Dear Jim: I am considering installing a small pellet stove in my living room for extra heat and to view the fire. I also want to be prepared if the power goes off on 1/1/00 due to Y2K. What do you think of them? -- Mike T.Dear Mike: I have tested several models of pellet stoves in my own home for many years and they are a fantastic innovation. They are convenient and clean to use, economical to operate and enjoyable to watch. I dump one 40-lb. bag of wood pellets into the hopper each morning (the fire keeps going).
Even though a pellet stove is small, it can produce enough heat for an average-size house during all but the coldest weather. Decorative free-standing models (optional gold-plated trim) with multisided viewing glass doors and quick-to-install fireplace inserts are available.
Wood pellets look like rabbit food and are made from waste sawdust that would otherwise end up in a landfill. A small auger (you control the speed and heat output) feeds these pellets into the fire. A draft fan blows the flue gases outdoors and a blower forces hot air out into the room.
There is a definite possibility of electric power outages due to Y2K computer bugs. Several pellet stoves are designed to automatically switch to 12-volt batteries when the electricity goes off. There are also optional solar panels to keep the batteries charged and running longer.
Pellet stoves are very clean burning. You will see no smoke. Since the pellets are so small and combustion air is forced around them, efficiency is high. After running for several days, the ash drawer will have only several cups of ash to empty. Some models can be converted to burning inexpensive corn.
It is simple to install a pellet stove. One four-inch B-vent pipe goes outdoors through the wall behind it. Most stoves are made of light-gauge steel, so they are easy to move. Seal the hole around the vent pipe and plug it in. Pour in a bag of pellets and you have heat in 10 minutes.
There are several convenience and comfort features to consider. A self-start button is worth the few dollars extra. To start the pellet stove, swing open the door and place a handful of pellets in the small burn pot. Close the door and push the start button. The pellets ignite in five minutes.
Select a pellet stove with a wall thermostat option. It works just like your furnace thermostat. When the room reaches the set temperature, the pellet auger slows down, which reduces the heat output.
If you plan to use the pellet stove as the primary heat source in your home, select one with a large pellet hopper capacity. Since you will probably run it often on high output, you will have to load it less frequently.
Write for (or instantly download -- www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No.
609 -- buyer's guide of 13 wood pellet stoves, heat outputs, hopper size, features and a fuel cost comparison chart. Please include $3 and a business-size SASE.
James Dulley, Deseret News, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244
Dear Jim: My husband always puts drink and food containers in the refrigerator and leaves them uncovered. I tell him this is not good, but he does not listen. Am I right or wrong? -- Pat H.
Dear Pat: You are correct. Putting uncovered containers, especially ones with liquids, will make the refrigerator/freezer compressor run longer. This pushes up your electric bills and wears out the compressor faster.
If your husband needs an explanation, tell him this. The liquid from the uncovered container evaporates into the air. When this vapor flows past the cooling coils it condenses. This condensing process uses extra energy.
James Dulley's Internet Web site (www.dulley.com) includes 150 of his previous columns and illustrations organized under 30 general topics. Dulley's Web page also includes a rush order form for readers who want to expedite the delivery of the current Dulley Update Bulletin offered in his column. Each of the 150 columns also has a related detailed Update Bulletin available for interested readers.