Big box store Pellet comparing! List and mini review!

[mnkywrnch]

Definitely continue. You'll be helping people just by pulling together information about what's in the big box stores. What exactly do you want from us? Brand names of pellets at the stores and their prices?

I fail to see the point of all this. Aren't there starving children in Africa we could be devoting our time and effort to?

Yes there are,but dont forget about the starving kids in the U.S and CANADA...................

 

[jtakeman]

Definitely continue. You'll be helping people just by pulling together information about what's in the big box stores. What exactly do you want from us? Brand names of pellets at the stores and their prices?

I fail to see the point of all this. Aren't there starving children in Africa we could be devoting our time and effort to?

Yes there are,but dont forget about the starving kids in the U.S and CANADA...................

I will try to do my part at keeping one at least Feed and Warm.

 

[mnkywrnch]

Definitely continue. You'll be helping people just by pulling together information about what's in the big box stores. What exactly do you want from us? Brand names of pellets at the stores and their prices?

I fail to see the point of all this. Aren't there starving children in Africa we could be devoting our time and effort to?

Yes there are,but dont forget about the starving kids in the U.S and CANADA...................

I will try to do my part at keeping one at least Feed and Warm.[/quote
same here jay,just trying to get by like everyone else.

 

[odlaw]

[quote author="jtakeman" date="1254890545Read My disclimer and post #6 at the bottom.

How often are the mills sampled?

I am auditioning local pellets for myself. Just sharing the results.


jay[/quote]
Sorry if I came off negative and skimmed over post #6 but my point is that I think someone else might have completely different results. I am looking forward to your results and will compare to my own observations. I have only been burning for 4 seasons but I do know that one of my favorite pellets the first two years was also one of the crappiest pellets last year.
My understanding is that the mills aren't sampled as we tend to think. They submit a sample to some local lab and then forward the results to the Pellet institute a couple times a year. It is my contention that all one really needs to do is pay for the membership of the PFI and then you can put the logo on your bag. Maybe we could start are own consumer group and sell the rights to our certified logo. What do you think. PUG or PCG pellet users group or pellet consumers group.

 

[swalz]

I just went to Home Depo and Lowes to get some more test stock. Lowes was interesting. the gentlemen was nice but miss informed. Ah there all the same he said. I said I don't think so and laughed. They had Tidy Timbers and Prest O Logs. I put 2 bags of each in to the carriage. And headed to the check out. He followed and Started saying there getting a Southern Pellet in next week. Supposed to be the hottest pellet they have gotten. And it's a softwood. I asked the brand and He didn't know. Said he did talk to the area rep and He is bosting about the heat out put. I rambled off some names(rocky mountain-eco flame-ect.) He looked puzzled and said you know more about these than me. I laughed again and said there all the same! Ha! His mouth hit the floor. I am still chuckling.

jay

The Softwood pellets are most likely Potomac Pellets, I picked up 4 Tons, my choices were the Potomac's or Pennington's. They received the Pennington Pellets the day I was picking up my last 2 tons. The Potomac's are yellow pine and seem to burn OK, only have burned 2 bags the last couple of weeks to take the chill off at night. The ash is light and pushes out of the burn pot easily, seems to be a little more ash than normal not sure about the heat yet.

 

[jtakeman]

Read My disclimer and post #6 at the bottom.

How often are the mills sampled?

I am auditioning local pellets for myself. Just sharing the results.


jay

Sorry if I came off negative and skimmed over post #6 but my point is that I think someone else might have completely different results. I am looking forward to your results and will compare to my own observations. I have only been burning for 4 seasons but I do know that one of my favorite pellets the first two years was also one of the crappiest pellets last year.
My understanding is that the mills aren't sampled as we tend to think. They submit a sample to some local lab and then forward the results to the Pellet institute a couple times a year. It is my contention that all one really needs to do is pay for the membership of the PFI and then you can put the logo on your bag. Maybe we could start are own consumer group and sell the rights to our certified logo. What do you think. PUG or PCG pellet users group or pellet consumers group.

I didn't think you were negative, I was just making sure you read my notes.

I would love to see PFI do spot check. Random sampling. This way the mills would be on there toes per say. There isn't any guide lines to how they are inspected or how anything is enforced. No regulations as far as I can see. But anything that would be enfforced probably would raise the price of pellets. We don't need that!

I don't no if we even need to police any of this. If there is some bad product out there and The news hits here(this group). We all tend to stay away or proceed with caution. So I figured I would throw this in to the mix. Maybe a few pellet newb's can see how we check and compare. I might even learn a few things in the process. But it all started as just seeing what the bigbox stores carried and how they stacked up against each other.

