I Understand The Concept Of Shoulder Pellets But

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F4jock

Minister of Fire
Nov 12, 2014
1,603
Red Rock, PA
I hear this a lot but I don't see the point.

Just seems like buying different pellets for different parts of the season is more work than it's worth. My Harman adjusts feed rate to maintain the temperature I want. If I buy a hotter pellet it'll throttle back and burn less. Crummy pellets it feeds more.

Enlighten me please.

Thanks.
 
It's part of the hobby. For some it's not just about the heat, it's about the "adventure".
 
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For me in the end it may not make a difference as far as cost, runtime cleaning etc. But it makes sense in my case to run the better pellets when it is colder. Better heat, less cleaning and probably less cleaning at inopportune times. That means I leave my "lesser" pellets for more moderate weather. It is not done on purpose but if I cannot always get the best pellets. I wouldn't purposely buy shoulder pellets unless the cost became worth it.
 
Does seem easier to just turn the temperature up a notch rather than search far and wide for the "best" pellet. Having said that, I did try Turman's and will admit I had to turn the stove way down as it blew us out of the living room and the adjacent dining room hit 78 degrees. The low ash production was also nice and I could forego scraping the burn pot as often as with lower-end pellets. In the end, they all produce heat and ash, just varying amounts of each. It cuts both ways as there was a recent post from a Maine user that moaned that there were no pellets to be had but upon further examination, he was looking for low-priced pellets and couldn't find them but better pellets, albeit more expensive, were available. I think it is simply a case of tomaaaato versus tomahto, there is plenty of room in the market for both pellet snobs and pellet misers.
 
Does seem easier to just turn the temperature up a notch rather than search far and wide for the "best" pellet. Having said that, I did try Turman's and will admit I had to turn the stove way down as it blew us out of the living room and the adjacent dining room hit 78 degrees. The low ash production was also nice and I could forego scraping the burn pot as often as with lower-end pellets. In the end, they all produce heat and ash, just varying amounts of each. It cuts both ways as there was a recent post from a Maine user that moaned that there were no pellets to be had but upon further examination, he was looking for low-priced pellets and couldn't find them but better pellets, albeit more expensive, were available. I think it is simply a case of tomaaaato versus tomahto, there is plenty of room in the market for both pellet snobs and pellet misers.
Yeah I remember that post. Essentially told him that too.
 
Ive never found shoulder pellets to be any more or less work. Some folks have small ash pans which can make a huge difference. I on the other hand have let my ash pan fill up entirely and even fill the sides up which was close to 40 bags with no emptying.

I honestly relate pricier pellets to putting high octane fuel in a non sports car its not going to make a difference just cost more.
 
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Ive never found shoulder pellets to be any more or less work. Some folks have small ash pans which can make a huge difference. I on the other hand have let my ash pan fill up entirely and even fill the sides up which was close to 40 bags with no emptying.

I honestly relate pricier pellets to putting high octane fuel in a non sports car its not going to make a difference just cost more.
Not exactly my point. What I'm getting at is why burn different types of pellets at all? Get one type and burn it.
 
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Never made sense to me either, buy one pellet and burn it year round. Why would I want to buy "cheap or bad" pellet just to burn for shoulder season. Guess that is the advantage of buying a Cadillac stove, 20 year old Harman. dump in pellets set it and forget it
 
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There is a big difference in heat from getting buying tractor supply pellets vs spending a bit more on Okanagan's. When I burned the NEWP, I had to shut down the stove weekly to clean since the ash pan is full. With the Okanagan's I can get away with cleaning every two weeks instead. Even then, the ash pan is only half full. I'll gladly pay more for more heat and less ash and less cleaning.
 
Right, it's a fuel.

I don't go out and buy oil from different companies. I just fill my tank and be done with it.
 
Not exactly my point. What I'm getting at is why burn different types of pellets at all? Get one type and burn it.

I always liked having different bags. I cant imagine seeing all the same type of bag.
 
I burn whatever I have on hand whenever I get cold.
 
Not exactly my point. What I'm getting at is why burn different types of pellets at all? Get one type and burn it.

That would be easy if there wasn't a shortage or atleast a perceived shortage. Some people do not have the space, money or want to buy a winters worth of what is available.
 
I hear this a lot but I don't see the point.

Just seems like buying different pellets for different parts of the season is more work than it's worth. My Harman adjusts feed rate to maintain the temperature I want. If I buy a hotter pellet it'll throttle back and burn less. Crummy pellets it feeds more.

Enlighten me please.

Thanks.
EXACTLY! The concept of a 'shoulder pellet' is just plain dumb. Adjust your stove to properly burn what ever you put in it. Just because they are less dense or longer doesn't mean that you won't get the heat out of them.
 
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I see no purpose to it either, get what you like a burn it. Put the stove in the mode that lets it shut off during milder weather and you'll not be wasting any pellets assuming that is the concern of those who burn "lesser" pellets during the so-called "shoulder" season. I'm a miser and will use the best BB pellet since the BTUs per dollar are all I care about. I've got 23.5 lbs of ash out of 5600lb burned - that's 0.4% ash using mostly BB FSU's, that allows me to clean every 2 weeks, though I choose to do it every week on Sunday. I have put every single one of those 140 bags on my shoulder carrying in up the stairs, so I guess I exclusively burn shoulder pellets ;)
 
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THE ADVENTURE

I like it.

