Which method do you use to fill your stove?

when you have premium pellets you do not have to sift, but with these ashens i have to sift out 2-3-4-5-6 cups of fines per bag

I never sift

No sifting here.

Use a Pellet Pail www.pelletpail.com and never sift. It came with a scoop which usually use to transfer the first half of the full pail to the stove. Usually have a few fines in the bottom after dumping the rest of pail in the hopper. I throw those in the can I use for my pellet bags on my next trip to the basement. The Pellet Pail was pricey but it I love it.

Depends. If I just want to top up I scoop
a little from the bin. Have this copper bin that holds 90lbs.

It conveniently resides to the left of the stove.

If the hopper is low enough I'll just dump a bag in.

Never sift but if I find a bag of pellets that have a huge
amount of fines I won't use them just because I can't stand the
nasty dust created when pouring the bag into the hopper.
Thankfully the Cleanfire pellets I bought this year are dust free.

I bought a pellet hopper and have it in the garage. It holds 280# and we fill 5 gallon buckets. It sifts most of the fines out also as it fills the buckets.

I sift the bottom of the bag, get less than 1/2 cup.

No sift here... don't have any dust in the bags.

BushBuck,

How does that Hopper sift out the fines? I am very intrigued with this idea. Where did you purchase?

Doug

Sawduster said:

BushBuck,

How does that Hopper sift out the fines? I am very intrigued with this idea. Where did you purchase?

Doug

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I bought it online at woodheatstoves.com. I searched around and that was the only dispenser type unit I could find. The pellets drop down onto a ramp that the pellets run along. The ramp has holes in it so all the fines drop thru the holes. We didnt buy it to sift the fines, we bought it to fill the buckets, but the sifter sure works good. My 7 and 11 year old daughters have been filling the buckets before I get home and bring them into the house. We bought 8 buckets at home depot and that is about what we go thru a day. My 7 year old can fill buckets without dropping a single pellet on the floor. Its pretty cool. I think it is expensive, but for what we use it for I like it.

No sifting.
My hopper will hold 2 bags.

I open the top cover, take a bag and set it IN the hopper.
Then I reach around to the back bottom of the bag with a small knife and slit from one side to the other, then run about a 12" slit down the bag to the first slit...like an upside down "T".

Then just slowly pull the bag out...very little dust.

Jim

I chose "other" because my pellets are poured into a copper boiler container (that holds 2 bags) that sits near the stove. Then pellets are scooped (with a scoop of course) into the stove as needed. Interestingly, one scoop equals 1 hour of heat on high power.

I have a tote in my basement that holds 3 bags and move it upstairs using 5 gal pails, each pail weighs about 10 lbs loaded so easy for family to do when I am not here. I also have a sap bucket in the room that has another 15 lbs in it just in case the long hike downstairs is too much.
I have run well over a ton through this way and have maybe a cup of fines in the bottom of the tote.

I consider it my exercise. I lug a 40lb bag in from the garage as needed and poor them directly in the stove. No sifting. :coolsmirk:

Thanks BushBuck for your quick response. I think you gave me a great idea to make my own "automatic" sifter I will post picture pictures when I am finished with it.

Sawduster said:

Thanks BushBuck for your quick response. I think you gave me a great idea to make my own "automatic" sifter I will post picture pictures when I am finished with it.

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Your welcome. Now that I have seen this one I am sure I could make something also. The ramp is hinged in the back behind the center feed hole and is held up by two springs in the front. You just push down on the ramp to release the pellets and simply let it go back up to stop dispensing the pellets. Its really a simple design. Let me know how you make out or if you need some close up photos..

We just pour the bag right into the stove.............no sifting here either!

Sifting is sort of like an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If I can help prevent a bound up auger or other maladies by sifting the pellets first to stop from throwing up to a half pound of fines into the hopper bag after bag, it is worth the effort IMO.

i made a pellet sifter out of pvc pipe, I saw the link on here a while back, it works very well. I open the bags on the porch, pour in to a funnel on top of pvc sifter, turn on the shop vac, and it comes out below into a 5 gallon bucket. It doesnt take much longer to sift, and I dont have dust all over my living room. Its just as easy for me to sift a whole bag than just the bottom 1/3 with my set up.

To sift or not to sift: That Lad's is the question...
My answer: I don't sift...I'm a bag dumper for sure!

insuranceman1 said:

I consider it my exercise. I lug a 40lb bag in from the garage as needed and poor them directly in the stove. No sifting. :coolsmirk:

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Same here.

I don't sift, but I like the idea of that pellet hopper. Thanks for the address.

glassman said:

i made a pellet sifter out of pvc pipe, I saw the link on here a while back, it works very well. I open the bags on the porch, pour in to a funnel on top of pvc sifter, turn on the shop vac, and it comes out below into a 5 gallon bucket. It doesnt take much longer to sift, and I dont have dust all over my living room. Its just as easy for me to sift a whole bag than just the bottom 1/3 with my set up.

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Right now I just pour them in, but I am going to be using this same design. I printed out the guide to building this and am going to be making it possibly this weekend. I figure sifting the pellets only takes an extra minute or two and if it helps decrease the chance of jams I'm all for it.

glassman said:

i made a pellet sifter out of pvc pipe, I saw the link on here a while back, it works very well. I open the bags on the porch, pour in to a funnel on top of pvc sifter, turn on the shop vac, and it comes out below into a 5 gallon bucket.

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Me too.