Warning. Numerous hopper fires.

[SidecarFlip]

Any regimen works so long as you set a routine and do it. Like I said, I let my stove set my cleaning routine based on ash accumulation. If I can clearly see the buildup, I know there is more where I cannot see it. What I find disturbing is pictures posted on here of stoves literally swimming in burned pellet ash. No excuse for that.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I think the best extruded pellet I've ever run in all my many years of roasting them was by a company located in Northern Kentucky that used the scraps from their hardwood flooring mill to extrude pellets. When you opened the bag, you could literally smell the walnut. Haven't seen them in years now.

Are you talking about Somersets? I've got about a ton of them in my basement. I've burned two tons of them already this winter. Very low-ash pellet for a hardwood.

 

[AC1108]

Are you talking OHP or Fiber Energy or Ozark Heat? I’d have to see the bag because there are several pellets that meet that description that all say Ozark Hardwood somewhere on the bag. Fiber Energy is one that comes under different brand names because they have built a poor reputation due to their low quality.

I've burned the Fiber Energy in the past and one bag would be great while the next 5 would burn terribly slow with minimal heat. Haven't seen any around this year.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Are you talking about Somersets? I've got about a ton of them in my basement. I've burned two tons of them already this winter. Very low-ash pellet for a hardwood.

That is them. Somerset Hardwood Flooring, Somerset, Kentucky. I liked them so much I almost bought a tractor trailer load (42 skids). I have the storage room but it would take me a lifetime to use them all. All their feedstock comes from their flooring mill and from their privately held forest slash.

Not available around here anymore and sadly missed, especially the wonderful smell of the pellets.

 

[Overfireinthehole]

Sommerset is what I tell all my customers to buy. They get steep here so I sometimes burn greenway which is a clean burning consistent pellet though a little dusty. Fiber energy is filthy, sometimes ranging in length from 1/2” to 3” and very bad about having chunks of metal, plastic and wood randomly in bags.

 

[Overfireinthehole]

OHP is what TSC has up here.

OHP makes some of the Fiber Energy pellets. They sometimes will have a decent run, and then the next batch will be as I described above. I knew a guy that lived across from their plant that burned up an auger motor In the first month of his stove from burning their pellets, and I’ve replaced plenty of auger motors that got tore up trying to feed the long pellets.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Good to know about OHP, thanks. Sets are $250/ton this year ... but so is everything else . I started the season with Marth pellets, which used to be OK for heat if a little ashy. This year the ash quotient went up and heat production went down, IMO. They used to be a family operation, but Lignetics acquired then a couple years ago.

We have one small producer in Wisc that seems to be maintaining quality at a reasonable price, Dejno. I topped off my stash with a ton this week. A little more ash than Sets but good heat. They seem to have a little softwood content in their "hardwood blend" product. When I open the hopper I can smell the resin.

When I was burning up my Marth bags a few months ago, I had to clean my combustion fan once a month to keep the boiler lighting up right. If I didn't, ignition would fail and I'd end up with a smoky basement. Wife didn't like it.

 

[FirepotPete]

I'd end up with a smoky basement. Wife didn't like it.

I guess I'm lucky, my wife likes smokey brisket.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I will say that Michigan Hardwood (what I've been using for a few years now) is very consistent and no trash in the bags either but then I only mix in pellets to keep the corn clinkers under control. Only need a ton for an entire year and I usually pre buy them in the early fall. $218 a ton here. Corn (my primary fuel) is free.

 

[zrock]

With all the different brands i have burnt this year i have seen several varying ash deposits between them.. its went from large and lots of ash to fine dust and next to no ash.. The pellets i find that burn good and hot this year are leaving next to no ash but they leave a hard deposit in the burn pot that i have to hammer out every week.. I had no issues this year calling out the bad pellets locally this also had other people chime in causing them to find another suppler.
I read a comment farther up that said its not feesable for dealers to bring pellets in far distances.. Well out local dealers **** us over the last few years i figured out the local dealers were charging the consumer $5000 to have a 53 foot trailer ship pellets 400km. This last load they transported pellets 2000km and i figured the shipping to be in the range of $10000. I know the cost of shipping in my area and i used to get full trailers on a weekly basis for much cheaper.. So their is money in it as people are willing to pay and not question it..

