Pellet vs Stove performances, Is it just me or are we all doomed?

[Francois]

Hi,

Last winter, I used 4 brands of pellets. I had one brand that was superior to all others, but reading reviews (here and elsewhere), it looks like we're not all on the same page.

I saw people praising the high preformances of a particular brand while it was my worst nightmare.

So, are all stoves equals or is it that one brand might work well with some stoves than other?

 

[billb3]

Between variabilities in stove design, tuning allowances ranges even with like/identical stoves, variabilities in fuel supplies and variabilities with user/operators and individual installs a range of user experiences should be expected.

 

[moey]

Everyone has different preferences. I dont know of anyone who actually measures lbs/hr and btu output. They put there hand next to the blower and say thats hot or my ash sure looks fluffy.

 

[Francois]

So, I shouldn't look for reviews. The best way should be to buy around 500 pounds, test for a week or two and take notes of each brand and make my own review for myself. Too many variables, even someone with the same stove can't expect exactly the same results with the same fuel.

As long as it bring good heat, doesn't burn 40 pound/hour and doesn't make a mess, I'm good.

Hardwood seem to make a mess more than softwood, is it possible that it's a stove thing or does hardwood need different tuning than softwood?

Thanks a lot, really appreciated.

 

[Tonyray]

A lot depends on the actual stove and the person running it...
by that I mean that Harman's for example are mostly automatic without any adjusting needed.
pretty much set feed rate and temperature desired.
other type stoves a person has more leeway and can adjust air flow and other things besides the feed rate..[this can lead to correct or incorrect messin with the stove]
and Maintanence of the stove is a big factor....some do barley any while others are OCD with the're stoves..
so.... milage will vary with the same pellets being used in different stoves with different attenders...

To answer your question,
Hardwoods on the whole will leave more ash than softwoods generally...
But do your own testing and find out what works best for you including pellet brands,,,,'
I find that this site is more valuable when problems with your stove arise and many here can help get your stove back on track
than finding out which pellets are best or worst.. Home Depot is consistant with selling ashy brands but most produce good heat so they sell 100's and 100's of tons regardless.
that said, the overwhelming opinions here go with the Douglas Fir Softwoods as best of the best...
Blazers, Okanagan etc..

 

[Don2222]

Some stoves with small 1/2" shaft augers using the old bronze SAE 841 auger bearings have trouble with 100 % hardwood pellets and sometimes break. I have seen auger motors in the bottom of these stoves after the hitch pin sheared off and the hole in the auger shaft ripped open!
In these cases I recommend 100% Softwood pellets like Oakanagan or Doug Firs...etc just to keep it running!

 

[Francois]

Thanks for all your answers. I'll do my homeworks. I'll buy a least 2-3 tonnes of my last winter winner and I'll try more brands for testing purpose. This way I'll be able to see what is best for my setup. At least, now I now that I can't rely on reviews only.

Don2222, as for the hardwood, I don't have any problem with the auger, at least not with the brand of hardwood I used. It's the mess! The ashes everywhere, you should have seem the mess outside on the snow. Only used 600 pounds and there was a big black circle outside. The pipes were dirty as hell.

 

[Pete Zahria]

Hi,

Last winter, I used 4 brands of pellets. I had one brand that was superior to all others..

We get our pellets from Canada... which ones did you like/dislike

Dan

 

[MadMax31]

I search for reviews that are fairly recent. Batches change and quality can be erratic. I also wish people would say what stove they own in their reviews.

My Englander loved Hamers, Greenways, and a no-name from TSC. If I ever see Greenways again, Ill buy as much as I can afford and stock-pile the basement....

It was less enthused about Green Supreme and any NEWP, but they heated my house just fine...

LaCretes and Energex were good, but I found plastic shrapnel in the bags by chance. Likely a fluke. I would order a Ton of Energex over LaCretes.

The longer Lignetics would cause minor Auger binding, but you could hear it grind through it. Not something I was cool with. Lignetics also a hard-starter in my stove, Hamers went up like a gas can with a match.

I pre-ordered Curran Blend- 1 ton, and Barefoots 1-ton. I havent even burned one bag of either yet. The price was not to be passed on considering what I was spending per bag experimenting last winter...

Im not a 24/7 burner. I kick it on at ~4pm every day, and the Wife shuts it off ~7am every morning. Then the Propain boiler keeps house at 62 until we come home. Brand new house, 1600 sqft, extra insulation. Just having my LCD TV on heats up living room. Stove runs Continuous all weekend.

