you get what you pay for and there are ways to dry the wood inside while a load is burning and doing it safely. Alas that is not what many in Houlton will do that requires thought which is sorly lacking here.

oil is way easier, cheaper, cleaner burning

Has anyone made the switch from burning wood to burning pellets(as your only heat source)? Has it been cheaper or more expensive? Less hassle or more of a hassle (lugging wood vs. lugging bags?

Oil is easier, cheaper, cleaner, but wood heat is (way) more warming. I loved the smell too.

Well, clearly, the State needs to institute a grant program to help those who bought green dry/wet wood. Why, just think of the benefits to the workforce and homeowners. Let's see now. Idled tractor trailers around the state fitted with drying kilns would travel from town to town and we would just bring our wood to a centralized location for dying. Leave it for 2 days and come back and pick it up all nice and dry and insect free.

maybe the suggestion is bad, if only because some loon in Disgusta might actually think it's a good plan...

Buy it green and season it yourself. Apparently the gene pool is getting shallower.

Thru the years when burning wood I found myself at times putting "wet" wood in the basement....I put a fan blowing into the pile with a de-humidifier running and you would be surprised in one week how much water you can get out of the wood....No more wood for me!!

Not too good when it's sold by weight. Hard for the consumer to know the moisture content. I hope the warm air keeps coming for a while longer yet

Inland & sonnysydupp -- very funny!

I'm looking for an answer to SteveKee's question as well. I'm still skeptical about wood pellets. They look to be be a great system for heating, but all I read so far is from people who are promoting them. I'd like to hear from some folks that have lived with it for a couple of years. I'm also curious about the brick sized compressed firewood being sold by the pallet and supposedly fit perfectly in the firebox. A couple of variations in EBS ad flyers. Anyone tried them? I unintentionally overbought my regular firewood for last season so I have this year's wood nicely seasoned on the front porch and in the drafty garage. I have another year before having to think about these new solid fuel sources.

A note about burning green wood that I didn't see in the article, (maybe I missed it), but burning green wood is a great way to build creosote in the chimney, setting op the inexperienced wood burners for some serious chimney fires. Old timers can work around getting a clean burn from just about anything, but the current fuel crisis has brought a whole new crowd of newbies to wood heat - I hope they get some good neighborly advice and heed the warnings.

Christopher I can only comment as to what friends and family who have made the switch to pellets have said....still, people have only been using pellets around here for a short time but those that have swithced from wood to pellets swear they will never go back....the price of the pellet was lower when they started obviously now more cost just like all fuel sources....they claim the heat is just as good, burns much cleaner, no mess in the house, and easier to perpare and store the pellets than the wood....again not from my experience but what people have shared with me....hopefully others who use pellets can confirm or share they thoughts......

I switched from wood to pellets and found it to be just as much of a hassel. You still have to stockpile the bags which are 40lbs each. Also you HAVE to clean the stove thoroughly after each ton or once a month. They work good heat wise but you don't get the same heat as wood. Also the blowers are quite noisy.

My parents heat with wood, they buy it green, cut them they split it themselves, then stack it criss crossed so there will be airflow , cover it with tarps in case it should rain, then when they put it in the basement it is pretty much dry, but just to make sure they run fans and a dehumidifier which sucks the rest of the water out! Me I use oil although I miss the warmth from wood oil is so much easier you do not come home to a freezing cold house, and if it is cold when you get home just go turn the thermostat up. I just bought one of the 7 day programmable thermostats and I love it, I set it to come on at certian times and no more cold house!

Wood versus pellets. Ok we’ll take a stab at that. With wood over the years I can say that there is a vast amount of things you learn along the way. Yes, storing wood in the house tends to make insects come back to life such as spiders and carpenter ants. So my wood is kept outside. I check and sweep the chimney every month. Make sure you have full access to your cleanout and get to the hardware store and buy the extensions and brush ahead of owning a wood stove. Keep an old jacket and set of gloves along with a mirror for those days you clean the chimney. Always check and clean your inside pipes every season before the need arises to burn wood. Don’t forget to check your liner gaskets.

With a pellet stove it is slightly different. Before buying one, ask the retailer how many parts there are to remove and clean after each ton of pellets is burnt. You may have up to 5 pieces to pull and clean using a paint brush or supplied tools. The less removable parts the better. Once again your going to need an old jacket, gloves and it is advisable to also wear a mask when cleaning these components outside. Make sure that you have access once again to the clean out on the pipe they install. Yes you will accumulate creosote in those small vent pipes they install. Usually the cleanout will be in the house behind the stove, so it is good to think out a plan before installing a pellet stove do to ash collection. Pellets come in different flavors such as soft and hard wood. Think of which type you wish to use in advance. Like wood there are issues on creosote here as well. One thing to always remember. Which ever method you like best, always think of wood and pellets as a backup source of heat and not the primary. I have owned both wood stoves and pellet. Pellets had a very attractive price per ton in the beginning but as everything else they have marginally increased over recent years. Hope this helps.