The conquest of the cold and nasty elements of nature.
Managing and controlling the blazing inferno within our chosen "Widdle stove slave"

Like a moth to the flame we are drawn, ever vigilante of the mechanics and electronics of the marvelous pellet stove that heats our abode.
The clearing of the clinker, the loading of the pellets, the vacuuming of the ash and polishing of the windows.
As a mother nurses it's young, the minister of fire nurture's the flame, keeping it's life giving warmth through the long winters night.

Never so mundane as the bland heater box in the garage with it's lifeless thermostat on the wall, that does little to buoy the spirit, but sucks thy wallet dry.

The Pellet stove is a genuine call to the soul of those who not only seek warmth, but long for the true adventure of commanding the flame.

Ahhhhh yess, the ramblings of a flame crazed old girl that's in love with her pellet stove.


Around here, we have the Shoulder season (Fall and late spring) The winter season (Cold wet and going sideways)
The off season (Summer) where we nurture, love and repair our beloved pellet stove/s

It's a way of life, that begins in the fall with the first fire to vanquish the chill, then progresses to the hard of deep winter when the fires burn fiercely and the flame steady and true.

Then comes spring when the fire we so cherish is allowed to dwindle and die, to be rekindled to chase the chill, then again die out as summers warmth returns.


As a long time pellet stove owner, I have come to think of our stoves as part of the family, and not just a machine.

It's a disease maybe, or an addiction, not sure.

Gotta love it though.


Snowy
 
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THE ADVENTURE

I like it.

The conquest of the cold and nasty elements of nature.
Managing and controlling the blazing inferno within our chosen "Widdle stove slave"

Like a moth to the flame we are drawn, ever vigilante of the mechanics and electronics of the marvelous pellet stove that heats our abode.
The clearing of the clinker, the loading of the pellets, the vacuuming of the ash and polishing of the windows.
As a mother nurses it's young, the minister of fire nurture's the flame, keeping it's life giving warmth through the long winters night.

Never so mundane as the bland heater box in the garage with it's lifeless thermostat on the wall, that does little to buoy the spirit, but sucks thy wallet dry.

The Pellet stove is a genuine call to the soul of those who not only seek warmth, but long for the true adventure of commanding the flame.

Ahhhhh yess, the ramblings of a flame crazed old girl that's in love with her pellet stove.


Around here, we have the Shoulder season (Fall and late spring) The winter season (Cold wet and going sideways)
The off season (Summer) where we nurture, love and repair our beloved pellet stove/s

It's a way of life, that begins in the fall with the first fire to vanquish the chill, then progresses to the hard of deep winter when the fires burn fiercely and the flame steady and true.

Then comes spring when the fire we so cherish is allowed to dwindle and die, to be rekindled to chase the chill, then again die out as summers warmth returns.


As a long time pellet stove owner, I have come to think of our stoves as part of the family, and not just a machine.

It's a disease maybe, or an addiction, not sure.

Gotta love it though.


Snowy
Poetic as hell. Very well said. I applaud you but it still leaves the question unanswered! Love our stoves we may but to me all pellets burn. I've found a great compromise in Lignetics: Available, low ash, good heat, reasonable price. So once again, how can using shoulder pellets be reasonably justified?

I prefer my adventure in front of the stove, not feeding it!
 
Running nut shells is even more of an addiction, as each bucket full must be shook through a screen first before it comes upstairs.

On average we shake out and carry up three 5 gallon pails a day to keep the Stove/s going, then twice weekly clean the little stove and once weekly on the large one.

The quality of the shells does vary a little from year to year, with some loads seeing a tad for broken nut meats, as well as the size of the pieces varies a little.

More meats is more heat (nut oil)


When we do buy pellets, we buy the cheapest available here, which is Bear Mt

A tad more clinker, but still good.
 
THE ADVENTURE

I like it.

The conquest of the cold and nasty elements of nature.
Managing and controlling the blazing inferno within our chosen "Widdle stove slave"

Like a moth to the flame we are drawn, ever vigilante of the mechanics and electronics of the marvelous pellet stove that heats our abode.
The clearing of the clinker, the loading of the pellets, the vacuuming of the ash and polishing of the windows.
As a mother nurses it's young, the minister of fire nurture's the flame, keeping it's life giving warmth through the long winters night.

Never so mundane as the bland heater box in the garage with it's lifeless thermostat on the wall, that does little to buoy the spirit, but sucks thy wallet dry.

The Pellet stove is a genuine call to the soul of those who not only seek warmth, but long for the true adventure of commanding the flame.

Ahhhhh yess, the ramblings of a flame crazed old girl that's in love with her pellet stove.


Around here, we have the Shoulder season (Fall and late spring) The winter season (Cold wet and going sideways)
The off season (Summer) where we nurture, love and repair our beloved pellet stove/s

It's a way of life, that begins in the fall with the first fire to vanquish the chill, then progresses to the hard of deep winter when the fires burn fiercely and the flame steady and true.

Then comes spring when the fire we so cherish is allowed to dwindle and die, to be rekindled to chase the chill, then again die out as summers warmth returns.


As a long time pellet stove owner, I have come to think of our stoves as part of the family, and not just a machine.

It's a disease maybe, or an addiction, not sure.

Gotta love it though.


Snowy

I think you need to get out more. :)
 
I actually find pellets of lesser quality burn better on the really cold days because my stove is in high burn mode and the burn pot tends to stay cleaner longer.
 
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