| If you have a gas or wood fireplace, you may have | | | | Maybe you've disliked having to keep an unsightly |
| thought about converting it to a pellet stove. Pellet | | | | wood pile near your home in order to power your |
| stoves are clean, easy to fill and care for, and | | | | fireplace. When it's really cold outside, it can be a real |
| produce efficient heating. Maybe you've even | | | | nuisance to have to go out and bring another |
| considered removing your existing fireplace and | | | | armload in. Most likely you have no place to keep a |
| putting in a free-standing stove but have found that | | | | lot of wood inside, either, and woodpiles invite pests, |
| to be more expensive that what you want to spend. | | | | such as insects and rodents, to make their homes |
| By adding a pellet stove insert to your fireplace, you'll | | | | near your house. With your pellet stove insert, you'll |
| be able to have the pellet burner you've been | | | | have no problems like these. Instead of stoking your |
| wanting for a price you can afford. | | | | fireplace with logs, you'll use a compressed fuel that |
| Pellet stoves are better than regular wood fireplaces, | | | | comes in a bag for convenience. You'll have no |
| because they burn cleaner without smoke and soot. | | | | trouble storing a supply somewhere in your home. |
| If you have a chimney, you can use it as an exhaust | | | | As much as you'd probably love a fireplace converted |
| for your new pellet stove as long as you reline it with | | | | to a pellet burner, there are some negatives you |
| a smaller, stainless steel pipe. All you really need to | | | | need to consider. You can't buy the pellets just |
| have is a small hole in the wall in order to let the | | | | everywhere, so before you go out and buy an |
| fumes escape. You'll also like the fact that pellet | | | | insert, make sure there's a ready supply nearby. |
| stoves are easy to load. A lot depends on the size | | | | Pellet burners also require regular professional service |
| of the hopper you purchase. They can hold | | | | and cleaning, so you need to take those costs into |
| anywhere from 35 to 130 pounds of pellets which | | | | consideration when you're pricing your stove. Even |
| means you never have to add pellets more than | | | | with the drawbacks, though, you're sure to love your |
| once a day with the smaller models and twice a | | | | revamped fireplace. |
| week with the larger ones. | | | | |