High Ash North American Pellets

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The Other One

The Other One

Member
Jan 28, 2012
75
Western NY
www.youtube.com
I know a lot of people have been asking about these hardwood/softwood blend pellets from Lowes recently. I bought a ton since they were $4 a bag. My St Croix Hastings had been the dirtiest it had ever been since I started to burn these. Black glass often and lots of ash. I was cleaning the stove like crazy and finally employed the leaf blower trick on Sunday afternoon. So this morning (Thursday) around 5AM, my stove was running low on pellets, so I let it run out so the glass would cool and I could wipe the white haze from the glass with a wet paper towel. Well I checked the ash bin and it was completely full. I normally empty it weekly with other pellets and it is less than half full each time. This was full in less than 4 days with only 4 bags of North American Pellets burned. The stove is running perfectly and the flame appearance is identical to that posted in the video on the St. Croix site of a good flame. If you are using these pellets keep an eye on your ash bin more frequently than you usually would so you don't open it up and have a huge overflowing mess one day. Other than the huge amount of ash, I am happy with these pellets as long as I will be using the leaf blower monthly (or sooner).
 
Those North Americans / Currans have been my main pellet for years, only because I can get them real cheap & support my local dealer - they are also regional to me which gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, heh. I do agree that they produce a lot of ash, which is really only my main gripe about them - I have a large ash bin so I normally empty it out on the weekends anyway so it's not too much of an issue for me.
 
First nice price. ;-)

I've found these to leave my glass cleaner than all other brands that I've tried, and I'm crazy for clean glass.
But the ash level is slightly higher than some, but definitely less than some others, with Somersets producing less than others that I've tried (I haven't tried all on that are on my signature for the weather has been too mild).

Having said this, three things appear to be factors (I'm sure there are more, but I'm a newbie, so take my input as just my personal experience) with the different experience users have with a given pellet.

#1 is almost always mentioned=your stove may be different, so try a few bags.

#2 is tuning (optimizing) your stove for a clean/efficient burn, and you mentioned this, so I'm not challenging your ability on this.

#3 is how we each use our stoves, and I have found that I had a very difficult time utilizing the hi/low setting and keeping the stove burning cleanly in mild weather.
My stove with outside temps above 25*F will stay on the low setting almost indefinitely once up to temperature. I had to clean the stove at least every other day, the glass was almost always dirty, the amount of ash was hard to keep up with in my GCI60 insert, inside temperatures got uncomfortably warm when the outside temperature got over 40*F, and I was burning 1.5 bags of pellets a day.

I finally decided to try the automatic setting (which on my stove shuts it off, if the t-stat doesn't call for over 1/2 and hour, but turns the stove on when the t-stat calls for heat).
I have found that unless outside temperatures are less than 25*F my stove will only cycle three times total in a given day/night cycle.
When the stove is running I have the heat setting at #3 of #5, and it is always burning very cleanly with almost any pellet that I have tried.
I can easily go over a week without needing to clean (the glass every three days, but I love clean glass), the amount of ash produced is so much less that its hard to believe it until you see it, inside temperatures are very constant and comfy no-matter what the outside temps are, and I'm now burning 1/2 to 3/4 of a bag a day depending on the pellet brand used, and the outside temperature.

I have read that this puts strain on the igniter, but I will take my chances for the performance, and lack of maintenance.

Be aware that my house is relatively new, and well insulated, so this allows me to take advantage of the automatic setting without the continual cycling that others have experienced.

I bring up factor #3 to point out that I can have a favorable opinion about a higher ash pellet because I can burn these without issues because of how I use my stove, but others that run high/low and 24/7 will most likely want a low ash super clean burning pellet, and may never have a favorable opinion on these same pellets.

I hope this helps,

1D
 
1Dtml said:
First nice price. ;-)

I've found these to leave my glass cleaner than all other brands that I've tried, and I'm crazy for clean glass.
But the ash level is slightly higher than some, but definitely less than some others, with Somersets producing less than others that I've tried (I haven't tried all on that are on my signature for the weather has been too mild).

