Any way to determine good pellets? I am somewhat lost

[Darkwing]

Hello
I am on my first pellet stove and it keeps our house at a great temp...
But finding good pellets seems a lottery kind of deal...
I had Tractor in white bag...not bad for 4 and change...but now gone and replaced by some for 5 and change and they are awful...
And before i had a few good ones from lowe's but the one i got yesterday seems to have more ash then fire in it...
And i looked around online...and some say softwood are they to go and other only touch hardwood...
Is there any logic to follow?
I would like to buy bulk, but since my experiences are so irritating, i would love to understand what to look for...

Thx for any light that u can shed into this subject...

 

[jerrieric]

I've been burning big box pellets for at least 10 years. I just buy what they have in stock. I have had zero issues. Clean my current stove every 4/5 days and glass is very clean. I run 24/7. You can debate pellets forever. I just make sure they are labeled premium. I never seen any that were not labeled premium though.

 

[Darkwing]

Hmmm...ok...thx for your statement...
But i really "feel" that some are real bad...and i really try to avoid byuing 1 or 2 tons of garbage

 

[jerrieric]

Hmmm...ok...thx for your statement...
But i really "feel" that some are real bad...and i really try to avoid byuing 1 or 2 tons of garbage

Probably depends on what kind of stove you have
Ravelli Dynamic System

RDS, the fire follows our rules

RDS. Or Ravelli Dynamic System. RDS is Ravelli’s innovative system for automatically regulating combustion parameters and ensuring maximum efficiency and safety from your stove. RDS is a brand new concept in the field of biomass fuelled heating. The system is the expression of an intelligent and environmentally compatible new technology developed thanks to major investments in R&D and close cooperation with the Technical Physics department of the Mechanical Engineering faculty of the University of Brescia.


Dynamic operation, more efficient,
safer and cheaper


Normal variations in pellet quality, flue draft, altitude above sea level and operating temperature make it impossible for conventional stoves to achieve optimal efficiency. Ravelli’s exclusive RDS system automatically varies combustion parameters to maintain optimum combustion parameters and ensure maximum efficiency.

 

[Darkwing]

So and how do i get this magic weapon?
Besides buying new 10 grant stove?

 

[Dataman]

I have tried 3 Different Brands on my Harmon XXV (New this year). No Difference in them I can tell.

North Idaho Energy
Plus 2 others (Too lazy to go look).

Going NI next year because 4 bags had water in them and ruined some

 

[jerrieric]

So and how do i get this magic weapon?
Besides buying new 10 grant stove?

Yeah it's pricey I paid around 3500 including install. But if you shop around I'm sure you might be able to get it cheaper. The only thing with the stove is you can't buy parts online for Ravalli keeps it close to the vest. By online I mean aftermarket. I did have one issue with the air temp sensor but that was solved Within a day when I called the dealer. Here is a pick of the glass after a 5 day 120 hour burn.

 

[Darkwing]

Hmmm...the recommended ones from you are not available here...to sad...
But i try to keep getting info...seems to be a big mysterium around pellets

 

[jerrieric]

Hmmm...the recommended ones from you are not available here...to sad...
But i try to keep getting info...seems to be a big mysterium around pellets

Yeah I'm thinking the pellets aren't giving me any issues because of all the electronics in the stove. Ask me in a few years if everything starts to go south if it was worth it. The install includes the people l running it until it gets up to Temp and then they go into the control panel which is protected for service people only and set the pellet feed rate, air flow cetera. I've only gone through about six tons so far and it's working perfectly. As you can see in the pictures the back is called firex600 when its burning clean like you can see in the picture everything's working fine.

 

[Freezn]

Tons of wood pellet reviews by brand can be found here: https://woodpelletreviews.com/

Most of the reviews seem to be genuine and honest.... but like everything else...take them with a grain of salt (or ash in this case).

 

[Darkwing]

Looks like i life in the wrong area...nit a single pellet company in a 50 mile range...
Hope in spring the pellets will get cheaper again...at 5+ $ per bag its a pretty pricey toy

 

[jerrieric]

Looks like i life in the wrong area...nit a single pellet company in a 50 mile range...
Hope in spring the pellets will get cheaper again...at 5+ $ per bag its a pretty pricey toy

Yeah I agree with you $5 means 250-ton pretty pricey.
But we sure got used to the warmth. I'm already working with a supplier to get a spring price

 

[jpeterson2322]

Best bet is to see what locals in your area do. I bought from big box store but then my neighbor recommended a farming coop that also sells. It costs me $35 more for a skid of 60- 40lb bags but that's delivered in my garage. I don't have to manually load and unload for what I feel are a better pellet. My main things is little dust out of the bag and short pellets, long ones make a binding noise on the augers sometimes. Don't care about hard or soft as long as they burn.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Best bet is to see what locals in your area do. I bought from big box store but then my neighbor recommended a farming coop that also sells. It costs me $35 more for a skid of 60- 40lb bags but that's delivered in my garage. I don't have to manually load and unload for what I feel are a better pellet. My main things is little dust out of the bag and short pellets, long ones make a binding noise on the augers sometimes. Don't care about hard or soft as long as they burn.

jpeterson, are you familiar with the Wisconsin Pellet Distribution Center in Iron Ridge? They sell Somersets at a reasonable price. In fact, I could use another ton in the basement ... I think I'll give him a call to see what his current price is. (920) 382-4300.

