Which pellet stove to choose: the best one for every need

When choosing a pellet stove, many factors need to be considered, some of which are highly specific and technical. Therefore, it is important, in addition to aesthetic criteria or assessments based on price or product's technical equipment, to rely on expert and qualified personnel to help navigate the choice of the right purchase.

Types of Pellet Stoves

The market offers three main types of products today: ventilated pellet stoves, ducted pellet stoves, and water-heating pellet stoves.

Ventilated Pellet Stoves

Ventilated pellet stoves, or air pellet stoves, are the most common type, ideal for heating smaller spaces by blowing hot air into the room through forced ventilation. The heat distribution in the space will depend on the configuration of the residence, so it will be more even in the case of an open space, while it will be distributed differently in the different rooms depending on the presence of masonry, doors, etc. In the case of large residences or those spanning more than one floor, choosing a pellet stove can be considered as an addition to a traditional heating system, for example, to heat the living room and add comfort and aesthetics to the environment.

Ducted Pellet Stoves

Ducted pellet stoves are primarily suitable for heating medium to large spaces divided into multiple rooms. The function of ducted pellet stoves is the same as that of air stoves, but thanks to an air duct, they can evenly distribute heat even in rooms adjacent to the room where the stove is installed. The market offers various air ducts that can go through walls and pillars or be visible.

Water-Heating Pellet Stoves

Water-heating pellet stoves are stoves directly connected to the water supply system to heat radiator water or underfloor heating. They are suitable for heating large spaces and can fully replace a heat pump or gas boiler or complement the existing heating system. Some models of water-heating pellet stoves can also be used to produce hot water.

Pellet Inserts

In addition to freestanding pellet stoves, there are also pellet inserts, which allow the use of the space from the old fireplace. This enables you to have all the benefits of a regular ventilated, ducted, or water-heating pellet stove, combined with the aesthetic pleasure and comfort of a live flame, which, however, unlike a regular fireplace, will burn protected and insulated by glass.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Pellet Stove

Let's now consider the most important elements to consider before choosing which pellet stove to purchase.

The Volume of the Space to Be Heated

The first thing to consider is the volume of the space you want to heat, considering that a pellet stove with a nominal power of 11 kW can heat a volume of about 300 cubic meters. Each pellet stove has its own technical specification, where nominal power, heating volume, and other data such as tank capacity, nominal efficiency, expected consumption, and additional information about the technical equipment are specified.

Number of Rooms That Need to Be Heated

Pellet stoves can be used to heat a single room, multiple rooms, or the entire house, depending on the different types. As we have seen, if you plan to heat a single room or integrate the pellet stove with an existing heating system, the choice will be a ventilated pellet stove. If you want to heat multiple rooms, even on different floors, you can instead choose a ducted pellet stove or a water-heating pellet stove to heat larger volumes.

Heating Radiator Water or Underfloor Heating

Radiators (or underfloor heating) allow for even heat distribution throughout the house and, thanks to the use of thermostats, the setting of different temperatures in different rooms. Therefore, it is the most used heating system in medium to large residences, but it is also the most common type of system in houses undergoing renovation and building upgrades. The use of a water-heating stove allows you to maintain the existing heating system by complementing or replacing the boiler. The water-heating pellet stove, therefore, spreads heat not through the air but by using water and the house's water supply system.

Production of Hot Water

Some models of water-heating pellet stoves perform all the functions of a boiler and also produce hot water. The excess hot water for heating the radiators is stored in a tank or buffer and kept at a temperature that allows it to be delivered already hot when needed. In this case, in addition to the pellet stove, you also need to consider the space to accommodate the buffer, which is a large steel cylinder very similar to old-generation heating systems.

Size and Shape of the Stove

The pellet stove will, in most cases, become an integral part of the home decor, so shape, size, and aesthetics are also factors to consider when making a purchase. From being an anonymous and purely functional object, the pellet stove is now increasingly a design element, offering great freedom to customize thanks to a growing selection of shapes, colors, and finishes. The minimum distances to be respected vary depending on the model; they are prescribed by the manufacturer and indicated in the technical documentation. In general, the stove should be at least 5 cm away from the wall, and the minimum room volume should be 30 m3. On both sides, the distance from any object or material should be at least 25 cm. The safety clearance at the top should be 40 cm.

Airtight Chamber

Installation of regular stoves is generally not recommended in spaces with a volume of less than 15 cubic meters, such as studios, bedrooms, bathrooms, and garages, because regular pellet stoves draw combustion air from the room they are located in. To maintain the proper amount of oxygen in the environment, an air intake is necessary.

These limitations have been solved by Cadel thanks to the introduction of the airtight combustion chamber, which instead draws combustion air from the outside. This technology allows for avoiding air intake, making it possible to install the pellet stove even in spaces where traditional stoves could not be placed.

Other Factors to Consider When Choosing a Pellet Stove

Flue Pipe/Chimney

Before purchasing a pellet stove, you need to check if it is possible to install a chimney if there isn't one already. An external air intake will also be needed to connect the pellet stove, as well as a connection to the electrical network that will always be available once the stove is installed.

If you don't have the possibility to install the stove to a chimney, our solutions work perfectly fine without a chimney, using what is called a horizontal flue pipe.

Pellet Tank Capacity

The larger the tank capacity, the longer the burn time of the pellet stove will be. Additionally, a large tank allows for filling with more pellets at once.

Thermostat

Compared to a wood stove, a pellet stove has the advantage of being able to autonomously manage combustion according to the temperatures requested by the user. In fact, the user can set the desired temperature on the display, and the unit's control system will automatically select the most suitable amount of pellets and ventilation to achieve it. Once the desired room temperature is reached, the stove will start modulating the combustion at low power and then keep it constant, alternatively turning off the stove until the temperature drops one degree below the desired temperature.

Remote Control via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and App

All models in our range come equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology as standard, allowing you to monitor and control the stove directly from your smartphone, even remotely. You can also purchase a remote control if desired.