WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT PENNINGTON NATURES HEAT SOLD AT LOWES AND HOME DEPOT

I have had nothing but bad luck with pellets this year. I had one supplier, a local farm supply. I had used for a couple years and they started getting some weird brand and they were HORRIBLE! So then I said why not try Lowes and they sold Pennington. Well no offense to the Pennington Company but these from Pennington have given me many headaches and many nights of waking up 3am with no heat because the pellets were too long and jammed the auger. The first time it happened I didn't know what it was and had to pay a service man $150 to come out and fix my stove. Well he showed me how to fix it if it happens again and I am glad he did because it has happened repeatedly. Also, these are some of the dirtiest burning pellets I have ever burned. The pot fills up so fast and requires a very good cleaning almost everyday. Last week I was sick and my husband knows NOTHING about the stove, so I nursed the stove all week (I was too sick to babysit the stove and clean it out constantly) until I couldn't anymore because the pot filled up with junk and caused the flames to be too high and back the pellets up into the feed tube. I had that happen when we tried mixing the corn with the pellets but this is a first! I just cleaned out the stove a few minutes ago and the stuff that was in the pot was like cement. I feel like I am stuck because I have another ton of these pellets to work through. I just hope I make it through this winter without pulling all my hair out!

Debbie,

As with any others who have ANY trouble with our pellets, I ENCOURAGE you to contact our Customer Service Department so that we can help you get through this very unfortunate event. If you do not contact our Customer Service Department directly, we cannot help you. Thank you, B.black P.S. See the 800 number with extensions listed in my signature below.

Hi:
Thanks for providing everyone with your customer service number. I understand you are trying to do some damage control and maybe these problems with your pellets will work themselves out over time but for now I doubt customer service will be able to help me a whole lot. I mean Pennington isn't going to reimburse me for the $150 service call nor will they be able to take the other ton of these pellets I have off my hands. I am going to use them and pray that my stove and myself make it through the winter!

Again, thanks and have a good week.

I've only ever used Pennington with my Englander 25-PDVC. I've went through just over a ton since I've gotten the stove. They seem to burn just fine. I don't have any lot numbers on the bags, but it does say that they were made in Madison, Georgia. Don't know if this helps or not.

Ok, I am new to posting here and don't know if posting on this "thread" is ok but I have a question that you guys may know the answer to. I just called lenox tech support and found out through the Serial number that I have a Whitfield II T. My problem is that the auger keeps sending in wayyyy tooo many pellets. It will run ok for an hour or sometimes several hours and then they just keep coming. Anyway, they said I probably need a new board at 252.00. That sound like a reasonable fix to you guys? It was my first guess because I thought the board must send the impulse to run the auger.

Your input would be appreciated.

Ed

Ed:
I can't help you much. I have a Quadra-Fire Mt. Vernon, but you might have more luck getting help if you started a whole new thread. This thread here might not be read by someone who would be more apt to give you some advice. I hope you are able to solve your problem and if you need help on how to start a new thread, let me know!

Good luck!

YUP, Ed the computer idiot here has no idea h ow to start a new thread. HELP!!

When you are on the screen that shows all the different forum topics, here is the link http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewforum/22/, near the top of the page and on the right will be a blue button that says "new topic." Click on that button and that will take you to a page were you can post a new thread. Be sure to put as much information as possible in the title so that you are sure to get people's attention. There are people on here who probably can help! Good luck...

I just burned my first week of Pennington pellets. I was shocked at how quickly my ask drawer filled up. This is a new stove that burned a free ton from the dealer. In one week I had as much ash and rock like residue as I had in a month from the Pennington pellets. I have a call into them now. Awaiting a return call. Will let you know what they say.

I bought mine in Fredericksburg VA.

I said that backwards. In one week of burning Pennington pellets I got as much ash as I did in a month with the batch I got with the stove.

I have called Pennington and am awaiting a call now.

How is it a long way stoveguy2? Its mostly lip service. I recieved an email from a rep of the company to call them. I did. We discussed the ash problem. B Black suggested the pellets were made in some other state. But called me back and told me they were made in 06. So they were a bad batch? So these pellets today, all over the country are also bad. That tells me they have a bad product and are still puting out a bad product. From old mills and new mills (That argument didn't hold water). I've burned most of a ton of the Pennington pellets. I have no recourse but to buy more "old" pellets. I personally am tired of cleaning my stove daily. Because of heavy ash build up. I know why Lowes is selling them so cheap. No one is buying them. I was in the same store two days ago and the pallet of bags by the door were still there. And 16 ton left over from 06. My next ton is going to be OHP. They have to be better.

