Hamers - anyone else notice a difference?

[djs_net]

I bought 2 tons of (Elkins) Hamers last year, they were easily the best pellet I've ever burned in my stove. Super hot and very little ash. I had a few bags left over and burned them last week when we had that really cold spell.

I bought a ton a few days ago (bag doesn't say Elkins or Hope), they are still incredibly hot, but now my burnpot is getting a hard crusty layer on the bottom that I need to scrape once or twice a day.

Has anyone else noticed a difference between last year's and this year's Hamers?

 

[jtakeman]

No more MT. Hope from what I have heard. Just Elkins now. We have heard many brands getting the higher ash than last season review. We are still in a fiber crunch, So it could be "not quite as good" has made it into the fiber supply. Hopefully CTpellet chimes in, he gets more inside stuff than I.

A member complaining about them in the CountryBoy thread.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/country-boy-white-lightning.105113/#post-1365450

 

[Mike D]

I didn't buy any last year because of the warm winter we had. I bought 2 tons this year and have burned about 1/2 ton so far. I only noticed some clinkers once, but I attribute that to the fact that I combined them with the GT's that were still in the hopper and that I needed to clean the stove for the week and hadn't had the chance before needing to put the Hamers in. Othewise no issues for me - started burning them again yesterday.

 

[Justin M]

I had the exact same results with the ton of Hamers I bought this year. This was my first time burning them. The heat and quantity of ash was good, but that caked up layer that coated the burn pot required a scraping atleast once a day and usually twice. It wasn't worth the hassle and I will not buy them again.

 

[djs_net]

Here's a pic of 4 days worth of clinkers from the Hamers. Even though I had to scrape these from the burnpot twice a day, the stove cranked out awesome heat.

 

[save$]

Here's a pic of 4 days worth of clinkers from the Hamers. Even though I had to scrape these from the burnpot twice a day, the stove cranked out awesome heat.

View attachment 93440

I hate that ash cake. That is reason enough for me not to buy a brand that leaves that mess. I don't get them with MWP. I'm too cheap to buy anything over $260 a ton. Got my MWP's this year for $167. ( delivered!)

 

[CT Pellet]

Hopefully CTpellet chimes in, he gets more inside stuff than I.​

What do you think....I have nothing elso to do in my office than post here for your own personal amusement? Anyways, I can offer you this:

Hamer pellets is and has been one of the most sought after wood pellets in the northeast for many, many years. They are clean and they are hot and many, many people reccommend them to their friends. There is a reason for this, other than their quality. You see, Hamer Pellet Co. has been making wood pellets for almost twenty years now. Back 15 years ago, they were the only wood pellet that made you say, "WOW," and so for years and years, they were the reigning champion and for years and years, these were the only pellets taht anyone really felt compellet to brag about. Today, they are still just as good as they always were...nice and clean and hot. But because their roots are so deep so to speak, there is a much bigger following for Hamer Pellets than most other brands.
I say this because despite the price, we still sold quite a few of these pellets this season, and I have not gotten one call back on them yet. That is very telling that their quality is still where it always has been. I cannot explain the black hard crusty stuff....sorry.

 

[jtakeman]

What do you think....I have nothing elso to do in my office than post here for your own personal amusement?

Well, actually. Yep, The kid does all the actual work. Hey?

I cannot explain the black hard crusty stuff....sorry.

Seems they might have some fiber with higher than usual chlorides(salt) content. Word out says there is some chatter going around and its not just here. This is what I heard from an insider,

"Some of there wood comes from a mill that pre-soaks the logs in salt water(brine) to rid it of bugs and helps remove the bark. They generally don't use a lot of this, But with the fiber market slightly lean them may have used too much in some batches"

Just passing on what I have heard.

 

[briansol]

I've found that the hammers simply need more air. They burned great for me wide open damper on lower settings. but on higher settings, there simply wasn't enough air to get the full burn against all the fuel and the clinkers starting piling up.

 

[djs_net]

I've found that the hammers simply need more air. They burned great for me wide open damper on lower settings. but on higher settings, there simply wasn't enough air to get the full burn against all the fuel and the clinkers starting piling up.

The above pic was the result of 4 days with the damper wide open and the heat setting on 4 (of 5). As I mentioned earlier, I'm not really complaining because the heat was amazing and it only takes me 30 seconds tops to swipe the burnpot. I was trapped in my house after that blizzard, so what else was I going to do?

I do think I'm going to try some softies for my next purchase, probably Spruce Pointes.