Can You Burn Pellets & Wood Together?

Burning Patterns

• In the household fireplace, there is no way to burn pellets and wood at the same time. There are several reasons that the two cannot be burned together. First, they both burn very differently. Wood stoves are designed to burn wood smoothly and quickly, with the correct draft so that all of the ash is burned as well, creating the maximum amount of heat possible. The wood burns quickly in intense heat and more must be added to keep the fire going. Pellets burn hotter and slower than normal wood because of their compressed nature, producing heat faster and with different types of waste.

Stove Differences

• The same stove cannot handle both pellets and wood. In fact, the two stoves are so different from each other that the two fuels are not compatible, even if they did burn the same. Wood stoves generally have a front-facing door that you open to insert more wood and clean out coals or ash as needed. Pellet stoves, on the other hand, have a hopper that pellets are added to, and usually a small basin that pellet ash falls into to be collected and removed. The benefit to the pellet stove is that it can be automated, so that more pellets are added as the fire burns lower and a constant temperature is kept, while the owner only makes sure the hopper is kept full of pellets. Wood stoves must be maintained and fed new logs by hand, as needed based on the condition of the fire.

Alternatives

• If you have a wood stove and extra wood pellets that you do not know what to do with, try using some of them with your kindling to help start your fire and keep a long-burning substrate of material below your logs. While the pellets cannot completely replace the logs, a small amount will not affect stove operation too much and can help keep coals warm.
  If you have a pellet stove, you cannot and should not use any types of wood in it. If you have extra wood, try to make your own pellets from it. There are chippers and pellet makers available for home use, but they are expensive and only practical if you have a steady flow of firewood that you need to make into pellets. In this case, it is a less expensive option than buying pellets, but make sure you have a pellet stove designed to burn the type of wood you are making the pellets from.