Missed a part. Sorry. I have tried the bricks. They burn well, but they also burn quickly and cost a lot.

NorthSobe how often do you have to clean the stack pipe? Makes sense obviously to needing to clean the fire box and ashes but wondering about the chimney....thanks....

BeReal good info thanks, I did not read your post before commenting @ 8:26....do you know if you have a pellet stove, does one need to use the small stack pipe I see installed wtih these or can it be piped into and existing chimney? Why I ask is because I know a guy that has a "closed" fireplace with a wood stove on the hearth, and he is wondering if he purchased a pellet stove could it be piped into the fireplace stack or if he would need to cut a hole in the house and use the smaller stack provided with the pellet stove....thanks......

Natural gas. Nothing to clean, nothing to carry.

It's clear that we need a $138,000,000 bond issue to solve this problem.

PabMainer I'm not sure on that fact. I know there are rules on same fuel flus yet I couldn't say on the pellet stoves and wood stoves in combination flu shairing. The fact that a pellet stove has a sort of induction blower if you will it makes it a grey area for response. That one is best answered by the fire department or home owners insurance company. When in doubt as they say.

I was told by my insurance agent in Me that only one item per Flu...

I have a dual flu 1 for furnace and one for stove.

I had an extra flu thingy (cant remember what they call it) in the basement for another woodstove on the same flu as the wood stove upstairs. They said no to that.

I thought they were trying to change the law...Hope they do.

This is not rocket science, people:

-buy enough--for a very cold winter--but also to have leftovers, that is your Oct./Nov. wood the next year.

-buy it early, June the latest, that is your first of December wood, minimum six months to season.

-cover it from the summer rains: tarps, shed, etc.

-but remember the Three T's of wood seasoning: temperature, time and turbidity.

-the first two T's also say buy it early-- you need whatever warmth you get in June, and those extra 30 days of time helps.

-the third T--turbidity--means the air needs to flow around the wood to dry it, so don't stack too tightly, and think about how air will get into your shed, or under tarps; try cement blocks and bungee cords to hold your tarp pulled out for the summer & early fall.

-buy from "known" sources, not the just the cheapest (You get what you pay for). I get mine from my neighbor, if I have a problem, he will know it...

Happy burning!

The best way is to get a year ahead on your wood...

That way it's always seasoned..

Re: 10:48 You are becoming one wise grasshopper also...."Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated". ~Confucius

You can't vent a pellet stove into a chimney because the stack heat from a pellet stove is to low to heat the chimney for a proper draft. It doesn't matter if there isn't anything else vented into it or not. This is standard building code. I have had a pellet stove for the third year now, and I can say that they aren't any cheaper than using oil at this time. I have mine in case oil goes up again. The stoves are poorly engineered and require a lot of maintenance as one other poster noted. They are noisy. It would be advisable to have a high mechanical aptitude if you want to use a pellet stove because they need a lot of "tuning" and "fixing" to run right. All in all, pellet stoves are a good hedge against high oil oil prices and nothing more for me. Here is a web site calculator that figures the price of all heating materials at any price: http://www.woodpelletinfo.com/calculator/

I have a pellet stove to replace my wood stove ( which I still have for emergencys) First off its easier to store 4 tons of pellets vs. 4 cord of wood (for me anyways) It is way cleaner then wood stoves. Way less ash. I don't have to fight with the pellet stove to get a fire going unlike wood and trying to get that started. I will not leave my wood stove going when not at home, but I will run my pellet stove as you can put a thermostat on it to regulate it. With my wood stove I had to use my Oil throught the day when I was not at home. With my pellet stove I do not use my Oil at all. As for noise from a pellet stove, I do know people that have a pellet stove that does seem quite loud, but mine seems to have a lot less blower noise, which I barely even notice. I will not go back to a wood stove if it was ever my choice. I can spend a $1000 on pellets that will last me for the winter months or I can spend a $1000 on wood PLUS a $1000 on Oil. I think I will take the pellets. :-)

My dad cut his own wood for heating our house and cooking for more than 25 years; oak, maple, birch. The wood he cut this year was never used until next year. THAT is seasoned wood.

