What constitutes a "good" pellet?

[hemlock]

Hello,
I'll be adding a pellet stove to my home shortly, and will very likely have a few questions along the way. The first is - what makes pellet good? From what I gather, pellet quality can have a dramatic effect on a stoves performance. What should one look for in a pellet? Softwood/hardwood, ash content, etc..... Thanks.

 

[WoodPorn]

A good pellet burns hot and clean (relatively speaking)

It is going to depend on your stove, burn habbits, and of course your wallet!

A brief list of good pellets:
Okanagan
Energex
Hamer
LG's
Sprce pointe
Somerset

Look for high BTU ratings and low ash, and by all means buy a bag of several types to try.

 

[Fsappo]

Most important part of the above post is try a few bags before buying. That list posted are all pellets that generally everyone loves. But each stove can have its own personality, so try a few bags just to see.

Buying a decent stove helps even the playing field on pellets.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

I agree with the last post, burn a few bags fist and look for any sign of clinkers in the burn pot, which are unburned, hard material from impurities in the pellets, like sand. Also look for fines or dust in the bag, which can jam some augers.

 

[mascoma]

I only buy self stacking pellets, hard to find this time of year.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I only buy self stacking pellets, hard to find this time of year.

Now you tell us, I could have used these many a time ;-).

Hemlock,

There are posts on here of jtakeman's test results that is where I'd start to gather information about the various pellets.

You also need to understand that different batches of the same pellet can burn differently.

The only way to know exactly how a batch is going to burn is to burn a couple bags before buying a large amount of pellets.

Good luck.

ETA: A link to information links that will help you: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/58243/