Having said this, three things appear to be factors (I'm sure there are more, but I'm a newbie, so take my input as just my personal experience) with the different experience users have with a given pellet.

#1 is almost always mentioned=your stove may be different, so try a few bags.

#2 is tuning (optimizing) your stove for a clean/efficient burn, and you mentioned this, so I'm not challenging your ability on this.

#3 is how we each use our stoves, and I have found that I had a very difficult time utilizing the hi/low setting and keeping the stove burning cleanly in mild weather.
My stove with outside temps above 25*F will stay on the low setting almost indefinitely once up to temperature. I had to clean the stove at least every other day, the glass was almost always dirty, the amount of ash was hard to keep up with in my GCI60 insert, inside temperatures got uncomfortably warm when the outside temperature got over 40*F, and I was burning 1.5 bags of pellets a day.

I finally decided to try the automatic setting (which on my stove shuts it off, if the t-stat doesn't call for over 1/2 and hour, but turns the stove on when the t-stat calls for heat).
I have found that unless outside temperatures are less than 25*F my stove will only cycle three times total in a given day/night cycle.
When the stove is running I have the heat setting at #3 of #5, and it is always burning very cleanly with almost any pellet that I have tried.
I can easily go over a week without needing to clean (the glass every three days, but I love clean glass), the amount of ash produced is so much less that its hard to believe it until you see it, inside temperatures are very constant and comfy no-matter what the outside temps are, and I'm now burning 1/2 to 3/4 of a bag a day depending on the pellet brand used, and the outside temperature.

I have read that this puts strain on the igniter, but I will take my chances for the performance, and lack of maintenance.

Be aware that my house is relatively new, and well insulated, so this allows me to take advantage of the automatic setting without the continual cycling that others have experienced.

I bring up factor #3 to point out that I can have a favorable opinion about a higher ash pellet because I can burn these without issues because of how I use my stove, but others that run high/low and 24/7 will most likely want a low ash super clean burning pellet, and may never have a favorable opinion on these same pellets.

I hope this helps,

1D
Click to expand...

I bought NA's a while back. Lower ash than the FU's I burn now. And yes the window was cleaner.
 
1Dtml said:
First nice price. ;-)

I've found these to leave my glass cleaner than all other brands that I've tried, and I'm crazy for clean glass.
But the ash level is slightly higher than some, but definitely less than some others, with Somersets producing less than others that I've tried (I haven't tried all on that are on my signature for the weather has been too mild).

Having said this, three things appear to be factors (I'm sure there are more, but I'm a newbie, so take my input as just my personal experience) with the different experience users have with a given pellet.

#1 is almost always mentioned=your stove may be different, so try a few bags.

#2 is tuning (optimizing) your stove for a clean/efficient burn, and you mentioned this, so I'm not challenging your ability on this.

#3 is how we each use our stoves, and I have found that I had a very difficult time utilizing the hi/low setting and keeping the stove burning cleanly in mild weather.
My stove with outside temps above 25*F will stay on the low setting almost indefinitely once up to temperature. I had to clean the stove at least every other day, the glass was almost always dirty, the amount of ash was hard to keep up with in my GCI60 insert, inside temperatures got uncomfortably warm when the outside temperature got over 40*F, and I was burning 1.5 bags of pellets a day.

I finally decided to try the automatic setting (which on my stove shuts it off, if the t-stat doesn't call for over 1/2 and hour, but turns the stove on when the t-stat calls for heat).
I have found that unless outside temperatures are less than 25*F my stove will only cycle three times total in a given day/night cycle.
When the stove is running I have the heat setting at #3 of #5, and it is always burning very cleanly with almost any pellet that I have tried.
I can easily go over a week without needing to clean (the glass every three days, but I love clean glass), the amount of ash produced is so much less that its hard to believe it until you see it, inside temperatures are very constant and comfy no-matter what the outside temps are, and I'm now burning 1/2 to 3/4 of a bag a day depending on the pellet brand used, and the outside temperature.

I have read that this puts strain on the igniter, but I will take my chances for the performance, and lack of maintenance.

