Pellet Stove Pipe Installation and The Advantages of Pellet Stoves

When installing a pellet stove pipe, a suitable location must be chosen for the location of the stove and the pipe. To encourage the use of pellet stoves, many local authorities now offer financial assistance to install a pellet stove and the pipe. There are two main types of pipe used on a wood pellet stove.

The first, and most common pipe is the traditional single skin. However today more pipe are double skin with an insulating layer to keep the pipe cold on the inside and to keep the exhaust gases hot. It is important to keep the pipe cooler on the inside for safety and to reduce fire risk. It is also important to keep the exhaust gases as hot as possible to stop creosote forming on the inside of the pipe. A build up of creosote can reduce draft, lowering efficiency and possibly causing blow back through the wood pellet stove and into the living room.

Direct Vent Pipes And The Advantages To Pellet Combustion Efficiency

Over recent years, another popular pellet stove venting pipe is the direct vent. However the pellet stove has to be designed to use a direct vent, a stove cannot be easily retrofitted that has not been specifically designed for it.

A direct vent pipe works on the principle of taking the air used for combustion from outside, along the outer skin of the pipe. So basically it is similar to a traditional double walled pellet pipe, however the outer section carries the combustion air. As the combustion air is brought from outside, there is no risk of the pellet stove blowing back into the room. However there is another key advantage. Combustion efficiency is related to the moisture content of the fuel and combustion temperature. A much better burn can be achieved by feeding the fire with warm air than cold air. Therefore as the combustion air comes down the outside of the pipe, it is warmed by the exhaust gases. Therefore as the pellet fire gets up to temperature, combustion becomes more efficient.

More Fuel Efficient Pellet Stoves Which Can Use A Wider Range Of Fuel

There is a impressive range of pellet stoves on the market today, at various different price points and with different features and abilities. Some of these differences impact directly on the ability of the stove to burn pellets efficiently. For example burn pot and auger designs are extremely influential on pellet combustion, and quite simply, the designs of some stoves in these areas severely limit the stoves abilities to burn pellets without complications.

Choose The Best Pellet Stove With The Pellet Stove and Boiler Guide

Choosing the best pellet stove, that is the most fuel flexible and able to operate without complications, does not necessity mean the most expensive stove. In fact some of the best stove designs are actually some of the cheaper units, however other similarly priced stoves will also have serious design complications. At PelHeat we focus on pellet production and combustion systems. This guide can help to choose the best and most affordable stoves.

The Pellet Stove and Boiler Guide © PelHeat Ltd - Pellet Stove Pipe