
A pellet stove generally produces heat according to the size of its tank. If the tank is too small, the stove’s heating output is low; if it’s too large, it’s high. What’s more, a stove’s degree of autonomy also depends on the size of its tank.
For greater autonomy and storage capacity, pellet stoves with 15 to 40 kg tanks are currently on the market. These stoves often have an average autonomy of 12 hours with their tank.
In short, whether it’s the availability of spare parts, power, programming comfort, tank size or noise level, all these elements should be checked before buying a pellet stove.
