Hybrid Wood/Grass pellets in Kansas...anybody ever burn them? $165/ton

[imacman]

Just saw this auction on eBay for these Hybrid pellets. Claims 3% ash. Anybody ever try any of these? Too bad their so far away....I'd love to try a few bags, especially given the price (works out to $3.30/bag).

(broken link removed to http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290353510059&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123#ht_1861wt_285)

 

[mark d fellows]

I would try them. The only thing I really get concerned about these days is Creosote. I got some by burning some crappy bags of pellets last year. Ash I can deal with. Never hurts to have some alternative sources.

 

[imacman]

....3% ash...do you know that is 60lbs per ton...and you would still want to burn these?...ah No thanks

BTU, the key word in my post is " try ". Yep, the ash is high. I'm was more interested in how hot they would burn.


BTW, I'll be stopping at the dealer you mentioned up in Hudson today to pick up a few bags of "the world’s best super premium softwood pellets from BC…" ;-)

EDIT: I'm going to mention your name to the owner....hope I don't get thrown out of the place.. :lol:

 

[jtakeman]

3% ash...do you know that is 60lbs per ton...and you would still want to burn these?...ah No thanks

In a multifuel stove, Hell yes. I burn them if I could get them here! And at 1/2 the price would tip the scale for me. I tried Energex's switchgrass pellets and the proformed pretty well. But there cost is $255/ton locally. I can get cleaner burning wood pellets for about the same price.

In a standard pellet stove probably not. You would be scraping the pot more than you'd want to.

I hope they come my way, I will try them!

jay

 

[Corey]

Have not heard of them, but if they're from Kansas, they MUST be good, right? [snicker] Well, Mt Hope is about 3 hours from here, down by Wichita.

I don't know if they are the same pellets, but here is another KS vendor... (broken link removed to http://www.outbackheatsource.com/prairie.html) - claims about 8400 btu/lb which should compare favorably to normal pellets...or even slightly above. Though I would caution not to fall into the same 'trap' people do when I say I burn hedge and they reply 'wow doesn't that burn too hot?!?" Hedge burns with the same yellow flame (ie same temperature) as pine, a newspaper, or even a candle. The key is a log of hedge may weigh 15 pounds while and equal size log of pine may weigh 8. So volume for volume, hedge has more energy - not necessarily more temperature.

On a pellet stove, I suspect this would correspond to feed rate. The bio pellets are quoted at 8400 btu/lb and normal hardwood pellets seem to be 7900-8200 btu/lb. Again, accounting for some fudge factor, these should compare favorably - of even have the bio pellets slightly ahead - meaning you could turn down the feed rate slightly and fill the hopper slightly less often.

Anyway, good luck and let us know how they turn out. Judging by the way prairie fires burn across the land - if these pellets have any of that biomass, you should be in for a warm winter!

 

[jtakeman]

Pook,

Is this what you wanted to link to the thread?

http://grassbioenergy.org/res/pellet_stove_demo.asp

jay

 

[jtakeman]

ya thanx. dunno why they keep trying to make pellets & not biobrix

Cause they keep getting stuck in my auger!

 

[vgrund]

I wonder if burning grass pellets requires any special venting, as burning corn does.

 

[imacman]

....Macman, I want you to mark this day on the calendar...your life might never be the same after today....!! I hope you don't get thrown out either... :cheese:

Yes, I'm definitely going to mark my calender........ to never go to an out of the way store that sells pellets before calling first to make sure they have them.....does that give you a hint???? Read the PM I sent you >:-(

 

[stoveguy2esw]

BTU is right about 1 thing , thats a boatload of ash, check with your stove manufacturer to see if pellets with that high an ash content should even be burned in your stove. multifuel units can handle higher ash content fuels , but many "pellet only" units cannot efficiently deal with that much ash