Letters
Pellet stoves in France: are they worth it? Real user experiences compared
The stoves can prove surprisingly complex
'Even after a couple of hours of use, there was an almost invisible film of soot on all the surfaces'
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To the Editor,
Following the recent debate in The Connexion about pellet stoves, I would like to add my experience. I replaced our wood stove with a pellet stove believing it would be efficient, convenient and cleaner.
What I subsequently discovered is that burning the pellets is not what actually heats the room. The burner heated a plate above the flame and a fan blew air across the plate and out into the room.
It was basically a €6,000 convection heater (a simple fan heater would have done the same job for €50).
Significantly, it was not cleaner. Even after a couple of hours of use, there was an almost invisible film of soot on all the surfaces, which would show up as you ran a hand over it. We eventually had it removed. A complete waste of money.
C.D., Dordogne
To the Editor,
My wife and I had a pellet burner fitted last summer. The initial problem was the phone app, which was switching the unit on and off at odd times. After a visit from the installer – and then uninstalling the phone app – everything worked well.
We have used the burner all winter without issue. We use it to heat the main living room and use 2–3kg per evening.
Cleaning is not a problem – much easier than our old log burner. Storage of 15kg bags is so much easier than cutting, splitting, storing logs, and the overall cost for us is less than logs.
We buy high calorific pellets, which cost a little more but give more heat and less mess in the burner.
At our age, we would not go back to a log burner. The Jolly-Mec we purchased was one of the top models and looks just like our old log burner, so we are very happy.
Name withheld, via email
To the Editor,
I would recommend anyone planning to purchase a pellet burner to do so from a reputable, registered RGE dealer, who will install, service, repair and provide quality pellets – all of which are essential for good performance.
In addition, read the instruction manual for information on regular cleaning and what action to take when error codes appear.
S.W., by email
Have you replaced your heating system in France? What did you opt for? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com