 

[SidecarFlip]

Simple answer, supply and demand or 'If you want it and I have it, you will pay for it or do without'. Why I burn corn. I know I can get it, I know what the price is up front and it's a local fuel. No surprises and quality is very consistent. Midwest dent corn is very consistent. Total transportation cost for me is a 500 bushel gravity wagon from the dryer to the grain tank. About 1/2 mile total or around 1/4 gallon of diesel for the tractor and powering the grain leg to load the tank.

Also why I have and use more than one fuel source to heat with. Current propane (here) prices are running at $1.02 USD per gallon. No way can pellets compete with that for btu's realized. Only reason I'm running corn is because my corn is essentially free. If I was paying for it (other than built in planting, fertilizing and harvest costs), the appliance would be stone cold and I'd be 100% on propane right now.

All in cost for dent corn for me is about 35 cents per 52 pound bushel (based on 15%RM), all inputs included.

Of course there is profit in pellet sales. No business can stay viable if they sell at a zero profit margin, well, only the government can. Profit margin solely depends on what the market will bear and supply and demand.

Better to be flexible.

 

[Ssyko]

Jeffs’ video

 

[Smokinbubba]

Oh, that is not good.

 

[green wood]

omg......how does this happen!!?

 

[JRemington]

A half gallon of powder in the hopper and a plugged combustion fan.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Looks like an atomic bomb blast..... Of course the owner swears they cleaned it real good yesterday....

 

[green wood]

We are curious we see a lot of people saying leaf blower cleaning how would you even attempt to do that in your home without just completely destroying your house. We've just use a Shop-Vac but I got to admit it takes a beating on them and the filters!

 

[SidecarFlip]

The suck side of the blower goes on the outside venting, not the inside and not blow but suck. Been using the same shop vac for a decade at least. No 'filter' inside, a yellow drywall bag instead. I clean my stove inside with mine every 3 days and a bag lasts a season. In the spring, toss the bag and put in a new one. Easy peasy.

Leaf blowers all have a suck side (intake) and the blow side (nozzle).

 

[JRemington]

Looks like an atomic bomb blast..... Of course the owner swears they cleaned it real good yesterday....

I was really impressed with the flame thrower/auger chute. After I point the phone down you can hear me say “huh”. That translates into “what the f###” do I do now”, lol.

 

[green wood]

The suck side of the blower goes on the outside venting, not the inside and not blow but suck. Been using the same shop vac for a decade at least. No 'filter' inside, a yellow drywall bag instead. I clean my stove inside with mine every 3 days and a bag lasts a season. In the spring, toss the bag and put in a new one. Easy peasy.

Leaf blowers all have a suck side (intake) and the blow side (nozzle).

I guess I would have to climp the roof with my leaf blower then

 

[Overfireinthehole]

Jeffs’ video

“See the flames coming out of the chute... Yup!” Lol

 

[Overfireinthehole]

I guess I would have to climp the roof with my leaf blower then

Wouldn’t do much good around here. We have a lot of pipes that get clogged with mud dauber nests and frogs. It’d take one heck of a leaf blower to suck that out, not to mention that a leaf blower won’t remove buildup, only loose ash.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I guess I would have to climp the roof with my leaf blower then

So, not seeing the install, I take it the venting comes off the back of the stove and has a 90 elbow and goes straight up through the roof, is that correct. If it vents through the wall to the outside you should have a transition Tee where the venting goes vertical which is correct practice. That Tee should have a cleanout on the bottom side. If it's through the wall to a 90 and vertical, it's incorrect, which is it? straight through the ceiling or through the wall???

 

[green wood]

This....

 

[SidecarFlip]

This....

I'd say you are going to have to dismantle it to clean it. I do that every year myself but mine is all on the outside. makes it much easier.