Isabella pellets from Michigan...????

[krooser]

Saw Isabella softwoods at my local dealer today at $207/ton... anyone hear of them? Supposed to be from Michigan...

 

[imacman]

Listed on wood pellet reviews.

http://www.woodpelletreviews.com/Pellet-Mills/Isabella-Pellet.html

www.facebook.com/pages/Isabella-Pellet/213514425342578?sk=info

 

[TG3930]

I gave them a try and found them to be low on heat and high in ash for a softwood pellet. My St Croix stove didn't care for them much but each stove seems to burn different.

Tom

 

[imacman]

[quote author="imacman" date="1329380156"]oooops

 

[shisits]

tested 4 bags..Not impressed. they were about 40 degrees less heat than somersets and a lot more ash. :coolsmile:

 

[krooser]

Now we know... thanks.

 

[Outerlimits]

[quote author="shisits" date="1329420144"]tested 4 bags..Not impressed. they were about 40 degrees less heat than somersets and a lot more ash. :coolsmile:[/quote/]
I had lower heat in my stove with these, too. The ash content was real low though in my stove. What I don't understand is all other wood pellets made in Michigan are available at the right places for $180-195 a ton. What makes these worth $20 dollars more? And they are cheaper out of state! Furthermore, the jed's you are used to are a lot hotter in my stove. But, I think you should buy a few bags and tell us what you think. I know you guys getter better pellets and prices on the other side of the lake. I would be curious to what you think about them.

 

[fighting_demons]

I'm on my second ton of isabella's. I burn them in my Harman p38, they seem to burn good (better than penningtons) . I've gone up to three weeks between cleanings and the glass stays quite clean. I live close to the plant so I see it as supporting a local business. Now what am I going to do with the 8 tons of Maeder bros. I've got stashed..........

 

[Outerlimits]

I'm on my second ton of isabella's. I burn them in my Harman p38, they seem to burn good (better than penningtons) . I've gone up to three weeks between cleanings and the glass stays quite clean. I live close to the plant so I see it as supporting a local business. Now what am I going to do with the 8 tons of Maeder bros. I've got stashed..........

Why not try to get rid of the Maeder Brothers by selling them on craigslist? That's what I would try to do. Just a thought.

 

[fighting_demons]

I'm on my second ton of isabella's. I burn them in my Harman p38, they seem to burn good (better than penningtons) . I've gone up to three weeks between cleanings and the glass stays quite clean. I live close to the plant so I see it as supporting a local business. Now what am I going to do with the 8 tons of Maeder bros. I've got stashed..........

Why not try to get rid of the Maeder Brothers by selling them on craigslist? That's what I would try to do. Just a thought.

I bought them three years ago and I really haven't had any trouble burning them in the Countryside. The Harman seems like it will burn anything including Penningtons. M y stash was developed before I found this forum. Not trying to sound to dramatic but I'm sure glad I came here when I was looking for a stove to replace the Bixby. The Harman is so straight forward compared to the Bixby. The maintenance is straight forward and it's not a big "fly ash generator" like the Countryside. Now, if I had met you guys before I bought all those Penningtons..............

denny

 

[BIGISLANDHIKERS]

I'm on my second ton of isabella's. I burn them in my Harman p38, they seem to burn good (better than penningtons) . I've gone up to three weeks between cleanings and the glass stays quite clean. I live close to the plant so I see it as supporting a local business. Now what am I going to do with the 8 tons of Maeder bros. I've got stashed..........

I just live around the corner from the Isabella plant. Small world. Will they sell retail from their office?

Why do you want to get rid of your Maeder pellets?

BIH

 

[fighting_demons]

I'm on my second ton of isabella's. I burn them in my Harman p38, they seem to burn good (better than penningtons) . I've gone up to three weeks between cleanings and the glass stays quite clean. I live close to the plant so I see it as supporting a local business. Now what am I going to do with the 8 tons of Maeder bros. I've got stashed..........

I just live around the corner from the Isabella plant. Small world. Will they sell retail from their office?

Why do you want to get rid of your Maeder pellets?

