First winter with my new Lopi/Leyden PS pellet stove> sift pellets?

[maewolf]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the pellet stove. I had installed this summer a Lopi, Leyden PS model pellet stove. I saw a video on YouTube about sifting your pellets before adding to the hopper - to remove loose sawdust. I'd love an opinion from pellet stove users. Is this worth doing or a waste of time? Thank you in advance! PS LOVE this site!

 

[lagger]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the pellet stove. I had installed this summer a Lopi, Leyden PS model pellet stove. I saw a video on YouTube about sifting your pellets before adding to the hopper - to remove loose sawdust. I'd love an opinion from pellet stove users. Is this worth doing or a waste of time? Thank you in advance! PS LOVE this site!

Not sure if it is worth it, but I sift, and so far this year have gleaned about ten pounds of fines, dust and very small pieces from about 20 bags so far. Was thinking of starting a thread to solicit ideas on what to do with the waste. Anyway, the more dust you remove the better for your stoves moving parts in the long run

 

[maewolf]

Thank you for the reply Lagger. I'm burning hardwood pellets and get about a 1/4 cup per bag of residue when I sift the pellets. I have only burnt 5 bags. I did not sift the first 2 bags and noticed dust accumulating in the pellet outlet that goes to the fire pot. It will be interesting to see everyones comments to both our questions. Thanks again!

 

[Hdhogger]

Welcome to the jungle. As far as sifting pellets goes I have never done so. When I do my monthly cleaning I empty the hopper and vac the fines out of the auger channel. Usually there isn't to much off a build up. But, to each his own. I guess it all boils down to how much time you want to spend on filling your hopper.

 

[maewolf]

Fines...Auger channel -Thanks I'll try to learn the "jungle" lingo I'm looking to run the pellet stove correctly and not do anything to waste pellets or harm the stove. I appreciate your feedback, thank you!

 

[Ranger72]

I guess it all depends on whether or not a particular model of stoves auger gets slowed up by dust. I never sift and my Whitfield could care less.

 

[Hdhogger]

Fines...Auger channel -Thanks I'll try to learn the "jungle" lingo I'm looking to run the pellet stove correctly and not do anything to waste pellets or harm the stove. I appreciate your feedback, thank you!

Fines are what you're sifting out, fine dust and any thing to small to be considered a pellet. These will build up in your feed system (auger and channel) and eventually grind to a halt. Best thing to do is ask someone who has been running the same stove as yours how often they clean it out.

 

[Doug Doty]

I have noticed the fines and wondered myself. What I have also observed when I watched as it run out 1 time is that fines are created as the auger continuously cuts through pellets as they feed into the tunnel so there is no eliminating fines and i am guessing that more are created in the process that initially exist in the bag. Another thing on my stove is that the fines at first drop straight down off the chute and pile up on a ledge short of going into the pot until the ledge fills up and then they fall past and into the pot. When they make it to the pot they just burn up with the whole pellets. So far I have surmised that if I sifted I would just add the extra cost and work and waste a little fuel that I have had to pay for, so long as they do not cause auger problems i see no reason thus far. But I am an extreme newbie !!

 

[johnchap]

I have lopi pellet in basement , a Harman insert in upstairs fireplace and another in a sunroom Harman accentra ... been burning for 10 years .... I do my regular weekly general cleaning and about 4 more intensive on each stove ..... in the spring I do major cleaning on each one ...... eve with the sifting I would imagine one would need to clean ...so I have yet to sift but ... still teachable

 

[Ranger72]

I see fines exit the auger tube into the burn pot on my stove. They make their way through on mine and burn. More heat.

 

[Lake Girl]

Not sure how my auger would react over all. I vacuum my pellets to try to avoid a problem but also to keep the dust to a minimum in my living room. Dislike the dust mushroom that occurs when loading otherwise and it settles into the body of the stove (hopper not sealed) to be picked up by the convection blower and tossed around the room.

 

[Doug Doty]

Great point Lake Girl,

I have learned already that my dust is coming from the loading process but had not considered the sifting angle to slow the dust in the house. Sifting outside would help in another way " no bags in the house " as I think I am getting the most dust expulsion as I crush and condense the empty bags and the air is going out of them. I have started to just gently line them up in a box that fits them and was planning to take them outside to compact 10 or so at a time where it did not make a difference.

 

[RickNH]

I have noticed that my fines end up on the bottom of my Coal Hod... the bucket (hod) holds 40 pounds easily and I use an ice scoop to transfer the pellets to the bin. I don't just dump the pellets into the hopper from the bag directly. This seems to separate the fines somewhat effectively .. Here is what I have:

Coal hod:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BZEXJM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and scoop (may try the larger size 58 oz)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D3LQYM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Chitownhillbilly]

Reading posts like this makes me realize how far on the opposite side of the spectrum I am to OCD... I got a pellet stove so I didn't have to mess with this stuff, Dumping in a pail, scooping out with an ice scoop, sifting, no way Takes me about 6 seconds to tear open a bag, dump it in and be back on the couch. 8 sec if I have to stop at the fridge for a beer

 

[iceguy4]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the pellet stove. I had installed this summer a Lopi, Leyden PS model pellet stove. I saw a video on YouTube about sifting your pellets before adding to the hopper - to remove loose sawdust. I'd love an opinion from pellet stove users. Is this worth doing or a waste of time? Thank you in advance! PS LOVE this site!

