Dough fir pellets

[WOODNUT358]

Tried and burned blazer Douglas fir pellets last year and they burned great.there is the least amount of ash I've ever had. This year I bought the same pellets,and they seem to burn black and somewhat smokey at times.My glass gets blacker faster, as I am burning a Harman xxv.I do notice more fines and I notice what looks like flat black paperlike disk on the burn pot at times. Has anyone used these and had this problem? Could this be from the fines?

 

[alternativeheat]

I think it's a Harman/Douglas fir thing actually. In a lower burn you can get those quarter or dime sized disks of glaze. Usually a good hot fire will burn them up ( vs chipping them out when cold). I got the same thing a couple of years ago with Okanagan DF. The dirty glass would be something indicative of a low burn situation too. I don't know about where you are but overall here it's been a rather mild winter. It was nice yesterday when I could crank out my P61 for a change.

 

[Deezl Smoke]

Probably not the fines directly, but maybe because there are so many fines, it may indicate other pellet manufacturing issues. I'd weigh a bag to make sure it is what the weight listed says it is. Some pellet manufacturers use a chemical binder to make a poor blend of raw material hold together. It is my belief, but not substantiated, that binders will cause more smoke and burn inconsistent. It is really tough to get the binding agent as evenly distributed withing a batch as it needs to be.

Find a neighbor that burns another similar brand/type and see if you can grab a handful to compare. Compare the smell and consistency of the pellet's ability to hold together if you crush them in your hand.

 

[alternativeheat]

The cleanest pellets I ever ran through my p61 were pure white pines, the ash just blew off the pot with the burn, what there was of it. And no particular residue.

That said, I've never burned a pellet yet that smoked except during lighting up. And I've burned some real crap pellets.

 

[webfish]

Please use other thread. Duplicate.