CHECK YOUR STASH!!

[rparker]

Went out to restock from the garage stash and got a BAD surprise! After I took off the first layer of bags, all the rest of them were WET!! They have been stored in a dry garage but I kept them covered with the plastic sheet for extra protection. I think that the abrupt change in the weather is causing wicked condensation. It was zero at the beginning of the week and now it is 52 with 70% humidity outside. I have taken out all of the bags (only about 1/2 ton left) and wiped them down; went through a whole bunch of paper towels.
No more storing the stacks under plastic, the underside of the cover was wet.
Doesn't appear that any pellets were affected but could have been a real issue.

 

[MarkSJohnson]

Thanks for the tip!
Not surprisingly, our weather is similar and I'll go check mine too!

 

[Dgopetactical]

I have a very moist basement and never had that issue. Then again I cover my stash with a canvas tarp not plastic.

 

[Lousyweather]

yep, a couple ton is a pretty large thermal mass, it will cool and warm up much slower than the air, with the likelihood of creating awful condensation issues if covered with a moisture barrier.......

 

[Hoot23]

I have a very moist basement and never had that issue. Then again I cover my stash with a canvas tarp not plastic.

X2

 

[ZBrooks]

Why does this not happen when the pallets are covered in plastic at the distributor? Because they are stored outside?

 

[Madcodger]

Why does this not happen when the pallets are covered in plastic at the distributor? Because they are stored outside?

House (even garage) = Often warmer, often moister environment. Trap that warm, moist air under a plastic tarp and then cool it. That cooler air cannot hold that moisture, but it doesn't magically vanish, so it condenses to its liquid state.

 

[Phoenix Hatchling]

Picked up some baggies of Barefoot pellets today and those bags were sweatin like pigs! Amazing that there was a 62 degree jump from 4 days ago.

 

[iceguy4]

Picked up some baggies of Barefoot pellets today and those bags were sweatin like pigs! Amazing that there was a 62 degree jump from 4 days ago.

makes me lucky I moved my last stored in the cold to my basement last week

 

[PJPellet]

I wouldn't worry about it. My pellets "sweat" multiple times over the winter. I am using pellets from three years ago that have gone through the "warm up cool down" process many times and have no issues at all.

 

[bas157]

I went to bring some from my shed to my garage today and they had lots of sweat on them. Looked to be all on the outside of the bags though and since the holes in the bags are so small I think I should be ok. Gas cans, plastic boxes, lots of stuff in the shed were sweating today. Didn't look at my tools but image they were doing the same thing! Think I even saw some mosquitoes....in PA...in December...yesterday(maybe they were, didn't really care to see if they were some other kind of bug or not).

 

[h2ochild]

I wouldn't worry about it. My pellets "sweat" multiple times over the winter. I am using pellets from three years ago that have gone through the "warm up cool down" process many times and have no issues at all.

My open eave sheds do the same. I cover the pallets with plastic too, just in case the roof leaks. No problems whatsoever with the "sweating".