What you need to know about pellet stoves

Components

The basic components of a pellet stove correspond to those of a traditional woodburning stove: a steel frame with a combustion chamber, flue pipe connected to the chimney and a display window made of fire-resistant glass. The steel frame is often covered by materials that store heat - such as soapstone, for example. In addition, a pellet stove has a device that automatically transports the pellets from an integrated pellet container into the combustion chamber.

The heat output is controlled via a touch screen. The stove can also be remotely adjusted, either by GSM with the RIKA Warm App, or on the home Wi-Fi network with the RIKA Firenet accessory.

Air supply

For the operation of the stove and generation of heat, there must be a regular supply of fresh air to the stove.

• With a non-room sealed stove, air is taken out of the room in which the stove is located.
• With a room sealed stove, air is fed in via a pipe from outside.

An external air supply is recommended especially when home ventilation and extractor hoods are used together with pellet stoves, in order to avoid problems with low pressure.

Size of the room

In deciding which stove would be most suitable, the size of the room naturally plays an important role. The greater the space to be heated, the greater the necessary heat output.

Another important factor is the insulation. Depending on the size and insulation of the house, the same stove can heat a larger room (with good insulation) or a smaller space (with poor insulation).

Pellet stoves are often used in low-energy and passive houses. Due to the low demand for energy in these, often a small pellet stove is also sufficient.

Pellets as a fuel source

Pellets are obtained from untreated scrapwood. The wood is pressed under high pressure and therefore exhibits a very low water content, which helps it to burn very easily.

The pellets are emptied from bags into the pellet container, then sent by a device into the combustion chamber and electrically ignited there. Pellet stoves are automatically supplied with the necessary amount of pellets. In contrast to a woodburning stove, you don’t need to keep on adding fuel yourself. The consumption of pellets varies depending on the room size and the intensity of use.

Pellets are available in bags of up to 15 kg and should be stored in a dry place. A separate storeroom or pellet tank is not necessary for a pellet stove, and is only needed for pellet-powered central heating.