How To Run A Pellet Stove During A Power Outage
How To Run A Pellet Stove Without Electricity
Do you want to know how to run a pellet stove during a power outage? If you have a pellet stove and rely on it for heat, pay attention to this article. I’ll show you how I measured my own pellet stove for watts/power consumption and how I can run it during a power outage for a while.
Without electricity during the winter (severe storms, snow/ice, high winds), your home or cabin will get cold quickly!
It’s not that complicated to set this system up. I will first run through the calculations to exemplify a pellet stove’s typical power consumption. Then, we’ll see what we can do to keep it running during a power outage/blackout.
How Much Electricity Does A Pellet Stove Use?
First, as with all typical pellet stoves I’m aware of, they require a 120-volt AC power source (typical in-home electricity) to run the auger and fans.
Second, we need to discover the operational power consumption (watts) or the AC (amps) before figuring out what we need to run our pellet stove during a power outage.
I am going to use my pellet stove, which is a Harman brand, as an example. This will likely be typical for most pellet stoves with fans and motorized auger.
The electrical requirements listed in their spec sheet are as follows. However, I will give you real-world measurements afterward:
Specifications:
Start up: 4.0 amps (460 watts)
Run: 3.0 amps (345 watts)
My Real World measurements:
Start up: 3.0 amps (360 watts)
Run: 0.7 amps (80 watts averaged over time)
Note: I am confident these specs are for everything full-on(all fans, auger speed, etc.) on the highest settings, plus a margin.
My real-world measurements are less than that during regular operation. When the ignitor initially fires up, there is a brief condition (several minutes) of higher power consumption (the ignitor coil).
How many watts does a pellet stove use?
My Harman ‘Absolute 43’ pellet stove draws almost 400 watts for a few minutes during the ignition period. Once lit and running, the average consumption was 80-100 watts, averaged over time.
How did I measure how many watts/amps? Answer: I use the ‘KILL A WATT’ meter…
If purchasing through my links, I may earn commission (no extra cost).
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I explain more about it in the following article:
[ Read: How To Measure Energy Consumption Of Appliances ]
12 Volt Battery & DC-AC Inverter For Pellet Stove
Could you make your emergency backup power source so you can run a pellet stove during a power outage? You will need at least one deep cycle 12-volt battery and an inverter to convert 12-volt DC to 120-volt AC.
DC to AC Power Inverter Wattage for Pellet Stove
The inverter you choose will have to produce at least the maximum load of your pellet stove. That would be 460 watts based on the Harman spec sheet or 360 watts based on my accurate real-world measurements. When specifying a system, looking at the worst-case scenario is always wise, so let’s look for at least a 500-watt inverter.
The only time the inverter will be loaded down will be a few minutes after the ignitor is on. Otherwise, it will be cruising well below its rated maximum during regular operation.
I tested this 600-watt Samlex (because I already had it for other purposes). It worked great. However, it is somewhat expensive (albeit a high-quality inverter made in the USA).
The following choices from BESTEK (a reputable company) are good, cost-effective power inverters. You might also consider their 1,000-watt model, which may benefit other uses.
BESTEK Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC
Think of it this way: A 12-volt DC to 120-volt AC inverter can also power other devices. It’s great for an emergency situation, simply powering something from your vehicle battery, etc.
12 Volt Battery to DC-AC Power Inverter Cables
You might make your own cables to connect the battery to the inverter, or you might purchase one already made. Some DC to AC inverters may come with cables/connectors for this.
How many 12-volt DC Amps to run a Pellet Stove
My real-world measurements of my Harman pellet stove showed that it pulled nearly 400 watts during the ignition phase. Depending on the battery condition/voltage, the 400-watt amperage conversion for a 12-volt battery may range from 32 to 34 amps.
Bear in mind that you will need a cable set that can carry the full amp rating of the inverter. For a 500-watt inverter, an 8AWG cable is generally sufficient.
You might use the following 8AWG jumper cables. Cut the cable set in half and strip the non-clamp ends to bare wire. This will insert into the DC input connectors of the inverter.
If you are serious about using the BESTEK 1000-watt inverter near its rated capacity, I recommend the following 4AWG cable set (note the different lengths) instead of the factory-included cables.
Battery For Pellet Stove During A Power Outage
Now that you have an inverter, you will need a battery! Here’s the critical thing to remember: The battery must have enough capacity to run your pellet stove for a reasonable period.
What does that translate to? A typical 12-volt “deep cycle” marine-type battery will be rated for about 100 AH (Amp Hours). This will be displayed on the battery itself. And this will be your limiting factor regarding how long you can run your pellet stove.
Let me explain…
If you are using a 100AH 12VDC deep-cycle battery and your pellet stove draws 100 watts on average, this battery will be 50% discharged in 6 hours.
Formula:
100 watts = 8.3 amps (100 W / 12 VDC)
100 watts / 8.3 amps = 12 hours (fully discharged)
12/2 = 6 hours (50% discharged)
Important: Never fully discharge a lead-acid battery. It will damage the battery. To prolong the battery’s life, it is a rule of thumb not to discharge beyond 50% before recharging.
Note: Connecting two batteries in parallel (plus to plus and minus to minus) will double their capacity and run time.
You might consider a LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) 12-volt battery, which can be safely discharged all the way down and has a lot more cycle life.
Use Your Car Battery To Run Pellet Stove Through an Inverter
Another alternative would be to connect your inverter to your car battery. You can run an extension cord into your house to operate the pellet stove. You could start your vehicle now and again to charge the battery to keep your pellet stove running.
[ Read: Best Extension Cord ]
SUMMARY
To run your pellet stove during a power outage, you need only an inverter and battery (or batteries).
Although I indicated that a single typical 100 AH battery may run a pellet stove for about 6 hours (50% discharge), in reality the stove may be cycling on and off. This would lengthen the run time of the battery.
Hopefully, this article has helped some of you who may have been concerned about losing the heating ability of your pellet stove during a power outage.
Also, a wood stove won’t have this problem during a power outage:=)