Non-Electric Pellet Stoves: How Gravity-Fed Models Work, and Which to Buy

A non-electric pellet stove burns ordinary wood pellets with no outlet, no auger motor, no igniter and no blower. Pellets fall from the hopper into the burner by gravity, and the chimney's natural draft supplies the air, so the stove keeps heating when the grid goes down. Only a handful of certified models exist. Below is how they work, what they ask of you, how they vent (this is where most installs go wrong), and when an electric pellet stove or a wood stove is the better buy. Every stove we sell comes with No Sales Tax in any state.

How a gravity-fed pellet stove works

A conventional pellet stove is an appliance: an electric auger meters pellets into the burn pot, an igniter lights them, a combustion fan pulls air through the fire and pushes exhaust out a sealed pellet vent, and a room blower moves the heat. Take the power away and all four stop.

A gravity-fed stove replaces each of those parts with physics:

• Feed: pellets slide down from the hopper into the burner on their own. On the ComfortBilt GAP2020, a fuel-feed lever with 8 settings on the burn chamber sets how fast pellets reach the fire, which sets the heat output.
• Air: there is no combustion fan. The manual describes the stove as draft-driven: the taller the flue, the stronger the draft and the hotter the stove runs.
• Ignition: you light it yourself. The GAP2020 manual gives two methods: a propane torch, which takes two to four minutes, or three fire starter wafers laid in a bridge.
• Heat delivery: no blower, so heat leaves by radiation off the stove body and its flat 32" cooktop.
• Shutdown: close the feed and the stove burns out the pellets already in the chamber, in about 30 minutes per the manual.

Our pick: ComfortBilt GAP2020

The ComfortBilt GAP2020 is built by Independent Stove LLC in Grants Pass, Oregon, and sold through ComfortBilt. It needs no electricity at all, it is certified to the EPA's 2020 particulate standard at 0.84 g/h, and the manual says it is suitable for mobile-home installation in the US and Canada. Our pellet stove installation guide covers the parts, cost and steps.

• Hopper: 88 lb, or two 40 lb bags. At the manual's tested burn rates (1.9 lb/h on low, 4.8 lb/h on high), a full hopper lasts roughly 18 to 46 hours.
• Heat output: 8,026 to 23,002 BTU/h delivered in the manual's burn tests. ComfortBilt rates it to heat over 2,000 sq ft.
• Efficiency: 51.4% per the manual.
• Cooktop: flat and 32" wide, usable for cooking in an outage.
• Fuel: 1/4" wood pellets about 1" long. The manual recommends PFI-listed pellets and says softwood pellets burn best.
• Price: $2,999, with No Sales Tax. Freight from Oregon is quoted by email after you order; email Info@StoveSource.com with your ZIP code if you want an estimate first.

Read the output numbers honestly. The GAP2020 tops out around 23,000 BTU/h of delivered heat in testing, which is closer to a small electric pellet stove than a whole-house unit. In a mild climate or a tight, open house it can carry a lot of space; in a cold climate, plan on it heating the main living area through an outage rather than every room.

Other non-electric models

The other gravity-fed pellet stove you will see is the US Stove Wiseway GW1949. It is a different stove from a different maker, with its own venting requirements, and we don't sell it. Our Wiseway pellet stove review covers what it does well and the hands-on tending owners report.

Non-electric vs electric pellet stove vs wood stove

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Stove (SKU)	Electricity	Heats up to	Hopper / burn	Venting	Price	Shipping
ComfortBilt GAP2020 (PS-GAP2020)	None	2,000+ sq ft (maker rating)	88 lb, ~18–46 hrs	4" to Class A or lined masonry	$2,999 + freight	Ships in 1–2 days
ComfortBilt HP22 (HP22-Black)	Required	2,800 sq ft	55 lb, up to 20 hrs	3" pellet vent	$2,399	Ships in 1–2 days
ComfortBilt HP61 (HP61-Black)	Required	3,000 sq ft	51 lb	3" pellet vent	$2,299	Ships in 1–2 days
ComfortBilt HP50S (HP50S-Black)	Required	2,400 sq ft	47 lb	3" pellet vent	$1,899	Ships in 1–2 days
Drolet ECO-55 (DP00070)	Required	500–2,000 sq ft	60 lb, up to 51 hrs	3" pellet vent	$2,799	No confirmed date
Ventis ECO-55 ST (VB00022)	Required	500–2,000 sq ft	80 lb, up to 70 hrs	3" pellet vent	$2,200	Ships in 1–3 days
Englander Blue Ridge 100 N (ESW0002)	None (wood)	250–1,200 sq ft	17" logs, up to 5 hrs	6" to Class A or lined masonry	$1,099	Ships in 1–3 days
Century FW2900 (CB00026)	None (wood)	500–2,100 sq ft	20" logs, up to 8 hrs	6" to Class A or lined masonry	$1,599	Ships in 1–3 days

Heating areas are manufacturer maximums for mild conditions. No Sales Tax on every stove in this table.

