This last heating season there were some lively discussions regarding screening pellets before putting them into the stoves . . . .
Diverse feelings about screening were expressed, ranging from, I would rather clean out a cow barn with a broken shovel to I like to screen my pellets at least twice because it brings me an inner feeling of well being and is good for my stove. ( Yes, I made both of those up
)
Many innovative ideas for screening devices were presented ranging from using kitchen collanders to elaborate devices constructed from PVC fittings and connected to a shop vac.
At the time, I read the threads with great interest, but did not have a digital camera to post snaps of my screening device built during a Thanksgiving weekend before the pellet stove arrived.
That has finally changed.
My screener is faily sturdy, built in two sections (that come apart for easy moving or storage), using 2"x4"s for the frame, and assembled with exterior wood screws, so I could disassemble and tweak it easily if necessary.
The platform that the pellet bags sit on is at a 15 degree angle and will hold one, two, or three bags. Great if I want to mix brands like Maine Woods with LG Granules.
The bags are slit with a utility knife and the pellets travel down over a 1/4" hardware cloth screen which is at a 30 degree angle.
The sawdust and fines go down through the mesh, slide down a Masonite chute, and through an opening into a plastic storage bin.
The cleaned pellets go into a second storage bin. I use a 4 quart feed scoop to transfer the cleaned pellets into a pellet hod.
I do, at times, have to assist the pellets in their travel over the hardware cloth using a 6" wide putty knife.
My friend built a similar screener, but used a 45 degree angle for the screen. The good was that the pellets would travel with no assistance. The bad was that the bags had to be lifter higher (because of the angle of the screen) and because the pellets traveled so fast, any sawdust was likely to be dispersed into the air. I wondered if I would need to incorporate a shop vac because of the dust, but that has been totally unnecessary.
Bottom line: When I clean the stove, the auger area is very clean . . . and . . . . I am one of those who still burns wood in an add-on boiler ( in parallel with the oil furnace), and after many years of burning wood, screening pellets is, by comparison clean, easy, and enjoyable.
Ranger
Diverse feelings about screening were expressed, ranging from, I would rather clean out a cow barn with a broken shovel to I like to screen my pellets at least twice because it brings me an inner feeling of well being and is good for my stove. ( Yes, I made both of those up
) Many innovative ideas for screening devices were presented ranging from using kitchen collanders to elaborate devices constructed from PVC fittings and connected to a shop vac.
At the time, I read the threads with great interest, but did not have a digital camera to post snaps of my screening device built during a Thanksgiving weekend before the pellet stove arrived.
That has finally changed.
My screener is faily sturdy, built in two sections (that come apart for easy moving or storage), using 2"x4"s for the frame, and assembled with exterior wood screws, so I could disassemble and tweak it easily if necessary.
The platform that the pellet bags sit on is at a 15 degree angle and will hold one, two, or three bags. Great if I want to mix brands like Maine Woods with LG Granules.
The bags are slit with a utility knife and the pellets travel down over a 1/4" hardware cloth screen which is at a 30 degree angle.
The sawdust and fines go down through the mesh, slide down a Masonite chute, and through an opening into a plastic storage bin.
The cleaned pellets go into a second storage bin. I use a 4 quart feed scoop to transfer the cleaned pellets into a pellet hod.
I do, at times, have to assist the pellets in their travel over the hardware cloth using a 6" wide putty knife.
My friend built a similar screener, but used a 45 degree angle for the screen. The good was that the pellets would travel with no assistance. The bad was that the bags had to be lifter higher (because of the angle of the screen) and because the pellets traveled so fast, any sawdust was likely to be dispersed into the air. I wondered if I would need to incorporate a shop vac because of the dust, but that has been totally unnecessary.
Bottom line: When I clean the stove, the auger area is very clean . . . and . . . . I am one of those who still burns wood in an add-on boiler ( in parallel with the oil furnace), and after many years of burning wood, screening pellets is, by comparison clean, easy, and enjoyable.
Ranger
To each its own I rekon
