Pellets sourced from hardwood flooring scraps

I think Turman and Cubex are.

Out here on the west coast about all we see are Douglas fir and sometimes Pine pellets

Bear Mountain and Golden Fire are two Prominent fir pellets and there are a few brands of Pine that show up from time to time. The only hardwood stuff is the barbeque pellets and they are Bloody well too spendy to heat with.

I have bought horse bedding pellets (Pine) a time or two when the regular fire pellets were out of stock.

During the off season I will buy odds and ends at garage sales etc for cheap and stick in the pellet stack.

Early this winter I bought an Older Whitfield with 1/2 ton of pellets. Paid $250 for the lot.
Sold the stove two days later for $300 and kept the half rack of pellets for myself.


Good luck with the hardwood stuff.

Snowy

It doesn't have to be just floor scraps. All it has to be is a controlled fiber from in house mill workings of many different products. There quit a few Wood working companies that have an on site pellet mill or one in there possession. They are only using wood by products that are made from there wood working scrap's.

Anderson has a pellet from milling scraps and so does Ozark Hardwood products. C&C Smith Lumber makes the Wood Pellet Co. Hassel and Hughes makes a decent pellet from there by products. Cubex is also Northern and Comfort brands made by Lauzon wood products. Kentucky Kernel is another hardwood floor by-product.

There are several mills in the west that also have a controlled by product making consistent pellets. Okanagan is made from saw dust and planer shavings from the 2 x 4 industry.

I am sure there are many more. And IMO it seems a better quality pellet comes from a controlled fiber source. Hard to make a consistent product when the fiber isn't always consistent and has variables.

Just my 2
jay

nectardan said:

I really like the pellets that I have tested so far that are sourced from hardwood flooring scraps. They seem to burn the best in my pellet stove, and the product seems to be very consistant. I have tried the Somerset and Barefoot brands so far. Are there any other pellet brands that are sourced from hardwood floor scraps?

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Penn Wood Pellets

http://www.pennwoodproducts.com/dpellets.html

Country Boy which are produced in southern Kentucky. Within 100 miles or so from Somerset.

I think the AWF pellets are from hardwood floor excess

Bingo! You guys are right on.
Wood pellets that are produced by companies that have their own sources of raw materials are always going to be superior pellets. Period!
Here is why.
Take Hamer's, Barefoot, Cubex, Turman, Kentucky Kernal and Somerset to name a few. These companies all have their own sources of raw materials that they use in their pellets. Most of them have sawdust that comes off of lumber that has been kiln-dried, therefore the moisture content is already to a minium. Moreover, when the wood is planed and sawdust is produced, there is a collection system that takes the dust immediately into a silo where it is then hammered into pellets. This is HUGE! Because this ensures that the sawdust is never exposed to the outdoor elements. Furthermore, there is no bobcat or payloader scooping up piles of sawdust off of a gravel lot like some companies do. God knows what crap the buffoon operating the loader is scooping up on a Monday morning battling a long-weekend hangover! And because their sawdust quality never changes, their pellet quality never changes. You will always get awesome pellets with these manufacturers.
Now....lets take a look at companies like Appling County, Inferno, Maine Woods or New England Wood Pellet(probably the 4 biggest violator in the wood pellet industry)
These companies are sawdust whores. They will buy sawdust from anywhere and turn it into pellets- no questions asked. They will produce tons and tons of pellets without a care as to the quality. They will do this because by the time there is a problem that is recognized and their product gets a bad rap, they have already changed the label and found other avenues of selling the same pellet to unsuspecting consumers. Here is an example. New England Pellet used to be one of the best pellets up until about 5 years ago. They grew as a company and started buying up all the crap-sawdust that was cheap bhut this resulted in topsoil-pellets. Absolutely garbage. So when the gauntlet began to swing and customers began to get pissed, they changed their label several times. New England became Warm Front and now it is sold under a secret label called Clean Fire (by woodpellets.com). This way, they can market the same crap pellet without the customers becoming aware.
Bottom line....Want great pellets?....You need to start with great raw materials.
I tip my hat to you folks in this thread. Your insight to the wood pellet industry is impressive. Stay warm.

BTU said:

jtakeman said:

It doesn't have to be just floor scraps. All it has to be is a controlled fiber from in house mill workings of many different products. There quit a few Wood working companies that have an on site pellet mill or one in there possession. They are only using wood by products that are made from there wood working scrap's.

