Ultimate Buyers Guide: Everything you need to know BEFORE buying your MagnuM Pellet Stove

If you are interested in buying a MagnuM Pellet Stove to reduce high heat costs, and have a great heating alternative with long burn times, Wild Oak Trail is here to answer any questions you may have to help you feel confident in your purchase. Please read through our informative buyers guide, and feel free to call, email or chat in to us at Wild Oak Trail and one of our helpful and friendly Customer Service Staff will be happy to assist you.

 

What types of stoves are available?

Every home, business, garage, RV & Tiny House has a unique design and set up, so it can be daunting trying to figure out what stove type you need. Magnum Heat by American Energy Systems Inc. has a variety of styles for you.

 

Freestanding Stoves

Freestanding models with legs like this MagnuM Baby Countryside Stove are a popular option because they look like a traditional fireplace. The freestanding pedestal style is another popular option. It has a more contemporary look and has the benefit of added ash pan capacity.

Fireplace Inserts

If you want to give your existing fireplace an update, you can use a Magnum Heat pellet stove insert that uses wood pellets or flex-fuel options. This will keep the look of your wood fire fireplace while giving you a new, high efficiency fuel source option. This ensures more heat is going into the home, rather than the chimney.

Do I need a Chimney?

No, you don't need a chimney to use a MagnuM Pellet Stove. However you do need an exhaust vent. Older stoves traditionally used chimneys in order to vent smoke, but a MagnuM and Country Flame pellet-burning appliance is designed to avoid chimney's in order to provide you with lower emissions, higher efficiency and a more complete combustion of your chosen type of fuel. This is not only the best option to be environmentally friendly, but also equals less cost for you.

 

Do I need to Vent my Stove?

Yes, you do. The most popular combustion blower exhaust type is the power vented stove, this is called Direct Vent. A Direct Vent works by pulling the exhaust through your stove to create an "active" fire and the exhaust is exited out of the back of the stove through a vent pipe (3" or 4") that is designed for your type of stove. This allows you to vent the stove out of the side of your home using an exterior wall, which reduces costs and makes it easier for you to place your heating source where you would like it to be.

 

It's a good idea to chat with a professional to make sure you're choosing the right size for your new stove to match your home heating needs. This will help to ensure you heat your entire home properly for the highest comfort level.

 

Once you've decided on the best location for your MagnuM Pellet Stove, it will use a "Type L" double walled vent which is stainless steel on the inside and heavy galvanized steel on the outside layer. This type of venting is designed to handle the chemical corrosion of burning wood pellets or other biomass fuels.

 

You'll use a 3" or 4" type of L Pellet Vent depending on your altitude and the design of your pellet stove.

 

Most pellet stove manufacturers along with Federal, State and local codes require that you have a fresh air "combustion air" source that brings in outside air. It comes from outside of your home and gets hooked up directly to your pellet stove. The size of your fresh air supply will be determined by your stove design, length of your install and the manufacturer recommendations.

 

Why do I need a fresh air source for my Pellet Stove?

Fresh air intake for your appliance is not only required, but also very beneficial. It provides higher efficiency heating and a better heat output. Homes today are usually air tight and with multiple other appliances throughout the rest of your house, it can cause a negative pressure problem, so the fresh air source is the solution.

 

What do I look for in Emissions Standards?

As of May 15th 2015, all solid fuel stoves, fireplace inserts and furnaces must be labeled and certified to have emissions of 4.5g/hr or less and by 2020 must be 2.0 g/hr or less. Wood pellet stoves are generally around 1 g/hr and exceed standards. Be sure to check out the certification label on the stove that it meets the current standard.

 

Are Pellet Stoves Efficient?

Most multi-fuel or wood pellet stoves today will have a combustion efficiency of about 99% with an overall efficiency of around 69-75%. This is much higher than older kinds of stoves which had efficiency ratings of around 15-25%.

 

The efficiency rating differs from heating capacity (also known as heat output). Pellet Stoves are measured in heat output, most have a rating of 8000-90,000 Btu's or more. You will need 25-30 Btu/h per square foot per hour.

