briansol
Minister of Fire
Even my POS burns everything. lol dump it all in. I make an effort to get everything out of the bag. Been doing this for 3 years and never had an issue with it burning.
What do you use to sift out fines from your pellets?
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arnash
New Member
I can't see the logical connection between dust in the hopper and dust in the house unless you release a cloud of dust when filling the hopper. Nothing that goes into the burn pot is released into the house or else along with dust there would be plenty of smoke. You can't get one without the other.
abrucerd
Member
I tried sifting for about half a season... and then I came to my senses. There was no difference in heat or performance when I did, so I just let the stove do it's thing.
Plus, you get some nice sparks when the sawdust lights up!
Plus, you get some nice sparks when the sawdust lights up!
Jeffrey nash
New Member
LOL, I'm glad I just found this thread. I'm a brand new newby and I just spent 3 hours shifting a bag of Maine's choice I bought at one of the box stores and I got,NOW THIS IS NO JOKE, 5" s of fines in a 5 gallon bucket that went through my spaghetti strainer. I drilled a bunch of 1/4 inch holes in the thing cause the fines were all through the bag, top,middle,and bottom. Thought I had a bad bag but opened another one and its the same thing. Thanks for letting me off the hook. Thought I was going to be spending hours shifting these bags.
On a good note I did buy 3 brands and have only found the issue in the Maine's choice. The cubex and okanogan's have been great with minute amounts in each and they all burn good so no harm no foul.
By the way...what is the real definition of fines? Saw dust or 1/8" to 1/4" and below? Oh well it does not matter now...I don't have to screen them anymore...lol
Jeff
On a good note I did buy 3 brands and have only found the issue in the Maine's choice. The cubex and okanogan's have been great with minute amounts in each and they all burn good so no harm no foul.
By the way...what is the real definition of fines? Saw dust or 1/8" to 1/4" and below? Oh well it does not matter now...I don't have to screen them anymore...lol
Jeff
tinkabranc
Minister of Fire
On the 5th winter with my XXV and have never bothered sifting the pellets.
Burn em if you got em..LOL
Burn em if you got em..LOL
Xena
Minister of Fire
If I had t sift then that pellet isn't for me.
Buy quality and no sifting required.
Dump it all in and rock n roll.
Buy quality and no sifting required.
Dump it all in and rock n roll.
Well thanks to imacman. I finally got my sifter up and running. (I know some disagree) But I have to clean the hopper about once a month due to a Fines build up. Besides the $25 it took to build it, I dropped and broke my phone 2 days ago, while trying to take a pic of the progress. So add $50 for ins replacement also. LOL still worth it
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Northeaster2010
Member
ironpony
Minister of Fire
woodsman23
Minister of Fire
If you have to sift then pellet burning is not a gift... oh well i tried. If i have to sift pellets then i'm going back to propane or wood. There is no way on this palnet i'm sifting pellets.....
One persons trash is another persons treasure. Does not take as long to build device as one would think. Also does not take long to "sift" the pellets. It sits right outside the pellet crib in the basement, so its on the way. Cuts the dust down 100% (6.5 hp gets it done w/ hepa filter& fine filttration bag) Anyone who owns a pellet stove knows the dust that comes along with one, is astronomical! So to each there own, but the Quads spring style auger (not solid) lets all the fines stay at the bottom of the hoppper. A screw and cylinder set-up would prob eat them for seasons on end without a problem. For the time it takes me now to "sift" the pellets for a months worth, would be the same time spent cleaning the inside of the hopper once a month. And to fully clean the bottom, I have to suck the fines and some pellets out with vacuum. So the conclusion.... Well.. I like it and I am no longer throwing pellets away. I will still clean the hoppper. But now only once a year. (end of season)
Honestly you guys are right....most stoves will burn the fines without a problem. But before I built my pellet vac, like Mac has, no matter how slow I poured a bag in my quad..the living room would get dusty. It still does but vacuuming them has definatly helped....I know..I clean. It took 1 hour and 20$ to make and I can vac a bag in 90 seconds....(give or take a second or 2). AND when Im trying to get rid of shoulder season pellets. I dump in at the same time with good pellets and it blends them up nice!! Yes I might have to much time on my hands but at least its not being used on cleaning the livingroom. Besides...there is a beer fridge beside the pellet vac :>)
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
Only sifting(more like screening. I catch the fines for show and tell) is for testing. Otherwise there "heat and fireworks" with the Omega. Same for the Breckwell I had. I might vac ther hopper once in a while. My quad was a dumper too, But I did vacuumed the hopper more often.
Could not agree more. The time spent "sifting" is marginal. And some people's sickness is worse than others. It takes a special breed to just burn pellets. I have friends at work that think I'm crazy because of the things I do for heat. Even with the money I save ($thousands), they still think its easier "there way". So all in all, we all spend more time than normal heating our homes. Isn't that why your here now? (on this forum)watrskir said:
www_godzilla
Member
My Quadrafire Sante Fe burns the fines perfectly. I just dump the pellets in the hopper and let the wood pellets heat my home.
Whenever I do my weekly cleaning,I make sure I vacuum the hopper and the auger too.
If you clean your stove when you are supposed to and do a good job at it....your stove shouldn't have a problem with the fines.
Whenever I do my weekly cleaning,I make sure I vacuum the hopper and the auger too.
If you clean your stove when you are supposed to and do a good job at it....your stove shouldn't have a problem with the fines.
this is what I did also. Once a month. Takes the same time either way. Once the bottom of the auger fills up, the flame starts getting smaller. Auger can no longer grab as many pellets. I may hate it in a week. But its still like a new toy. And I LIKE IT!www_godzilla said:
Centurion
Member
Backstreet, I used this when I had a stove. Take a look at the link below. It worked very well with pellets and the price is very reasonable. If you buy it, remove the top screen for pellet use. Now that I use a boiler I made a large bin that is faster.
http://www.corncleaning.com/
http://www.corncleaning.com/
ironpony
Minister of Fire
[quote author="watrskir" date="1298606396"]Honestly you guys are right....most stoves will burn the fines without a problem. But before I built my pellet vac, like Mac has, no matter how slow I poured a bag in my quad..the living room would get dusty. It still does but vacuuming them has definatly helped....I know..I clean. It took 1 hour and 20$ to make and I can vac a bag in 90 seconds....(give or take a second or 2). AND when Im trying to get rid of shoulder season pellets. I dump in at the same time with good pellets and it blends them up nice!! Yes I might have to much time on my hands but at least its not being used on cleaning the livingroom. Besides...there is a beer fridge beside the pellet vac :>)[/quote]
critical information which was not disclosed in the original dicussion
critical information which was not disclosed in the original dicussion
FordMastertech
Feeling the Heat
I throw in what ever is in the bag in the stoves hopper and the AE burns it up with no problems. I clean the hopper out at the end of the season and there is not too much fines in the bottom of it.
If I thought the bag the pellets came in would burn with out messing up the stove or making too much of a stink out side it would go in the hopper too.
If I thought the bag the pellets came in would burn with out messing up the stove or making too much of a stink out side it would go in the hopper too.
joescho
Feeling the Heat
That's the one for me
Simple, and low tech.
The only down side I can see is I can see me chasing some pellets that fall on the floor.
That's the one for me
Simple, and low tech.
The only down side I can see is I can see me chasing some pellets that fall on the floor.
It actually works well, the fines fall into a regular metal trash can and then you just tilt it and pour out the pellets!
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
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