Life rarely offers an assortment of exceptional choices, though buying a stove for heating your home is one of those rarities. Colorado is a winter wonderland, where heating up by a fire when you go back inside is pure pleasure. Whether you choose a modern wood, pellet, or gas stove, you will have an efficient heat source that can help you lower heating costs and increase your love of winter. Relax and check out the following pros and cons because you can’t go wrong, no matter which you select.
Pros and Cons of a Wood Stove
If you get a wood stove, here are the pros:
♦ Firewood burning in a stove creates an unbeatable ambiance, between the beauty and warmth of the flames, the scent of the wood, and the crackling of the fire.
♦ The least expensive type of heating fuel is wood. If you happen to have some property with trees on it, your fuel could be free.
♦ If the electricity goes out, you have a reliable source of warmth and possibly a good cooking appliance, as well, depending on the model of stove you have.
Cons of a wood-burning stove:
♦ Firewood creates the most creosote, which is highly flammable and can cause a dangerous chimney fire.
♦ All the work that goes into chopping, hauling, splitting, and drying out wood isn’t usually considered a plus.
♦ Before you can begin warming up, you have to build a fire and get it started.
Pros and Cons of a Pellet Stove
Pros of a pellet stove follow:
♦ Pellet stoves are the most efficient of the three types of stoves, with efficiency ratings as high as 90+%. They are practically smokeless, but a chimney is still required.
♦ Pellet stoves are fueled by highly compressed pellets made with wood waste, such as sawdust and wood scraps. The pellets burn so completely that very little ash is produced by a stove’s fires.
♦ The cost to purchase a pellet stove can be paid for within two years, if using the stove practically eliminates the need to use a central heating system. Whether or not this is possible depends on the size of the pellet stove and the layout of a home.
♦ Pellet stoves provide virtually hands-free heating for up to 24 hours or more, depending on the size of the hopper that feeds the pellets into the burn pot.
The cons:
♦ Pellet stoves are the most expensive to purchase, and the fuel costs are also more expensive than for wood or gas stoves.
♦ A small amount of electricity is required to operate a pellet stove. It’s possible to have a backup power supply ready for the stove, in the event of a blackout.
♦ The fan that is used in the operation of a pellet stove makes a certain amount of noise that bothers some people.
♦ The flames in a pellet stove are very intense, almost like a blowtorch. The fires don’t create the same type of pleasant ambiance as a wood or gas fire.
Pros and Cons of a Gas Stove
Pros of a gas stove:
♦ Gas is the most convenient type of fuel for a stove. Instead of building a fire or setting up the fuel for a fire, you simply turn the appliance on for instant heat.
♦ Gas fireplaces operate even if the electricity goes out.
♦ For those who want to protect the environment, gas is a great choice. It emits the least amount of particulate matter.
♦ Although you are settling for faux logs, the log sets available today are incredibly realistic and pleasant to watch when the fire is roaring.
Cons of a gas stove:
♦ The flames aren’t as appealing as they are in a wood stove; and there aren’t the smells or sounds of a wood fire, either.
♦ Gas is a fossil fuel, whereas the other stove types use carbon-neutral, sustainable wood.
♦ Installation may be expensive, if there isn’t currently a gas line in your home.
Which Stove Fuel is Best for You?
The best stove is the one that fits best with your lifestyle. Once you know the type of fuel you want, you will find that you have many options in styles. Let the experts at FyrePro help you find the perfect wood, pellet, or gas stove for your home. We are family-owned, and we’ve been the Ft. Collins Favorite Since 2002. Our experience helping customers find the perfect appliance goes back more than 30 years. Contact us today at (970)266-8556 or visit our showroom at 4631 S. Mason Street, Suite B5, in Fort Collins CO.