I picked up 5 bags from HD ($4.98), they ordered 2 tons from another store as they do stock them. Anyway, went there yesterday and got the 5 and told the manager that if they burned ok I'd be back for another 45 (I only asked for 1 pallet). The manager told me he's been burning 2 tons a year for the past few years and that they were the best pellet he's found. Well, I wasn't sold on his word, he didn't even know what brand stove he had. So anyway, came home dumped a bag in the hopper, did a quick clean/vacuum on the stove and fired it up. At a heat range of 5 I wasn't to impressed. I let 'em burn all evening and at about 11 the fire went completely out. I was ready to go to bed so I scooped out the remaining Eureka's and dumped a bag of the Ozark Hardwood Products Pellets I've been burning. The stove wouldn't light and I wasn't getting any pellets to the burn pot, I said the hell w/ it and went to bed (I'm afraid to think of how much LP we used last night, it was 7*). This AM I scooped all the pellets from the hopper, pulled the upper auger motor off and the auger was locked up, so I worked it back and forth and vacuumed the auger tube and put it all back together. I'm wondering if it was the Eureka pellets or if it was a lack of maintenance; it's been a few weeks since I vacuumed out the hopper. The Eureka's also have a wet smell to them. I kinda think they smell like a new wet 2x4. What happens to pellets that have gotten wet? Will they burn? Does a high moisture content cause decreased heat output? I'm going to let the hopper empty and try them again later this evening.
As an aside, I have an old Building Automation controller I was thinking of setting up to log my stove. Would anyone be interested in knowing the on/off timing for the upper auger at various settings? Maybe this info is already available and I haven't seen it. I'd like to know so I can do a rough heat input/output calculation.
Sorry for the long post.
As an aside, I have an old Building Automation controller I was thinking of setting up to log my stove. Would anyone be interested in knowing the on/off timing for the upper auger at various settings? Maybe this info is already available and I haven't seen it. I'd like to know so I can do a rough heat input/output calculation.
Sorry for the long post.