 

How much can I expect to save on Heat?

This table compares the annual heating expenses of the most common heat sources for a 1500 square foot home. As you can see, a typical home owner would save approximately 60% on their heating bill using wood pellets or other multi-fuel options compared to other types of heaters. You can definitely save money this heating season by switching to a Pellet Stove.

 

Can I feel confident in the safety of a Wood Pellet or Multi-Fuel Stove?

With it's unique combustion chamber design along with a high efficiency heat transfer, your stove will be cool to the touch. Low temperature venting and reduced clearances remove the safety risks of regular chimneys. A high efficiency Wood Pellet or Multu-Fuel Stove will not only be safer since complete combustion is in a "closed system" but you'll also have lower emissions. This helps stop buildup of flammable chimney deposits (creosote), so no need for a chimney sweep either! Make sure your stove is UL Certified, which will be indicated on the manufacturer’s label.

 

How is a Wood Pellet Stove Different from a Multi-Fuel Stove?

Have you heard various phrases on your search of the perfect stove? You've probably heard Wood Pellet Stove, Multi-Fuel Stove, Grain Stove and others used in various retail establishments so it can get confusing on what would be right for you.

 

Wood Pellet Stove

Generally a wood pellet stove is designed to burn a variety of types of wood fuel made of condensed sawdust in pellet form. This type of wood heat stove is not designed to burn alternative methods of fuel and can be dangerous if you burn other fuels in them.

Multi-Fuel Stoves

A Grain or Multi-Fuel Stove typically burns wood pellets very well and also burns a variety of tested fuels like wheat, corn, cherry pits, oats, olive pits and other organic materials that the stove is tested to burn. With the new EPA regulations, manufacturers are required to label what fuel their stoves are certified for and the emissions that it produces.

 

A Multi-Fuel Stove has a distinct advantage over a wood stove due to the flexibility of fuel options it provides. Some areas of the country can have wood pellet shortages (especially high quality ones), so if you own a multi-fuel stove you can switch fuels when needed and continue to heat your home.

Does a Wood Pellet or Multi-Fuel Stove require electricity?

Yes, they do. Your stove will have a motor which requires using 110v (normal home voltage) electricity. Once you fill the fuel hopper, the system augers the fuel to the combustion burn chamber. A built in room fan will blow the heated air into the home, and an exhaust blower will send the exhaust through the vent system to outside of your home.

 

Some models come with an auto ignition system, programmable thermostat control and others offer battery back up in the event of a power outage. Some models offer power from a solar panel system or can be hooked into a generator.

 

Is the Fuel needed readily available?

You will find Wood Pellet fuel around the country, regularly stocked at specialty retailers and big box stores. Corn and other multi-fuels are available at elevators, distribution centres and some specialty retailers and big box stores (check out your local farm related store).

 

How should the Fuel be stored?

It's important to store your fuel properly. Make sure you're buying clean and dry fuel and it's a good idea to only buy what you need to get you through the winter heating months.

 

Keeping your fuel stored over the summer months can attract moisture and the fuel could spoil. To avoid spoiling during the winter months, keep your fuel in a clean and dry place. If possible keep a small fan blowing air on the fuel to avoid moisture build up. Do not store outside where it could get wet.

 

When you buy corn or other grain for burning, it should have less than 14% moisture and should be cleaned.

 

What Type of Maintenance will my stove need?

You'll need to perform regular maintenance on your stove to keep it working efficiently and safely. Choose a model that allows for easy access to it's components without extensive disassembly or tools so it can easily be cleaned. It's best to check the manufacturers guide for your specific model to review how to properly clean out your stove and get it ready for heating season.

 

Let us know how we can help!

Thanks for taking the time to read our Ultimate Buyers Guide for your Pellet Stove purchase. We would love to help get you set up with a new stove for your home. Please give Wild Oak Trail a call at 1-844-945-3625, or you can chat in right on our site at www.wildoaktrail.com, or email us at service@wildoaktrail.com

If you still have questions, please let us know so we can add the information to our guide and help out the next person!

Have a great day!