Safety Features on Your Pellet Stove

If you have a built-in fireplace in your home butWhile you should have a carbon monoxide
have decided that you want to increase itsdetector or two in your home anyway, it's
heating efficiency with a fireplace insert pelletespecially important to install them when you
stove, you're probably making a good choice.have pellet-burning stoves. When you have a
These stoves can give you a cheap, clean, andpellet-burning stove – whether it is a fireplace
easy way to heat your entire home – or atinsert pellet stove or another type of pellet stove
least the areas connected to the room where the– you should plug a carbon monoxide detector
fireplace stands – and they can look verywithin ten feet of the stove.
nice, too. However, be sure that you buy a pelletFinally, be sure that your fireplace insert pellet
stove with plenty of safety features, including astove is properly ventilated. You can probably use
fire-resistant surface on which to place it, carbonthe chimney of the original fireplace, but you will
monoxide detectors, and proper ventilation.have to modify it on some levels, being sure to
If you buy a fireplace insert pellet stove, youkeep it clean and free from obstructions. Pellet
probably won't need a fire-resistant mat for yourstoves take less ventilation than wood-burning
stove, especially if you already have a hearthstoves, and they burn more cleanly than other
around the stove. Pellet stoves that are more liketypes of stoves. However, you'll need to regularly
traditional wood-burning stoves, on the otherservice your pellet stove's ventilation system so
hand, will take either tiled, fire-proof platforms orthat it stays safe and efficient.
special fire-resistant mats that will keep the stoveSome pellet stoves can come with added safety
from catching any flammable materials on fire.features, such as a temperature switch that will
You can get these mats in many different colors,turn them off and on at certain times during the
and you should always check to see if your stoveday or when the temperature gets too high.
requires something like this.When you look at these pellet-burning stoves, be
Although pellet-burning stoves are very safe andsure that you find one with all the requisite safety
clean-burning, they still burn organic materials,features so that you can easily heat your home
which can give off carbon monoxide sometimes.in a safe way.