Pellet choices needed

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Paul Raz

Feeling the Heat
Oct 16, 2012
248
Orange County, NY
Very new here...about 2 days. Newer to owning a Pellet stove as well. I have just purchased a Harman Accentra insert and while I'm waiting the 31/2 weeks it takes to get installed I am researching different Pellets. This is almost as confusing as choosing the actual stove. I have read many reviews about various different Pellets but none truly standout (at least the ones available by me). I live in Upstate NY and while I have a few choices none seem like the top of the list. Here is a list of the ones avaialable including price per ton. Please let me know your thoughts. What I'm really looking for is obviously the heat output, but cleanliness of the burn is pretty important as well. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

1. Lignetics - $250.00 Ton
2. Greene Supreme - $ $209.00
3. North American - $209.00
4. Great American - $245.00
5. Energex - $ 299.00 possibly $279.00
6. Power House - $ 239.00
7. Pure Fire - $219.50
8. New England Hardwood Pellets - $ 249.00
 
No love huh??? Anybody.....hello? Wow it's pretty lonely in here.
 
2 & 8 are the same pellet.

Which of the Ligs are you asking about?

I haven't burned any of them, here is what you should do, try a couple of bags of a number of the above pellets and make up your own mind.

Also look for more choices and see what else is available in your area.
 
2 & 8 are the same pellet.

Which of the Ligs are you asking about?

I haven't burned any of them, here is what you should do, try a couple of bags of a number of the above pellets and make up your own mind.

Also look for more choices and see what else is available in your area.


Smokey,
Thanks for the reply, was wondering if I posted wrong or something. Loews has the green supremes so maybe I'll give them a shot and get a few bags. As far as the lignetics I'm not sure, I just called around and asked what brand pellet they carry. I wasn't aware there were different types by each manufacturer. Tks for the heads up. I'll try a few of each I guess to see how they burn.
 
First Welcome to the forum Paul. The Great American Pellets ( GAP's) and Powerhouse are the same I've burned the GAP's I like them a lot, sitting on 1/2 ton of them right now and will be adding more. Try everything you can get your hands on, that's the fun part .

Congrats on your new Harman. Happy burning.
 
It's kinda hit or miss. I'm burning the Green Supremes right now and they're mediocre at best, what most would call a "shoulder pellet". The heat output isn't the greatest but they burn in my M55 just fine. For the really cold weeks I prefer Turmans as the heat output is great, the ash is low, and the flame is nice and high. I can tell you from experience that your stove may burn different than other people's and your results may be different. Everyone on here for the most part really likes Okanagans (Oakies) but when I burned them I was less than thrilled with the performance versus the price but that is a minority opinion. Some people swear by them and I don't doubt they're getting great performance...I just don't. The best "home depot" type brand that I've burned are Fireside Ultras at 209 a ton. If HD gets those this year I'll be in for 2 ton. I was truly surprised by them. As everyone says get a few bags and give em a try before going "whole hog" and buying 12 tons. Though others will respect your quantity, you may end up with buyers remorse. The only sure thing is that Infernos will burn like wet mulch covered in flame retardant. Good luck and congratulations. I agree that JTakeman has the best reviews for pellets on here. I go to HD, look at what they have, pull out my phone and check his review before making a decision. Hasn't let me down. It's frustrating finding a good brand but there are definitely more than one. Welcome to the forum.
 
Smokey,
Thanks for the reply, was wondering if I posted wrong or something. Loews has the green supremes so maybe I'll give them a shot and get a few bags. As far as the lignetics I'm not sure, I just called around and asked what brand pellet they carry. I wasn't aware there were different types by each manufacturer. Tks for the heads up. I'll try a few of each I guess to see how they burn.

Anytime, now that you understand that there are two sets of pellets that are the same in the list you were asking about you also need to understand that some pellet brands have more than one kind of pellet they make as well as more than one plant which further complicates things. That is the reason I asked which Ligs, sometimes we ask for a picture of the bag (old pellets have shown up) and sometimes the mill has changed their process for the better).
 
