englander 25pvdc; hardwood vs softwood pellets? brand?

[orangecrushcj7]

Hi all,
I am new to the forum and new to pellet stoves. I just purchased an Englander 25 PVDC. I am now trying to decide what pellets to use in it. I would prefer to burn softwood, because of the higher BTU potential. From what I understand different pellets burn differently in different stoves. I am looking to see what people have burned, how well they burned, etc, in this stove.

The email I got from Englander says "we suggest premium hardwood. softwood burns dirtier than hardwood." I thought softwood burns more completely, ie, less ash. Would I just get more soot in my vent pipe?

 

[geek]

I have a 25-pdv and based on my tests at the end of this past season the softwood pellets leave a dirtier black smoky glass, they seem to burn hotter though.

I'd stick with the hardwood, glass still got dirty but not as much as when using softwood.....

good luck....

 

[orangecrushcj7]

Is that the only downside you noticed? I could care less if the glass is dirty, if I am getting more heat out of it.

Thanks

 

[geek]

if I remember correctly (scratching my head now.....lol) the softwood pellets used to create more clump, I mean the ash was not so fine ash, it used to clump more, I remember when removing the ash with a big spoon I could place clumps in my hand and move them around without diminishing them into 'powder' ash, if you know what I mean.....

 

[orangecrushcj7]

pardon my ignorance, but is that bad?

 

[geek]

the black dust/ash deposit on the glass was bad to me, hope others can chime in for you....

 

[MCPO]

if I remember correctly (scratching my head now.....lol) the softwood pellets used to create more clump, I mean the ash was not so fine ash, it used to clump more, I remember when removing the ash with a big spoon I could place clumps in my hand and move them around without diminishing them into 'powder' ash, if you know what I mean.....

Could be the stove needs some adjustment. The ash should be consistant and powdery if it was burned properly.
John

 

[stoveguy2esw]

well, i build them , and also use an 04 version of that model (no difference to 08 model) i have burned mostly lignetics (eastern) with great results other than a bit of clinker buildup, "hardwood heat" a hardwood that TSC sells here. burned pennington which burned well but gave off a bit less heat. hamers hot ones , which were very hot but clinkered a lot. each brand had good and not as good points but overall they were all performing reasonably. clinkering doesnt bother me so much so i favored the hotter ones i mentioned (im pretty anal about keeping my stove clean) but each brand ive burned , including several i didnt mention burned well. that stove is pretty forgiving with pellets as long as they are low ash, dont waste time with high ash or non premium grade pellets they create too much ash and you dont get the "BTU for the buck" you get with premium grade hardwood or PG softwood pellets

best suggestion , when you have a supply of pellets, if you see a different brand spend a couple bucks and try a bag or two, find your favorites. different pellets behave differently in different stoves, and one user may like a brand for its heat output , while the next guy might prefer a different brand for less ash buildup. its a simple case of "one mans trash is another mans treasure" usually i tell customers to look for the PFI logo on the bag as they are members of the pellet fuels institute and make their pellets in compliance to the specs that are recognised by the PFI. look them up at www.pelletheat.org for more detailed information and industry contacts.

i hope this is helpful to you and thanks for choosing my product , feel free to contact me with questions on my product line at any time.

 

[orangecrushcj7]

Thanks Mike, very helpful. More so that the one word replies I was getting from the customer service. So you are of the opinion that softwood pellets are ok, as long as they are premium?

I actually have many questions for you... maybe I would be better off emailing you directly if you don't mind?

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Thanks Mike, very helpful. More so that the one word replies I was getting from the customer service. So you are of the opinion that softwood pellets are ok, as long as they are premium?

I actually have many questions for you... maybe I would be better off emailing you directly if you don't mind?

yes softwood are ok if premium IMHO, however we recommend hardwood as in our testing they seemed to perform better more consistantly overall.

as for questions, yeah feel free , e mail or just PM me i'll answer em

 

[orangecrushcj7]

thanks Mike, I private messaged you