Newbie to all of this and need advice

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shelby2001

Member
May 7, 2011
12
Central MA
After my father and I research pellet stoves for 6 months we both finally agreed on the Harman Pi35 he got free standing and I got the Insert. Well we thought a pellet is a pellet and didn't research this. Sadly 2 days after our pellet stoves were both installed my father suddenly passed away, so I am doing the pellet research on my own for both myself and my mother and this site has been so informative to me I thank you all for you expertise and wealth of knowledge. I have narrowed my choices down to 3 and would like imput on these. I am using the PI 35 insert to heat a 2000 sq ft home.

My choice are as follows:

New England Wood Pellets from the Jaffery NH location for $235 a ton plus delivery
Okies for $249 a ton including delivery
Barefoot for $284 a ton plus delivery


I am still a little confused between hardwood, softwood and mixed blend (still researching this) but what would you choose if give these choices and why?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Shelby
 
shelby2001 said:
After my father and I research pellet stoves for 6 months we both finally agreed on the Harman Pi35 he got free standing and I got the Insert.

Last time I looked, the PI35 is an insert - NOT a free-stander. What did your father get?

Well we thought a pellet is a pellet and didn't research this. Sadly 2 days after our pellet stoves were both installed my father suddenly passed away, so I am doing the pellet research on my own for both myself and my mother and this site has been so informative to me I thank you all for you expertise and wealth of knowledge. I have narrowed my choices down to 3 and would like input on these.
I am using the PI 35 insert to heat a 2000 sq ft home.

In central Mass? I think you may be disappointed. That insert is rated at 35K & has no heat exchanger... 35K's not enough for your home - even if it is tight & well insulated. IMHO, you'll be hard pressed to heat half, but I don't know what your interior layout is.

My choice are as follows:

New England Wood Pellets from the Jaffery NH location for $235 a ton plus delivery
Okies for $249 a ton including delivery
Barefoot for $284 a ton plus delivery

I am still a little confused between hardwood, softwood and mixed blend (still researching this) but what would you choose if give these choices and why?

I would stay away from the NEWP. You'll find a LOT of griping around these parts about the quality, tho the Harman units are more forgiving when it comes to fuel quality...
The other 2 have many supporters here.
I'd contact www.woodpellets.com & see what kind of pricing they're getting. They are also gonna offer financing options & if you buy early, you may get FREE delivery. I've burned their hardwood for the last two winters & other than lots of fly ash, no complaints. Their softwood blend burned great in my P43, but they're changing suppliers for that product & this year's stuff will probably burn differently...
Towards the end of winter I tried a product from www.logik-e.com. It's a hardwood blend with .25% ash & THAT seems cleaner than the woodpellets hardwood. I may go that way next winter, but their web site doesn't even LIST pellets...


Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Shelby
 
Welcome to the Forum Shelby.. You came to the right place for good help

Harman makes a very good product. They will burn pretty much anything you throw at them, because of there bottom feed burn pot. As far as pellets go. Always try a few bags before you buy a large amount. Dont want to be stuck with Junk. Every stove and application is different (vent, alltitude,sq ft) So what may work well for one, may not for another.

Have heard nothing but good things about Okies (except some complaints for "Smell"), so if I were to pick one of the 3 listed "Without" burning them, it would be the Okies.
NEWP. Some people swear by them, others not so much. Either way, I hear they are getting better.
Barefoot is a solid pellet also, but would still do a try before you buy.

Good luck. There are much bigger Pellet Heads out there, that can give you better advice on the 3. But many will still say to try some. Even if you have to run with the windows open, just to see the ash content and heat they throw off. We ran our stove every night for the last 4 nights before bed. Still a little chilly here in Northern Ohio. Gettin ready to do the "Full Cleaning" on the stoves for the end of the season.
 
Sorry to hear about your dad!

One of the things we suggest here is "try before you buy". To see how your stove seems to like/dislike them. Have you tried any of these brands?

Softwoods tend to be dense and you need to adjust for them. Less pellet feed or more air to comp for the density. Softwoods generally contain less ash than a hardwood pellet and produce more heat on average overall.

Hardwoods are not generally as dense(some of the elites are just as dense as softwoods) so you don't get quite as much heat. Because there less dense there somewhat easier to adjust in stoves with minimal adjustment. Hardwoods tend to be scarce and eratic during fiber shortages. Quality hardwood fiber is sometimes harder to find, So the quality can vary.

Blends are somewhere in the middle and offer the burner an in between. 80/20 and 60/40 blends are about the normal.

Overall, I think personal preference prevails in the pellet hunt. What I like in my stove doesn't always fit the next persons needs. Another reason for the trial and error of pellet testing. You have to get a feel for them and know what's good in your stove!

One thing I like to do is use the shoulder season for the less expensive brands(that might not give as much heat) and Use the more expensive in the cold weather. Only do this if you know the pellets and are sure the more expensive actually gives more heat than the less expensive brands. I have seen some of the less expensive brands produce as good of heat output compared to some of the pricey brands. But basically without trials its a crap shoot.

