Is it really "bad pellets"?

[lapizuli]

I've been running a Quadra-Fire Santa Fe for almost 4 months now on New England Premium Wood Pellets, Jaffrey, NH. The first 2 months went fine. After that, the pellets haven't been burning properly. They don't burn completely down yet still drop into the firepot, building up into the chute. I'm at the point where I have to clean the firepot every 8 hours or so (I used to do it once a day), and vacuum and totally clean behind the baffles twice a week to avoid this problem (I used to do that once a month).

I've made several calls to the dealer, and they say 'everyone' is experiencing bad pellets this season, and insist this is my problem. I've gotten them to agree to do a total maintenance and cleaning for free to check this problem more thoroughly, but I'm concerned that the stove will need that once-a-year professional maintenance several times per season to run properly.

I was in the middle of a ton when the problems first arose, so I don't think there is a difference in the quality of pellets from the beginning until now.

Is it true that 'everyone' is having problems with their pellets this season? I'm located in Maine if that makes a difference. Or is the dealer just brushing me off?

 

[Jambruins]

I have burned three kinds of pellets this year and two of the three produced ash buildup in the burnpot which caused the pellets to back up in the chute. I burned County Pride pellets for a week and they backed up the chute. I traded them to my in-laws for some CleanFire pellets and just started buring them last weekend. This morning I had a chute backup. I have been burning Boreal pellets all season (except for the two weeks using County Pride and CleanFire) and have not had a chute backup yet. The Boreal pellets have a lot more fines in the bags but the fines don't seem to bother my stove.

 

[krooser]

Same thing happened to me last year... dirty stove. Two months of burning... we made a few mistakes early on that helped plug the stove... loose ash pan bolts, running on low too much. After the tech vacuumed the inside he cleaned the stove with a leafblower and all has been well since then.

If you don't have a leafblower, or are unsure of my advice, at least use a hammer to tap on the insides of the stove after you've given it a "full" cleaning... you will be amazed at how much ash you get out of the hidden areas of the stove.