BIH

BIH,
I really don't mind the MB pellets. I started with corn in '04. Back then it was CHEAP, well we know whats happened since. I like pellets because they can be stored indeffinetly and don't attract rodents. About the time corn started to get expensive MB opened their plant about 5 miles from me. Back then you could buy directly and they would load you up with a forklift. Now I buy from Greenway's and they bring them right to the house and they carry a fork lift with them. You can't beat them for conveince! So now I stockpile in the spring and nibble away at the stash in the winter.

 

[BIGISLANDHIKERS]

I'm on my second ton of isabella's. I burn them in my Harman p38, they seem to burn good (better than penningtons) . I've gone up to three weeks between cleanings and the glass stays quite clean. I live close to the plant so I see it as supporting a local business. Now what am I going to do with the 8 tons of Maeder bros. I've got stashed..........

I just live around the corner from the Isabella plant. Small world. Will they sell retail from their office?

Why do you want to get rid of your Maeder pellets?

BIH

BIH,
I really don't mind the MB pellets. I started with corn in '04. Back then it was CHEAP, well we know whats happened since. I like pellets because they can be stored indeffinetly and don't attract rodents. About the time corn started to get expensive MB opened their plant about 5 miles from me. Back then you could buy directly and they would load you up with a forklift. Now I buy from Greenway's and they bring them right to the house and they carry a fork lift with them. You can't beat them for conveince! So now I stockpile in the spring
and nibble away at the stash in the winter.

I stopped at greenways today and picked up few bags of the issabellas.

We must live close. I am in the two rivers area.

 

[fighting_demons]

Just north of the river on Winn rd. Let us know what you think about the Isabella's.

 

[ToddO]

I just picked up some Kirtlands today on the advice of my local distributor. They are made in Boyne City. The are a blend of soft and hard. I'll let you know how they burn in my Enviro M55 FS.

 

[team486]

I just picked up some Kirtlands today on the advice of my local distributor. They are made in Boyne City. The are a blend of soft and hard. I'll let you know how they burn in my Enviro M55 FS.

On my second ton. They burn great and clean

 

[bailenforcer]

In 2013/14 winter stopped using Kirtland pellets and after talking to many others who have the same complaint I will post it here. one season 3 blown auger motors and broken augers when using Kirtland Pellets. They make claims they can NOT back up. The wood is green you can smell it, after less thana ton the auger binds up bad and cleaning this goo out is near impossible. The fines are sticky like they have been mixed with a glue or epoxy, had to chisel this mass from the auger carefully. Had I not caught it within minutes of the siesure I would have lost another auger. The pellets are also mixed with long pieces of wood strands and I have a number of them I pulled out of the hopper because they looked funny. They were all over 2 inches long to almost 3 and you could see linear lines and upon examininng them I found they were impossible to break with my hands and I am a former power lifter and break stuff off the time by accident lol. taking the pellets apart I found it looks like strand board strands. I used s screw driver to pound the pellets apart and instead of a saw dust texture they were strands. Why did I notice this? When my third auger broke I took the stove apart and found one of those long stranded pellets jammed like a 2x4 in the chute, and it took hell to unjam it. They played the denial game with the supplier claimed all their pellets meet exacting standards and moisture specifications, but fail to address the Sappy GREEN wood issue and ignore it. I sold off the rest of my tonnage and used isabella and rate them as average. One new to me brand was the American wood fibers brand. They burn VERY hot 8700+ BTU's a pound and I have no doubt of that number they claim. It literally makes my home 9 to 12 degrees hotter on average than any brand I have used in the last 10 years. They are a White pine pellet and the only complaint I could imagine is the fines are like powder, and might drop past the Auger bearing clearances a tiny bit as evidenced by a half teaspoon of the powder every ton and a half on the auger motor. These pellets burn extremely clean and instead of the normal full ash box in one weeks time I went for three weeks with room to spare with the American wood fiber ones and wish I could find more.

Retired Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, working on pellet stoves for 11 years for fun, and burning pellets as a sole heat source since 1999ish

I just picked up some Kirtlands today on the advice of my local distributor. They are made in Boyne City. The are a blend of soft and hard. I'll let you know how they burn in my Enviro M55 FS.

 

[Wooden Head]

I gave them a try and found them to be low on heat and high in ash for a softwood pellet. My St Croix stove didn't care for them much but each stove seems to burn different.

Tom

Same results here. Tried a ton last year.