On my second ton of pellets....what a difference

[rhag1128]

I wanted to share my pellet burning experience with everyone here, again just my experience and observations.
Running a St. Croix Prescott EXL 24/7 except for weekly cleanings.
Preface: This is my first year of pellet stove use - I LOVE IT. Morte importantly - the wife loves it just as much.

Just finished my First ton of pellets - Penningtons with the date stamp - from walmart in southern VT
First impressions - there were quite a bit of fines - had 2 clogs in the auger, no biggie , burned hot and ran well at any speed. this one heats 1000sq ft of my home running on level 1 90% of the time. if its -5F outside 63F inside running on 1, turn up to 2 and temp rises to 73F - NICE. These Pennington Pellets produced a lot of 'clinkers' some as large as golfballs and the door window was black and sooty after 48 hrs. The Ash shaker couldn't move after 5 days.

I thought this was normal... par for the course untill I got to my second ton of pellets. Now I have been burning these for a week now and heres my impression of these Energex pellets.

Wheres the ash?, I can still see my beautiful flame a week later... No clinkers..... Same Heat. The big difference I can see is the Energex pellets are about half as long as the Penningtons. Maybe a factor for me, anyone else???

This ton will get me to March. Then I will start burning the ton of Rocky Mountain pellets longer and lighter in color than either of my first two tons in a clear bag so I see no fines as well. I will update the post in March after that experience.

Oil is my back up fuel and have only consumed 100gal since October - Dishwasher, Showers, Clothes only I feel soo good about that I cant explain it.

Hope all pellet burners are as cozy as I am this coldest week of the winter. 15 below with north wind this am and 'snort' as I call her has smiles on everyone faces as they come inside.

Randy

 

[crausch]

I am glad you are enjoying your stove and happy to see you are staying warm.

I think our low is only going to be dropping down to 8F tonight and in the teens tomorrow. One thing for sure is that most pellets you buy will burn differently from each other. I have tried 4 brands this year and have had differing results from each. The key is finding a brand and type that burns well in your stove and sticking with it. Even then, you want to find a brand that can be consistantly manufactured each time. Good luck with the Rocky Mountain pellets. I have not tried them either.

 

[jackovalltrades]

Last year's Pennington pellets were the worst brand I have burned to date. Bottom line... that is why it's so important to buy a few bags before committing to a ton or more.

 

[matt85bears]

I just started burning my 3rd ton of pike pellets and noticed this skid is way different. My 2 previous tons of pike pellets burnt really nice, however this new one so far seems to burn dirtier and the pellets are even lighter color and some even seem to NOT have the hardwood shine on them, they look light in color and dull or rough. I think my heat output is even down but it is hard to tell when the high temp is -11. Any ideas???

 

[OSHOW]

Last year's Pennington pellets were the worst brand I have burned to date. Bottom line... that is why it's so important to buy a few bags before committing to a ton or more.

I didn't have any problems with mine.

 

[weatherguy]

Penningtons were one of the best pellets I burned this year, only bought ten bags because of bad reviews but for $5.50 a bag I figured Id try them. Should have bought more.
I burned 5 bags of Bayou this past week, dusty as hell but almost no ash, now on to LG's.