I we could start a voluntary group to spot check the mill and send the samples to PFI or independent lab? That may help! A consumer group would be neat to. But Do we all have the time to volunteer our service??

Lets start with this. See how many people come aboard. If we sample and test in the same manor. Take accurate temps and save the ash in the same way. But I do agree 100% that a controlled test in a lab would be a lot more accurate than anything I could do with limited testing equipment.

Thanks for your insite.
jay

 

[jtakeman]

I just went to Home Depo and Lowes to get some more test stock. Lowes was interesting. the gentlemen was nice but miss informed. Ah there all the same he said. I said I don't think so and laughed. They had Tidy Timbers and Prest O Logs. I put 2 bags of each in to the carriage. And headed to the check out. He followed and Started saying there getting a Southern Pellet in next week. Supposed to be the hottest pellet they have gotten. And it's a softwood. I asked the brand and He didn't know. Said he did talk to the area rep and He is bosting about the heat out put. I rambled off some names(rocky mountain-eco flame-ect.) He looked puzzled and said you know more about these than me. I laughed again and said there all the same! Ha! His mouth hit the floor. I am still chuckling.

jay

The Softwood pellets are most likely Potomac Pellets, I picked up 4 Tons, my choices were the Potomac's or Pennington's. They received the Pennington Pellets the day I was picking up my last 2 tons. The Potomac's are yellow pine and seem to burn OK, only have burned 2 bags the last couple of weeks to take the chill off at night. The ash is light and pushes out of the burn pot easily, seems to be a little more ash than normal not sure about the heat yet.

Thanks for the tip on the brand he was refering to and the comments on there performance. I will keep an eye out for the Potomac's and try to purchase 2 bags.

jay

 

[chrisasst]

hey, can you compare pellets with different stoves used.

 

[jtakeman]

hey, can you compare pellets with different stoves used.

To try to keep things equal or close. I would think it should be in the same stove. I guess that could be debated and considered?

jay

 

[SXIPro]

hey, can you compare pellets with different stoves used.

To try to keep things equal or close. I would think it should be in the same stove. I guess that could be debated and considered?

jay

Indeed. The less variables the better.

 

[jtakeman]

hey, can you compare pellets with different stoves used.

To try to keep things equal or close. I would think it should be in the same stove. I guess that could be debated and considered?

jay

Indeed. The less variables the better.

But, If I can't find some brands. Some info is better than nothing. You need to take temps and save all the ash after 2 bag burn. Put the ash in a Mason jar(1 qt). Go to next brand and do same.

I am measuring the hot air off the heatexchanger, My probe doesn't touch the stove. I let the stove run for about an hour on 3. Took 1 st temp. Then took temps every 1/2 hour after. Get 5 temps. throw out high and low. average last 3. round to nearest 1 degree. We don't need a .5 in there.

My thermometer is calibrated. But I don't think it is a must. I got it thru my work. It is a meter with a thermocouple. I need it to check the stack temps on the boilers I maintain. If I really wanted to get fancy I could bring the sniffer home and measure the nox and co2 output. But I think that would be overkill.

If someone wants to jump in too! Bye all means. Even if you sample some of the same brands. What can it hurt???

jay

 

[geek]

jay, did you mention you tried the fireside ultra from home depot?

..

 

[jtakeman]

jay, did you mention you tried the fireside ultra from home depot?

..

hey geek,

I have 2 bags to test. But the weather isn't on my side. Too warm to burn anything. I am in a stale mate. But bare with me. I will burn them and share!

jay

 

[geek]

I'm also waiting, I got a bag of fireside ultra at the waterbury home depot but, like you said, weather is not "cooperating"....lol

I saw many post on this brand and most liked the pellet a lot, wondering how hot they burn so waiting your results....

 

[jtakeman]

I'm also waiting, I got a bag of fireside ultra at the waterbury home depot but, like you said, weather is not "cooperating"....lol

I saw many post on this brand and most liked the pellet a lot, wondering how hot they burn so waiting your results....

OK, I will do the firesides right after the Rockies. Maybe next week?

 

[SXIPro]

jay, did you mention you tried the fireside ultra from home depot?

..

They burn pretty clean(glass and firepot) pretty low ash. average heat, too much fines and dust for my liking. For shoulder seasons if you got a good price, they'd be a good purchase.

 

[jtakeman]

jay, did you mention you tried the fireside ultra from home depot?

..

They burn pretty clean(glass and firepot) pretty low ash. average heat, too much fines and dust for my liking. For shoulder seasons if you got a good price, they'd be a good purchase.