Boiler - 62*
Englander 73*

Before I installed Pellet Stove, I kept house at 64. Burning an avg of 250.00 a month in Propain, at $2.19 a gallon. I made 35 bags of pellets last longer than a month with house nearly 10* warmer.

 

[Francois]

We get our pellets from Canada... which ones did you like/dislike

Dan

Sorry for the delay,

My best one last year was Granules LG's Premium, it's a local product, but I know they export.
The worst was from Canadian Tire - Can Wick Hardwood Pellets, burned around 15 bags and it was a mess.

Also tried Granulco Wood Pellets and all I can remember about the fourth one was it was softwood pellets also. Both performance were on the low side. Heat wasn't bad, but the burned really fast.

On a normal week, around minus 20-25, I was burning around 10-12 bags per week of LG Premium. The other softwood pellets took around 15-17 bags/week. For the CanWick, the 15 bags were gone in less than 5 days and outside temp was around minus 12-15.

I will probably be trying Eagle Valley Premium this season. and I will also stock a few tons of Granules LG Premium.

What do you use?

 

[Pete Zahria]

Francois,
I really do not use a lot of pellets, myself.
And I only use them to keep my garage/shop warm. (48°- 50°)
It keeps the cars and bike happy when it's single numbers out!
I crank it up when I have to work out there..
But I have tested a lot of pellets available locally,
as well as the ones we sell.

We sell La Crete, LG Granules, LG Super Premium, Platinums, North Country
Olympus Douglas Fir (new this year to us).
I am happy with any of those, to be honest.
They are all premium pellets.
There is certainly a difference between any of those, and most BBS stuff.
If there wasn't, we wouldn't sell any!
And today, their prices have gone up more than ours, so the spread these
days is much smaller... But many look at the dollar... which is fine. We get it.
But as you have found, the savings is not that great, if you burn more!

Dan

 

[Francois]

... all I can remember about the fourth one was it was softwood pellets also. ...

Found it, can't remember the manufacturer, but it says "Satisfaction" on the bag and was bought at HomeDepot (canada).

http://www.homedepot.ca/produit/granule-de-bois-premium-satisfaction-40-lb/965052

It says LG Wood Pellet on HomeDepot's website, but it's not the same LG as Granules LG

 

[Francois]

But as you have found, the savings is not that great, if you burn more!

Dan

You're right. I paid around 1.50$ more per 40Lbs bag for CanWick hardwood and it was the worst for me. So, it's not about price at all.

I will also be trying to get my hand on LG Super Premium this year if I can find a seller. Did you have any comments/comparisons from customer between LG Premium and LG Super Premium?
I know they also make the LG Maximum which is hardwood.

Francois

 

[Pete Zahria]

The LG Super premiums, are getting more and more popular for us.
They are made from one specie of wood, and they come in 30# bags...
They are cleaner and a tad hotter than the granules, IMO..
So many customers that are either getting older, or some women that tend the stove
frequently, or those with back problems LOVE the 30# bags.
So for many it's a win/win all around..
The Maximums are not available to us anymore... and we would not get them if they were...
For our money, softwoods are the only thing that people want these days..
We used to sell a couple of loads of hardwoods, but it didn't take long for
most to figure the difference.. I don't think we have got one call so far this season..

So really, Francois, if the Super premiums are not much more than the Granules,
I think you would be happy with them!
Or.. buy your usual Granules, and one ton of the Supers.

We have been pushing for some time now, to those unsure or on the fence
about brands, to mix them up, and burn each a week at a time during the coldest weather..
Very common for people to take a ton or so of La Crete, a ton or so of LG, maybe a ton of Douglas Fir..
We mix them up all the time... that way, they find which works best for their application..
The next season, they get their favorite..

Dan

 

[Francois]

The LG Super premiums, are getting more and more popular for us.
They are made from one specie of wood, and they come in 30# bags...
They are cleaner and a tad hotter than the granules, IMO..
...
The Maximums are not available to us anymore... and we would not get them if they were...
...
We have been pushing for some time now, to those unsure or on the fence
about brands, to mix them up...

Thanks for heads up on the Super Premium and Maximum. I'll continue my research for the Super Premium.

As for the mix, that's almost what I've done last season. but with small quantities. Since pellets were hard to find around february,most store limited sell to aroung 10 bags. But that was enough to test them during a week. And that's what I learned from this thread, test pellets on your own and review them yourself. Different setup = different behaviours.

Francois

 

[Tonyray]

Thanks for heads up on the Super Premium and Maximum. I'll continue my research for the Super Premium.