When I was young I REALLY disliked working wood. I miss it now. Especially the time spent with my dad.

johnnycakemtn There is no way oil is cheaper. My parents can heat their house on wood alone all winter for less then 200 bucks, where the "cheaper" oil would cost like 1000 bucks a winter. Why dont you go back to school and learn that 200<1000 and if you dont know what that means 200 is less than 1000.

sonnysydupp i have to agree with you the gene pool is getting smaller. look at johnycakemtn apparently buying 200 gallons of oil is cheaper then cutting your own wood. I have cut and chopped wood my whole life, it builds character. johnny, apparently you had everything handed to you as a kid

My home is 3000 sq. ft. I heat with a 1929 clarion cookstove. We cook all meals on this stove...it's great! I use no more that two cord of wood a year(cut from my own land) and two tanks of oil ( mainly for hot water).

The old cookstove manufacturers knew what they were doing when they designed these stoves! No creasote in the chimney, small split, easy to handle wood, no mess, heats great!

You people who bought into this wood pellet thing are still no better of than when you heated compltely with oil! You still have to purchase the pellets! What happens when obamacorn and the maine liberal legislature devastes the pellet industry? Your screwed!

Wood pellets are just another liberal gimmick like global warming, health care reform and dirigo!

frostheev agreed on everything. my parents have been heating on wood alone for years now. it saves us so much money a winter to do so as well. My aunt and uncle heat on wood alone too. so if oil is cheaper how come so many people heat with wood

On 12/3/09 at 11:14 AM, PabMainer wrote: Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Re: 10:48 You are becoming one wise grasshopper also...."Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated". ~Confucius

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Thank you master Fuji.....Great day in the woods, 65 degrees and cold Miller and a chainsaw.. Still got all my limbs..

My parents had a Glennwood cook stove... It's in the garage now. It was totally redone nickel and everything...

maineah47,,maybe johnny lives in a city..therefore has no option of cutting his own wood.so why dont you go back to charm school and learn some manners

Oliverhill does have a point.. Not all have land....You did sound a little cocky....

Thanks to everyone who made this one worthwhile discussion. I've restored a number of old cookstoves in my time and yes, they knew how to build those things. The Home Comfort was my favorite, but parts were beyond repair. I purchased a brand new Waterford Stanley Cookstove in 1988 and wow - the old craftsmanship blended with the newer airtight technology produces the most commonly used stove in Europe, where wood is scarce and they often burn sod and peat. Mine gets plain ole hardwood and heats the whole house on just a couple of cords a year. I think I'll wait before checking out pellets and bricks. Burn Safe and Stay Warm, Folks!

"When I was young I REALLY disliked working wood. I miss it now. Especially the time spent with my dad."

This is so true in my life as well. I now have my own wood pile...and son. He's going to hate me for it in the short term.....and even if he doesn't appreciate it later, the people that benifit from his work ethic will thank me!

FYI....my wood was purchased tree length in Feb....this winters stove wood was cut, split and stacked in the barn by the end of May. There were way too many people working the wood pile in October/November this year. May is one fine month to work outdoors....if a guy (or gal) can exercise the will power to stay away from those the hungry Brookies!

Tight Lines~

Christopher I remember when growing up that every house had one of these older style cook stoves.....love to see the restored cookstoves around also....I also agree with those who talk about one time really disliking the wood, but do now miss the times family had when we were all together getting the wood worked up and into the cellar, repairing the wood splitter breakdowns, sharpening saws, getting new windows in the back of the pick-up because someone threw a piece a little to far, and my favorite is the times we were late and working in November during hunting season and a deer would appear and we all would chase it into the woods with an ax....crazy huh!......not to mention that it did help to keep one in better physical condition....

I took out my oil furnace and replaced it with a large solar panel, turned my house and put in a lot of windows on the south side per Al G, sold my pick-up truck bought a smart car. I also put up a wind generator, had a well driller come in and drill a well down to 500' and put in a some kind of heater from that. I also started reusing my toilet paper, the jury is still out on that. Sold my wood stove and bought 20 cord of wood but I can't burn the stuff because I sold my wood stove. i am freezing because I thought global warming was going to make so I wouldn't need a lot alternative sources of heat. The friggin wind hasn't blown in 20 days, its been cloudy and my smart car got stupid and it won't start so I can't go to wal-mart to warm up. HELP!!!! I have been eating wood pellets now I find your suppose to burn them and I sold my stove. That friggin Uncle Henry's, I knew I shouldn't have advertised in there. I am going to get my buck saw outta the attic and cut up some fire wood rather its dry or not and bulid me a fire in my cook stove, bake up some good old biscuits and put some real good butta on'em with a cup of cook stove coffee and settle in have a feast. Now that gives my a woody!!!

Bigger: LOL! Uncle Henry's is smaller than the old Sears catalogs, but still useful in the outhouse.

i love the way bdn edits their articles on here after they write something stupid.