Pros and cons of a non-electric pellet stove

What it does well

• Heat in an outage, with nothing to plug in. No battery backup, inverter or generator to size and maintain.
• Bagged fuel. No splitting, stacking or seasoning firewood. Pellets store dry and indoors.
• Fewer parts to fail. No auger motor, igniter, control board, vacuum switch or fans, which are where most pellet stove service calls come from.
• Long, steady burns. A full 88 lb hopper on the GAP2020 runs for roughly a day or more on low.

What it asks of you

• Manual lighting and adjustment. No thermostat, no schedule, no remote. You light it and set the feed lever by hand.
• Lower efficiency. The GAP2020 manual lists 51.4%, against 80.5% EPA-certified efficiency for the ComfortBilt HP22. Expect to burn noticeably more pellets for the same heat.
• A real chimney. It vents like a wood stove, not through a cheap wall-mounted pellet vent (see below).
• Outside air is required. The manual says an outside air inlet must be provided for combustion and kept unrestricted while the stove runs.
• No blower. Heat stays nearer the stove. A heat-operated stove-top fan ($150) also runs without electricity and can help move warm air across the room.

Venting: it is not a pellet-vent stove

This is the part to get right. Because there is no exhaust fan pushing the smoke out, a gravity-fed stove relies on a chimney's draft, just like a wood stove. The GAP2020 manual is blunt about it:

• "Never use Pellet Vent when Installing This Stove."
• It requires a 4" single-wall connector pipe, minimum 24-gauge black stove pipe, running to a Class A (UL 103 HT) chimney.
• A 4" stainless steel liner is required when installing through any fireplace chimney.
• The chimney must end at least 2 ft above any part of the roof or structure within 10 ft.
• Keep at least 2" from combustible material where the chimney passes through.

For the chimney itself, our AllFuel HST 6" through-the-ceiling Class A chimney kit and AllFuel HST 6" through-the-wall kit are UL 103 HT listed; the 4" single-wall connector and a 4"-to-6" increaser come from a local supplier. Browse the rest in our Class A chimney collection. The electric pellet stoves above use sealed 3" pellet vent instead, which is usually a simpler through-the-wall job; our pellet stove venting guide covers how that works.

Clearances and floor protection

From the GAP2020 manual, for a freestanding install with the 10" pedestal and rear heat shield:

• Against a rear wall: 6" from the glass-door side, 2" from the hopper side, 2" behind the heat shield.
• Corner: 6" from the stove corner to the wall.
• Ceiling: at least 57" from the combustible floor with the pedestal.
• Floor: with the pedestal, the manual calls for ember protection only: a non-combustible pad listed to UL 1618 (Type 1 ember protection or better) extending 16" in front, 8" to each side and 4" behind. The US hearth size is 50" wide by 32" deep, which the Drolet 54" x 46¾" tinted glass hearth pad (AC02758) covers.
• Mobile homes: outside air connection, stove secured to the floor, and grounded with #10-gauge wire.

ComfortBilt lists the stove at 38" tall, which matches the version without the pedestal, so call us to confirm what ships before you plan around these clearances. More on pad sizing in our hearth pad guide.

Have reliable power? An electric pellet stove is easier to live with

If outages are rare and short where you live, a conventional pellet stove gives you a thermostat, automatic ignition and a room blower, and it burns far more efficiently. You can cover outages with a battery backup or generator sized from the stove's electrical rating in its manual.

• ComfortBilt HP22 ($2,399): our best all-round pellet stove, up to 2,800 sq ft at 80.5% EPA-certified efficiency, 55 lb hopper.
• ComfortBilt HP61 ($2,299): the least expensive way to 3,000 sq ft of rated coverage.
• ComfortBilt HP50S ($1,899): slim, European-style cabinet, up to 2,400 sq ft.
• Drolet ECO-55 ($2,799): 0.96 g/h, 60 lb hopper good for up to 51 hours, approved for alcoves and mobile homes (No confirmed date).

Shipping now: the Ventis ECO-55 ST ($2,200) is the step-top version of the ECO-55 from the same manufacturer, with an 80 lb hopper good for up to 70 hours (Ships in 1–3 days).

All of them are compared in our best pellet stoves guide.

The other no-power option: a wood stove

If firewood is not a dealbreaker, a wood stove gives you outage-proof heat with more output for the money and no feed lever to manage. It vents the same way the GAP2020 does, into a Class A or lined masonry chimney, so the install cost is similar.

• Englander Blue Ridge 100 N ($1,099): 250–1,200 sq ft, up to 75,000 BTU/h peak, 17" logs. A good fit for cabins and single living areas.
• Century Heating FW2900 ($1,599): 500–2,100 sq ft, 20" logs, burns up to 8 hours.

For the full trade-off between the two fuels, see pellet stove vs wood stove, and for remote buildings, our wood stove for a cabin guide. Or browse every wood stove and pellet stove we sell.

Who a non-electric pellet stove is for

• Homes with frequent or long outages that want pellet heat without depending on a generator.
• Off-grid cabins, hunting camps and workshops with no reliable power, where bagged fuel beats hauling and splitting wood.
• Owners who don't mind a hands-on stove. If you want to set a temperature and walk away, buy an electric pellet stove and plan for backup power instead.

Frequently asked questions

Not sure which way to go? Call 1-888-914-0022 and tell us what you're heating and how often the power goes out. Every stove we sell ships with No Sales Tax in any state.