Simple pellet cleaner...

[jdege]

With some free time today I came up with this to sort out the saw dust and fines. Just one piece of wood and some 1/4 inch wire...

 

[imacman]

Yep, that will work....just pretty time consuming.

The vacuum system some of us made is MUCH easier to use, and faster.

 

[tjnamtiw]

In my experience with my sifter, 1/4" wire mesh is too coarse and you'll get a lot of small, USEABLE pieces falling down into the scrap bin. It is really only the dust you want out so I topped my 1/4" mesh with the coarsest window screen I could find.

 

[jdege]

I never considered a sifter, and then I opened my first bags of Firesides & Nature's Own. The amount of saw dust, WOW, was preventing the pellets from sliding down the sides of the hopper. If I can take 5 min, and based on the time I spend here I have a few minutes to spare, and make the pellets worth dumping in the stove I am OK with that.

I just did a bag of Natures Own and the amount of fines that fell thru the 1/4 inch would not even account for a fraction of a percentage of what's in the bag so I think I will stick with it. I do not plan to use it on the better brands I have burned like the Vermonts as they do not even have enough dust in the bag to waste time cleaning them.

Thanks.

 

[mepellet]

In my experience with my sifter, 1/4" wire mesh is too coarse and you'll get a lot of small, USEABLE pieces falling down into the scrap bin. It is really only the dust you want out so I topped my 1/4" mesh with the coarsest window screen I could find.

I'm using window screen in my quick box I threw together. I'd like to use 1/8" screen but not sure where to find it.

 

[rwthomas1]

Why not make a chute/trough out of the screen material, mount it at an angle, and then you can pour the pellets down the chute/trough into a bucket. The fines will fall out on the way. Should be much faster. RT

 

[PA_Clinker]

Yep, that will work....just pretty time consuming.

The vacuum system some of us made is MUCH easier to use, and faster.

+1 I already emptied out my shop vac for the 2nd time this season after going thru roughly 2 tons. It's hard to believe the amount of sawdust that gets pulled out from these "ultra-premium" pellets. The filter was caked with sawdust!

Well worth the couple of minutes per bag to keep that worthless dust out of my stove & my living room, IMHO.

 

[DexterDay]

Yep, that will work....just pretty time consuming.

The vacuum system some of us made is MUCH easier to use, and faster.

+1 The filter was caked with sawdust

Best to use an internal Dry wall bag filter. It catches it all in a bag, HEPA filter still looks brand new, as does the internal plastic off the unit.

The bag filters are pretty cheap and last a long time. IMO

 

[tjnamtiw]

This is what I use. Takes no effort. Put the bag at the top, cut the corner out, and let the pellets run down into the bucket.

 

[referee38]

I use a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. It takes a while but it works.

 

[referee38]

[quote author="tjnamtiw" date="1329123379"]This is what I use. Takes no effort. Put the bag at the top, cut the corner out, and let the pellets run down into the bucket.[/quote

Do you have a clean out door for this on bottom?

 

[mepellet]

This is what I use. Takes no effort. Put the bag at the top, cut the corner out, and let the pellets run down into the bucket.

What screen size are you using on top of the 1/4"? Currently I am using window screen. I'm thinking of using maybe 1/8"? HD/Lowes/Ace/Aubochon all do not sell 1/8" screen. I only need a piece a tad smaller than 12" x 36".

 

[md2002]

This is what I use. Takes no effort. Put the bag at the top, cut the corner out, and let the pellets run down into the bucket.

So is that screen attached to the plywood?