Lancaster, PA TSC Badged Hardwood Pellets Review

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maraakate

Member
Sep 27, 2021
212
Lancaster, PA
I was grabbing quite a few of the TSC Hardwood Pellets from the local TSC in Mount Joy, PA. The UPC is 738665000027. Unknown manufacturer.

These pellets aren't the best. There's usually quite a bit of fines at the bottom of the bag. They do not jam my auger, but could be a problem for other stoves. The ash content leftover is fairly high. Heat output isn't that great compared to other brands I've tried. I have to set the manual feed rate on my Quad Santa Fe to max to get them to burn well. They leave quite a bit of clumped ash crud in the firebox after a day of burning. Be prepared to clean your stove more frequently. I've also noticed that the size of the pellets is wildly inconsistent. They also break into many tiny pieces easily, even just from dumping them in the hopper. This gives it a more uneven burn compared to other brands.

I am not sure if it's the local TSC or the manufacturer, but they are exclusively stored outside and I frequently have to sort through bags on the skids. There's always a fair amount that are water damaged. It's easy to tell by looking to see if the bag is swollen/looks "pregnant" and feeling the edges of all the bags. If they're water damaged usually the edges are some weird hardened matter where a group of pellets have fused together and swollen. It's been said on the forum previously that being stored outside should not be an issue as long as the bags are made properly. Maybe the manufacturer of this particular pellet is not doing a good QA job with that, who knows?

I've started burning these with a mix of anywhere from 30-50% corn mixed in and/or other brand pellets in the hopper. This seems to make them more bearable.

Overall, if you need them in a pinch or are unwilling to spend more they will work, but be prepared to clean your stove more frequently and having to adjust the feed rate.