Best Pellet Stoves Reviews: New Edition

Last updated on October 21st, 2020 at 05:04 am

Energy prices keep on changing every year, and they never go down, it is becoming difficult for an average family to pay their bills and to keep themselves warm at home. You are constantly trying to save up, so you have enough money to pay your energy bills.

People want to look for alternatives to heat their homes. So we in ReviewerTouch created this article where we talk about pellet stoves so that you can know about this alternative. Get ready to read a lot of information and to see some good models.

We hope most of you will agree with us when we say that pellet stoves have become a necessity these days. In the ancient times, wood stoves were this large ugly looking stoves which had a burning pot center.

In today’s world, top-rated pellet stoves have replaced the wood ones. They are trendier and burn tiny recycled pellets made of corn, walnut or peanut shells, wood shavings or sawdust. The pellets are eco-friendly as they are made from compressed biomass waste materials.

And you are burning these waste materials to generate heat. So, you are doing nature a favor! It’s a win-win. Pellets turn waste materials into energy, which would otherwise be dumped as landfill. And in this way, we avoid using fuel as well.

You don’t even need to go out and search for them. And the fun part is they will get delivered right to your door. Since the pellets are tiny, about 1 inch long, they burn more efficiently than wood. By creating much less ash and creosote. Creosote is known to cause blackening of the mirrors and chimney fires.

But be careful, the fire is intensely hot because it is more efficiently produced. Now how do you know if you have found the pellet stove for yourself? Well, the first thing you need to look at, it the hopper.

It should have a large hopper which can hold at least 50 pounds of the pellet in one go so that you don’t have to keep refilling it. If you ignore this and decide to go for a small hopper one, then you may need to fill it more than once a day. For you to determine which is the best one, you will need to keep the following factors in mind.

What is a pellet stove?

Pellet stoves are a relatively new product and an economical alternative to traditional home heating methods. These stoves neatly burn pellets (compressed wood or biomass) to produce heat and keep your home warm. Pellet stoves would look quite similar to wood stoves.

Based on how big your house is, you can use pellet stoves as the sole heating source as well as a supplemental heating system. Pellet stoves are becoming popular these days given that they are a reliable and less harmful source for producing heat energy. These pellet stoves are more eco-friendly as well as pocket-friendly when compared to the other conventional sources.

How to install a pellet stove?

For an average freestanding pellet stove, the following will be involved in installing a pellet stove.

Safety and floor protection: Before you start installing it is good to have a fireproof pad and ensure sufficient distance from combustible surfaces. Ideally, the pad must spread 6-8 inches in front and sides of the stove. Position the stove at least 3 meters away from curtains and other furnishings.

Vent installation: You need to bore a hole for installing the exhaust pipe and depending on the product and your preferences, it can be done through the wall or through the roof/chimney. For pulling fresh air for combustion, another intake line will be needed. You’d need professional assistance in installing vents as the stoves need to be vented as per manufacturer’s instructions and also the local code requirements.

Power supply: Pellet stoves would need the power supply to run the blower fans, controls, and thermostat (if available). Also, you might have to add a battery backup, for the times that power goes off.

Best pellet stoves comparison of December 2024

How does a pellet stove work?

The working of a pellet stove can be described in these 5 major steps:

1. Feeding of pellets

The auger in a pellet stove is responsible for transferring the pellets to the combustion area from the hopper. The stove produces a greater amount of heat when the auger delivers pellets at a higher rate.

2. Combustion

A pellet stove, in general, has three parts in its combustion system namely Ignition system, Blower fan and the Burn Pot. The ignition system is through which the pellets are lit. It can be manual as well as automatic. The burn pot in the combustion chamber is ignited once the pellets are fed into the chamber.

It mixes the fuel and air to burn the fuel just as in case of a carburetor in a petrol engine. The blower fans serve the purpose of increasing the flame if it starts diminishing in the burn pot.  It also makes sure of the consistent availability of oxygen for combustion. These blower fans and auto ignition system needs electricity to operate.

3. Exchange of heat

The heat exchanger is present inside the combustion chamber to prevent the outer casting from becoming too much hot. It adds to the safety factor. Room air is collected by a fan and fed across the heat exchanger that raises to a temperature of about 120-degrees and returns the warmed air into the room.

