okies......lots of ash in this batch

BTU said:

The Radiator said:

Just started getting into the half ton of okie's I have. These are one of the dustiest pellets I have burnt. The wife has already started with the comments. Funny odor to them too. They burn good though, ash so far hasn't been an issue, just the dust. Oh well, I'll keep dumping them in the hopper.

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If you are having some dust issues, pour them in slower to your hopper, will cut down the dust quite a bit I understand.......

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Other things can help with the dust too. I try to only fill when the stove is off or turned down to low. The convection fan will blow dust every where. Or make yourself a pellet vacuum. There is a thread here on it. Can be made for less than $20 bucks.

IMHO several of the dense brands have dust issues. I just learn to cope with it.

Wife tell's me to dump them in my coal bucket in the porch, that would mean 3 trips per bag, live with it!, best is dump very slowly, Stow Chow has very little dust, Natures heat has alot, Instantheat has low dust too, maybe we should start a thread on who has the least/most dust/fines.

Actually I fill 2 coal hods in the garage now. I don't care about dust there. Pouring dusty pellets into the stove is another matter. If I poured these okies in any slower there wouldn't be any in the hopper. I have put a number of brands thru my stove and these are very dusty. A vac would do the trick but if I have to start that, I really don't want to go there, too much work IMHO. I think I'll just fill the stove when the boss isn't looking and have a dust cloth close by.

The Radiator said:

A vac would do the trick but if I have to start that, I really don't want to go there, too much work IMHO. I think I'll just fill the stove when the boss isn't looking and have a dust cloth close by.

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Well, thats another way, But still involves work! hehe Hope she doesn't catch ya! :cheese:

guys gotta be easy on BTU here: Okies are a great pellet, very consistently good. I do find some more fines in them than others, but they get shipped a long way to get here, so there is more handling involved. Other than a little dust, its hard to find too many better pellets out there. For example: in this economy, we are still selling regular loads of Okies, even though local pellets can be had DELIVERED for 85 $ less than our price for Okies. That says something about the quality and reputation. Not to say there couldn't be a couple bad pallets of Okies out there, but I'd say some one is having stove issues if they can't burn a bag of okies in it before I'd believe there is an unusable batch of Okies out there.

Havlat: BTU knows his stuff, and he has the sack to come on this forum and put his entire ID out there for people to know, and as such he is out there as a reliable source of info on not only his specific brand, but the industry as a whole. He puts himself out there to answer questions and resolve issues in his free time: Quit acting like a Drunk Canadian playin a game of men's league hockey tryin to pick a fight.

I think some people, including myself, have developed some unrealistic expectations of some pellet brands. Therefore, there is bound to be disappointment. Burn a really ashy, dirty pellet and you'll do a happy dance with some of the pellets people are complaining about. I burned a bag of pellets I had from last year that made my stove look like it was puking up ash, and the Barefoots I was a little disappointed in look pretty good to me now. I am not saying people should be satisfied with an inferior product, but to expect perfection isn't realistic either.

Cant get Oaks here, only Presto-logs(lig WV plant) 219 ton or AWFs at 253 ton wally world has natures heat leftovers with enough packing tape on the bags to stop a bullet for 230 ton.

I have noticed a reduction in quality perhaps due to less demand for lumber,poor storage.

BTU said:

newf lover said:

I think some people, including myself, have developed some unrealistic expectations of some pellet brands. Therefore, there is bound to be disappointment. Burn a really ashy, dirty pellet and you'll do a happy dance with some of the pellets people are complaining about. I burned a bag of pellets I had from last year that made my stove look like it was puking up ash, and the Barefoots I was a little disappointed in look pretty good to me now. I am not saying people should be satisfied with an inferior product, but to expect perfection isn't realistic either.

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Needless to say, we take this very seriously…and want to know what is causing this all of a sudden. Here it is New Year’s day and my mill manager, mill supervisor, VP of Sales and my President are all on this and samples will be sent from various sources where we have pellets stored for third party analysis first thing Monday morning.

Sounds to me too high of finished pellet moisture content which is in contravention of what are QC tests are telling us. This is why I want to send two samples to a third party lab. We have sold over 10,000 tons to other customers and have not heard one single complaint. It’s odd but to be very honest the only complaints we ever get are Isolated to shipments on the East coast not that they are not justified but there has to be a reason we are missing here. We will figure out what it is.

If you have had a serious problem with this, please contact me…..

