Pellet dust looking for ideas

[Pellet rick]

ok I found easyblaze pellets that I love . They have tons of heat and very little fluffy ash , BUT , they have a lot of pellet dust in the last ton that I bought. The first ton was fine with no issues, but this new ton I am getting bottom auger jambs and the fire goes out. Is there away that anyone has tried that I can maybe sift or strain out the dust??? Any ideas, this cannot be a new problem. The stove is a pdv 25

 

[rich2500]

Dump 2/3 of the bag in the stove then use a kitty litter scoop to sift the remains of the bag.

 

[SFCJames]

I built a vacumn system using a shop vac and dust collection system. Pretty easy project using PVC pipes. You dont have to use the dust collection system. You can go with a straight shop vac hook up but I had to clean the filter every 5 bags or so. I cant take credit for this system, I found it on UTube. Numerous videos there on how to sift pellets. I have included a pic of my system.

 

[Pellet rick]

I built a vacumn system using a shop vac and dust collection system. Pretty easy project using PVC pipes. You dont have to use the dust collection system. You can go with a straight shop vac hook up but I had to clean the filter every 5 bags or so. I cant take credit for this system, I found it on UTube. Numerous videos there on how to sift pellets. I have included a pic of my system.

Nice set up but what is the blue bucket for? What keeps the pellets from being sucked up by the vacuum?

 

[Buckshot1955]

ok I found easyblaze pellets that I love . They have tons of heat and very little fluffy ash , BUT , they have a lot of pellet dust in the last ton that I bought. The first ton was fine with no issues, but this new ton I am getting bottom auger jambs and the fire goes out. Is there away that anyone has tried that I can maybe sift or strain out the dust??? Any ideas, this cannot be a new problem. The stove is a pdv 25

I rock the bag before I dump. Then I dump two thirds of a bag into my bucket. Then I use this sifter for the last third to get all the fine dust out.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SFCJames]

Nice set up but what is the blue bucket for? What keeps the pellets from being sucked up by the vacuum?

The blue bucket is bolted to the plywood, Its purpose is to hold the white bucket inside of it. The dust gets deposited into the white bucket instead of my shop vac. When its full I take it out to empty. It took a little trial and error with the length of the PVC pipe. It has to be short enough to suck up dust but long enough that the vacumn doesnt suck up the pellets. I drilled a few holes in the PVC to act as a "carburetor" if the suction is too strong.
Check out this Utube video:

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[Jonkman]

Here is a diagram and a photo I found either on this site or somewhere else, notice the adjustment for air control to adjust the suction, and I didn't put in mesh screen, I put in the stiff 1/8" grid fence material so it doesn't get clogged. I basically copied the diagram and I have a 50 gallon trash container that I fill once a week with "filtered" pellets that I and my wife just scoop out with a coal bucket and pour in. Works like a charm, takes me about 10 minutes to filter 5-7 bags to keep the container filled. Really cuts down on the dust in the house from pouring pellets into the stove too.

Note, I put a rubber reducing coupler on the top and plug my hose right in the top and pull it in and out easily.

 

[Pellet rick]

Here is a diagram and a photo I found either on this site or somewhere else, notice the adjustment for air control to adjust the suction, and I didn't put in mesh screen, I put in the stiff 1/8" grid fence material so it doesn't get clogged. I basically copied the diagram and I have a 50 gallon trash container that I fill once a week with "filtered" pellets that I and my wife just scoop out with a coal bucket and pour in. Works like a charm, takes me about 10 minutes to filter 5-7 bags to keep the container filled. Really cuts down on the dust in the house from pouring pellets into the stove too.

Note, I put a rubber reducing coupler on the top and plug my hose right in the top and pull it in and out easily.

View attachment 191085 View attachment 191086

Jonkman that looks like something I'm gonna try. I take it that the screen is what keeps the pellets from getting sucked up?

 

[Jonkman]

Jonkman that looks like something I'm gonna try. I take it that the screen is what keeps the pellets from getting sucked up?

Yes, the screen is to keep the pellets from getting sucked into the vacuum. Sometimes if the suction is too strong you need to adjust the cover over the draft holes so you have all of the holes open, then as the suction gets less (the bag in the vacuum gets fuller) then you can cover a few more of the draft holes to maintain just enough suction to suck up the fines, but not so much suction that pellets clog the screen. It's not shown, but you cut about a 1.5" piece of the large PVC pipe that makes the main tube, then cut a chunk out of it vertically so you can make a "c-clip" out of it so you can just slide it over the draft holes easily. I'll snap a pic later and show you what I mean...

 

[Jonkman]

I think the screen I used is actually called Hardware cloth.. I think it was 1/8 inch grid size.