Anderson has a pellet from milling scraps and so does Ozark Hardwood products. C&C Smith Lumber makes the Wood Pellet Co. Hassel and Hughes makes a decent pellet from there by products. Cubex is also Northern and Comfort brands made by Lauzon wood products. Kentucky Kernel is another hardwood floor by-product.

There are several mills in the west that also have a controlled by product making consistent pellets. Okanagan is made from saw dust and planer shavings from the 2 x 4 industry.

I am sure there are many more. And IMO it seems a better quality pellet comes from a controlled fiber source. Hard to make a consistent product when the fiber isn't always consistent and has variables.

Just my 2
jay

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Jay this is the reason some pellets are GREAT and some just so so or even garbage...it really is that simple...if the pellet mill is getting their fibre from multiple sources, chances are it's not a very good pellet. If they are putting any bark in the product, it's probably not a very good product. If there is just one common factor with all the better pellet brands out there, it will be that they usually only get their fiber source from one (maybe two) places and have done so for a long time.

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btu so whats up with the bayou pellets then . it looks like they have one source of saw dust from wood products they make . they are not a great (or even good) pellet .

Smilejamaica....Like i said above..."If you want great pellets, you need to start with great raw materials." That is not to say that just because a company has their own sawdust it is good sawdust.

Insider said:

Smilejamaica....Like i said above..."If you want great pellets, you need to start with great raw materials." That is not to say that just because a company has their own sawdust it is good sawdust.

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good point

nectardan said:

slvrblkk said:

Penn Wood Pellets

http://www.pennwoodproducts.com/dpellets.html

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Thanks! Never heard of them, and they are only 45 minutes away. Do they allow pick-ups at their mill or only at stores? How much do they usually cost?

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They were $225 a ton but that was two years ago. They burned real good for me. I bought them at the Cozy Barn in Wind Gap.

Insider said:

Bingo! You guys are right on.
Wood pellets that are produced by companies that have their own sources of raw materials are always going to be superior pellets. Period!

Now....lets take a look at companies like Appling County, Inferno, Maine Woods or New England Wood Pellet(probably the 4 biggest violator in the wood pellet industry)
These companies are sawdust whores. They will buy sawdust from anywhere and turn it into pellets- no questions asked. They will produce tons and tons of pellets without a care as to the quality. They will do this because by the time there is a problem that is recognized and their product gets a bad rap, they have already changed the label and found other avenues of selling the same pellet to unsuspecting consumers.

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And that is why all future pellet burning stove purchases should be made with the unit's ability to burn lower grade pellets in consideration. There is only so much of the "nice" stuff being produced out there, and it commands a more premium price (as expected, its like buying mid grade or super intead of regular gas). Its good to burn the good stuff (and the same could be said outside of burning pellets): less cleaning, higher heat outputs per pound, you don't have to adjust the stove constantly due to varying quality bag to bag. That being said, sometimes all that is availiable to people (whether it be due to supply, or one's wallet) is the higher ash pellets. You can't really fault those companies, as they are filling the need for your basic mass merchant pellet product. I agree everything will work better burning a good pellet, but I'll also agree that 300 a ton gets a little pricey buyin' top shelf all the time on a generic brand income... the temptation to say "forget it" and burn oil kicks in at that point for some folks.

summit said:

Insider said:

Bingo! You guys are right on.
Wood pellets that are produced by companies that have their own sources of raw materials are always going to be superior pellets. Period!

Now....lets take a look at companies like Appling County, Inferno, Maine Woods or New England Wood Pellet(probably the 4 biggest violator in the wood pellet industry)
These companies are sawdust whores. They will buy sawdust from anywhere and turn it into pellets- no questions asked. They will produce tons and tons of pellets without a care as to the quality. They will do this because by the time there is a problem that is recognized and their product gets a bad rap, they have already changed the label and found other avenues of selling the same pellet to unsuspecting consumers.

Click to expand...

And that is why all future pellet burning stove purchases should be made with the unit's ability to burn lower grade pellets in consideration. There is only so much of the "nice" stuff being produced out there, and it commands a more premium price (as expected, its like buying mid grade or super intead of regular gas). Its good to burn the good stuff (and the same could be said outside of burning pellets): less cleaning, higher heat outputs per pound, you don't have to adjust the stove constantly due to varying quality bag to bag. That being said, sometimes all that is availiable to people (whether it be due to supply, or one's wallet) is the higher ash pellets. You can't really fault those companies, as they are filling the need for your basic mass merchant pellet product. I agree everything will work better burning a good pellet, but I'll also agree that 300 a ton gets a little pricey buyin' top shelf all the time on a generic brand income... the temptation to say "forget it" and burn oil kicks in at that point for some folks.

