Our number 1 selling stoker stove. The Pioneer LE by Leisure Line Stove Company top vent stove with its attractive styling, brass pins, brass handles, heat vented top and ornamental top door will make for a welcome addition to any den or family room.
Stoves
Wood Stoves.
A wood stove is the most popular, flexible and economical wood heating option. A stove can be located almost anywhere there is enough space and where its chimney can be properly routed. A perfect installation has the stove located centrally in the main floor living area of the house and the flue pipe running straight up into the chimney. This installation design will provide the best performance and need the least amount of maintenance.
Pellet Stoves
Pellet burning stoves for the most part look like normal wood burning stoves. But the stove components are much more sophisticated, but don't worry the operation by you isn't. Pellet burning stoves burn pellets for it's heat source. These pellets can be purchases by the pound for around $3 per 40lbs. Typically, one would load around 30lbs to 130lbs of pellets into a device called a "hopper" which holds the pellets. Each pellet burning stove will vary in the size of the hopper. Obviously the bigger the hopper the more pellets you can load and the longer the stove will provide heat. Some stoves have automatic lighting and others may require you to light the stove. Then a device will transfer the pellets from the hopper to the heating chamber on a controlled and automatic system using an internal thermostat to gauge the heat and when more pellets are needed to be added. Then, air from the room is sucked in from a built in fan which is then transferred through the heating chamber. The hot air is then distributed back into the room or through your vent system of your house.
Residue gasses from some pellet burning stove are transferred to the outside of the house through a small tube that's located on the top or behind the stove. If you do not want to go through the hassle of installing this tube, I recommend that you buy one with out it.
See our line of PELLET STOVES.
Coal Stoves
If you decide to install a coal stove in your home, you'll be looking at two options. There are batch or hand fired coal stoves and stoker coal stoves. Both of them have advantages and disadvantages. In the end, it will probably come down to personal preference. Let's cover the basics.
Batch or hand fired coal stoves are more "hands on," hence the name. You have to load the coal into the fireplace yourself, much like a wood stove. Once your fire is burning, you'll have to check on it every 12 hours or so to keep it going. This involves emptying the ash pan and raking the coals. Don't worry about being gentle when you rake them. In fact, long even strokes aren't going to get you anywhere. You need to be aggressive. Quick, rough strokes will yield the best results. One thing to keep in mind is that hand fired coal stoves require chimneys. So, if you don't already have one, you're going to have to make some room. In the end, operating a hand fired coal stove isn't that different from operating a wood stove, but it'll take a lot less coal to heat your home.
If you're looking for something that requires a little less maintenance, the stoker coal stove is probably more up your alley. Simply keep the hopper full of coal and empty the ash pan when necessary. If you do, your fire will never go out. Stoker coal stoves actually hook up to a thermostat so you can control the temperature in your house. The stove automatically adds coal when necessary to maintain a constant temperature.
The biggest difference between hand fired stoves and stoker stoves is that a stoker stove requires electricity to run whereas a hand fired stove does not. This means that you can use a hand fired stove to keep your house warm even if the power goes out. If you live in an area prone to power outages, you may want to keep this in mind.
Gas Stoves
Installing a gas fireplace is a great way to increase your heating efficiency and enhance your décor without ruining your remodeling plans. Gone are the days when a new fireplace meant a masonry chimney rising feet above the nearest roof. Today, many fireplaces install with a simple cut in the exterior wall for venting.
Fireplaces today are built for efficiency. Like a standard furnace, gas fireplaces have a Btu (British thermal unit) rating. Btu ratings measure the amount of heat produced by the fireplace. Models should also have an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating. This system is used to determine the fireplace's efficiency. AFUE ratings are similar to gas mileage figures for cars—the higher the rating, the more efficient the fireplace. An AFUE figure takes into account all of the energy used as the appliance cycles on and off, and gets up to a target temperature. Another efficiency measure is the steady state efficiency rating. The steady state figure rates efficiency while maintaining a constant temperature. Be sure when comparing fireplace ratings that the numbers are from the same scale. Typically, steady state rating will be higher than the AFUE rating, which takes into account the unit's efficiency at startup and as it reaches the desired temperature.
Most gas fireplaces are paired with automatic controls that make enjoying a dancing flame as easy as a flick of the switch. Handheld remotes allow homeowners to control the heat. Some even offer automatic shutoffs. One key feature is the electricity-free ignition offered by some manufacturers. With this homeowners need never worry about heat in times of power outages. More than a selling feature, electricity-free ignition ensures heat throughout the winter season, no matter what storms or winds may blow.