Light Colored Vs. Dark Colored Pellets

[Garry P]

I have seen mention of light vs. dark colored pellets in various threads, most commonly in threards reveiwing the quality of a pellet brand. My question is, is there any "real" information the be gleaned about a pellet by the color? Why are some light and some dark?

Right now I am burning Penningtons, and every bag so far (about 30) have been a mix of both light and dark pellets in the same bag.

 

[crausch]

About the only consistent information you could derive from a pellets color would be if you where to scientifically break its composition down to learn what its made of. In other words don't worry too much about the color. Myths say that softwood is lighter and hardwood is darker. While this may be a more common observation, it is not something that is absolute. The color will most likely come from the species of tree, but can be affected by other factors such as enzines produced by insects while the wood was a tree, or perhaps other foreign wood fibers (maybe from previous batches) that make it into the pellets production.

The smell is probably a more important attribute of a pellet then the color. Pellets should have a natural wood scent or smell like sawdust, not chemical additives or adheasives, or plastic.

I would be more concerned about moisture, fines, size, etc., but the best way to judge a pellets is to burn it.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

[Garry P]

I figured as much, but I had seen it mentioned so many times that I had to ask....I might have been missing something.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Over the past 2 yrs I have used ProPellet for 99.5% of all my burning. I have pellets that have been stored in the garage for longer than that. The pellets in the garage are a very light color. The pellets coming off the semi from the plant are a much darker color. They both burn exactly the same. I do not store any pellets outside and I know the plant does not store pellets outside so I do know the density is very good. I can grab a handful of pellets and squeeze and not see anything break off. NO FINES. The bags do have some fines but that can be expected.

Eric