Douglas Middleton
Okanagan Pellets
480-419-6792
[email protected]

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I've burned your products for the last 3 years (at least a ton a year). I also burn 2 other brands (North Idaho Energy and Atlas Premium). I have returned to these brands year after year because of the consistency and overall value. I am seeing that this year in my two stoves that the Westwoods are giving me more ash than the other two brands. In years past this wasn't the case. Now this could be that your products are higher in ash this year or the other two are lower. I also want to point out that I do have a thermometer set up on one of my stoves and I do keep weekly records of the air temp coming from this stove to track overall performance. The Westwoods are still the hottest of the three.......just like years past.

Finally, the difference in ash isn't a lot. My downstairs stove gets the Westwoods as it has more area to heat. I don't usually need to clear the ash pan until I'm into my second ton with that stove. This year I was about 35 bags before I needed to clear it out. Maybe 10 bags or so earlier than last year.

I hope this helps.

BTU said:

newf lover said:

I think some people, including myself, have developed some unrealistic expectations of some pellet brands. Therefore, there is bound to be disappointment. Burn a really ashy, dirty pellet and you'll do a happy dance with some of the pellets people are complaining about. I burned a bag of pellets I had from last year that made my stove look like it was puking up ash, and the Barefoots I was a little disappointed in look pretty good to me now. I am not saying people should be satisfied with an inferior product, but to expect perfection isn't realistic either.

Click to expand...

Needless to say, we take this very seriously…and want to know what is causing this all of a sudden. Here it is New Year’s day and my mill manager, mill supervisor, VP of Sales and my President are all on this and samples will be sent from various sources where we have pellets stored for third party analysis first thing Monday morning.

Sounds to me too high of finished pellet moisture content which is in contravention of what are QC tests are telling us. This is why I want to send two samples to a third party lab. We have sold over 10,000 tons to other customers and have not heard one single complaint. It’s odd but to be very honest the only complaints we ever get are Isolated to shipments on the East coast not that they are not justified but there has to be a reason we are missing here. We will figure out what it is.

If you have had a serious problem with this, please contact me…..

Douglas Middleton
Okanagan Pellets
480-419-6792
[email protected]

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Doug,

How are the folks at Southern Maine Renewable Fuels doing, you could always call or email Bob and see if they have had any issues, at least I know they store inside.

Been away from the forum for a while and just finished reading this thread.......

Just finishing up burning last year's Okies (about 30 clear bags), This comes after burning about a ton of this year's Greene Teams.

The okies are a bit dusty with some fines but no big deal, just burns as fuel in my stove. This year's Greene Teams are very consistant compared to last year's BUT alot more dust and fines than last year and heat output is not as hot as the Okies.

Cleaning my stove after 1-2 weeks of Greene Teams...very dirty glass and cleaning the firebox walls/heat exchanger was difficult;lots of scrubbing and the carbon in the firepot was tough. Ash pan about 3/4 full.

Today I cleaned after a full 2 weeks of last year's Okies....complete cleaning took only half the time of this year's Greene Team (and yes, I cleaned every 1-2 weeks on those as well)and I was not covered in soot when done. The glass was still fairly clean, much cleaner than Greene Teams. There was more ash in the pan than Green Teams, but so what....

I have not tried any of this years Okies, but if they are a bit dusty and have a bit of ash, but also burn hot and easy to clean, then isnt that the point to burning? Nothing is perfect. Had I been able to get the deal I got on the Spruce Points (VERY similar to Okies), I would have been happy to have bought 3 ton of Okies this year.

Just my 2 pennies. YMMV

edit: Just as newflover mention, I too can get too picky. Trying to just go with the flow a bit more...if its warm in here and the oil monster aint runnin, then I'm good with that.

This is my second year burning pellets. Last year I burned mostly AWF. They seemed good ,but had only a few comparisons to judge. This year okies came to Long Island and I was happy to see what my insert could really put out . I hate to say this but I'm really disappointed with these pellets. I can deal with the dust and fines because I just figured that was the nature of the beast. They don't burn any hotter than AWF or clean fire (green bag) They fill the ash pan once a week just like the others. They smell dirty, not like pine that I read about. I've tried changing the settings to no avail. The stove is cleaned once a week. Don't get me wrong , they burn and throw out heat ,its just I expected better performance from a super premium pellet. I have a Harman Accentra insert so any help or insights would be appreciated. I've burned about 40 bags of okies so far.



