Bearfoot VS Kentucky Kernel VS Maine Woods test results

[gcsupraman]

I have been lurking for a few years but decided to register and make my first post to share the results of a test I did between three brands of pellets. Over the last few years I have used NEWP, Engergex, Cubex and Bearfoot pellets and during that time realized that different bags of pellets put out different amounts of heat, produce different amounts of ash and the lenth of time a bag of pellets last differs amount brands. Hence, it's important to know which brand of pellets has an advantage over another (in either price, BTU's ash etc) I did this test to help me decide which bags of pellets to purchase for the next season. Hopefully this information would be useful to others.

Equipment:
Harman P38 Stove
Wechester Brush stove thermometer
Pellet feed rate: Level 2
Fan speed: (set similar to level 2 setting)
Pellet stove running continuous, burn pot cleaned between bag changes.

Heat Output: (heat output varied slightly during bag consumption - results show low/high during test)
1st: Bearfoot 115/120 degrees
2nd: Kentucky Kernel 105/110 degrees
3rd: Maine Woods 95/105 degrees

Bag Consumption:
1st: Maine Woods 37 hours per bag
2nd: Kentucky Kernel 31 hours
Bearfoot: Unknown - bag ran out overnight. My best guess would be 32-34 hours

Ash (subjective)
1st: Bearfoot - Low amount of medium sized ash
2nd: Kentucky Kernel - Slightly more than Bearfoot (very fine ash)
3rd: Maine Woods: Significantly more ash

Conclusions:
Bearfoot - A great pellet with excellent heat and low ash content.
Kentucky Kernel - A good pellet with good heat output and low ash content. Burns quicker than other pellets due to (what appears to be) a more compressed pellet.
Maine Woods - An excellent value but does not match the heat output of other brands. Would not recommend for a pellet stove that is sensitive to high ash, but should be considered for early/late season burning in stoves such as the Harman due to the increased burn time per bag.

Hope this information is helpful to you in deciding on your purchase.

-Greg

 

[JLF001]

I have noticed that different brands of pellets feed at different rates, by almost 50% in some cases.

When I try a new brand of pellets I measure the usage for a few bags and adjust to get a certain feed rate. I can then make a comparison on heat output. I buy by the pound so if it feeds at 3lb/hr versus 2lb/hr it had better be throwing more heat!

I have to wonder if some brands make real small pellets so they will feed faster (ie. Penningtons), thus give the appearance of more btu's.

 

[mandkj]

How do you think NEWP would have ranked in your test?

 

[gcsupraman]

I have noticed that different brands of pellets feed at different rates, by almost 50% in some cases.

When I try a new brand of pellets I measure the usage for a few bags and adjust to get a certain feed rate. I can then make a comparison on heat output. I buy by the pound so if it feeds at 3lb/hr versus 2lb/hr it had better be throwing more heat!

I have to wonder if some brands make real small pellets so they will feed faster (ie. Penningtons), thus give the appearance of more btu's.

JFL,

I did notice a slight variation in pellet size between the three different brands of pellets. I also noticed that the bags of maine woods pellets were bigger in size than the bearfoot and kentucky bags. Hence, a stack of maine woods bags was much taller than the other stacks. The larger amount of pellets was also evident when I was filling the hopper. The full 40 pound bags of Bearfoot and Kentucky pellets would easily fit into the hopper with some room to spare. The Maine Woods bag filled the hopper to the brim.

I assumed that the Bearfoot and Kentucky pellets were "compressed" more, hence the smaller amount of pellets and appearance of higher BTU's when maintaining a consistent feed rate.

-Greg

 

[gcsupraman]

How do you think NEWP would have ranked in your test?

I wish I could give you an answer, but I haven't burned NEWP in a few years. I don't remember having any problems burning their pellets, however I have seen several posts in which members have reported completely different experiences - some great, some poor. I can only assume by these posts that the quality of pellets varies from batch to batch - similar to my experience with Cubex pellets.

-Greg

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Thanks for the research. I just purchased a full truckload (24 tons) of Kentucky Kernals. I took a plant tour of the facility in Louisville. It is not a big operation. I only saw three people working in the plant which includes one dumping the saw dust into a silo.

 

[Dojistar]

I've found that you just can't pour different pellets into the hopper and make comparisons. I have to play with my setting a bit to get similar feed rates. Barefoot use a smaller die when they are made so they feed a lot faster and give the impression that they burn much hotter. On my englander I had to turn my feed rate down to 2 when I use barefoot pellets to get them to burn at a rate of 40 pounds per 24 hour period. I have it set on 4 for Granules LG to burn at that same rate. If I leave my stove on 4 with Barefoot in the chute, I go through the entire hopper in about 12 hours and I get cooked out of the house. That being said, Barefoot is my favorite to date.