It's kinda hit or miss. I'm burning the Green Supremes right now and they're mediocre at best, what most would call a "shoulder pellet". The heat output isn't the greatest but they burn in my M55 just fine. For the really cold weeks I prefer Turmans as the heat output is great, the ash is low, and the flame is nice and high. I can tell you from experience that your stove may burn different than other people's and your results may be different. Everyone on here for the most part really likes Okanagans (Oakies) but when I burned them I was less than thrilled with the performance versus the price but that is a minority opinion. Some people swear by them and I don't doubt they're getting great performance...I just don't. The best "home depot" type brand that I've burned are Fireside Ultras at 209 a ton. If HD gets those this year I'll be in for 2 ton. I was truly surprised by them. As everyone says get a few bags and give em a try before going "whole hog" and buying 12 tons. Though others will respect your quantity, you may end up with buyers remorse. The only sure thing is that Infernos will burn like wet mulch covered in flame retardant. Good luck and congratulations. I agree that JTakeman has the best reviews for pellets on here. I go to HD, look at what they have, pull out my phone and check his review before making a decision. Hasn't let me down. It's frustrating finding a good brand but there are definitely more than one. Welcome to the forum.
Anytime, now that you understand that there are two sets of pellets that are the same in the list you were asking about you also need to understand that some pellet brands have more than one kind of pellet they make as well as more than one plant which further complicates things. That is the reason I asked which Ligs, sometimes we ask for a picture of the bag (old pellets have shown up) and sometimes the mill has changed their process for the better).


Jgrz0610,
Tks. This is going o be all trial and error I see, but like everyone keeps saying I guess that's part of the fun. So how do I measure the heat output on my stove and see what each pellet is burning at? Do I put a thermometer on the vent? I wonder if this should be a posted as a separate question?
 
Anytime, now that you understand that there are two sets of pellets that are the same in the list you were asking about you also need to understand that some pellet brands have more than one kind of pellet they make as well as more than one plant which further complicates things. That is the reason I asked which Ligs, sometimes we ask for a picture of the bag (old pellets have shown up) and sometimes the mill has changed their process for the better).

Smokey,
I'll try to take some pics of the bags as I come across them and send them out. I did pick up a few bags of stove chow fromHD the other day just to get me started.
 
So out of these, which lignetics are the good ones and which are the ones to avoid?
lignetics.jpg
 
What you want is low ash, moister & fine content. Some pellets will say ash content under 1%, others give you a little better content rating like .4% to .6% or whatever it is. Google up pellet reviews. I've heard some people rave about one brand, and other thinks it's junk. Case in point. My nephew in central NH swears by Inferno says he gets the best heat from them, that's the only pellet he'll burn. Others say they're junk. Hmm. I burned Green Supreme last year in a 20 year old Austroflamm, they worked out great. I'm using again along with North American Pellet this year. Like veryone says try before you buy.
 
It's starting to sink into my thick skull that there is no best pellet for everyone. And as much as I would love to continue with my OCD ways and plan ahead by buying in bulk I will instead have to keep picking up random bags here and there to test from my stove and see what is the best pellet for me. Tks
 
It's starting to sink into my thick skull that there is no best pellet for everyone.

Best advice I can give with the reviews is take an average of good to bad. The higher the good the better chance the pellet will be just that. 50/50 I'd not purchase a large amount on a whim, Try some before you jump in.. More bad than good, Just try(a small amount of) them to see if they are just that.

Some only buy cheap stuff and get by while others go the best stuff on earth route. But it depends on your equipment. Not just any stove will burn the low dollar stuff without some user struggles to get through them. And not everyone can afford the good stuff. For the most part budget doesn't allow them to splurge.

A key reason some just stick to the good brands is quality is very consistent with them. So you don't need to play games, Clean the stove every other day and abuse the unit with high ash content. Unless there is an unusual event. For the most part it's just reload the stash once the time comes. No messing around our trialing to see just how they are.

I'm in the middle somewhere. Cheap and good works for me. But that takes homework to find them. I started the game with an under powered stove and had to look for pellets with the most heat I could in the cold or we would freeze. In order to keep up with the heat loss I had to use the hottest stuff I cold find. Otherwise I had to over work and over fire my stove to stay warm. With the stove I have now, I have plenty of power but still play around looking for the hottest stuff I can afford. This allows me to put less strain on my stove in a lower heat setting and not having to over work it in a higher heat setting. But that's just me, I can afford to spend a little more for a better performing pellet just for the cold snaps. I cheap out only in the shoulders where I don't feel any fear of over working my stove.

Sorry for the book, Hopefully you get a few tips from this. On to your list.


1. Lignetics - $250.00 Ton Green label Liggies throw nice heat!
2. Greene Supreme - $ $209.00 Meh, Shoulder pellet. Ash is ok, Not a lot of heat!
3. North American - $209.00 Meh, Shoulder pellet. About the same heat at the GS's but slightly more ash
4. Great American - $245.00 Same as Power House Pretty decent pellet with good heat.
5. Energex - $ 299.00 possibly $279.00 Over Priced IMHO.
6. Power House - $ 239.00 Same as GAP's Pretty decent pellet with good heat.
7. Pure Fire - $219.50 See note!
8. New England Hardwood Pellets - $ 249.00 Same as the GS's why pay more!

Note: Need more info, Can you post a picture of the bag? Pretty sure they did well for me.