4. Ventilation

To facilitate ventilation, there is a small pipe that works like a chimney. All the residual gases are released out through it. There is mostly another blower fan in the system to direct easy release of these gases through the vent.

5. Waste handling

Although the burning of pellets produces a very little residue, there is an ash pan to store the remains left after burning the pellets. Unlike in the case of wood stoves, the ash drawer in pellet stoves does not need daily cleaning; cleaning once a week will suffice.

Top rated pellet stoves reviews 2024

Pleasant Hearth Large Wood Burning Stove

Pleasant Hearth 2,200 Sq. Ft. Large Wood Burning Stove is a non-catalytic stove that can effectively keep your house warm. This product has a heating capacity of 77000 BTUs per hour and offers heat coverage of up to 2200 Sq. ft. making it an ideal product for an average nuclear family house.

It, moreover, comes with PBAR-2427, a variable speed blower that facilitated a powerful heat distribution while keeping the functioning pretty quiet. This pleasant Hearth stove weighs about 350 pounds.

All in all, this is yet another great pellet stove from Pleasant Hearth. And, for what the brand is known for, we can expect the same high-quality standards and durability from this wood burning stove. Plainly speaking, it is worth the money. You can use it as a best wood stove for garage.

Key features:
Here is a brief of the key features of this product:

Castle 12327 Serenity Wood Pellet Stove Reviews

The Castle Serenity pellet stove is a delight to look at. It will not only light up your room but also provide efficient heating like no other pellet stove does. It has a sleek and modern design, and that’s not all, it comes with a smart controlling mechanism. The controller allows you to heat your home on a schedule. You can customize the schedule according to your liking and need.

You will always have another option of controlling it manually if you wish. You can set the thermostat and put it on a weekly operational mode.Your home will never be cold even in freezing temperatures.

And when setting this up yourself, keep in mind that it does contain some small parts that a child may be tempted to put in their mouth.

Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP22 review

The Comfortbilt Pellet Stove comes with a unique feature. It has a digital thermostat controller. You can adjust the heating levels of your home with one touch. You will not need to worry about keeping this stove firing with a bed of coal because it has an electric ignition process. You can set the temperature and timing according to your heating requirements, and it will automatically turn on and heat your home.

You will always receive the right amount of heating with this unit because the blower is also automated.

US Stove GW1949 Wiseway Non-Electric Pellet Stove

GW1949 Wiseway from US stove is a reliable, EPA certified pellet stove that has eliminated the need for electricity in its functioning by integrating a natural gravity feed system. 

Since there is no need for electricity, the product is perfect for even the regions that are prone to frequent electricity cuts or blackouts.  Talking about area coverage, it can heat up to 2000 sq. ft. area, and comes with a heating capacity of 4000 BTUs. It is safe to say that US Stove GW1949 Wiseway Non-Electric Pellet Stove is perfect for a moderately sized home.

Key features:
Here is a brief of the key features of this product:

Pleasant Hearth Cabinet Style 50000 BTU’s Pellet Stove review

A pleasant looking pellet stove indeed! It weighs less than 200 pounds and comes with five unique heat settings. You can either run this stove to produce continuous heat or on a maximum and minimum setting. It has an iron cast door which is heavy, so kids don’t open it up easily. It comes with a five-year warranty for your peace of mind.

It has a unique system of comfort control incorporated in its design. It will certainly make your living room come to life! This is one of the cheap Pellet stoves on the market.

US Stove 5660 Bay Front Pellet Stove

5660 Bay Front Pellet Stove from US Stove is a completely automatic pellet stove that comes with automatic ignition. The digital control board facilitates easy and simple touch adjustments. The board’s LED display further eases the control, adjustment, and operation of the pellet stove.

Weighing around 270 pounds, 5660 Bay Front Pellet Stove is designed to offer the best convenience of usage to its users with its modern and thoughtful design.

Simply, this can be a perfect choice for those who are looking to buy an automatic and easy-to-use pellet stove.

