Just wanted to touch on the use of fuels other than pellets in pellet stoves.
There are many possibilities available as far as fuels go, with BIOMASS being a biggy.
Nut shells, various pits,corn, pelletized grass, waste paper and no doubt other materials as well.
The tried and true pellets come in hard and soft woods and most pellets are tested for their reliability.
Using alternative fuels can be very rewarding as far as cost savings, but will in many instances require the stove be adjusted to run the product that you are trying to burn.
Many stove manufactures will state quite openly that their stove/s will or will not burn alternative fuels.
Many mfg have corn pots etc available as an option.
To burn the various pelletized biomass fuels can be as simple as an air adjustment or may require other modification.
The use of alternative fuels can also have effects on the venting system that may require a change in the vent due to the corrosive nature of the residues left after combustion.
Most grass pellets are fine and cause no issues with the venting.
Most stoves will have some trim adjustments that will allow the feed rate to be tweeked some, allowing the various alternatives to be fed with ease.
We burn and have burned hazelnut shells for over 20 years with zero issues.
The shells are crushed up some and are the size of a normal small fingernail, and feed quite well with only an occasional CRUNCH as the auger snaps a piece of shell as it passes the edge of the auger tube.
The feed rate settings had to be fiddled with to find the optimal setting.
With pellets, the fuel is highly compressed and the burn rate is what the stoves are built to run these with the stove settings giving optimal heating from low to high.
With alternatives such as the shells, the burn rate differs greatly from pellets, and is more like what you see in a wood stove when burning kindling as opposed to larger wood pieces.
We have to limit the feed rate to the 1 or no more than the 2 setting to avoid too large of a fire.
The faster burn rate is not an issue, it just requires managing the settings and such to obtain a fiire that is not too large or one that goes out.
The shells will burn out and the fire nearly die between feed cycles if not for some adjustment of the trim screw on the board.
This same scenario would likely apply to pits, corn, grass pellets, leaf pellets and such.
Our use of alternatives makes the pellet stove very affordable.
The Shells do require a storage and hauling arrangement as the shells are only available in bulk.
Using alternatives can be very rewarding but requires some careful planning and research prior to buying a stove.
Some makes and models will not operate with the alternative fuels, but many will do so happily.
Many dealers will be able to tell the prospective buyer of which models will or will not run the alternative fuels.
Most bottom feeder stoves will do so without a problem, as will many top feeders, but the fact that some are fussy, makes it imperative to ask, if you are wanting to do this.
We have two Whitfields and both happily munch up shells.
The Quadrafire 1000 will not feed the shells, so we keep a small stack of pellets for it.
I hope this info is useful to others.
Snowy
There are many possibilities available as far as fuels go, with BIOMASS being a biggy.
Nut shells, various pits,corn, pelletized grass, waste paper and no doubt other materials as well.
The tried and true pellets come in hard and soft woods and most pellets are tested for their reliability.
Using alternative fuels can be very rewarding as far as cost savings, but will in many instances require the stove be adjusted to run the product that you are trying to burn.
Many stove manufactures will state quite openly that their stove/s will or will not burn alternative fuels.
Many mfg have corn pots etc available as an option.
To burn the various pelletized biomass fuels can be as simple as an air adjustment or may require other modification.
The use of alternative fuels can also have effects on the venting system that may require a change in the vent due to the corrosive nature of the residues left after combustion.
Most grass pellets are fine and cause no issues with the venting.
Most stoves will have some trim adjustments that will allow the feed rate to be tweeked some, allowing the various alternatives to be fed with ease.
We burn and have burned hazelnut shells for over 20 years with zero issues.
The shells are crushed up some and are the size of a normal small fingernail, and feed quite well with only an occasional CRUNCH as the auger snaps a piece of shell as it passes the edge of the auger tube.
The feed rate settings had to be fiddled with to find the optimal setting.
With pellets, the fuel is highly compressed and the burn rate is what the stoves are built to run these with the stove settings giving optimal heating from low to high.
With alternatives such as the shells, the burn rate differs greatly from pellets, and is more like what you see in a wood stove when burning kindling as opposed to larger wood pieces.
We have to limit the feed rate to the 1 or no more than the 2 setting to avoid too large of a fire.
The faster burn rate is not an issue, it just requires managing the settings and such to obtain a fiire that is not too large or one that goes out.
The shells will burn out and the fire nearly die between feed cycles if not for some adjustment of the trim screw on the board.
This same scenario would likely apply to pits, corn, grass pellets, leaf pellets and such.
Our use of alternatives makes the pellet stove very affordable.
The Shells do require a storage and hauling arrangement as the shells are only available in bulk.
Using alternatives can be very rewarding but requires some careful planning and research prior to buying a stove.
Some makes and models will not operate with the alternative fuels, but many will do so happily.
Many dealers will be able to tell the prospective buyer of which models will or will not run the alternative fuels.
Most bottom feeder stoves will do so without a problem, as will many top feeders, but the fact that some are fussy, makes it imperative to ask, if you are wanting to do this.
We have two Whitfields and both happily munch up shells.
The Quadrafire 1000 will not feed the shells, so we keep a small stack of pellets for it.
I hope this info is useful to others.
Snowy