You could get some of the GS's for the shoulders to start with. Lignetics for the cold. Power House or GAP are worth a try. Pure Fire might be something to look into. I'd get a few bags to see how they burn and do it pronto. They could be a good all around pellet. If I remember correctly they are a softwood and were both hot and had low ash. Check my review on them.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...arch-and-review-ultimate-pellet-search.45314/
 
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I burnt Green Teams last season and they put out the most out evrything I tryed in my area last year, in my stove.So I picked up acouple tons in April to store in garage. I picked up 3 tons North Americans its what they had and the price was right 188 a ton. The worse I ever used was 2 bags from Wal-Mart last year they where crap, may have been they smelled foul dirty when they stayed burning.
 
Welcome Paul,this is the place to be for pellet info.....We are newbies as well,and the only pellet on your list that we have burned are the green letter liggies......good heat and not too bad on the ash..... A suggestion also,from your profile page add a location{doesnt have to be specific} so we know where your stove is...lol And notice how most members have a "signature" at the bottom of their posts{type of stove,pellet stash on hand,other cool equipment that you wanna list}..you can do that also,put your stove make and model in there and you dont have to preface every post with your brand of stove ,etc.......We just started burning at the end of last winter ,and we have several brands of pellets we are going to try.....This is a great place for newbies and we are glad to have found it before we bought a stove...

Dave
 
Welcome Paul,this is the place to be for pellet info.....We are newbies as well,and the only pellet on your list that we have burned are the green letter liggies......good heat and not too bad on the ash..... A suggestion also,from your profile page add a location{doesnt have to be specific} so we know where your stove is...lol And notice how most members have a "signature" at the bottom of their posts{type of stove,pellet stash on hand,other cool equipment that you wanna list}..you can do that also,put your stove make and model in there and you dont have to preface every post with your brand of stove ,etc.......We just started burning at the end of last winter ,and we have several brands of pellets we are going to try.....This is a great place for newbies and we are glad to have found it before we bought a stove...

Dave

Dave, How do you like your Heatilator? I have the CAB50 which is basically the same stove as yours with a 3 bag hopper. I heard they are made at the Quadrafire plant but can't confirm this. Have used a few times this year. Got down to 26::F here one night, kept 2900S.F. houseat 70 ::F running on medium. I have a post & beam house built in 1979 that has a very open floor plan and is well insulated. Stove is in the basement connected to a chimney centrally located. The heat pours up the stairwell and through some floor grilles. I'm interested to see how it will do when it's in the teens or single numbers.
 
Welcome Paul,this is the place to be for pellet info.....We are newbies as well,and the only pellet on your list that we have burned are the green letter liggies......good heat and not too bad on the ash..... A suggestion also,from your profile page add a location{doesnt have to be specific} so we know where your stove is...lol And notice how most members have a "signature" at the bottom of their posts{type of stove,pellet stash on hand,other cool equipment that you wanna list}..you can do that also,put your stove make and model in there and you dont have to preface every post with your brand of stove ,etc.......We just started burning at the end of last winter ,and we have several brands of pellets we are going to try.....This is a great place for newbies and we are glad to have found it before we bought a stove...

Dave

Dave,
Tks for the input. Good idea, I will try to do that now!
 
Best advice I can give with the reviews is take an average of good to bad. The higher the good the better chance the pellet will be just that. 50/50 I'd not purchase a large amount on a whim, Try some before you jump in.. More bad than good, Just try(a small amount of) them to see if they are just that.

Some only buy cheap stuff and get by while others go the best stuff on earth route. But it depends on your equipment. Not just any stove will burn the low dollar stuff without some user struggles to get through them. And not everyone can afford the good stuff. For the most part budget doesn't allow them to splurge.

A key reason some just stick to the good brands is quality is very consistent with them. So you don't need to play games, Clean the stove every other day and abuse the unit with high ash content. Unless there is an unusual event. For the most part it's just reload the stash once the time comes. No messing around our trialing to see just how they are.

I'm in the middle somewhere. Cheap and good works for me. But that takes homework to find them. I started the game with an under powered stove and had to look for pellets with the most heat I could in the cold or we would freeze. In order to keep up with the heat loss I had to use the hottest stuff I cold find. Otherwise I had to over work and over fire my stove to stay warm. With the stove I have now, I have plenty of power but still play around looking for the hottest stuff I can afford. This allows me to put less strain on my stove in a lower heat setting and not having to over work it in a higher heat setting. But that's just me, I can afford to spend a little more for a better performing pellet just for the cold snaps. I cheap out only in the shoulders where I don't feel any fear of over working my stove.

Sorry for the book, Hopefully you get a few tips from this. On to your list.


