Pellet Storage

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velvetfoot

Minister of Fire
Dec 5, 2005
10,202
Sand Lake, NY
Please excuse the dumb question.
Can bagged pellets be stored in a dry basement? I'm thinking, like 5 tons. Would they give off moisture, turn moldy, etc, over the summer, for example?
Thanks.
 
If it is dry and generally cool they will be fine. I store mine in a closed garage. Just raise them off the floor incase your basement is prone to water. Your only area of concern should be consistent high moisture. The bags are well enough sealed that the occasional wont hurt, but if the relative humidity is generally high, I would choose an alternate location or utilize the cover the pallets come with.
 
Please excuse the dumb question.
Can bagged pellets be stored in a dry basement? I'm thinking, like 5 tons. Would they give off moisture, turn moldy, etc, over the summer, for example?
Thanks.

Hey, Karl...They are definitely NOT gopnna give off moisture. Wood pellets are pretty much bone dry. If your basement was damp they'd ABSORB moisture & be totally worthless as fuel...My tonnage stays outside on the pallets that it was delivered on & I don't cut into the shrinkwrap or the packaging bag until I need to. Winters here are pretty dry & I've only lost 3-4 bags in the last 4 years because of falling ice from the trees around my driveway...What ever is left at the end of the season gets brought into the house & stashed out of the way during the summer...I was gonna build a small shed for storage, but I don't want my already stupid high taxes to go further up...
 
I store 2 tons in my basement The humidity gets a little high in my basement but I use a dehumidifier down there So to be extra careful I put the dehumidifier in the same room as my pellets and have not lost one I also raised them off the concrete floor with wood and plastic shelving. Going to store three tons down there this year.
 
Thanks guys. When is the usual time to buy pellets? In the fall? Summer?

I'm just thinking through a possible pellet boiler. I don't think bulk delivery is going to be in the cards here.
 
Thanks guys. When is the usual time to buy pellets? In the fall? Summer?

I'm just thinking through a possible pellet boiler. I don't think bulk delivery is going to be in the cards here.

For the last 4 years, I've waited til late summer early fall to make my purchase, but we called & set up a pre-pay that will get us a free delivery using www.woodpellets.com. This will be year 5 burning the Cleanfire Hardwoods, & tho I'm less than enthused with the higher ash content, I can't complain about the heat. The ashes seem to be fluffier & as a consequence, I'm cleaning about every three weeks instead of every ton, but it is what it is...Free delivery (8 tons ordered), PLUS the driver drops the loads EXACTLY where I want them. Not gonna kick...
 
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You will be 100% fine putting 5 tons of pellets in your basement. Even if it was humid, you will be fine. Pellets are in plastic bags...(Yes, Yes Yes, I know they have little pin holes in the bag!!!) Those little pin holes are not going to allow air to flow in and out of the bags, and therefore if the air does not flow in and out, the humidity in the air will not enter the bags. Stack em big and stack em high and jam that basement with as much of natures "Stored solar energy" as you can. And God forbid, should Isreal and Iran "spat" with each other this summer, those pellets will be worth twice what you paid for them.
 
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I put 6 ton in my basement every year, definitely better than leaving outside; no problems whatsoever.

Tom C.
 
I store 7 tons at a time in my basement. Load them in by the bag so they are uncovered. My basement has high humidity and sometimes gets a little surface water on the floor during a long heavy rain. I store my pellet bags on pallets with no cover. After 5 years of burning have noticed no problems with the pellets.
 
Thanks guys. When is the usual time to buy pellets? In the fall? Summer?

I'm just thinking through a possible pellet boiler. I don't think bulk delivery is going to be in the cards here.

I always buy in April. I get what is usually the best price of the season and I get the pellets I want. If you wait till winter, selection can get a little thin and you will definitely be paying more.
 
my basement gets humid. i run a dehumidifyer to try to keep it around 80% if i can. been doing it for 3 years, they burn fine. my bags even have the 'air' holes in them on some (inside storage required)
 
Stack em big and stack em high and jam that basement with as much of natures "Stored solar energy" as you can..........

Can ya tell this fella sells pellets. ;)

And he rubbed off on me, I almost need a ladder to get the top row off my stacks! Like money in the back! :p
 
my basement gets humid. i run a dehumidifyer to try to keep it around 80% if i can. been doing it for 3 years, they burn fine. my bags even have the 'air' holes in them on some (inside storage required)
80%?! You best get a better humidifier! That should be 50 or lower! I keep mine at 40%.
 
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