I live in Ohio and we have penningtons at several places around central ohio...I have had very good luck with them and If I didnt think AWF were a little better I would buy more of them...AWF has a distribution plant right down the road from me so all of the local mills get them in...

I have a harmon p38..and burned a half ton of energex pellets that came with it.
and the heat output was good and the ash content very low..2 weeks (10 bags) and just a coating of ash in the ash tray.
Im down to 7 bags so I bought 3 bags of penningtons from Wal-mart at 4.94 a bag (phew) to try them.
The heat output was ok..maybe just a little less..but the ash content was very high..and the pellets seemed to burn faster.
the burn pot filled up with ash alot more than the energex pellets...those the ash was in the burn pot but didnt seem to fill it..with the penningtons the burn pot is very full with ash and causes the flames to point forward a ways.
I hope there are other choices available from lowes or home depot

I had contacted Pennington Customer Service maybe three weeks ago (more or less) and they were pleasant and courteous to deal with. They took care of my needs and I give them props for doing so.

I noticed that that the newer pallets of Nature's Heat have lot number markings more clearly identifed on the front of the bags using a small orange sticker. I don't know if this is a new practice as a result of comments posted on this and other message boards or just a different mill using a different procedure. In any event, because of Pennington's prompt and helpful responses I'll try their product again next year.

Happy burning to ya,
Jim

What do you use to sift your pellets

I saw some at walmart and thought I would try 2 bags, I got the hopper empty and put 2 bags in. The first thing I noticed was it seemed a little hotter. The ash seemed a little fluffier which accumulated higher then the Ignitecs did. I didn't see any dust in the bags nor did I see many long pellets but I did notice that they were easier to break then the Ignitecs and I didn't here popping from the auger drive. The price at walmart was $4 a bag.

They may have fixed the problem. I bought a ton and the ash problem is very bad. I used to empty the ash drawer about every 5-6 days and with Pennington it was every day. to their credit! their customer relations dept. contacted me, asked for samples and a form filled out with details of when and where purchased, then called me. They said they were working on the problem and without me asking refunded most of my purchase price. Every company makes mistakes. The way the mistakes are handled tells you a lot about a company. I will try them again in the fall.

Ed

I started out using a few bags of Pennington pellets and thought they burned well. I bought them at my local Lowes store. A few days later I decided to buy a ton of them and went back to the same Lowes and had them load a pallet into the back of my pick-up. To my surprise (and then later to my disappointment) I realized after cutting all of the plastic wrap off that they were not Pennington pellets but rather Lowes Clean-Energy pellets. These pellets are horrible! I had to run the stove at higher settings just to keep it lit. I finally burned the ton and bought 15 bags of Pennington pellets and what a difference! I backed my settings back down and they seem to burn fine. I will never buy the Lowes Clean-Energy pellets again and if I am duped into buying them again I will turn right around and take them back.

I had to get a few bags to tide me over till spring and I went to Lowes to get 10 bags of PENNINGTON NATURES HEAT and these bags didn't turn out as good as the ones I got at Walmart less then a mile away from the Lowes. There was a lot of dust and the pellets were really long, I was not to happy. I took some pictures to show and there was no lot # on the bags what so ever like the ones from Walmart.

Entire refund on this end also, I would buy their product again just based on the customer service, which is SO lacking in business now-a-days. Stand up job, Pennington, I don't think many others would have did what you did, wish more companies would do the same in this day and age.

The last ton I got was from Lowes and they were of poor quality. Had to clean the stove every day. Have to give them credit for the way they handled it. Any company that pays that much attention to customer service has to be taking positive action to fixing the problem. I boutght mine about two months ago. I would try a few more bags and see if the old batches are gone. Next fall I will definately try more because by then I know they will have it fixed.

I did get some from walmart a while back that had a white sticker on it with the lot# and they did pretty well but the bags I got from lowes didn't and they were bad with a lot of dust in the bag. I will give it another shot if I find the bags with a lot# on them but after that im done.

Hi Everyone,
I just purchased 5 tons of Natures Heat from Home Depot, then started reading this forum. They are coming this Thursday; I will take pictures and post them here.

I hope I did not make a mistake as I am new to all of this.

5 tons is alot. How big is your stove/house?

Quality varies. There is a good chance that these will be fine. Pennington has made (IMO) some junk, but they seem to be listening to the consumers. This year will be a real test as far as I'm concerned. I'm cautiously optimistic - although I chose a different brand this year.