1. Lignetics - $250.00 Ton Green label Liggies throw nice heat!
2. Greene Supreme - $ $209.00 Meh, Shoulder pellet. Ash is ok, Not a lot of heat!
3. North American - $209.00 Meh, Shoulder pellet. About the same heat at the GS's but slightly more ash
4. Great American - $245.00 Same as Power House Pretty decent pellet with good heat.
5. Energex - $ 299.00 possibly $279.00 Over Priced IMHO.
6. Power House - $ 239.00 Same as GAP's Pretty decent pellet with good heat.
7. Pure Fire - $219.50 See note!
8. New England Hardwood Pellets - $ 249.00 Same as the GS's why pay more!

Note: Need more info, Can you post a picture of the bag? Pretty sure they did well for me.

You could get some of the GS's for the shoulders to start with. Lignetics for the cold. Power House or GAP are worth a try. Pure Fire might be something to look into. I'd get a few bags to see how they burn and do it pronto. They could be a good all around pellet. If I remember correctly they are a softwood and were both hot and had low ash. Check my review on them.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...arch-and-review-ultimate-pellet-search.45314/

jtakeman,
This is exactly what I was looking for.not to worry about the novel sized response, I actually appreciate the time that you took to respond. Plus I get to learn something. So thank you. Look forward to being apart of this forum and actually using this stove.
 
The way you inhale pellets? I barely have time to read your posts, only to find you bought out the whole east coast supply! ;em

He really needs to reduce is heat losses, pretty soon the town he is in is going to nail him for being a warehouse and in violation of the zoning ordinances _g.
 
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He really needs to reduce is heat losses, pretty soon the town he is in is going to nail him for being a warehouse and in violation of the zoning ordinances _g.

That or the pigs really did rumage his stash. But he won't admit it!

Skidded bales of hay look just like pellets once covered with the plastic wrap! But hey I know nothing! ::P
 
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Best advice I can give with the reviews is take an average of good to bad. The higher the good the better chance the pellet will be just that. 50/50 I'd not purchase a large amount on a whim, Try some before you jump in.. More bad than good, Just try(a small amount of) them to see if they are just that.

Some only buy cheap stuff and get by while others go the best stuff on earth route. But it depends on your equipment. Not just any stove will burn the low dollar stuff without some user struggles to get through them. And not everyone can afford the good stuff. For the most part budget doesn't allow them to splurge.

A key reason some just stick to the good brands is quality is very consistent with them. So you don't need to play games, Clean the stove every other day and abuse the unit with high ash content. Unless there is an unusual event. For the most part it's just reload the stash once the time comes. No messing around our trialing to see just how they are.

I'm in the middle somewhere. Cheap and good works for me. But that takes homework to find them. I started the game with an under powered stove and had to look for pellets with the most heat I could in the cold or we would freeze. In order to keep up with the heat loss I had to use the hottest stuff I cold find. Otherwise I had to over work and over fire my stove to stay warm. With the stove I have now, I have plenty of power but still play around looking for the hottest stuff I can afford. This allows me to put less strain on my stove in a lower heat setting and not having to over work it in a higher heat setting. But that's just me, I can afford to spend a little more for a better performing pellet just for the cold snaps. I cheap out only in the shoulders where I don't feel any fear of over working my stove.

Sorry for the book, Hopefully you get a few tips from this. On to your list.


1. Lignetics - $250.00 Ton Green label Liggies throw nice heat!
2. Greene Supreme - $ $209.00 Meh, Shoulder pellet. Ash is ok, Not a lot of heat!
3. North American - $209.00 Meh, Shoulder pellet. About the same heat at the GS's but slightly more ash
4. Great American - $245.00 Same as Power House Pretty decent pellet with good heat.
5. Energex - $ 299.00 possibly $279.00 Over Priced IMHO.
6. Power House - $ 239.00 Same as GAP's Pretty decent pellet with good heat.
7. Pure Fire - $219.50 See note!
8. New England Hardwood Pellets - $ 249.00 Same as the GS's why pay more!

Note: Need more info, Can you post a picture of the bag? Pretty sure they did well for me.

You could get some of the GS's for the shoulders to start with. Lignetics for the cold. Power House or GAP are worth a try. Pure Fire might be something to look into. I'd get a few bags to see how they burn and do it pronto. They could be a good all around pellet. If I remember correctly they are a softwood and were both hot and had low ash. Check my review on them.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...arch-and-review-ultimate-pellet-search.45314/

Jtakeman,
One last question, you said the Green label Lignetics are good, but for us handicapped color blind people that doesn't really help..lol. So based on the above pic, is it the top right or bottom left? Sorry man I need to compare when I see them. Tks again.
 
Jtakeman,
One last question, you said the Green label Lignetics are good, but for us handicapped color blind people that doesn't really help..lol. So based on the above pic, is it the top right or bottom left? Sorry man I need to compare when I see them. Tks again.

Bottom left.
 
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