Any of these pellets good?

[tmsjava]

I guess these are the types of pellets that one of our local dealers has generally. I was told hardwood is the way to go (less ash?). I'll check what types of pellets our local stove dealer has when they get some in. For now, this is what I found locally:

(broken link removed)

Thanks,
T.

 

[jackhammer]

Softwood have less ash, more heat and cost more. If you can get to Monson, I buy my pellets from Squire Lumber. They have a good selection. They deliver depending on your location, I’m in Brimfield. I didn’t see prices on the ones you are looking at, I would get the Lacrete or Energex. Your Harman stove will burn anything really so it’s a matter of how often you want to clean and how much you want to spend. I wasn’t able to get a great deal on anything this year so I bought 3 tons of Vermont wood pellets for $300/ton. I would read some reviews on the ones you are looking at and maybe try 2 different kinds. Some folks buy 10 bags of one, 10 of another to see how they burn in their stove. Lots of good opinions here, lots of experience!

 

[Tonyray]

agree...
hardwoods do not leave Less ash..I stopped buying hardwoods because of that.
some better brands of hardwoods leave less than others..Cubbies maybe?
I would deffinitly go with the LaCretes which are a Sprucewood.. i burned a ton couple years ago.
burned Energex hardwoods which left a lot of ash but never the Energex blend..

 

[Pete Zahria]

We have 8 brands of pellets. More than anyone around.
All softwood, except for one blend.
For the woodburners turned pellet burners..

Of those brands. I like the LaCrete..
Actually I like them any way!

Dan

 

[hockeypuck]

I have burned multiple types of pellets in my Mini A... including softwood like LaCrete's, but nothing has performed like Nothern by Lauzon. I was told the mini likes hardwoods.. not sure if it was sound advice but it works for me. The heat is undeniable but the ash is a bit more than the LaCretes. I have a difficult time running my stove on low for any period of time and the Northerns for some reason make it easier to do so.

 

[Tonyray]

in the shoulder season, my glass get's dirty quicker from the on/off cycle thruout the day with a bit more ash.
cheap pellets or top of the line softwoods, same deal..[although the cheaper pellets do make a mound of ash]...
so, i just burn the same softwoods from fall to spring. makes no difference for me to have a shoulder pellet
when my stove starts to run 24/7, then the difference is very noticeable.
less ash/cleaner glass..

 

[Jake86]

We have 8 brands of pellets. More than anyone around.
All softwood, except for one blend.
For the woodburners turned pellet burners..

Of those brands. I like the LaCrete..
Actually I like them any way!

Dan

Just got three tons Lacrete. Used North Country last year-good heat but a lot of ash. Hope the Lacrete's work out. Seems you like them.

 

[johneh]

After 17 years of using pellets, all I burn now is Cubix 9000 BTU .3% ash
so that, . 12 lbs of ash per 40 lb bag. The light fully ash of softwood plugged my stove
But teast out a bunch of brands and see what you like.

 

[Pete Zahria]

Just got three tons Lacrete. Used North Country last year-good heat but a lot of ash. Hope the Lacrete's work out. Seems you like them.

I do like LaCrete.. If it were the only pellet I could get, I would never complain.
Did not use many last year, only because I tried some others.
The LaCrete, often seemed like more ash,
however, I always found it to be very fluffy.. meaning, to me, there was not
more ash, just more volume..
In other words, equal volume, between two brands, the LaCrete weighed less..
I am using some this year...


Dan

 

[sandpipe]

I guess these are the types of pellets that one of our local dealers has generally. I was told hardwood is the way to go (less ash?). I'll check what types of pellets our local stove dealer has when they get some in. For now, this is what I found locally:

(broken link removed)

Thanks,
T.

Hi, I see you received lots of good pellet suggestions in this thread. I live near Greenfield and tested and then purchased 6 tons of Fireside Ultra (mixed blend) from the Home Depot there. I can't imagine any expensive high end pellet being much better, especially as far as cost vs. btu goes. The FU's I picked up are quite hot, ash is not super low but is quite decent and and the price last I checked was $219 +$70 delivery on 6 tons. I don't know if you would need so many tons but I think it was $239 per ton on less than 6. I would highly recommend you test out several bags of the Fireside Ultra (if still available) to compare to the more expensive pellets before you commit.

I have a friend who prefers to not purchase his pellets from HD because he would rather pay more and support smaller local companies and I respect his point of view but I cannot afford that luxury.

Best of luck with your quest!

 

[CarolCR]

Locally available to me are Lignetics...any experience with these? I have not investigated what is sold st HD as a few friends have said they are fairly inconsistent

 

[wjogert]

Went on a search for Soft Wood pellets to give them a go. Anyone who's close to Keene, NH... Hamshaw Lumber has a very impressive selection of pellets. I think their list had a dozen different brands of hard and soft. I grabbed 4 bags of LaCrete and 4 bags of Super Spruce. I'll probably go back and grab some bags of New England to try also.

 

[Peterfield]

Agree regarding Hamshaw Lumber and they also have very moderate delivery fees, like $25 to Peterborough, NH regardless of how many tons are ordered.

 

[Ravippe]

Speaking from personal experience the la crete ones are the best in that selection on the website. Softwood does burn better and keeps your pot from clumping into a bread sponge. This creates a lazy flame and more cleaning. La creates are 8 outta 10 on my scale. But I go Douglas fir now. After 3 years it's just worth the price. Dont go hard wood, go soft and go doug fir If you can

 

[Ravippe]

I do like LaCrete.. If it were the only pellet I could get, I would never complain.
Did not use many last year, only because I tried some others.
The LaCrete, often seemed like more ash,
however, I always found it to be very fluffy.. meaning, to me, there was not
more ash, just more volume..
In other words, equal volume, between two brands, the LaCrete weighed less..
I am using some this year...


Dan

Inland agree the ash is a bit for fluffy I noticed that also

 

[Tonyray]

Have 3 tons of douglas firs in the basement. Still holding off as winter so far here has been moderate. Close to 60 degrees tomorrow near phila.

 

[batchman]

Agree regarding Hamshaw Lumber and they also have very moderate delivery fees, like $25 to Peterborough, NH regardless of how many tons are ordered.

Hamshaw was great for my first few years, but they caught onto me with that $25 delivery fee - to Pepperell MA LOL.

Dont go hard wood, go soft and go doug fir If you can

DF's are certainly the hottest pellet I've burnt.

I was a confirmed 'softwood snob' after trying the usual mid-price hardwoods & blends, all pretty ashy compared to the softs I was burning.

Then I tried Turmans. A full ton of those and my ash bin was only 1/2 full. I emptied it out of habit (1 ton usually).

Lowest ash volume I've found; check my 6-bag test thread for my attempt at 'tech'.

Cheers,
- Jeff

 

[wjogert]

Hamshaw had Douglas Fir. I grabbed a couple bags to test when the temps hit single digits again. Maybe it's because we're late in the season, but they only offer the Northern Warmth by the bag at $7.75. With the pellet frustrations I've had (high ash, flame out, high consumption, etc) I'd pay the higher price for DF's next year if available by the ton.