Pellet stoves can be considered to be in the same family as wood burning and multi fuel stoves but incorporate a number of electrical and mechanical components that you won’t typically see in these other forms of wood stove.
This increased number of moving and electrical components within a pellet stoves may mean that there can be more to go wrong and so how long are pellet stoves expected to last?
Pellet stoves will typically last up to 10 years under normal usage. However, this can range from a few years of life expectancy for cheaply made pellet stoves used regularly to over 10 years for well-built and well-maintained pellet stoves that are used sporadically.
We expect our own pellet stove to last up to 10 years but if we look after it properly and ensure that it’s cleaned regularly and maintained it well then we’ll be happy if it lasts longer than that.
However, the guarantee on our pellet stove is only a couple of years. After that, any issues with any components we’ll have to pay for ourselves in order to keep the pellet stove working.
There’s a long list of available parts for our pellet stove however, and so we’ve explained in more detail below using our own pellet stove as an example:
- Why pellet stoves may not last as long as other forms of wood stove.
- Typically warranties for pellet stoves.
- How long pellet stoves typically last.
Pellet Stove Life Expectancy
Pellet stoves will typically last a reasonable length of time if used and maintained correctly but may not last as long as traditional wood burning stoves, which don’t typically have any moving or electrical parts meaning that there can be less to go wrong.
Pellet stoves are highly efficient forms of solid fuel burning appliance and are typically even more efficient on paper compared to many modern wood stoves.
As an example, the efficiency of our own pellet stove is 87.8%, while our wood burning and multi fuel stoves have official efficiency ratings in the high and low 70’s respectively.
Pellet stoves are able to achieve this by primarily being electrical appliances and using a range of mechanical and electrical components to ensure a more efficient fuel to air ratio for maximizing heat output and minimizing wastage in the form of ash and emissions.
Advantages of automating the burning process including reducing human error, providing the cleanest burn possible and helping to reduce mess.
As the fuel is stored within the hopper of our own pellet stove, we never need to do anything during our pellet stoves fire because the stove does everything automatically. We only need to add more pellets to the hopper as and when required and we’ve set up the stove to come on automatically at certain times of the day on certain day.
However, a downside to all of this automation is higher maintenance requirements.
We’ve discussed in more detail why pellet stoves are higher maintenance appliances, but they typically require regular and ongoing cleaning that may be needed daily, weekly, seasonally and yearly.
These higher requirements for maintenance and cleaning are required to help keep a pellet stove lasting as long as possible.
Not undertaking the necessary cleaning and professional maintenance of pellet stoves may lead to stoves that aren’t lasting as long as expected.
Components damaged as a result of not performing the required cleaning and maintenance procedures can reduce the life expectancy of a pellet stove.
Furthermore, not following the correct cleaning procedures required for individual models of pellet stoves may void the warranty for that stove.
For example, the instruction manual for our particular model of stove explains that:
‘If you do not perform regular maintenance this may lead to impaired operation of the stove. Any problems arising from lack of cleaning will lead to voiding the warranty.’
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The life expectancy of a pellet stove can also be affected by the quality of the build. Expect a higher quality pellet stove made from a more reputable company (which may cost more to purchase as a result) to last longer than a stove made from lower quality materials and have a poorer quality construction.
Finally, the life expectancy of a pellet stove can be affected by the availability of spare parts.
Pellet stoves are electronic appliances and need a number of electronic and mechanical components in order to keep the burning process automated and of high efficiency.
It can be expected for one or more of these components to fail throughout the life of a pellet stove. If replacements are available for each major components of a pellet stove then these can be replaced when required to help keep a pellet stove going for longer.
For example, there are 28 available spare parts for our own pellet stove and so we feel comfortable in knowing that if anything does go wrong then it can be replaced and help extend the life of our pellet stove.
If a pellet stove has been well-built, well-maintained and cleaned in line with the recommendations, and has a range of spare parts available for when something goes wrong, then it can have a life expectancy of many years.
Pellet Stove Warranties
Our own pellet stove has a warranty of 24 months from installation of the stove, but no longer than 30 months from purchase of the stove.
The warranty for a pellet stove will vary between manufacturer and model but the above gives an example of what you can expect the warranty period to be for a pellet stove.
This can be compared to our electric fireplace that only has a warranty of 1 year and our multi fuel stove that has a warranty period of 3 years.
To help keep a pellet stove lasting longer, ensure to maintain a pellet stove correctly so that it stays under warranty in which any faulty components could be covered if still within the warranty period.
How Long Do Pellet Stoves Last?
The average pellet stove should last around 10 years.
However, as each situation is different the actual life expectancy of a pellet stove will vary depending on a number of factors including:
- Whether the stove has been installed correctly.
- The quality of the materials used in the stove and how well built it is.
- Whether the correct cleaning and maintenance procedures have been followed.
- Whether the stove has been used correctly.
- How often and for how long a pellet stove is used.
- Whether spare parts are available for each main component, and their availability and cost.
- Whether the pellet stove has had the warranty voided.
- The quality of the pellets used.
A small survey was undertaken to see how long users of pellets stoves expected them to last and the large majority of the votes showed that they expected their stoves to last 5-10 years.
We expect our own pellet stove to last up to 10 years, with various spare part changes required to keep it going up to and beyond that point.
Further Reading
How Much Do Pellet Stoves Weigh?
Comments
We bought a Whitfield pellet stove insert 25 years ago. While we have changed one motor over the years it continues to run like a champ. I do vacuum out the stove monthly and vacuum out the fire box weekly. I also tear it completely down and clean everything in the spring after we shut it down; this job takes about two hours. Our stove has an exhaust pipe that runs 18 feet inside and up to the very top of old chimney; works great. We do not burn cheap pellets as they produce significant ash. Wood heat is nice and our pellet stove can run when air quality issues occasionally shut down wood stoves and fireplaces.