My guess is it depends on the stove. My boiler is not the least bit fussy...I burned my wood shop scraps (sawdust, shavings) last year by putting a coffee can eack time I filled hopper. Also my bulk hopper didn't like green supreems and generally ground them up....a problem I have only experienced with that pellet. My stove never skipped a beat. Fussy stoves will force you to buy expensive pellets ....somewhat negating the savings of burning pellets...

 

[richkorn]

I have not found a need to sift the fines. Stove burns em up.

 

[Utilitrack]

Lopi Leyden since 2008, sifting out what burns fine and causes no issues with my stove seems like a waste of time and is unnecessary in my opinion. Time is a precious commodity for me but to each their own! I will say this though, I dump the bag in fairly slowly to avoid the cloud of fines.

 

[bogieb]

I just dump and go. I clean the fines trap on the Harman once a month, whether it needs it or not. Haven't had the St. Croix long enough to determine if there might be some other issue, but haven't had any problems so far. We'll see when I go to clean it.

 

[muss]

Sifting for me got old real fast when I first got my stove , Lopi Leyden by the way, haven't sifted since the first month I have had the stove. I figured, what the hell, it's a wood burner. To each there own .

 

[Mike D]

Been burning my Lopi Leyden PS since 2008 and I have never sifted (cheap or expensive pellets). This stove is a beast and will burn anything you put in there without any issues. I don't vacuum the hopper/augur either - never needed to. You have a fine, solid stove there - enjoy and don't worry about sifting - but make sure you do weekly cleanouts.

 

[Travis Tech]

This is kind of a tricky question because of the fact that the pellet market is unregulated and almost every brand you see will say they are"premium" pellets when in reality they might be nothing more than tightly compressed bark and dirt. Because of this there is a little bit of trial and error until you find a good brand of pellets that will meet your needs. That being said, we don't tell people to sift through their pellets, but just to pour the pellets in slowly so that most of the fines will stay at the bottom of the bag. Fines are something we need to be careful of because they can cause a multitude of operation issues. From jamming the metering motor, to jamming the auger flight, destroying auger bushings and in some cases leading to burn backs and hopper fires. So because of this, making sure that you stay on top of cleaning out the hopper and baffles every week.

With any pellet unit, maintenance is paramount. If you are able to stay on top of cleaning and maintaining the unit, pellet sifting shouldn't be necessary.

 

[maewolf]

This is kind of a tricky question because of the fact that the pellet market is unregulated and almost every brand you see will say they are"premium" pellets when in reality they might be nothing more than tightly compressed bark and dirt. Because of this there is a little bit of trial and error until you find a good brand of pellets that will meet your needs. That being said, we don't tell people to sift through their pellets, but just to pour the pellets in slowly so that most of the fines will stay at the bottom of the bag. Fines are something we need to be careful of because they can cause a multitude of operation issues. From jamming the metering motor, to jamming the auger flight, destroying auger bushings and in some cases leading to burn backs and hopper fires. So because of this, making sure that you stay on top of cleaning out the hopper and baffles every week.

With any pellet unit, maintenance is paramount. If you are able to stay on top of cleaning and maintaining the unit, pellet sifting shouldn't be necessary.

 

[maewolf]

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. I'd prefer not to sift the pellets, so....my solution for now is to sift one bag and burn it, then I won't sift the next bag and see if I see a difference in performance. So, I will be taking everyones advice, those who sift and those who don't. And I have been good about keeping the stove clean. I've also been reading posts about the draft adjustment and the difference in pellets. All GREAT advice and help to a first time pellet stove user like me. This is definitely a learning year. At a previous home we had a stove that you could burn wood, or with a change of the grates and settings you could burn coal. I was able to run that stove like a pro, hopefully I can do the same with this pellet stove. Thank you!

 

[maewolf]

I have noticed the fines and wondered myself. What I have also observed when I watched as it run out 1 time is that fines are created as the auger continuously cuts through pellets as they feed into the tunnel so there is no eliminating fines and i am guessing that more are created in the process that initially exist in the bag. Another thing on my stove is that the fines at first drop straight down off the chute and pile up on a ledge short of going into the pot until the ledge fills up and then they fall past and into the pot. When they make it to the pot they just burn up with the whole pellets. So far I have surmised that if I sifted I would just add the extra cost and work and waste a little fuel that I have had to pay for, so long as they do not cause auger problems i see no reason thus far. But I am an extreme newbie !!

 

[maewolf]

Thank you....we will learn together this year with the help of all these nice folks who take the time to answer our questions