 

[Lake Girl]

I've got roughly the same set up. Worked great with old vacuum but newer vac means I have to adjust some ... haven't gotten to it yet. The screen I used was eavestrough or gutter screen that you criss-cross so that pellets cannot be sucked up. Used a Fernco couple/reducer at the top where the vac hose gets inserted and a heating duct boot to pour pellets into. Tried a plastic funnel but that broke

Really appreciate the reduction in dust and fines ... both for the stove and the air in the house. Don't get nearly the dust cloud when pouring pellets in the hopper.

 

[nectarologist]

ok I found easyblaze pellets that I love . They have tons of heat and very little fluffy ash , BUT , they have a lot of pellet dust in the last ton that I bought. The first ton was fine with no issues, but this new ton I am getting bottom auger jambs and the fire goes out. Is there away that anyone has tried that I can maybe sift or strain out the dust??? Any ideas, this cannot be a new problem. The stove is a pdv 25

I like to keep pellets in a coal bucket next to the stove (looks good and always have pellets at the ready). The dust settles in the bucket. If I go from the bag directly to the stove (when I'm being lazy) I pour 80% of the bag into the hopper and then the rest I pour into a coal bucket. I pour from the bucket but never the entire thing (as with a bag). It's worth wasting a coffee can of pellets/dust if the dust is causing you problems.

 

[Pellet rick]

I've got roughly the same set up. Worked great with old vacuum but newer vac means I have to adjust some ... haven't gotten to it yet. The screen I used was eavestrough or gutter screen that you criss-cross so that pellets cannot be sucked up. Used a Fernco couple/reducer at the top where the vac hose gets inserted and a heating duct boot to pour pellets into. Tried a plastic funnel but that broke

Really appreciate the reduction in dust and fines ... both for the stove and the air in the house. Don't get nearly the dust cloud when pouring pellets in the hopper.

Does it matter the length of the pipes

 

[bags]

Rick,
It looks like lengths are on the diagram 3 x 10 would be 3" schedule 40 PVC that is 10" long. The upper 3" is 6" long as is the 2" PVC off of the Y. There is also a 2' long piece at the hopper. So the first number is the diameter of the pipe and the second number is the length. The fittings are standard sizes.

As long as the lengths are close you'd be fine but bigger changes or lengths would reduce the suction power.

 

[Pellet rick]

Rick,
It looks like lengths are on the diagram 3 x 10 would be 3" schedule 40 PVC that is 10" long. The upper 3" is 6" long as is the 2" PVC off of the Y. There is also a 2' long piece at the hopper. So the first number is the diameter of the pipe and the second number is the length. The fittings are standard sizes.

As long as the lengths are close you'd be fine but bigger changes or lengths would reduce the suction power.

Thanks bags I saw that as soon as I posted my last question. I made it like shown and seems to work. I just need to come up with a hopper that works. I am using a cut off funnel and a piece of plastic to make a hopper but it seems to back up where the funnel attaches to the pipe

 

[UGLYDOG]

Thanks bags I saw that as soon as I posted my last question. I made it like shown and seems to work. I just need to come up with a hopper that works. I am using a cut off funnel and a piece of plastic to make a hopper but it seems to back up where the funnel attaches to the pipe

I am new but a long time lurker. I have a pellet vac contraption like the one above. I used chimney flashing turned upside down for the funnel when I was building mine. Mine backs up too when I pour pellets in too fast. Glad to see you have it working.

 

[Edward Hughes]

That system looks great. I had an old wheelbarrel went to home depot for mud wire about 1/4" and doubled it over a two-by four frame that I cut to fit the wheel barrel and framed the wire on the bottom of the the frame with molding. Left enough room on the handle end of the wheel barrel for the vac hose to the bottom of the wheelbarrel for the dust. There are no clogs of pellets and you can use a shovel to fill the buckets.
Still use the wheelbarrel when I'm not sifting pellets. No pictures of the frame, its in the barn, the breckwell with dry dust does fine. Greenway Pellets.
Good Luck

 

[bags]

Thanks bags I saw that as soon as I posted my last question. I made it like shown and seems to work. I just need to come up with a hopper that works. I am using a cut off funnel and a piece of plastic to make a hopper but it seems to back up where the funnel attaches to the pipe

To maybe help on the hopper area you could buy a 2" to 3 or 4" reducer fitting to fan out some and then get a larger funnel rig. Either way there will be a limit as to how fast you dump pellets because that 2" pipe can only handle so much volume. Besides if they ran thru ultra fast that's less time getting the dust sucked off as they pass.

 

[Pellet rick]

Bags I agree. I'll post my set up when I get home to check it out. Seems to work good so far. But I had a bone head move this morning. Woke up to no fire but this time it was my fault. All the dealings with dust I forgot to scrape the carbon off the bottom auger outlet and jammed the auger.

 

[Pellet rick]

This is my setup please excuse the artwork