Key features:
Here is a brief of the key features of this product:

US Stove 4840 Wall Mount Direct Vent Pellet Heater

This is yet another great euro-styled pellet heater from US Stove. The product comes in a compact design and is manufactured to offer efficient heating performance. Moreover, it is designed to offer cost-effective performance. At a low setting, the heater can work for about 24 hours straight in one round of fuelling. When heat settings are set to high, it would last about 6 hours.

This product has a heating capacity of 24000 BTUs per hour and offers heat coverage of up to 1000 Sq. ft.

To wrap up, the product is ideal for a small house and would offer a cost-efficient means to keep your home warm.

Key features:
Here is a brief of the key features of this product:

Summers Heat SHP10 Pellet Stove

The pellet stove can heat up about 1500 sq. ft., making it about perfect for a moderate family house. It comes with all the essential features for a great pellet stove, including air wash cleaning system for its prominent glass window, one-touch ignite, digital control board etc.

The product is, moreover, EPA certified and WA State approved which means that it burns cleanly, using less fuel and at the same time, producing more heat.

The product is not only budget-friendly but is absolutely worth the price you pay for it.

Key features:
Here is a brief of the key features of this product:

US Stove Pellet Stove with Igniter Furnace review

Although this stove looks very compact but doesn’t be fooled, you can load up to 55 pounds of pellets in it at one time. That is enough to heat your home for a whole day. You don’t have to keep adding more pellets after few hours with this design. It has a circulation blower that optimizes the temperature controls, so you only need to fill the hopper once per day to get even heating.

The blower can connect with any standard thermostat and operates at 200 CFM.

Biomass pellets may also work reasonably well, but higher smoke output makes it difficult to ventilate the exhaust of the stove fully.

Pelpro Pellet Stove – 50,000 BTU review

The Pelpro Pellet Stove is the biggest one we are reviewing. It looks neat and has a glass window so you can see the fire. Its door is made of solid cast iron and has a handle to open with ease. It has the biggest hopper out there and can provide heating for more than 72 hours at a time. You can just fill it once and sit back and relax for a whole week.

It is extremely efficient, more than all the designs mentioned so far. So your energy bill will be cut by 50-65% in the first year for sure.

Things to know before buying a pellet stove

Best Pellet stoves in 2024 can be your best alternative and can significantly reduce your energy bills.

Unlike the wood stoves, you don’t need a chimney for them, only requiring a ventilation pipe. It makes it easier for the pellet stoves to be installed where ever you like in the room.

The installation is easier for pellet stoves.The standard price range is $1500-3500 for pellet stoves.

You can use other materials such as sawdust to keep the cost low, but you must ensure that it will not clog up your stove. You obviously have to consider the availability of the raw material as well so you can come up with an estimate for your heating.

Size and dimensions

Pellet stoves are ranked per heating capacity they have which is known as heat output range, and this must be between 10,000-40,000 for a decent pellet stove.

The other factor to consider is how big your house is and what is the layout. What kind of insulation does your home has and if you are using the pellet stove as a primary means of heating your home or not.

Kind of fuel

If you are living in the state of New York than a standard size bag of pellets will cost you around $8, and this is going to get consumed in 10 hours. So it is important that you keep in mind what type of raw material is readily available because it will influence your choice of buying the good pellet stove 2024.

Ensure that you have access to a good grade of pellets locally and if you realize that the annual expense will be high then do consider a multi-fuel pellet stove.

Maintenance of pellet stoves

Pellet stoves will require regular checking and maintenance because their small parts will need cleaning. You don’t want anything to clog up your stove as this will damage it. Our pellet stove review below will give you an insight into different models. You can see their pictures and look for one that is easier to clean.

Some suppliers offer an annual professional cleaning service which is very useful and takes the stress out of finding someone to clean your pellet stove. All pellet stoves do not require professional cleaning. Some designs are relatively easy to clean. You can just use an external rod and clean the inside with it.

Like we mentioned earlier, a big size hopper will save you the hassle of filling it again and again. It should have a capacity of about 35-130 pounds ideally. But the ultimate decision lies with your heating requirements.

To maintain your pellet stove, you just should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. And it could be quite simple as just checking if the motor and fans are in working order or not and removing ashes. It is a rather simple process and is not expensive at all.

