Nail in Pellets

[Sophie]

I was skeptical but undecided when I saw the post from the guy who claimed he found nails in his stove - until tonight. When I got home tonight my significant other was cleaning out the stove. He was in another room when he said he heard a binding metal-to-metal sound from the stove - then he heard a snap when the it obviously would become free - he described it as clingity/clang then booming sound. When it snapped the stove would jump. The drive motor for the auger did stop. After some investigation he found the nail in the bottom of the auger slot. Having worked in manufacturing he identified the nail as a pallet nail.

So...I guess the lesson learned is to monitor your pellets because they are obviously recycling pallets which results in nails getting through. I wonder how many of the problems posted on this site were caused by nails in pellets?

 

[subsailor]

What brand of pellets please

 

[subsailor]

What is a P61-A-2? I have a P61A. What's the 2?

 

[bmanMA]

It appears the A-2 turns things into gold! My dealer didn't tell me...

 

[Sophie]

Freedom Fuel - we bought 4 tons 4 years ago at Home Depot in Concord NH. (Right after we bought the stove we had a tornado and ended up w/3 years of firewood so we just started using the pellet stove this year.) I know they have a bad reputation, but we never had any problems with them - the fines weren't even measurable - it was more like dust.

 

[Sophie]

I really don't know what the 2 is - it's what our paperwork said.

 

[ScotL]

Even if they were recycling pallets, a nail would never make it through a pellet machine in one piece. It's more likely to come from a pallet they're stacking the pellets on.

 

[billb3]

Much more likely that got into a bag moving skids around

 

[boo boo]

Much more likely that got into a bag moving skids around

twice I had a thin 2.5" piece of wood I had found in my hopper. The skids splintering make more sense than the process of the pellets

 

[Defiant]

Even if they were recycling pallets, a nail would never make it through a pellet machine in one piece. It's more likely to come from a pallet they're stacking the pellets on.

Looks like a pallet nail

 

[MButkus]

From my pellet stove web site replies, plastic is the big thing. A number of people wrote to me about their auger getting stuck with plastic. Most likely extra plastic from the bags. I watch what goes into my stove. I have found a big piece of wood once (half a finger length). No idea how it got into the bag past the pellet machine.
A few have complained about fuel, the pellets being too long.

 

[Doug MacIVER]

Looks like a pallet nail

local plant in taunton ,mass recycles pallets to make their pellets. they recycle the nails as well. no doubt in my thinking that a few may get through. that is definately a nail from a pallet

 

[urkiddin]

That's why i sift my pellets.A Couple months ago i found a piece of hard black plastic about 1 in. long and a 1/4 in. wide while watching the pellets go thru the funnel.I might not have caught it if i just dumped the bag in.

 

[Sophie]

Even if they were recycling pallets, a nail would never make it through a pellet machine in one piece. It's more likely to come from a pallet they're stacking the pellets on.

If a nail came from a pallet that the bags were stacked on the bag would show damage where the nail went through the bag - we didn't have any damaged bags....

 

[Defiant]

If a nail came from a pallet that the bags were stacked on the bag would show damage where the nail went through the bag - we didn't have any damaged bags....

Sophie this is great info and documentation, I would send this to the pellet co. involved, you may get some pellets (without nails) in retribution, you could always send me some for the advice

 

[iceguy4]

after seing how pellets are made I find it hart to believe it went through the "mill" I certainly don't doubt it ended up in your stove though. a situation I will be interested in finding out just how it happened. Just maybe some a$$ clown stuck it in the bag somewhere in its travels...also I think Defiant should get something for his advice...6 pack??

 

[JustWood]

Quite often pellets are bulk transported from processor to bagging plant in the same trucks that haul garbage,demolition,coal,stone,sand, and many other bulk commodities. Even when swept clean small quantities of these other products end up in cracks and crevices in truck bodies and off loaded with pellets to end up bagged.

 

[iceguy4]

Quite often pellets are bulk transported from processor to bagging plant in the same trucks that haul garbage,demolition,coal,stone,sand, and many other bulk commodities. Even when swept clean small quantities of these other products end up in cracks and crevices in truck bodies and off loaded with pellets to end up bagged.

you know this for a fact? It dosent make sense...or cents to truck to a different location to bag...and you say" quite often"...

 

[boo boo]

after seing how pellets are made I find it hart to believe it went through the "mill" I certainly don't doubt it ended up in your stove though. a situation I will be interested in finding out just how it happened. Just maybe some a$$ clown stuck it in the bag somewhere in its travels...also I think Defiant should get something for his advice...6 pack??

I have never been through a pellet mill and don't know how they are made I just burn them But I do know manufacturing process Could there be a rework area or a damaged goods rework area ? Say a pallet fell from the second or third tier and bags blew open on the floor do they sweep them up from the floor and reuse them or toss them out. I don't know how a pellet mill would handle this but I would say sweep them up and get them to the bagging area to re bag and sell them. Just throwing it out there as a scenario

 

[Shaw520]

Quite often pellets are bulk transported from processor to bagging plant in the same trucks that haul garbage,demolition,coal,stone,sand, and many other bulk commodities. Even when swept clean small quantities of these other products end up in cracks and crevices in truck bodies and off loaded with pellets to end up bagged.

..that cant be good,... doesnt seem to lend itself very well to quality control.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

you know this for a fact? It dosent make sense...or cents to truck to a different location to bag...and you say" quite often"...

One example here in New England

Oakies are sent by hopper car to Massachusetts for bagging as long distance travel causes a couple of problems a lot of fines and pellet breakage and another is weight limit restrictions and other state laws make transport by flat bed trailers cost prohibitive.

 

[iceguy4]

I have never been through a pellet mill and don't know how they are made I just burn them But I do know manufacturing process Could there be a rework area or a damaged goods rework area ? Say a pallet fell from the second or third tier and bags blew open on the floor do they sweep them up from the floor and reuse them or toss them out. I don't know how a pellet mill would handle this but I would say sweep them up and get them to the bagging area to re bag and sell them. Just throwing it out there as a scenario

this actually makes sense...a likely senario... the mill I was at had a vacuum around the pellet mill...it sucked them up and placed them bck thru the mill,,,BUT if something happened in the baggin area...yes this could happen

 

[iceguy4]

transport by flat bed trailers​

I must be missing something here moving bulk pellets on a flat bed trailer???

 

[BrotherBart]

There are as many possible causes as there are pellets in a bag.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I must be missing something here moving bulk pellets on a flat bed trailer???

No palleted from the plant runs into state law issues as well as quality issues so the pellets go by bulk and get bagged far away from the plant. In the case I spoke of Oakies used to come overland on trailers or by rail still on trailers this resulted in increased shipping costs so a bagging plant was setup in Upton MA and the pellets now go by rail in bulk form to the bagging plant in Upton. The bagging is done better than a thousand miles away from where the pellets were made.