Seems were all hoping to get a deal from these BIGBOX brands. I been hearing mixed. Some good and some bad on the same brand. This is why I want to do this. In my first post I said I do not expect anything more than shoulder at best. And I see you seem to support that too.

Maybe later I will test the hot brands. Yes they are more expensive but maybe a better value overall?

Thanks for the input on the Firesides.

jay

 

[schoondog]

jay, did you mention you tried the fireside ultra from home depot?

..

They burn pretty clean(glass and firepot) pretty low ash. average heat, too much fines and dust for my liking. For shoulder seasons if you got a good price, they'd be a good purchase.

Seems were all hoping to get a deal from these BIGBOX brands. I been hearing mixed. Some good and some bad on the same brand. This is why I want to do this. In my first post I said I do not expect anything more than shoulder at best. And I see you seem to support that too.

Maybe later I will test the hot brands. Yes they are more expensive but maybe a better value overall?

Thanks for the input on the Firesides.

jay

Jay,
Would like to see a test on value. I think I want to do some thing like that with my stove this year. Are Penningtons at $200 a ton a good vaue compared to lignetics at $289 a ton? Thats the question I want to answer myself this heating season. If we get a data base going with different stoves as long as we are measuring the same parameters and are truthful it could be beneficial work. What meter are you using. What kind of thermocouple? I have access to some measuring devices and perhaps I could match yours. I would be willing to attempt to mimic your parameters as close as possible and share some data. Don't want to change your test, just follow and share data. Great job so far.

Schoondog

 

[jtakeman]

jay, did you mention you tried the fireside ultra from home depot?

..

They burn pretty clean(glass and firepot) pretty low ash. average heat, too much fines and dust for my liking. For shoulder seasons if you got a good price, they'd be a good purchase.

Seems were all hoping to get a deal from these BIGBOX brands. I been hearing mixed. Some good and some bad on the same brand. This is why I want to do this. In my first post I said I do not expect anything more than shoulder at best. And I see you seem to support that too.

Maybe later I will test the hot brands. Yes they are more expensive but maybe a better value overall?

Thanks for the input on the Firesides.

jay

Jay,
Would like to see a test on value. I think I want to do some thing like that with my stove this year. Are Penningtons at $200 a ton a good vaue compared to lignetics at $289 a ton? Thats the question I want to answer myself this heating season. If we get a data base going with different stoves as long as we are measuring the same parameters and are truthful it could be beneficial work. What meter are you using. What kind of thermocouple? I have access to some measuring devices and perhaps I could match yours. I would be willing to attempt to mimic your parameters as close as possible and share some data. Don't want to change your test, just follow and share data. Great job so far.

Schoondog

Scoondog,

It would not be the equipment that trips us up, It will be the different efficiency of the stove that will get us. Also my medium heat setting is X lbs per hour and yours is X lbs per hour. So the temps may not even be close. Everything I sample may be at 4 lbs per hour and yours may be at 3 lbs or so. I don't know how we could correct it. Maybe if we had the same stoves???

I guess if you knew what the feed rate was(lbs./hr) We could get it close! I think I can do the math!

My meter is at work today. I had to do a few tests with an oven that we stabilize some plastic samples. We had a controller issue and I needed to assure the lab manager it was correctly displaying temps.

My meter is a: Omega HH23 I paid close to $800.00 new. You could look at the Extech line. Cheaper(non calibrated) But very close to mine. Plus or minus 2%. Start at around $200.00.

jay

 

[jtakeman]

Just picked up some Inferno pellets at Price Choppers. But they didn't chop the price $6.99 a bag OUCH!

jay

 

[geek]

big y also has the inferno brand here in naugy, i think it is also the same price, per ton is $250 though

 

[jtakeman]

Stopped at TSC again and they had some new ones.

Maine Choice And Instant Heat. Grabbed 2 bags of each. Added to list.

Still looking for Maine Woods(I don't no why??), Michigans, Green Team and Stove Chow. Anyone seen any in CT? Guess I have to start traveling or use some buddies.

jay

 

[jtakeman]

dont forget to monitor ur combustion air humidity & temp, eh?

OK Pook. But I think My hygrometer(oops) will em melt if I put it the stove, No?

Hey Nice Avatar-Who took you picture? :lol: (jk)

 

[geek]

hey jay, i think big Y has the Maine Woods, at least the one in Naugatuck, give them a call.

 

[LIpelletpig]

JTakeman, I would also take interest in the total weight of the bag if the bag is overfilled or underfilled. High density vs. low density pellets and the overall color of the pellet. Dark, Medium, Light pellets