On to the suggestions.
The NEWP price seems decent and they have been a decent middle of the road pellet. For the money factor I would at least consider them.

Okies produce nice heat and are one of the cleaner brands out there. But remember they need to be adjusted for(because of the density) and some stoves might burn rich with them.

Barefoots produce nice heat as well. Just wee bit more ash than the Okies in my testing. I have heard of limited quanities available(fiber shortage) for this season. So we "may" see some batch variation. Limited quantities also generally raise prices. They have been a good upper level pellet for me, But that cost seems a bit tough to bear! Unless these were the absolute ticket in your stove? I would have to pass. Just to much $$$ IMHO.
 
When we put the stove in middle of March the stove dealer gave us option #1 which I can say middle of March not being as cold or snowy as Janaury & February here in MA the stove ran non stop until the weather warmed up in April we went through 1/2 a ton in that month time period. This makes me very nervous? As for trying out different brands I need to purchase a few tons now as the price is only going to go up between now and fall I have read all of your concerns regarding that. I will do a few different brands once fall gets here but like I said I would like to purchase 2 to 4 tons now before the prices go up even further I'm worried that come fall the pellets will all have increase quite a bit a ton which for some might not be a big deal but with 2 young teenage girls the oldest one getting her license in the fall I'd like to save what I can the car insurance is going to kill me. The house was built in 1936 but I should note we also have a wood stove in our addition so the pellet stove is only doing the 2000 sq ft of the main first floor and second floor wood stove supplements the sq footage for the addition and has done a great job there for the last 4 years . I guess it will be trial and error for the first few years and we will find what does work best for us just wanted opinions from seasoned veterans who have already done some trial and error.
 
First, welcome to the forum Shelby. Great people here, and lots of good info too.

Secondly, very sorry to hear about your dad....my condolences.

As for the pellets, since the delivery is included, I think the Oakies are the "no brainer" pick in this instance. Load-up with as many tons as you possibly can afford/store....the prices are just going to keep rising, I think.

Average house uses around 3 tons a winter, although last winter most people used about 25% more.
 
Shelby, Sorry about your Dad. I would go with the Okies at those prices. Smell a little funky and the heat from the last batch I bought were slightly less than previous bags, but they are much better performer than the NEWP. Barefoots are a good pellet but not that much, if at all, than the Okanagans. Jtakeman is the man and as he says try before you buy, but if you are not in that position get one ton of Okies and one ton of Barefoots and see what transpires. Best of luck.

Schoondog
 
So sorry for you and your Mom's loss.
Whatever pellet you try, you might want to consider getting ones that have not been stored outside. I've heard so many complaints about good pellets with odors. I know a supplier of Oakies who told me about some shipments he knew of that had odor. His did not. He keeps all pellets inside. Just my 2 cents.
 
So sorry to hear of your loss, all our prayers.

I subscribe to the "Try some and see aproach"

All pellets are not equal for sure.

Good luck with the new stove.

Snowy
 
Shelby, thanks for sharing your story, sorry for your loss.

First off, pellet stoves and fuel options have never been better. You started off with a great stove...though I'd like to see the freestanding model, if your Dad got the p35i. That stove isn't available in a freestanding unit...perhaps you both got Accentra's?

Either way...if it is a Harman and it's new...you've done well. Harman uses a horizontal feed system (bottom feeder) which burns just about any pellet with good results. Additionally, Harman stoves can store a lot of ash and have a very high user tolerance. You can run these things pretty dirty and they still perform.

I'll let everyone else speak for the pellets themselves.

Again, welcome.
 
Pyro you are correct in the free standing my dad got the Harman P43 and I did get the P35i insert. I think we are going with 2 tons of Okie's and 2 tons of Barefoot and keep my fingers crossed that the house will be at 70 degrees. Thanks all for the condolences
 
shelby2001 said:
Pyro you are correct in the free standing my dad got the Harman P43 and I did get the P35i insert. I think we are going with 2 tons of Okie's and 2 tons of Barefoot and keep my fingers crossed that the house will be at 70 degrees. Thanks all for the condolences

She called me pyro....whooooooohaahahhhahahahahahahahaahahahahah!

pic_heatmiser.jpg
 
shelby2001 said:
Oh my goodness I am so sorry I guess I was having a bad day yesterday but love your photo.

You need not worry shelby2001, Scott wears that title with pride.
 
You already have a dictionary of info posted. I just wanted to tell you I am so so sorry about the loss of your dad. Not sure what kind of stuff you believe in, but I'm rooting for him goin someplace nice where we can keep one eye on that pellet stove in the sky and the other eye on you guys. I wish you and your family all the best moving forward.
 
Shelby2001 I add my condolences to the passing of yor father.

I think you will love the Okies. The Barefoots are good also. Nice decision.
I wish I could get some Okies for that price delivered!
 
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