Be aware that my house is relatively new, and well insulated, so this allows me to take advantage of the automatic setting without the continual cycling that others have experienced.

I bring up factor #3 to point out that I can have a favorable opinion about a higher ash pellet because I can burn these without issues because of how I use my stove, but others that run high/low and 24/7 will most likely want a low ash super clean burning pellet, and may never have a favorable opinion on these same pellets.

I hope this helps,

1D
Click to expand...

Very well stated, This is so true that 'how (auto/off -vs- high/low) you use your stove is going to directly reflect your view of a pellet's performance.
 
I think that these pellets are working good now that I have thouroghly cleaned the stove, but when I started using them, that was when I had a problem with needing to clean. I do think evry stove is different. I like the pellets now. I mostly just wanted to alert all of the high ash content since it certainly surprised me this morning and if I would have waited another day, I would have a mess to clean up. I would buy this again. I don't mind pulling the ash draw. More fertilizer for my 6 acres.
 
There is one other point about the way I'm utilizing the automatic feature on my main stove that I should have mentioned, for I use a programmable thermostat to control my stove in a very efficient way. I have the t-stat timers set with a go on temp, and a lower maintain temp as follows: 4.00am=74*F, 8.00am=69*F, 2.00pm=74*F, and 10.00pm=66*F.

As I mentioned I am fortunate to have a very tight home, so after the stove heats the house up to 74*F on temp, the off 66-69*F temps allow the stove to remain off until the next time that the 74*F on temp comes up on the t-stat timer.

I experimented with when, and how long the t-stat settings needed to be that worked best while keeping the home temperatures comfy, and keeping the amount of stove cycling down to a minimum.

I also have the t-stat set to 2* swing, which probably helps somewhat as well.

These settings have worked to outside temps down to about 25*F for two cycles, but more cycles will be required when true cold hits.
;-)

1D
 
If you are worried about burning out your igniter, here is a cheap fix. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/89736/#1101167

Also, I don't think my stove shut off at all in the time I mentioned. When I was having the cleanliness issue, I was between igniters and had rewired my stove to constantly pilot instead of shutting off with the thermostat. That was probably part of the cleanlines issue as well. I forgot about that.
 
The Other One said:
If you are worried about burning out your igniter, here is a cheap fix. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/89736/#1101167

Also, I don't think my stove shut off at all in the time I mentioned. When I was having the cleanliness issue, I was between igniters and had rewired my stove to constantly pilot instead of shutting off with the thermostat. That was probably part of the cleanlines issue as well. I forgot about that.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the link. :coolsmile:

1D
 
1Dtml said:
The Other One said:
If you are worried about burning out your igniter, here is a cheap fix. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/89736/#1101167

Also, I don't think my stove shut off at all in the time I mentioned. When I was having the cleanliness issue, I was between igniters and had rewired my stove to constantly pilot instead of shutting off with the thermostat. That was probably part of the cleanlines issue as well. I forgot about that.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the link. :coolsmile:

1D
Click to expand...

The GCI60 doesn't use a cartridge igniter. Its using a torch igniter and even from the manu its still very pricey! The torch igniters use an air pump and the heat from this to produce a torch like flame to ignite the fuel. All multifuel units use higher wattage igniters to ignite the tougher fuels. Here's a link to the torch! FYI only.

http://www.farnam-custom.com/air_heaters/heatTorch075.php
 
j-takeman said:
1Dtml said:
The Other One said:
If you are worried about burning out your igniter, here is a cheap fix. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/89736/#1101167

Also, I don't think my stove shut off at all in the time I mentioned. When I was having the cleanliness issue, I was between igniters and had rewired my stove to constantly pilot instead of shutting off with the thermostat. That was probably part of the cleanlines issue as well. I forgot about that.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the link. :coolsmile:

1D
Click to expand...

The GCI60 doesn't use a cartridge igniter. Its using a torch igniter and even from the manu its still very pricey! The torch igniters use an air pump and the heat from this to produce a torch like flame to ignite the fuel. All multifuel units use higher wattage igniters to ignite the tougher fuels. Here's a link to the torch! FYI only.

http://www.farnam-custom.com/air_heaters/heatTorch075.php
Click to expand...

