How do you light your pellets?

[HD4Mark]

When we first got our stove I bought the starter pellets. Ordered them for $10 and got 10 jars. When they ran out I reordered them from the same place and discovered they made a mistake the first time and sent me a case. So the second time I got one jar. Yikes! I figured out they were pretty much pellets soaked in denatured alcohol. Went to the hardware store and bought a can. From then on I just pour a little on the pellets and light them with a long lighter.

I know some stoves are automatic and people use a propane torch. What else do you use?

 

[bill3rail]

Press the "On" button! To speed up start time, I sometimes add Purell hand sanitiser to a handful of pellets in the burn pot and start them on fire.

 

[DneprDave]

My stove doesn't have a start feature, so I squirt some barbeque starting fluid on the pellets and light it with a barbeque lighter.

I used to make starters out of egg carton sections filled with sawdust and paraffin wax, they worked really well, but the barbeque fluid method is easier.

 

[nailed_nailer]

My M-55 is auto start so all I do is press ON button.

Back when I ran the EF-2 I used a propane torch with a push button start.
Like this,
http://www.bernzomatic.com/product/ts4000-trigger-start-torch-head/

Hand full of pellets in burn pot then hold torch flame on them until they are burning good ~20 seconds.

Close door and enjoy.
---Nailer---

 

[HD4Mark]

I thought about BBQ lighter. The denatured alcohol just burns cleaner with no odor. Never would have thought of it if the starter pellets weren't soaked in it. I also have one of the push button torch heads. They sure work better than the old fashion flint scratch things. That will be my back up if I run out of the alcohol.

Tomorrow is Mother's day and it's 50° with rain so the stove is on to take the chill out of the house. Spring can get here any time now.

 

[rowerwet]

My dad does the MAP gas torch instead of the ignitor on his Harmon, saves a bunch on electricity.

 

[fmsm]

If I ever need to light manually I do what I did with my old Whitfield. Map Gas for 20 seconds.... or you can use hand sanitizer mixed in with a handful of pellets.

 

[HD4Mark]

That's two mentions of hand sanitizer. Something else I never thought of. Being a gel it must stick to the pellets well. If I need to add pellets and I'm not sure if there are any still hot in there, I squirt a little alcohol on some in a plastic cup then quickly toss them in. That way the can of alcohol isn't in my hand if they ignite. Key in Toby Keith "Red Solo cup, I burned you up". The denatured alcohol is about $7 a quart and lasts me more than one season. We are only around spring summer and fall so the (pellet) heating season is short though.

 

[MCPO]

The Harman older model of the P38 was known to be one of the hardest pellet stove made to light manually . After 8 yrs with it , I consider myself somewhat of an expert in lighting methods with this particular stove. I found pellet gel costly and often undependable as well as the (cheaper)charcoal lighter fluid. However I always had better success soaking a handful of pellets in 91% polypropanol alcohol from walmart.
That all said, I found propane torch to be the quickest , cheapest, and most reliable method, bar none. Torch on times of around 40 seconds +/- will vary with pellets used. 1 bottle of propane lasts nearly 2 yrs and thats lighting the stove daily during the shoulder seasons.

 

[Pete Zahria]

That's two mentions of hand sanitizer

Just look at the labels of the different brands on the shelf.
You need to get the one with the highest alky content...
or else it really doesn't work well...

Dan

 

[Tonyray]

my igniter died this past week on my P61A harman so had to manual light lately.
have soaked handfull of pellets in alcohol for 10 minutes or so before lighting...
works but I prefer the igniter which is being shipped this week.

 

[Pete Zahria]

My dad does the MAP gas torch instead of the ignitor on his Harmon, saves a bunch on electricity.

A bunch?

 

[Roadstar]

I make my own starter pellets. I keep two jars filled with pellets and charcoal lighter fluid in waiting. I have a plastic jar on the hearth with just the soaked pellets, no fluid. When it runs out I fill a third jar with pellets and pour the fluid from a previously soaking jar of pellets into it. Top it off with more fluid. Then fill my hearth container with the drained pellets. I've been doing this for about 20 years. I don't have an igniter.
I don't smell the fluid when the pellets burn usually. If I forget about it, before starting the stove, then there will be a slight order filling the room, depending how long burns before I start the stove.

 

[Tonyray]

I make my own starter pellets. I keep two jars filled with pellets and charcoal lighter fluid in waiting. I have a plastic jar on the hearth with just the soaked pellets, no fluid. When it runs out I fill a third jar with pellets and pour the fluid from a previously soaking jar of pellets into it. Top it off with more fluid. Then fill my hearth container with the drained pellets. I've been doing this for about 20 years. I don't have an igniter.
I don't smell the fluid when the pellets burn usually. If I forget about it, before starting the stove, then there will be a slight order filling the room, depending how long burns before I start the stove.

so let me ask you..
on a day where the sun comes out and it warms up and your not home,
I assume your stove never shuts off since u are not on auto mode..
[harman manual mode will just simmer all day in the event it warms up..never shut down unless it runs out of pellets.
that is the main reason i run in auto mode[ when my igniter is working] in the shoulder season.

 

[m159267]

The Harman older model of the P38 was known to be one of the hardest pellet stove made to light manually....
That all said, I found propane torch to be the quickest , cheapest, and most reliable method, bar none. Torch on times of around 40 seconds +/- will vary with pellets used. 1 bottle of propane lasts nearly 2 yrs and thats lighting the stove daily during the shoulder seasons.

+1

I take longer than 40 seconds but using the torch ALWAYS works for me. Just make sure the exhaust fan is running when lighting...

 

[TStark]

Consider 93% isopropanol is markedly cheaper than both hand sanitizer and denatured (wood alcohol), it is the basis of the starting gels and hand sanitizers. Its quite a bit cheaper than either, and can be found by the litre at most dept stores.
I've used it straight or to thin older gels that had gotten too weak, viscous, and had evaporated out their Iso mojo, creating a thinner gel that performs extremely well.

 

[nailed_nailer]

I have seen Hand sanitizer at the $1 store for a 10oz pump bottle.
That said, I've never used it.
Push button torch for me back then.
---Nailer---

 

[rowerwet]

A bunch?

Electricity isn't cheap when heating air to high enough temperature to ignite wood

 

[Pete Zahria]

Electricity isn't cheap when heating air to high enough temperature to ignite wood

It probly cost less than 2¢ to light your pellets....
That's why I replied "a bunch?"
During the winter I may start mine 6 times.
For when I clean the stove.

Dan

 

[Advisor]

I put about a cup of pellets in the burn pot and torch it for about 15 seconds close the door to let the combustion fan get the embers red then i pour about 1/2 cup over the embers and close the door. Never have problem with that method.