Pellet stoves are primarily electronic solid fuel heating appliances that have a range of internal and mechanical components to help make the burning and heating process much more automated compared to other forms of wood stove.
This means that pellet stoves work differently to wood burning stoves in terms of being turned on and off.
As pellet stoves are electronic appliances that require a source of electricity in order to work, they can have a range of power buttons and switches that can be used to turn a pellet stove on and off in an instant.
Our own pellet stove has more than one power button and so we’ve explained in this article how to turn on and off a pellet stove.
This guide discusses turning a pellet stove on and off. For how to start a pellet stove including setting it up for, and actually starting a fire, see our other article on how to start a pellet stove.
Can You Turn A Pellet Stove On And Off?
Pellet stoves are electrical and highly automated heating appliances allowing them to be turned on and off at the touch of a button with minimal manual input required. A pellet stove won’t start and stop in an instant but will take a short while to start a fire and cool down after one.
How To Turn On A Pellet Stove
To turn a pellet stove on ensure that the stove is plugged into an electrical outlet and turned on at the socket. Turn on the main power switch on the stove, if available, to start up a pellet stove and use the power button on the control panel to fully turn on a pellet stove.
There are three main steps to turning on a pellet stove:
- Ensuring that the stove is plugged in and turned on at an electrical outlet.
- Turning on the main power switch on the stove, often located on the back of the unit where the power cord comes in, if available.
- Starting the stove by pressing the power button on the main set of controls found on the stove.
The actual process for turning a pellet stove on can differ between models but the process outlined above can be common among many more modern versions of pellet stove including those that are fully automated and have touch screen controls.
All pellet stoves will require a source of electricity (unless using a niche non-electric version of a pellet stove) and so a pellet stove will need to be located near to a standard home electrical outlet and plugged in.
As an example, our own pellet stove can’t be started unless it’s plugged into an electrical outlet.
Luckily there was an electrical outlet on the wall right next to where we wanted to have the stove installed, otherwise we would have needed to install one nearby.
The power cord on our pellet stove isn’t that long and so having an electrical outlet as close as possible to a pellet stove can be useful.
The end of a pellet stove power cord will need to be plugged into this electrical outlet and turned on at the wall.
If your pellet stove comes with a loose power cord (like ours did) then the other end of the cord will need to be plugged into the power cord socket on the stove, typically located on the back.
Depending on the model, a pellet stove may have a main power switch that can isolate the power to the stove even if it’s plugged into an outlet.
This power switch will need to be switched on, and in the case of our own pellet stove, lights up to let us know there is power to the stove.
Turning on this switch powers up the touch screen control panel on our particular model of pellet stove.
If your pellet stove has a touch screen control panel like ours does then there should be a large power button icon on the screen.
Pressing this power button starts the stove where a fire is lit and heat is generated.
We simply need to hold this button down for a short amount of time to turn on the pellet stove.
‘To start up the system it is necessary to hold the startup icon for 3 seconds, this will be additionally indicated by a sound notification.’
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If your pellet stove has a more traditional button layout (typically on the side of the unit) then there will be an ‘on’ button that you can press to start the stove.
How To Turn Off A Pellet Stove
To turn off a pellet stove either press the same button used to start the stove, similar icon or separate button labelled with ‘off’, depending on the model of pellet stove. A pellet stove may continue to run for a short while after being turned off to cool down and clean.
Turning off a pellet stove is usually done in a similar way in which the stove was started, and typically done at the press of a button.
Depending on the model of pellet stove there may be:
- A separate ‘off’ button located next to the ‘on’ button that can be pressed to burn off a pellet stove.
- A different icon to the one used to start the stove if using a touch screen control panel, such as an ‘off’ symbol.
Our own pellet stove has a touch screen control panel and we simply need to press the flame icon (that has replaced the start icon used to start the stove).
‘To stop the system it is necessary to hold the flame icon for 3 seconds. The stove will change the mode to cleaning and standby’.
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When a pellet stove is turned off it may to continue to operate for a short amount of time.
This can be stove cooling down by keeping the fans running and cleaning out any leftover waste air and smoke from the combustion chamber to help make the stove ready for the next fire.
If the pellet stove has been set up to turn on and off automatically to provide heat at certain times of the day then the stove won’t need to be manually turned on or off.
If fires in a pellet stove are started and stopped manually then it may also be possible to turn off the power supply to the stove by using either the mains power switch or the switch on the electrical outlet to help prevent the stove from accidentally being started again.
If we don’t plan on using our pellet stove for a period of time then we turn the stove off completely using the mains power switch on the back of the stove.
How Long Does It Take For A Pellet Stove To Turn Off?
It can take up to 30 minutes for a pellet stove to fully turn off. During the time, internal blowers can continue to operate to help cool down the stove and to help remove any waste gases and smoke while the fire goes out.