Thanks Jay,
Is the page you sent on the link the actual one needed for the M55/GCI60 insert?

FWIW, I'm not in need of one now, and it would be under warranty (I hope) if I did.

1D
 
1Dtml said:
j-takeman said:
1Dtml said:
The Other One said:
If you are worried about burning out your igniter, here is a cheap fix. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/89736/#1101167

Also, I don't think my stove shut off at all in the time I mentioned. When I was having the cleanliness issue, I was between igniters and had rewired my stove to constantly pilot instead of shutting off with the thermostat. That was probably part of the cleanlines issue as well. I forgot about that.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the link. :coolsmile:

1D
Click to expand...

The GCI60 doesn't use a cartridge igniter. Its using a torch igniter and even from the manu its still very pricey! The torch igniters use an air pump and the heat from this to produce a torch like flame to ignite the fuel. All multifuel units use higher wattage igniters to ignite the tougher fuels. Here's a link to the torch! FYI only.

http://www.farnam-custom.com/air_heaters/heatTorch075.php
Click to expand...

Thanks Jay,
Is the page you sent on the link the actual one needed for the M55/GCI60 insert?

FWIW, I'm not in need of one now, and it would be under warranty (I hope) if I did.

1D
Click to expand...

Pretty sure the M55/GCI60 use the same igniter as the Omega/Maxx M. I think your electrical is good for 2 years, maybe 3.
 
I have been burning North Americans for about two weeks now. I see the ash and heat as slightly better than MWP and NEWP but very similar. However, my burnpot turns brick red after burning them....I wonder what that is????
 
Man this this thread got derailed fast, first it's about NA's then about ignitors!!, Ignitors are for LAZY WIMP's! .....well the ASH KING is GT!!
Worst ASH i've ever seen in 13+ years of burning~~~~!!!!
 
IHATEPROPANE said:
I have been burning North Americans for about two weeks now. I see the ash and heat as slightly better than MWP and NEWP but very similar. However, my burnpot turns brick red after burning them....I wonder what that is????
Click to expand...

My burn pot turns that nice orange/red color as well....weird. These NA pellets do produce alot of ash for me as well but, the heat they put out is nice.
 
It looks like you guys and gals are burning some of the same stuff, soooo
DBCOOPER said:
What are the temps that you get?
Click to expand...

Keep in mind this is my stove using an infrared heat recording device, so these recordings can be used as a temperature differential gauge at best based on my stove's ability to burn a given pellet, and my ability to optimize (tune) for the cleanest burn:

These readings are taken from a warm stove with the heat range set at #3 out of #5.

Somerset: 289*F, very little ash, fairly clean glass, little carbon build up, no clinkers.
Instant Heat: 237*F, bunch of ash, dirty glass, some carbon build up, on clinkers, did not like to burn at low settings.
Green Supreme: 261*F, double the ash of Somerset, fairly clean glass, little carbon build up, no clinkers.
Stove Chow: 265*F, over double the ash of Somerset, dirty glass, some carbon build up, no clinkers.
American Wood Fiber (AWF): 279*F, less than double the ash of Somerset, fairly clean glass, some carbon build up, no clinkers.
North American Pellet: 270*F, double the ash of Somerset, very clean glass, little carbon build up, no clinkers.
Maine Wood Pellet (MWP): 276*F, less than double the ash of Somerset, fairly clean glass, little carbon build up, no clinkers.

Triple D Dried Cherry Pits: I found that at a ratio of 10% CP to 90% Pellets the CP would add 5-10*F temp to the burn without needing to tune the flame. At higher ratios than this the temperature reduced dramatically because I didn't tune the flame. A higher ratio of Cherry Pits also made loud popping sounds as the CP go through the auger, and when the agitator rod activates, so it wasn't worth it to me to tune the flame for best results. No extra ash, or carbon build up was observed with the lower ratio.

All the above temperatures were measured on my GCI60/M55, but the Enviro Maxx stove recorded temperatures that were consistently lower by 5-8*F for anyone that is curious for comparison purposes.

