How Do You Open Your Pellet Bags?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

How Do You Open Your Pellet Bags?

  • I cut a slit - somewhere - using a knife, etc.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other - Please explain in your post.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    147
Status
Not open for further replies.
Sting said:
I have since rebuilt this pellet pig trough so I can dump all the contents of the bag with one quick slice of my utility knife

As you can see Joe, it was a first attempt - a trial run if I may just to see what I could do - I am not a professional carpenter or plumber or engineer as some folks here - just a handyman fooling with solid fuel

Now I just shake the bag into my much larger collection chamber, to release the last few bits stuck in the corners - toss it to the ground and repeat to the next bag

I loaded in 2 tons last night - I can do about three bags a minute if the drugs are working!

That's awesome.

I need to design a can crusher with a similar way to feed it.
 
I have been cutting about 6 inches of top off, I lift a bag on my shoulder, and pour it into my vacuum system, that goes right into our metal can we use for dumping into the hopper. My girlfriend says there is way less dust this way when we pour into the hopper.
 
"...I can do about three bags a minute if the drugs are working! "

Just for sake of argument, could you do FOUR bags a minute or TWO bags a minute if those drugs weren't working??? :lol:
 
foldsct said:
I don't grunt.


It's not feminine. :p

I know...and you don't sweat, you "glisten" ;)

And...women don't fart...they "poot", and leave "roses" ;)

I posted my method somewhere else...don't remember where, so here it is again...

My Yankee holds 80lbs So I open the top, grab a bag and set the whole bag in the hopper.
Then I reach around back with my pocket knife and cut a slit from the bottom corner to the OTHER bottom corner, then another quick slit down the back to intersect with the first slit, so it looks like a big, upside down "T". Then I slowly pull the bag out, leaving the pellets behind.

Jim
 
Lobstah said:
foldsct said:
I don't grunt.


It's not feminine. :p

I know...and you don't sweat, you "glisten" ;)

And...women don't fart...they "poot", and leave "roses" ;)


Jim

Well, I wouldn't go THAT far!!! LMAO

I am the president of the CT Nutmeg Miata Car Club, and I do drive a Jeep Gr Cherokee, and I do own my own house and since separating from the man, have to do all the yardwork and stuff.........

Just not into grunting!! But the bags do get open and in the stove, so it's all good......no matter how! :lol:
 
Lobstah said:
Hey...those were meant as compliments!!

LOL

Just please tell me your miata isn't pink... ;)

Jim

LOL Thank you Jim!!

Nope--Miata is FAR from pink---thank goodness!!!

And if I could figure out how to post pics, I would!!! It's a 1994 black and tan.................FAR from pink! :coolsmile:
 
Ladderlieu said:
"...I can do about three bags a minute if the drugs are working! "

Just for sake of argument, could you do FOUR bags a minute or TWO bags a minute if those drugs weren't working??? :lol:

Don't know -- couldn't tell ya -- its been so long

lightningrod.jpg
 
I grab a bag under my arm and carry it to the stove. I open the hopper cover and grab the utility knife which stays on a shelf behind the stove, and cut a slit in the bottom of the back so that the pellets start pouring into the stove. I try to keep the slit small enough so I can control the other end of the bag, which will invariably drop onto the hot stove if I am not careful. I have been dumping in fines and all, and so far, have not seen any problems doing that.
I also made up a fines extractor(similar to some others shown here), but that seems like it may get tired very quickly. A lot of bother for any gain that may be rendered. Dust there or dust at the stove--There is always a little dust. But I HAD to try it.
 
I use a Pellet Pail www.pelletpail.com and love it. Just drop the bag in and lift it out. Holds a full 40 pounds and works like a charm.
 
I had to go with other as I don't open them at all. My husband does. He uses scissors(sp?) And then just pours them straight in. Once in the morning and once at night. I have a bad allergy to the pellets. They swell up my eyes so I don't even have to clean the stove. However I was looking forward to being the keeper of the stove. We started having a soot prolbem yesterday for the first time, using same pellets we started with and he cleaned behind where the baffles are and darned if the stove started running just like the first day we fired it up. :)
 
Thats what we are assuming. Did not have any trouble till we got the stove running. I stopped pouring the pellets into the stove and my eyes were doing better but not completly better. Then first time I emptied the ash pan, the next morning my eyes we almost swollen shut. We got a different pellet last week and have not tried them yet. Hoping they will be different. Weird I know.
 
Lay the bag in the bin edgewise. Take razor knife and slit from edge to edge. All the pellets slide out with no plume of dust. Take the bags and use em for sacks to stuff recyclable plastics in that go to the reclaimer.
 
You guys! The more contraptions you have to dump from this into that the more dust you're going to create and you'd have all over your house. Bag to stove is the way to go. The more the pellets are dumped from this to that and scooped from this thing to that thing, they are getting chewed up and making more dust. Come on. **This isn't meant for those of you who aren't strong enough or well enough to lift the bags.**
 
Too many engineers on this thread..... LOL

I just go for one of the corners and about three inches down, jam my index finger through the plastic and pull upward to the corner point. This is all done outside. Aggressively, I then pour the contents into my pail and let the "dust settle." I then bring the bucket inside and pour the contents into the hopper.
 
I grab, rip and pour. I don't vacuum, sieve, or massage the pellets. Everything goes into the hopper. I reuse the bags when I clean the feline litter box.
 
The wife and I use a pair of scissors on the corner. The only hard thing is balancing a bag on one shoulder and cutting the other bag open. Our hopper holds 2 bags worth. Gotta love the Avalon Astoria :)
 
I go through the middle of the bag with a swift punch, grab a handful of pellets, pull them out, show them to the stove and then throw em in the hopper
 
donkarlos said:
...grab a handful of pellets, pull them out, show them to the stove ...

Priceless!

Thank You! :coolsmirk:
 
I cut a top corner then pour it into a tall kitchen trash barrel next to the stove. then just start scooping it in.
 
I cut the corner of bag with scissors, dump pellets into coal hod,
then dump into hopper. Easy beans
 
I cut open the bag with a pair of scissors, pour the pellets into a home depot bucket and carry them up the stairs to dump in the stove. A home depot bucket holds about 2/3 of a bag.
 
Hey Tinkabranc-

When was the last time you saw a swamp donkey (avatar) on the South Shore of MA?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.