But if your pellet stove requires a professional service than finding someone can be hard, and you certainly cannot repair the motors or circuit board yourself.

Advantages of using a pellets model

There are several benefits of using a pellet over other fuels available out there. Listed below are some of the main advantages of using pellets.

Ease of cleaning:
Pellets leave behind very less residual ash. This is because pellets are made of recycled and compressed waste/wood. It, therefore, consists of a much lower amount of moisture content than wood. Thus, unlike in the case of wood, when you are using pellets, it would burn comparatively clean and wouldn’t need you to clean the stove too frequently. You’ll just have to clean it up once in a while.

Cost-effective:
When put against the wood counterparts or other traditional methods of heating, pellets are a relatively cheaper means of keeping the home warm. Though the initial purchase cost may seem like a bit more, simply consider the fact that pellets are cheaper when you compare it to other fuels available in the market. In addition, about 90 percent of the fuel content gets converted as heat- a clearly greater advantage.

Environment-friendly:
Pellets are made of compressed wood, sawdust, and other industrial waste. To begin with, they are, in a sense, recycled products. This factor itself makes pellets eco-friendly. These don’t use valuable fossil fuels or other non-renewable means.

Moreover, unlike in case of wood and other fossil fuels, pellets produces the least amount of pollutant along with leaving comparatively much less residue. Moreover, many of the pellet-burner manufacturers care to design the product according to the EPA standards and get it EPA certified. The efficiency goes up in that case.

Easy to store:
You can buy pellets in bulk and can easily store. You can easily get them shipped and delivered to your doorstep.

How to maintenance pellet stove?

Top feed or bottom

There are two varieties of pellet stoves. Either they have a chute at the top, or the pellets are fed from behind or side of the burn box. A top fed stove is more prone to have its burn box clogged with clinkers. That is why the seller emphasizes that you only buy high-grade pellets, so there are less ash and lesser chances of clogging.

The bottom or side fed models don’t have this problem because the ash is pushed into the ash drawer. Hence the need for premium fuel is reduced. Check out our top-rated pellet stove reviews to decide which one is for you.

Design of the pellet stove

When it comes to the appearance of pellet stoves, they are available in a vast selection of designs. They come with either a sleek finish, ornate, mirrored or even classic wood look.

The style offers a lot of choices too. You can go for a freestanding unit, fireplace inserts, and pellet fuelled boilers that can be used in place of or supplement your conventional heating system. You can check out the most famous designs on Amazon here!

Quality

Everybody knows that you get what you pay for and this applies truly to pellet stoves. If you want a large capacity burn box, then you will need to pay more. You will be more likely to pay more for designs which are well built, with heavy duty components.

Be cautious of sellers who are quoting you a low price because they are selling inferior products with a thin sheet metal which rusts quickly. On the other hand, a well-maintained pellet stove can last for years.

Backup power
You might already know that pellet stove will require electricity to run their motor. So, it’s always better to look for a design which offers a backup battery. In the case of power outage, you and your family will not be sitting in the cold.

If you live in some place where power outages are common, then you should buy a design which comes with a gas-powered generator. So, it can take over when the main supply fails.

Pellet stove safety
Wood stoves can put your house at risk and cause a fire. Whereas pellet stoves are safer and they burn cleaner. So you know, your home is not at risk. The flames are contained and prevent users from getting accidental burns from flying embers.t

It is recommended that you take added precaution to keep children and pets away from them as they are boiling to touch.Some additional features to consider with pellet stoves are automatic clean up, faux logs and windows to give a modern finish to the stove. Keep all of these things in mind Consider all these key points, and you’ll be able to find the high-quality pellet stove for your home.

What are the advantages of using pellet stoves?

Is burning pellets bad for the environment?

Well, the answer to this question lies somewhere between Yes and No. The new designs of pellet stoves allow more than 92% of the pellets to two into energy. They are clean-burning meaning that they leave little to no residue behind.

However, if your stove is old and if you are still using a wood stove, then chances are it does not use clean-burning technology and probably gives out a lot of black smoke from your chimney. It is poisonous to the environment.

