Hello from Michigan (pellet pig in training)

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343amc

Feeling the Heat
Nov 23, 2005
375
West Michigan
Long time reader, forgot that I had registered here years back until I tried to re-register and was told I already existed.

I've been burning pellets since late fall of 2005. My stove was a Horizon Research Eclipse insert I bought in November 2005. I bought it used (obviously) and it served me well. It was too much of a pain in the rear end for the wife to want to use on a regular basis when I was away at work. It did have some quirks, and could be a finicky beast at times, but it ran without major incidents for six seasons. I've since moved it out to the workshop so I can ditch the kerosene heater when I get the urge to do some work out there. A couple months back I purchased a US Stove 6041i. I installed the new insert about a month ago after doing the initial burn in out in the garage so I wouldn't gas the wife and kid out of the house on the first chilly day. So far I'm happy with it. It's a bit noisier than I had hoped, but no worse than the Eclipse was. I did a few minor modifications to it, thanks to the suggestions here and on the iburncorn.com forums. It's not the most attractive stove sold, OK it's borderline ugly, but for the price it does throw some heat.

In the past, I burned maybe a ton of pellets a year. I am proud to say that I am about a quarter ton away from potential pellet pig membership. I have about 2.75 tons of pellets out in the barn. The majority are Michigan Wood Pellet Fuel, with some Somersets left over from last year. The 6041 doesn't seem to mind the Michigan pellets, and the fact that they're made only a few miles down the road is a plus to me. I did haul them to the house, a half ton at a time, in my trusty 1985 S-10, which makes for an interesting drive home to say the least. I'm hoping next year to have enough to qualify as a true 'pellet pig'. There used to be a dealer a few miles down the road who sold Pinnacle Pellets, and I loved those things, but he's since gone out of business. I've been known to stop by the nearest big box store on the way home from work and grab 5 or 6 bags, which is all I can cram in the trunk of the daily driver car. I don't want to run out of pellets like I did the first year I had the stove.

While it hasn't been terribly cold here yet for any length of time, the new stove keeps the house right around 68 degrees while running on PR1. I'm heating the upstairs of a 1700 square foot ranch. My thermostat cycles the fan on the furnace once an hour to keep the air moving around the house, and that helps keep the basement from getting too cold. The bedrooms at the back are about 5 degrees cooler than the living room, but I don't mind a cooler room for sleeping anwyays. I've been running the pellet stove during the day, and at night revert back to my Vermont Castings insert which is on the other side of the house. Firewood is free from a friends property, as long as my ancient Poulan saw will start. Last year I used about 125 gallons of heating oil. I'm hoping to use next to none this winter, especially as the price starts knocking on $4/gallon.

Just wanted to say "hi" and thanks for all the tips I've picked up over the years. Hope to be able to return the favor to others in the future.

Roy
 
You stated that you are only a couple of miles from Michigan Wood Pellet. They manufacture in Grayling, but I believe have headquarters in Holland, Michigan. I'm 12 miles west of Grayling off M-72. How close are you?
 
I didn't know they manufactured in Grayling. The bags say manufactured in Holland, and I never checked their website for any info. I'm about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids, so saying they're made a few miles down the road is a bit of a stretch. So far I can't complain for $179 a ton. I make my way up to Grayling and northern Michigan every now and again for work, but not as often as I visit Detroit, unfortunately.
 
I live a bit west of Sparta and drive by the AT&T garage at Alpine and 6 Mile a couple times a day going to and from work. I'll guess you've been there a time or two. Good to meet you.
 
Michigan Pellets are not good pellets ...
 
Never claimed they were a super premium pellet. When burning them the stove puts out good heat, glass stays clean and the price is right. Good enough for me.
 
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I think a bit of confusion here about Michigan Wood Pellet and Michigan Wood Fuel these are two totally different companies.

Michigan Wood Pellet is based in Grayling Michigan http://www.michiganwoodpellet.com/

Michigan Wood Fuel is based in Holland Michigan http://www.michiganwoodpellets.com/

I purchased 7 tons of the Michigan Wood Fuel pellets (holland made) from Home Depot for $175 ton in West Branch Michigan a few weeks ago (I tried a few bags first). Although the weather has been to warm to make a final judgement yet I tend to think they will do just fine in both my stoves for the bucks spent.

I use a US stove 6039 and a New England 10-CDV last night in my 3000 square foot 90' long home with both stoved turned all the way down it was 72 degrees when I got up at 7 am and it was 32 degrees out. Not bad at all. This would end up with both stoves combined burning just under 2 bags in a 24 hour period. At less then $8 a day I'm happy... I bet dead of winter it will not exceed $10 a day. Heating this place with propane to the same temp woudl easily exceed $15 or even #20 a day in the dead of winter (been there done that).

These Pellets seem to burn clean and put out reasonable heat for the bucks spent.
 
I have burned the Michigan Wood Pellet product from the Grayling factory for several years with no problems. I also get great deals because I buy them in the spring.
Last year they didn't have a ton packaged when I went to pick up my 6th and final ton, so the owner gave me a ton of Isabella softwood pellets for the same price and asked me to give my feedback on them. I saved them for the coldest part of the winter, and they indeed seemed to give me more heat per ton, plus the glass stays cleaner. This year I bought 6 tons of these softwood pellets from MWP. Come spring, I will know for sure which of these two pellets I prefer to burn.
However, if you prefer hardwood pellets, I have had no problems with their MWP product. These come in a white bag with red & black on the label.
 
Michigan wood pellets are one of the worst pellets I have ever burned. Green tree to pellet all in one week. Absolutely no product control. I will never buy them again!
 
I think you are talking about the other company, downstate. The Grayling company is Michigan Wood Pellet. The downstate company is Michigan Wood Pellets.
Don't know anything about the downstate one. The one up here gets a lot of their product from their wood trim and wood blind factories. I don't think you make either one of those items with green wood. I have been burning their products for a few years now with no problems.
 
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