 

[rowerwet]

the height of a stack of pellets comes from the density of the wood, hardwood is more dense than soft, making a bigger volume of the 40# or so in the bag. I also have heard (not verified) that most mills put a little more in each bag than 40# due to the filling equipment not being super acurate, so one plant may run you 41 and another 42 and another 40.25 per bag, this adds up over 50 bags.

 

[gcsupraman]

I've found that you just can't pour different pellets into the hopper and make comparisons. I have to play with my setting a bit to get similar feed rates.

I think my results speak for themselves....I set a constant feed rate and blower speed. I measured the heat output and bag consumption times and posted the results. If I understand you correctly, you are saying that some pellets "feed" faster than others, therefore giving the impression of increased BTU's and bag consumption times. But, this is exactly why I also posted the bag consumption time AND the BTU's. I would completely agree with your assessment had I not made the bag consumption times completely transparent.

In order to get a more accurate test are you suggesting that I have to determine the proper settings for each bag and then adjust the feed rate so each bag is consumed at the exact same time - then measure BTU's? Or am I just completely off?

-Greg

 

[gcsupraman]

I have been lurking for a few years but decided to register and make my first post to share the results of a test I did between three brands of pellets. Over the last few years I have used NEWP, Engergex, Cubex and Bearfoot pellets and during that time realized that different bags of pellets put out different amounts of heat, produce different amounts of ash and the lenth of time a bag of pellets last differs amount brands. Hence, it's important to know which brand of pellets has an advantage over another (in either price, BTU's ash etc) I did this test to help me decide which bags of pellets to purchase for the next season. Hopefully this information would be useful to others.

Equipment:
Harman P38 Stove
Wechester Brush stove thermometer
Pellet feed rate: Level 2
Fan speed: (set similar to level 2 setting)
Pellet stove running continuous, burn pot cleaned between bag changes.

Heat Output: (heat output varied slightly during bag consumption - results show low/high during test)
1st: Bearfoot 115/120 degrees
2nd: Kentucky Kernel 105/110 degrees
3rd: Maine Woods 95/105 degrees

Bag Consumption:
1st: Maine Woods 37 hours per bag
2nd: Kentucky Kernel 31 hours
Bearfoot: Unknown - bag ran out overnight. My best guess would be 32-34 hours

Ash (subjective)
1st: Bearfoot - Low amount of medium sized ash
2nd: Kentucky Kernel - Slightly more than Bearfoot (very fine ash)
3rd: Maine Woods: Significantly more ash

Conclusions:
Bearfoot - A great pellet with excellent heat and low ash content.
Kentucky Kernel - A good pellet with good heat output and low ash content. Burns quicker than other pellets due to (what appears to be) a more compressed pellet.
Maine Woods - An excellent value but does not match the heat output of other brands. Would not recommend for a pellet stove that is sensitive to high ash, but should be considered for early/late season burning in stoves such as the Harman due to the increased burn time per bag.

Hope this information is helpful to you in deciding on your purchase.

-Greg

hope u took into account factors such as indoor/outdoor temp, wind, himdity

Indoor air temp stayed within 5 degrees the entire 8 days.

How would OAT, wind and humidity affect the results? - please explain - I was planning on doing a comparison of 10 different brands in the fall and want to adjust and/or record if necessary.

FYI I ran the stove 24/7 with two bags of each brand back to back, then divided the consumption time in 2 (since there was 2 bags) to get an average. During each brand changeover I scrapped the burn pot clean as not to affect the new bags results.

Thanks

-Greg

 

[jtakeman]

I have also put the Barefoots up against several pellet brands. My results were simular to yours. They were hotter and had less ash. I only saw a little less burn time per bag. Not enough to say. I was getting close to a bag a day from the Barefoots and the closest pellet which was the Turmans. Turmans were also a bag a day.

But if your getting more heat from them you could always drop the feed rate. Then they will last longer.

IMO
jay

 

[rowerwet]

I think a better test would be in a stove with a thermostat that only burns fuel as called for, not one with a constant feed rate, other wise the OAT (outside air temp) humidity, indoor conditions (how often was the door opened) will vary from day to day. some stoves have this as an option, mine only burns fuel as called for by the house load. Otherwise you need the same type of stove for each brand burning at the same time.

 

[BreckP23Newbie]

Barefoot Pellets Have been The Best Pellet That I have burned Compared to NEWP, Greenway and Okanagan.
A Great amount of heat, No Clinkers, Very Little dust in bag, A great Super premium pellet that deserves that Classification. IMHO.

 

[davevassar]

Barefoots rule. I haven't found another pellet yet that will touch their heat output.