The latest technology used in the pellet stoves is extremely environment-friendly and some countries such as Norway, have the government programs in place so they can assist people to replace their old stoves with new ones. In the United States, homeowners get a green tax credit up to 30% the price of their stove, but it should have an efficiency rating of 75% and higher.

Wood Stove VS. pellet stove

There is something emotionally satisfying about watching the fire in your stove be it wood or pellet. It is kind of mesmerizing to see, and both wood and pellet stoves are an attractive choice for your heating needs. Now we look at the comparison between two and assess which is better.

• While wood stoves are aesthetically pleasing to look at, pellet stoves are more efficient and burn cleaner. There is little to no residue, and they come with ash drawers which can be cleaned out quickly. Wood stoves will provide you with a traditional fire but they will need a chimney and will produce a lot of black smoke.
• Wood stoves will also require a constant addition of fuel (wood) into it, and if you don’t have enough especially during cold winter nights, it will be a hassle to go out and look for them. Pellet stoves with a good size hopper can burn for up to 72 hours after being filled with pellets.
• Pellet stoves require electricity whereas wood stove is not dependent on electricity at all.
• Pellet stove use compressed waste materials as fuel which is healthier for the environment otherwise these will become landfill. Wood stove, on the other hand, will need cutting down of trees. And you will require more wood to produce the same amount of heat as compared to burning pellets.
• Wood stoves are more prone to fires because of the residue burning wood leaves behind.

Keeping in mind all the above points, it becomes clear that choosing a cheap pellet stove will be a wise choice. It is eco-friendlier and at the same time more efficient. It will produce more heat and reduce your energy bills.

What else do I need to know?

Stove whether wood or pellet will require maintenance. You must keep it clean for it to give optimum performance. You can either clean the stove yourself or ask the supplier to provide you cleaning services.

The most convenient option would be a fireplace insert rather than a freestanding stove. The reason for this is you don’t need any construction. To run the pipe through it, you will need to drill a hole. On the other hand, the freestanding stove will have to be vented through your roof or horizontally through a wall.

How much will you save with pellets?

Depending on where you live, an average cord of wood will cost you $200+=. Now, this is the same amount of money you will need to spend to buy a ton of pellets. The wood will take up space, and if you decide to buy them in bulk, you will need to have enough storage space for them.

One ton of pellets, on the other hand, come in 40-pound bags which can be stored around the house easily. You should buy pellets which are available locally to you otherwise shipping cost can eliminate the saving you are hoping to have.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much money can I save on my energy bills by using a pellet stove

You can recover your full cost within two years, and 65% will reduce your energy bills during the first year and up to 75% during the second year.

Are wood stoves as good as pellet stoves?

No, wood stoves are not as efficient. They use more fuel and produce less heat.

How long will good pellet stoves last?

Top pellet stoves made of solid iron will not rust and will last a lifetime if maintained properly.[/su_spoiler]

Conclusion

In this article, we have talked all about great and cheap pellet stoves. We discussed things like what they are, how they perform, how do they compare with wood stoves, which are the top quality pellet stoves of 2024… And we also discussed a comprehensive list of things you should keep in mind when buying a new pellet stove for yourself and your family. Then we shared pellet stoves reviews, and now we will decide which one is the best out of all these.

We have a clear winner which is the Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP22- 50,000 BTU. This stove not only covers a huge area of up to 2000 feet but it also comes with a large hopper of 55 lbs. You will save yourself from filling it again and again because of the extra capacity of its hopper. The blower is automatic, and it has an electric ignition process. The blower comes in 5-speed settings which are ideal for varying degree of cold during the winter months.

The design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also comes in a bay design in two different colors, green and gray. You don’t need a chimney, and it will not produce black smoke. It is so efficient that there will be no residue and if there happens to be any, then you can just throw it out by removing the ashtray at the bottom and cleaning it.

You can be sure that your money is invested in the best pellet stove because this will save you up to 65% on your energy bill during the first year and up to 75% on the second year of usage. You can be sure that this pellet stove will recover its price within the first two years!

So what are you waiting for click here and buy it now! Let us know what you think about this pellet stoves review in the comment section.