What to choose between pellet stove and wood stove?
Wood heating solutions
Wood heating is an increasingly popular means of heating in France, it is inexpensive and is much appreciated for the atmosphere it offers to the living space. There are two ways of heating with wood, the wood stove (with logs) or the pellet stove.
It is also possible to combine the pellet stove and the wood stove into one appliance, this is called a dual fuel stove.
Pellets or logs?
Choosing pellets or logs depends on your day-to-day needs and your consumption philosophy. If you want to bring a little extra warmth to your main room on an occasional basis, a log or pellet stove is definitely the way to go.
The log stove will cost you less and require less maintenance, unlike the pellet stove. But with pellets you have better control of the energy supply to your room thanks to the integrated regulation.
We have been testing the TL10 log stove since 2017. Everything works perfectly. It looks small in the photo but it's a beautiful stove that stands 1.1m tall and does the job!
This is the cheapest model in the Jollymec range, but still over 2000. It is a reasonable price for a stove with a large curved glass very pleasant to appreciate the flame.
Furthermore it has a refractory stone combustion chamber which allows to increase the wood combustion temperature and therefore the efficiency of the device, while ensuring a better inertia!"
Finally the AIRSCREW System, patented technology with a double spiral propeller, allows to recover more heat at the exit of the fireplace.
As you will have understood, these technical points, which are essential to the proper functioning of a log stove, have a cost.
So compare well what is comparable when you see stoves at 500 on the net or in large DIY stores.
Watch the video presentation of the GLOBO stove from Jollymec to give you an idea of what it might look like at home:
Here's a beautiful flame generated by the Foghet Evo from Jollymec. The device is set to a power setting of 3/5. The flame in position 5 is slightly larger. This appliance works with both pellets and logs.
It is also hydraulic, i.e. the Foghet EVO produces hot water which is then sent to a heating floor. A product tested since 2018 by Lacentrale-eco, in its 125m² technical showroom.
A pure delight both for its efficiency and its design.
How do you choose your pellet stove?
Regulation
Regulation is an essential part of choosing your pellet stove. It will allow you to have a better autonomy by consuming less, but especially to avoid overheating your room!
Ideally, a remote control that is a temperature sensor at the same time is the best. The GLOBO model offers this.
The control should also allow you to manage temperature scenarios according to the days of the week, and times of the day. These features are rarely present on entry-level models.
Built-in technology: remote control and ignition anticipation
Features such as remote control or ignition anticipation are criteria to be considered. More and more models offer Wifi cards with a program on your smartphone or computer.
You might think it's not necessary but if you opt for pellets, for more autonomy, you might as well not go without. Otherwise choose log stoves or fireplaces.
Tank capacity
Another criterion is essential, is the tank capacity of your pellet stove:
Pellet stoves that need to be compact usually offer a tank that corresponds to a bag of pellets (15kg).
The hydraulic dual-fuel stoves or larger stoves generally have a pellet capacity ranging from 30 to 45kg. The Hydraulic FOGHET EVO has a 45Kg tank. Lacentrale-eco recommends that you choose a larger capacity if you want to heat your whole house.
The sound impact of a stove
The sound impact is another criterion to consider when buying your wood stove. There are different sources of noise, the first is of course the operation of the auger which feeds the pellets into the crucible which serves as its receptacle for lighting the pellets.
Some augers can be more or less noisy, this depends on how the pellet refill operates (from above or below).
The second element is the main source of noise, namely the fan which is used to disperse the calories generated by the fireplace:
- On entry-level stoves there are generally only 3levels of fan speed regulation, without necessarily being able to turn it off completely, as otherwise you turn the stove off.
- Other stoves, such as those offered on Lacentrale-eco, offer 5 levels of power, with the possibility of running the pellet stove in silent mode. The fans are also quieter.
At last, the vertical outlet above the stove!
On many pellet stove visuals you see the stove stuck to the wall... But in reality this is simply not possible!
The majority of stoves on the market have a rear exit, which forces you to move your stove forward into your room. No one tells you this before you choose it, but once installed, the reaction is often, "Oh yes it takes up space and it's ugly! "
That's why the GLOBO Jollymec stove offered on Lacentrale-eco is really for us a very good model, because it offers of course a vertical outlet to avoid seeing 1 meter off the wall.