Pellet stoves are sort of a cross between an old coal furnace and a new high-tech woodstove. One large pellet stove
can heat an entire house, or an entire aviary.
Pellet stoves burn tiny wood pellets that you can buy in 40 pound bags (in the US) and dump into the stove's hopper.
The pellets are fed into the stove automatically, so once you start the stove, it will keep running until its
hopper empties. (Typically, pellets must be added once a day on larger stoves.)
Of the possible
high-output heat sources, pellet stoves are the simplest to install. They require no special wiring
(you can plug one into an
existing wall outlet), they don't require a high temperature chimney like a woodstove does, and you don't have to
connect them to a gas line.
In summary, pellet stoves may be the quickest path to a large capacity heat source. If pellets are available
in your area, and if you don't mind a bit of physical labor, then a pellet stove may be a good choice.
The basic installation steps are:
- Place the stove in your aviary, preferrably against an outside wall. (The stove is hot, so your birds
cannot be allowed to touch it.)
- Cut a hole through the outside wall and run a low-temperature double-walled exhaust pipe from the stove
and out through the hole. The pipe need not extend upward like a "regular" chimney. It need only extend
a foot or so outside the wall. Ensure that the pipe does NOT end near combustibles, as occassional sparks
may fly from the end. (Note: due to the many possible constuction materials present in your wall,
I can't say exactly on how to cut a hole. However, it can usually be accomplished with a
a long drill bit, a chisel, and a hammer.)
- Seal the pipe with high-temperature copper sealant to prevent exhaust leaks. (I have used this type of
sealant in the presence of birds without ill effect.)
- Let the sealant cure for a day.
- Fill the stove's hopper with pellets.
- Plug the stove in.
- Start the stove. (Requires starter material and a lighter.)
The primary drawbacks to pellet stoves are
- On most models, electricity is required to run the auger and fans, so they stop working if electric
power is lost. (If you have backup power from a generator or batteries, then the stove will continue
running.) However, this is also true of oil and gas furnaces, which which have similar electric needs.
- Physcial labor is required to keep the hopper full of pellets. The pellets must be purchased, carried home,
stored, and then dumped into the hopper as needed.
- Pellet stoves cost money to fuel. However, this cost is relative. Other types of heat cost money too.
An additional drawback is that the pellet stove itself costs money. A good NEW stove will exceed $2,000 US.
However if you buy a used stove from someone disenchanted with the physical labor they involve, then you can
buy one for almost nothing. (Some dickering or "crying poor" will be required.) However, no matter what you buy,
its original construction should be high quality. A simple guide here is that if one physically-fit man can lift
it and carry it, then don't buy it. Good stoves tend to be HEAVY. A broad category of stoves to avoid has the pellets augered
into the burn pot from below. Although this design is well-intentioned, it doesn't work very well in
practice. Instead get the type that drops pellets into the burn pot from above.
Learn more: pellet stove theory and rebuilding broken stoves that you get
for free.