 

[greg13]

Looks like i life in the wrong area...nit a single pellet company in a 50 mile range...
Hope in spring the pellets will get cheaper again...at 5+ $ per bag its a pretty pricey toy

$5/bag pricey? You get what you pay for. My Barefoot pellets are $270/ton.

 

[planeman125]

i've been burning Energex softwoods in my RV100 and the machine seems to love them.
I really do notice a difference between box store brands and the premium brands. I think it's worth spending an extra few bucks

 

[Pissed in Az]

Sorry you have to clean your stove every 4/ 5 day I know from this Statement your not getting your moneys worth and not getting the heat you think you are
Worst Pellet Is Heaters
Heaters Az Forset Energy Corp products are the worst they come in 3 different bags
Try A different brand at least 6 bags and you see that cleaning will be maybe once a week low ash and your settings can be lowerd to 1 because the heat will increase 10 fold
Try it
I know that somepeople just dont want to bother but I know when i am getting suckerd and am being scamed This might not bug you but it does me
Nope i really dont like being *****
And Heaters from Az rapes
Peace to you
Hope youll just once try lingetics or WalMart or Tractor Supply clean your stove completely and youll be so suprised at the great and happy difference
Peace

I've been burning big box pellets for at least 10 years. I just buy what they have in stock. I have had zero issues. Clean my current stove every 4/5 days and glass is very clean. I run 24/7. You can debate pellets forever. I just make sure they are labeled premium. I never seen any that were not labeled premium though.

 

[jerrieric]

I don't mind cleaning my stove every 4 or 5 days and I'm happy with the heat that I get from The Big Box store pellets. Especially when you're paying $60 or $70 less a ton

 

[sandpipe]

.......
Try A different brand at least 6 bags and you see that cleaning will be maybe once a week low ash and your settings can be lowerd to 1 because the heat will increase 10 fold.......
Peace

These pellets will turn your stove into a puddle of of molten red hot liquid!

 

[jerrieric]

I just can't see spending a lot of money for these great wood pallets because when you look at the btu output it just doesn't seem that paying more gets you that much more. So what I'm going to do for next winter since I already bought my pellets 2 weeks ago. I'm going to order the real expensive pallets and burn a ton and see if they're worth it. I'll give you my next heating season. But I'm going to wait till December before I use the expensive stuff cuz I want to make sure I'm into the real cold heating season. Can't do a review in October or November when the stove doesn't need to run full bore
. But in fact my stove never needs to run on full bore.

 

[Tonyray]

Okay I admit. I am a soft wood snob. And I'm willing to pay extra for pellets that produce very little Ash. I have burned all the lower-priced stuff at box stores and I'm just tired of all the ash. I have no problem paying $100 more a ton for Douglas firs. I have friends who spend that much every week just going out to dinner or take out so over a winter season it's really not much at all. Besides, doesn't disappear overnight like some luxuries if you know what I mean

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I've given up on TSC for pellets because their storage is out in the open, exposed to the elements. A few years ago we had a mild winter and our local store had a lot of leftovers. ... so they sat outside all summer. I brought home a ton and returned almost half of it due to water damage. I'll be back when they put a roof over their storage yard.

 

[jerrieric]

Wow if you're willing to spend that much more for pellets why don't you just turn up your thermostat on your oil furnace if you have one. Probably cheaper than burning pellets that cost over $300 a ton.

 

[Tonyray]

Wow if you're willing to spend that much more for pellets why don't you just turn up your thermostat on your oil furnace if you have one. Probably cheaper than burning pellets that cost over $300 a ton.

Oil furnace heats up the baseboard,then cools down,heats up,rinse/lather/repeat. Stove is constant heat 24/7 blowing.our house is not well insulated so the furnace would drink oil like a drunken sailor to keep downstairs at 74 degrees. Stove keeps it toasty warm for almost what oil would cost.even if the cost was equal , the stove keeps it steadily warm with no cooldown. If you had a not well insulted house you would understand better i think. also, we have not had to use the second floor thermostat since we bought a pellet stove as the heat makes its way to our second floor right up the step thanks to the distribution blower. Keeps it around 67 68 degrees. To us it's a win-win.

 

[jerrieric]

How many tons do you burn a year