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Yes, The multifuel stoves will burn just about any pellet. Harmans bottom feeders do a decent job with the iffy brands as well. But the high quality pellet still produces the best results in these stoves too. If you don't mind emptying the ash pan and the extra cleaning. The iffy brands can save you a buck or 2. Thats why I bought my Omega. If pellets hit the roof and I can't always afford the primo stuff. I can burn what is somewhat more affordable. My only grrrr moment is when a pellet producer has put standard grade pellets out on the market and is charging a premium price for them. If there sub standard the price should be less IMO.

The PFI standards are about to change for us. Not sure what they have planned as they never returned my email to them. They are supposed to have a standard that is easier for the end user to determine what is best for there stove. Curious on what the standards will be. I also would like to see random spot check's added, Instead of the self policing policy. Keep them on there toes as some do really need it. I found some sub par stuff in my testing. So maybe we need our own police force to watch them. I for one am not afraid to blow a whistle if I find a sub standard brand. If you put premium on the bag, it should be premium in the bag!

If you put premium on the bag, it should be premium in the bag!


X1000!!

I had just purchased a ton of Turmans. They burn hotter and cleaner then anything else that i have burned. Much less ash or dirt on the door and I lowered the feed rate on the stove because they burned so hot. Highly recommend them.

good topic.

the pellet mills that have their own raw material will be the only ones in business in a few years. and I bet if you ask your local dealers, who has the best prices on pellets, yes it will be the pellet companies that have a sawmill or a flooring mill. There also is a lot to be said about a good CONSISTENT pellet.

tractorman100 said:

I think the AWF pellets are from hardwood floor excess

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AWF pellets definatley buys all of their raw material, and it does not come from hardwood floor scraps.

thing is, "premium" pellets are defined as below 1% ash by weight, and there can be a world of difference between .5% ash and 1% ash. Also, some ash deposits are more dense than others. When we decide how much ash there is, almost all of us do it volumetrically, in other words, we look at the bin and decide its full....most of us dont actually weigh it to determine its weight.........

Lousyweather said:

thing is, "premium" pellets are defined as below 1% ash by weight, and there can be a world of difference between .5% ash and 1% ash. Also, some ash deposits are more dense than others. When we decide how much ash there is, almost all of us do it volumetrically, in other words, we look at the bin and decide its full....most of us dont actually weigh it to determine its weight.........

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I guess I get carried away when I test my different brands. I check volume and weight. I found a few brands that had more than 1% ash by weight(bags had the PFI premium label). I personnaly feel a better eye needs to be kept on some of these mills.

Some of use will burn a less than premium grade pellet. But it would have to be at a reduced cost to the end user. Not just a few dollars either.

Anybody hear what the new PFI standards might be?

Well, don't we have a dance in the pansy patch. I have rarely seen so amny superlatives stuck in so few postings on this forum. Fact is, there is a place for all grades and quality of pellets. As others have already stated multi-fuel stoves are great conpensators. Also, pellets are themselves, a by-product. They are often salvaged from other productions sources and sometimes (as in the case of Rocky Mountain and some others) conservation of diseased and dead trees. It truly is a myth to claim the only good pellets are virgin pellets. For those who work at pellet plants, I would take exception to the negative characterizations of those who operate and work at the plants. I get all my pellets from sources that get their "cellulose" from different sources. They burn fine and in some cases exceed the most expensive and elitist of the ones often referred to above and in other threads. I pay substantially less for them because of the ecologically oriented owners and operators that I seek out for their products. Their burning quality and efficiency of conversion to heat are the same as any you would like to compare. Ash does not dictate the burn efficiency, but has a variety of reasons. Dryness is a factor, but using mill cuttings from kiln dried wood only is not practical, they don't hold together, you have to have more moisture than the very low levels of mill-spec lumber. Those who claim the elite status of the "very best" should watch the pedestal they are standing on, it has happened before and the fall is really terrible.


For those into what is the best, it's the one that meets ALL your expectations and leaves some money in your pocket.

You can quote me and argue your points against mine, but I stopped this last Fall. I have no interest in arguing with another industry "Insider" that thinks we are all dummies and don't know anything, but I sure can remember their favorite brands and quickly take them off my list of options to buy.