Pellet newbie needs recommendations - thoughts

UltimateMaine said:

I am venturing into the world of a pellets after installing a Lopi AGP insert in March. I have some questions and could use advice. Looking to order 4 tons for the winter. The prices people are quoting seem higher than in southern Maine. Also, a friend swears by Cubex pellets - but I they are hardwood and I thought the idea was to burn softwood. The dealer here is out of Vermont Wood - so not an option (Southern Maine Renewable Fuels). We also have a Jotul Firelight wood stove on the other side of the house - but too much glass windows and house too big to heat it all. The addition of the pellet stove brought warmth to that side of the house and I burn low all night and furnace never kicked on as normal with just the wood stove on low. Interested in thoughts and information.

Pam

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I have no experience with your particular brand stove. I will say that not all stoves are happy burning pellets that another is real happy burning. So the usual advice would be to try before you buy a large quantity of a pellet you have never used before. Be that hard or soft wood. My Harman P 61 burns either very successfully FWIW and in some cases the hardwood does better, like in the Energex brand for instance. Doesn't mean your stove will do the same thing.

Can't speak for Cubex, never tried them. But it wouldn't matter anyway since my stove is a different brand than yours.

Cubex is one of the best brands that I have burned but please do not buy four tons without trying the pellets. A neighbor of mine did get a bad batch of Cubex one year, burned blue and left behind a tar like ash.

I have a Harman Accentra, my father has the same stove and my sister has a lopi insert.

We all bought the same value brand of pellets this year, my sisters stove would not burn the pellets. She had to buy another brand and ended up heating with oil during the shortage. My stove would clink up after about a week and require a thorough scraping, my fathers stove went the entire year without any clink. Same stove, slightly different exhaust path but completely different experience with the same pellets. I even brought him a bag form my stash and no clink. Only difference is that his exhaust run is a few feet shorter than mine.

The best bet when trying a new pellet is to burn one bag and then return to the store and buy in quantity from the same batch if you like the pellets.

I'm a fan of Okanagan.

We tried several bags each of different brands sold locally to see which the stove liked the best. There were a few that were pretty similar and that's what we end up using.

I've heard Cubex are an excellent hardwood pellet, but I burn mostly softwood, and the Cubex were not any cheaper than LG or Crabbé, which are both softwood pellets, about $260 to $270 a ton in mid-Maine.

UltimateMaine said:

I am venturing into the world of a pellets after installing a Lopi AGP insert in March. I have some questions and could use advice. Looking to order 4 tons for the winter. The prices people are quoting seem higher than in southern Maine. Also, a friend swears by Cubex pellets - but I they are hardwood and I thought the idea was to burn softwood. The dealer here is out of Vermont Wood - so not an option (Southern Maine Renewable Fuels). We also have a Jotul Firelight wood stove on the other side of the house - but too much glass windows and house too big to heat it all. The addition of the pellet stove brought warmth to that side of the house and I burn low all night and furnace never kicked on as normal with just the wood stove on low. Interested in thoughts and information.

Pam

Click to expand...

I used Cubex once last year... A whole ton. Worst pellet I've used Okanagon Douglas Fir are the best softwood but insanely expensive! $377/ton in Southern NH. My favorite, and my stove's also, is Maine Woods blend. These are consistently hot and what ash that is produced, is light and easy to clean... However, like some have stated, different stoves like different pellets. So try EM before you buy EM. Do not buy a ton until you try several bags to see how they perform.

good advice on trying before buying .. the AGP stands for all grade pellets so it will be up to your preferences and results, not to mention availability.. will be interested to hear how your lopi performs with differing pellets

+1 for trying many brands first few years. I think I've tried about 10 over the years, and even measure heat output w/ infrared thermometer in addition to seeing how hard each was to cleanup. To get ready for winter and avoid being caught short, you might try 25 bags each of various brands to get to 4 tons.

Also, while I find soft woods burn hot (perhaps 300-500 extra BTU / lb as a guess), I find them messier for cleanup (a personal opinion only) so I no longer use. Also, hardwoods much more plentiful here in PA.

Walk first, see what you like, and run next season with a favored brand or two.