Thanks, Bill





Harman Accentra insert 8/09 install

This will be our 3rd season with a pellet stove. We have tried at least 25 different brands of pellets in this time frame but have not been able to try the Oakies until now because they simply have not been available in our area. We now have a dealer who is going to carry them on a regular basis, and I purchased 5 bags to give a try. I got a super price last spring on Barefoots and purchased 2 tons. They put out good heat but there is more ash than we wanted, and a small problem with clinkers in the burnpot no matter what adjustments could be made. On to the Oakies - We did a complete cleaning of the stove after emptying out the hopper of Barefoots and refilling with Oakies. Our experience is that they burn a lot hotter than any of the other brands we have tried with the exception of Blazers which are no longer available either. Ash is WAY down and the burnpot is as clean as it was before we started the test. Bear in mind that we are still playing with feed and damper settings to get the hottest burn and least ash, but WOW, what a difference. We have not noticed that there are a lot of fines, and the pellets have a nice pine smell. A considerable drop in pellet use when checking the hopper from previous nights burns. We are really pleased with these pellets, and have ordered 2 tons which should be delivered later today according to the dealer. These are in the 'new' white bag from what I understand. Will use the 25 or so bags left of the Barefoots, or mix them 50-50 with the Oakies until they are gone, but from what we have seen so far we are going to be Oakie only customers from now on. They are a little more per ton, but I guess that 'You get what you pay for' seems to be the case for us when it comes to these pellets. Thanks to BTU for getting these pellets available in our area.

Uh Oh! :bug: I am getting my new Harman XXV installed next week. Based on all the prior rave reviews of Okanagan pellets, I ordered two tons figuring it was a no brainer. They are now sitting in my garage. I hope I don't have the same issues as the other posters in the North East.

blues said:

Cant get Oaks here, only Presto-logs(lig WV plant) 219 ton or AWFs at 253 ton wally world has natures heat leftovers with enough packing tape on the bags to stop a bullet for 230 ton.

I have noticed a reduction in quality perhaps due to less demand for lumber,poor storage.

Click to expand...

Blues, I'm down I-70 in Wheeling. How are this seasons Presto's? Local Lowes has 'em. Hated the previous ones I tried.

I am burning both Hamers and Barefoots this year. Both seem to be producing more ash and clinkers than last year. In fact, I don't remember EVER having a clinker last year (just barefoots). The ash is different too. It's like sand. I have tried to adjust the stove but still get the clinkers. Plenty of heat, just have to clean once per day now rather than pnce per WEEK last year.

Could there be some cosmic anti-pellet force out there? Sun spot activity? It seems too many stove types, people types, areas and pellet brands having similar issues....

Rokal said:

Uh Oh! :bug: I am getting my new Harman XXV installed next week. Based on all the prior rave reviews of Okanagan pellets, I ordered two tons figuring it was a no brainer. They are now sitting in my garage. I hope I don't have the same issues as the other posters in the North East.

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I wouldn't be too worried, I am on the east coast and the okies are a pure joy compared to other pellets we have used. You just need to sift out the bottom part of the bag if you want to exclude the sawdust. But to me, this is much easier then cleaning up after dirty pellets. Last year it would take at least two to three times the time to clean up the clinkers and mess that the barefoots made in our stove. I bought okies for first time this year and have no reason to change or complain!

Panhandler said:

blues said:

Cant get Oaks here, only Presto-logs(lig WV plant) 219 ton or AWFs at 253 ton wally world has natures heat leftovers with enough packing tape on the bags to stop a bullet for 230 ton.

I have noticed a reduction in quality perhaps due to less demand for lumber,poor storage.

Click to expand...

Blues, I'm down I-70 in Wheeling. How are this seasons Presto's? Local Lowes has 'em. Hated the previous ones I tried.

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Well to be frank, I'm not impressed with them. Heat is above average, but ash/fines are excessive, yesterday went to HD they were down to 177 a ton. Good shoulder pellet or a mix pellet. AWF is a better pellet.

What brands do you use??

I wouldn't think twice about burning Okies. I have 2+ tons of Barefoots on hand and they don't even come close to heat output this year as the Okies. I have to turn my stove up and burn through more pellets with the Barefoots. Not sure what happened to there pellet this year but overall I'm really dissatisfied. As for the Okies, YES they are dusty but can be dealt with. They also burn much cleaner with less ash then the Barefoots. As for other brands I really can't comment on since I am only burning Barefoot with Okies here and there for the season.

Rokal said:

Uh Oh! :bug: I am getting my new Harman XXV installed next week. Based on all the prior rave reviews of Okanagan pellets, I ordered two tons figuring it was a no brainer. They are now sitting in my garage. I hope I don't have the same issues as the other posters in the North East.

