Are fines just fine?

[Arbee]

Ok. So there's no shortage of threads on this board about pellet fines. Should I remove them, are they bad, etc, along with some great DIYs on how to do so?

Here's my angle. I am fortunate to have a very good pellet stove. It's from Travis Industries and I be running it like a dog during the Winter for 20 years. I've also taken care of it, have been meticulous about not only maintenance but preventive maintenance and stock "replacement parts for my replacement parts."

Sure, given the adage "all moving parts are subject to wear and tear," I've accepted the idea and learned the stove well enough that I can and have replaced most moving parts at least once since purchase, some like the exhaust fan more times that I have counted.

In this 20 year time maybe 3 times I've had to clear the hopper because the feed auger got stuck somehow, and I am not even sure that pellet fines were the culprit.

With this said, is there any reason that I should NOT be ignoring the fines in each bag and cleaning my pellets prior to burning? Maybe these fines make stove cleaning more frequent but I am fine with the 30 minute downtime every few days (25 minutes to cool down 5 to clean) I currently am faced with.

TIA

 

[Washed-Up]

I don’t pay much attention to the fines, Harman P61A, empty the fines compartment once or twice a year…never had an issue

 

[ARC]

If your stove burns them they are no worry, 3 times in 20 years means you are doing "fine".

 

[Whitenuckler]

Ok. So there's no shortage of threads on this board about pellet fines. Should I remove them, are they bad, etc, along with some great DIYs on how to do so?

Here's my angle. I am fortunate to have a very good pellet stove. It's from Travis Industries and I be running it like a dog during the Winter for 20 years. I've also taken care of it, have been meticulous about not only maintenance but preventive maintenance and stock "replacement parts for my replacement parts."

Sure, given the adage "all moving parts are subject to wear and tear," I've accepted the idea and learned the stove well enough that I can and have replaced most moving parts at least once since purchase, some like the exhaust fan more times that I have counted.

In this 20 year time maybe 3 times I've had to clear the hopper because the feed auger got stuck somehow, and I am not even sure that pellet fines were the culprit.

With this said, is there any reason that I should NOT be ignoring the fines in each bag and cleaning my pellets prior to burning? Maybe these fines make stove cleaning more frequent but I am fine with the 30 minute downtime every few days (25 minutes to cool down 5 to clean) I currently am faced with.

TIA

I don't have much fines in my pellets. I pour them into 2 five gal buckets and just see some dust. I would think that if your stove can feed them through and burn them without causing problems then it's OK. Fines won't mix with air properly, so they need to be mixed in evenly ,not all at once.

 

[johneh]

In 24 years with this stove, Enviro fe3, I have never
had a fines problem, the stove eats everything

 

[bogieb]

I run mostly middling pellets and don't pay attention to fines. The last 4 tons I have been running are extremely dusty (even for middling pellets). It irks me that I am throwing the dust into the house with each bag dumped into the hopper- but I can live with it.

And, if after 20 years you've only had an issue 3 times, don't know why you would be concerned now.

 

[Tonyray]

it enough to move the 2 tons of bags delivered and put them in the basement, then bring a few up next to the stove so there is a limit to how many times i am going to lift 40 lb bags...3x is nuff. stack/pickup/pour.

 

[tbear853]

I've read a lot of posts about fines, they are usually in the bottom of a bag, I just brush them gently into the hopper on top of the last of the just added pellets. I'll usually be adding more pellets in a few hours when is room to make it worthwhile. Before adding more pellets, I'll roll my sleave up, ball up my fist, and press into the pellets in the hopper to compress, like a road crew uses a sheepsfoot roller to compress earth.

 

[Whitenuckler]

I've read a lot of posts about fines, they are usually in the bottom of a bag, I just brush them gently into the hopper on top of the last of the just added pellets. I'll usually be adding more pellets in a few hours when is room to make it worthwhile. Before adding more pellets, I'll roll my sleave up, ball up my fist, and press into the pellets in the hopper to compress, like a road crew uses a sheepsfoot roller to compress earth.

I wouldn't want to take a punch from you, I'm sure it would hurt I load up two 5 gallon buckets in the garage per bag. There is some dust, and that stays in the garage. I use a piece of Pex B to stir my pellets. I find once I level things out, I can sometimes fit another bucket.

 

[Tonyray]

this post is about fines but a few mentioned dust issues...

if your hopper can take the whole 40lb bag just set it inside the hopper then use razor knife to slash the bottom.
pellets will empty out as u slowley lift the bag up..... no dust...

 

[tbear853]

When discussing wood pellets, I wonder what the difference "fines" vs "dust" is? Are fines just really small pieces of pellets broken up in handling, etc and dust just ... wood dust?

 

[Washed-Up]

IMHO fines are bigger and not airborne

 

[bogieb]

The GS Midwest hardwoods that I had both sawdust and dust. Unbroken pallets and bags, bags without the "breathing holes".

I'm not even sure what this qualifies for (GS Premium Plus received fall of 2025)

 

[zrock]

I ignore them, I can tell when the fines are getting to much in the hopper by the way its burning and having to turn up the heat level to keep the same temp. Then i let it run low and sift out the remaining pellets and vacuum out the fines. I have to do this maby 2x a season depending on the pellet quality.. Speaking of that i think im due again.

 

[Tonyray]

thought all bags had the tiny holes since impossible to stack without the air seeping out.
would be like trying to stack beach balls??

 

[tbear853]

I don't recall any holes in "Hamer's Hot Ones" nor excess air in them .... kind of like they maybe seal the bag in a vacuum.

 

[Tonyray]

I don't recall any holes in "Hamer's Hot Ones" nor excess air in them .... kind of like they maybe seal the bag in a vacuum.

just burned couple tons last season but never looked for holes...

 

[Tonyray]

just burned couple tons last season but never looked for holes...

besides, after leaving factory and being stacked there would not be any air left inside the bags...if any.

 

[bogieb]

thought all bags had the tiny holes since impossible to stack without the air seeping out.
would be like trying to stack beach balls??

Most hardwoods that I've burned did not have those holes. The air doesn't blow up in them, not sure why they would unless you store them in a lot warmer room than they were bagged in. They stack just fine. I just went and looked at some Orford bags and they do have some breathing holes, so IDK. I do appreciate the ones with no holes as I use them in my cat litter can for the waste, and they don't let anything sift thru to the bottom of the container.

I've had some wood pellets in the past where it seemed as if the bags were vacuumed. They were very tight to the pellets and there was no wiggle room for them. Those did stack extra nicely. I don't remember what brand those were, but it was quite a few years ago. Maybe they were Hamer's as tbear says.

I don't recall any holes in "Hamer's Hot Ones" nor excess air in them .... kind of like they maybe seal the bag in a vacuum.

 

[zrock]

i guess i spoke to soon yesterday.. got home and stove would not maintain a flame.. Filled the dyson 2x with just fines so probably 4 cups.. I guess it could not wait until the weekend..LOL