Burning softwood pellets

I've never had to mess with the air setting. My only other tip is DO IT!!

I am a huge fan of softwoods and this year I can't find any local to me.

GrahamInVa said:

As a general rule, does a softwood pellet require more "air"?

Any other tid bits about burning softwood vs. hardwood is appreciated.

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Funny thing is that I heard just the opposite.

I never paid much attention to brand name nor species of wood pellet fuel with our old stove. But after buying a new top-feeder, I figured we should buy an "ultra-premium" pellet, Hamers hot ones. Most say these need a little more air for a complete burn, but they're a hardwood pellet. I've settled on the factory air damper setting for them and it seems to be burning just fine for me. Not sure I'll be buying them again for next season though, since I have noticed more fines than both Somersets and Green Supreme.

Softwoods will need more combustion air. I've just switched to my "good stuff" from a hardwood pellet and needed to open the damper a bit.

When I burned 20 bags of Spruce Pointe, I needed to decrease my feed rate, flame too high.

It is an interesting question. Hardwood and softwood are relative terms. Some softwoods have a higher density then hardwoods. They don't specify the hardwood so it could be popular which has a lower density. My thought is, that if each pellet conformed to industry specs there should be little be little difference in performance. But we all know that there is more or less ash and almost every time you change brands you have to adjust the feed rate and air. What is more likely is that when they leave the plant they within specs. With transportation and movement the specs begin to change. There have been threads about okies from B.C. being bought in ohio, long trips may equal generation of more fines and a change in the moisture content. The number of variables for this product that change with handling would make most of the industry standards void. Perhaps the best test would be to have someone near a plant pickup some bags to burn and have some sent from a couple of thousand miles away and see if the results are the same?

I haven't burned hardwood in a few seasons now. Softwood is where it's at IMO
I didn't make any flu draft changes.

changed my feed rate from factory 3 to 1 with softwoods and still noticing a huge flame even with heat setting on 1 as well... any sugesstions. my high limit is also tripping more frequently.?thanks

A few years back when I first got my 25 epi I tried softwoods, they blackened the glass and were burning so dirty that I called Englander. I was told by an Englander technician to never burn softwood pellets in that stove.

One batch of softwoods I got put out smoke and left a black sticky residue on my glass. Turned the feed rate down 1.5 steps and the burn was back to normal. No more smoke; the build-up on the glass was brown flyash. The batch of softwoods I am burning now I can put the feed rate back to where it was before. With mine if the feed rate is too low the pellet burner doesn't keep up with the heat demand. So that is how I determine where to set my pellet feed rate.