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They are crap, you are screwed. To be nice, I'll give you $100 per ton if you deliver, $50 if I have to pick up.

:coolgrin:

Hot_h20 said:

Rokal said:

Uh Oh! :bug: I am getting my new Harman XXV installed next week. Based on all the prior rave reviews of Okanagan pellets, I ordered two tons figuring it was a no brainer. They are now sitting in my garage. I hope I don't have the same issues as the other posters in the North East.

Click to expand...

They are crap, you are screwed. To be nice, I'll give you $100 per ton if you deliver, $50 if I have to pick up.

:coolgrin:

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LOL. Thank you for the very generous offer. You are a nice guy.

At a super premium price of $285/ton for Okanagan, I would expect them to live up to the hype as a super premium pellet. As a first time pellet stove owner, I don't want to start off battling issues with dust, ash, fines, clinkers, yada, yada, yada.

I also bought a ton of Stove Chow at $168/ton. I figured I would start burning these once I am comfortable burning the good stuff. I would be less surprised if I had these issue with the Chow.

BTU said:

newf lover said:

I think some people, including myself, have developed some unrealistic expectations of some pellet brands. Therefore, there is bound to be disappointment. Burn a really ashy, dirty pellet and you'll do a happy dance with some of the pellets people are complaining about. I burned a bag of pellets I had from last year that made my stove look like it was puking up ash, and the Barefoots I was a little disappointed in look pretty good to me now. I am not saying people should be satisfied with an inferior product, but to expect perfection isn't realistic either.

Click to expand...

Needless to say, we take this very seriously…and want to know what is causing this all of a sudden. Here it is New Year’s day and my mill manager, mill supervisor, VP of Sales and my President are all on this and samples will be sent from various sources where we have pellets stored for third party analysis first thing Monday morning.

Sounds to me too high of finished pellet moisture content which is in contravention of what are QC tests are telling us. This is why I want to send two samples to a third party lab. We have sold over 10,000 tons to other customers and have not heard one single complaint. It’s odd but to be very honest the only complaints we ever get are Isolated to shipments on the East coast not that they are not justified but there has to be a reason we are missing here. We will figure out what it is.

If you have had a serious problem with this, please contact me…..

Douglas Middleton
Okanagan Pellets
480-419-6792
[email protected]

Click to expand...

Maybe you get more complaints on the east coast because your pellets cost 50+% more here than in the west.

I get confused by you sometimes too...
One minute Okies are pricey because they are the best pellet money can buy, the next minute it's only due to shipping.
One minute you say there is no way you could have a moisture problem, the next you are rushing to retest product.
One minute you value customer feedback, the next you tell a customer to stop complaining about dusty pellets and pour slower, the next you are basically saying easterners are a bunch of whiners.

I have said this before, sometimes you provide useful info here... and sometimes you just sound like a guy trying to sell us something.

BTW, any relation to the Middleton Lumber folks here in the northeast?

blues said:

Panhandler said:

blues said:

Cant get Oaks here, only Presto-logs(lig WV plant) 219 ton or AWFs at 253 ton wally world has natures heat leftovers with enough packing tape on the bags to stop a bullet for 230 ton.

I have noticed a reduction in quality perhaps due to less demand for lumber,poor storage.

Click to expand...

Blues, I'm down I-70 in Wheeling. How are this seasons Presto's? Local Lowes has 'em. Hated the previous ones I tried.

Click to expand...

Well to be frank, I'm not impressed with them. Heat is above average, but ash/fines are excessive, yesterday went to HD they were down to 177 a ton. Good shoulder pellet or a mix pellet. AWF is a better pellet.

What brands do you use??

Click to expand...

Got lucky this spring with 2 ton of Greene Gold (first time I have seen these, made in Garrards Fort, PA) at $188 per ton. Also got an early buy at Tractor Supply of Hardwood Heat at $204 I think. HH have a little more ash, but good. Not much choice around here, no stove shops that sell pellets, actually only one stove shop period.

Where in Canada are Okanagan's made? Must be western part since it cost more to ship to the Eastern US (New England). Funny, when I think of Canada I think of a 4 hour ride north from me...

BTU said:

richkorn said:

Where in Canada are Okanagan's made? Must be western part since it cost more to ship to the Eastern US (New England). Funny, when I think of Canada I think of a 4 hour ride north from me...

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Okies are made in BC Canada, about 2900 miles away from you....so just a tad over a 4 hour ride ........

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Not if he uses a rocket powered pellet car. ;-)

don't laugh, there is some guy in this neck of the woods who converted is old bronco over to a cord wood gasifier.