I have yet to try any of the other pellets that are on my signature, for the weather has been too mild to waste the super-premium pellets (I just add some Cherry Pitts for some extra heat if needed).
*Note that I just picked up the Green Teams recently, so that is the reason that I haven't tested the GT yet, not that I expect GT to perform in the super-premium pellet range.
 
Pellet-King said:
Man this this thread got derailed fast, first it's about NA's then about ignitors!!, Ignitors are for LAZY WIMP's! .....well the ASH KING is GT!!
Worst ASH i've ever seen in 13+ years of burning~~~~!!!!
Click to expand...

I hope not I just got a bunch, and have yet to try the famous GT.

No not like Instant Heat, for I couldn't get rid of those fast enough. :p

1D
 
Thanx for the burn temps on those pellets, 1Dtml :coolsmile: Wish I could get some of those Somersets up here in Cow-Hampshire :coolgrin:
 
EviLScotsMaN said:
Thanx for the burn temps on those pellets, 1Dtml :coolsmile: Wish I could get some of those Somersets up here in Cow-Hampshire :coolgrin:
Click to expand...

Always more than happy to share. :cheese:

Somerset are very good pellets, and burn hot and clean, but it has been too warm most of this winter to burn them.
That's ok I'm saving the Somersets for colder days.

1D
 
Pellet-King said:
Man this this thread got derailed fast, first it's about NA's then about ignitors!!, Ignitors are for LAZY WIMP's! .....well the ASH KING is GT!!
Worst ASH i've ever seen in 13+ years of burning~~~~!!!!
Click to expand...

Yep! We go the way of the wind. You should know that by now! And then you come along with info on the GT's. Hmmmm!
 
1Dtml said:
Pellet-King said:
Man this this thread got derailed fast, first it's about NA's then about ignitors!!, Ignitors are for LAZY WIMP's! .....well the ASH KING is GT!!
Worst ASH i've ever seen in 13+ years of burning~~~~!!!!
Click to expand...

I hope not I just got a bunch, and have yet to try the famous GT.

1D
Click to expand...

Ahh, Pay him no never mind. His stove doesn't have the tunability of ours. After all its an antique, No? hehe!

Gt's did very well in mine(great heat and a tic more ash than a topshelf pellet). NA's were about average in ash, But fell slightly short in the heat dept.
 
j-takeman said:
NA's.......fell slightly short in the heat dept.
Click to expand...

Fell WAY short in my "test". I'd buy them if the price was way cheap....like $150/ton.....no more.
 
i like NA's very much, I found them to burn much hotter than I expected and my glass too stayed spotless for over 48 hours before a little bit of ash started to build up. Yes there's a lot of ash, but also no fines and or dust in the bags, and the pellets are small in size witch makes them burn hotter.
 
Jay, It's all about Endurance!!
I cleaned my stove Sunday it's Friday am and it's really full, GT is very very ashy, but it's a clean ash, no clinkers and glass wipes off with a snot rag
 
j-takeman said:
1Dtml said:
Pellet-King said:
Man this this thread got derailed fast, first it's about NA's then about ignitors!!, Ignitors are for LAZY WIMP's! .....well the ASH KING is GT!!
Worst ASH i've ever seen in 13+ years of burning~~~~!!!!
Click to expand...

I hope not I just got a bunch, and have yet to try the famous GT.

1D
Click to expand...

Ahh, Pay him no never mind. His stove doesn't have the tunability of ours. After all its an antique, No? hehe!

Gt's did very well in mine(great heat and a tic more ash than a topshelf pellet). NA's were about average in ash, But fell slightly short in the heat dept.
Click to expand...

It's all good Jay, and yuph "tuning," and how you use your stove is what it is all about.
I've learned that when you tune the stove for optimal burn, and can run your stove at higher heat settings ("how you use your stove") you can get satisfactory results out of most brands, so most brands are much the same. But dealing with the mess of more ashy pellets while trying to run your stove on a low heat range most of the time (my situation using high/low) now that can get frustrating.

>:-(

1D
 
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