As for the mix, that's almost what I've done last season. but with small quantities. Since pellets were hard to find around february,most store limited sell to aroung 10 bags. But that was enough to test them during a week. And that's what I learned from this thread, test pellets on your own and review them yourself. Different setup = different behaviours.

Francois

best to test yourself when u can and use the pellet reviews here as a guidline sorta.
One man's Goldstrike is anothers man's Mudslide when it comes to pellets...
type of Stove and users Maint or lack of play into it all..

 

[Heat Slinger]

Found it, can't remember the manufacturer, but it says "Satisfaction" on the bag and was bought at HomeDepot (canada).

http://www.homedepot.ca/produit/granule-de-bois-premium-satisfaction-40-lb/965052

It says LG Wood Pellet on HomeDepot's website, but it's not the same LG as Granules LG

Francois - how did you like the Satisfaction pellets? I am considering buying some for this season.

 

[Peterfield]

best to test yourself when u can and use the pellet reviews here as a guidline sorta.
One man's Goldstrike is anothers man's Mudslide when it comes to pellets...
type of Stove and users Maint or lack of play into it all..

I remember last year stumbling across American Wood Fiber Ultras. My stove loved them but other posters said they had bad luck with them. Another brand that did well in my stove last year was Barefoot's yet others posted them as being very ashy. There is no pellet shortage right now so buy three or four bags of different brands and find the one(s) your stove likes.

 

[Francois]

Francois - how did you like the Satisfaction pellets? I am considering buying some for this season.

Burned a bit too fast for me in my stove. Heat was good and ashes not that bad too. It's just that I almost doubled up the quantity needed per day as opposed to Granules LG's Premium.

But I saw someone who almost see Satisfaction pellet as a blessing. So it really depends on your stove.
If in needs, I will use them for sure, it's a good backup.

But no more CanaWick for me.

I bought 20 bags of Okanagan for testing this year. Still trying to get my hand on Granules LG' Super Premium.

 

[Husky]

I remember last year stumbling across American Wood Fiber Ultras. My stove loved them but other posters said they had bad luck with them. Another brand that did well in my stove last year was Barefoot's yet others posted them as being very ashy. There is no pellet shortage right now so buy three or four bags of different brands and find the one(s) your stove likes.

I'm with you. I also stumbled across the American Wood Fiber Ultras last year and loved them and my goto pellet is barefoot.. This is all I'm burning this year.

 

[Tonyray]

I'm with you. I also stumbled across the American Wood Fiber Ultras last year and loved them and my goto pellet is barefoot.. This is all I'm burning this year.

With a Harman stove able to burn pretty much anything out there with no problem, usually the amounts of ash left over is the deciding factor in buying pellets for me.. going with all Softwood firs next season].
[ One different example is O'malley's hardwoods.. Hands down the longest pellets in the Universe.. they gave good heat but left Flat Carbon deposits in the burnpot that we're so hard to break up that I couldn't wait till the ton was finally gone. Talk about scrapeing..jeez.... no exageration here.

 

[Francois]

Francois - how did you like the Satisfaction pellets? I am considering buying some for this season.

Ok, now it's funny. Satisfaction IS in fact the same as Granules LG Premium. I just got off the phone and they provide Satisfaction to HomeDepot.

I talked to the rep about the fact that it seems to burn faster, but it might just be variation in the batch, might have been colder outside and more wind, ...
It is branded as Satisfaction for HomeDepot.
And I also found out that Granules LG' Super Premium is only available at Canac. in Quebec

 

[Heat Slinger]

I took the plunge, bought 2 pallets of Satisfaction. Hope they aren't crap at $6/bag. I still need another pallet, not sure if I'll get more Satisfaction or try something else. I've burned Comfy Cosy the last 2 years with no issues, and most people think they're crap, so these couldn't be any worse.

 

[DannyL]

Ok, now it's funny. Satisfaction IS in fact the same as Granules LG Premium. I just got off the phone and they provide Satisfaction to HomeDepot.

I talked to the rep about the fact that it seems to burn faster, but it might just be variation in the batch, might have been colder outside and more wind, ...
It is branded as Satisfaction for HomeDepot.
And I also found out that Granules LG' Super Premium is only available at Canac. in Quebec

Digging up an old post cause I was looking for the best pellets for th $$$
Found your add and there the cheapest around! $5 CDN a bag!

Can you say 3 pallets coming home! Stove will be here on Saturday!

It's only money........lol