Hey everyone, I have a few questions regarding pellets as I'm quite new to pellet stoves.
I've moved into my new home at the beginning of the year, it's in a new country and I don't speak the language yet so attempting to ask the locals hasn't helped.
I used the pellets the stove dealer recommended for the final few months of winter but it cost a flippin' fortune! I was incredibly surprised at just how many pellets we used and the ones that were recommended, some popular brand in this country, is pretty much the most expensive pellets for sale in this country.
I started thinking maybe I could try some other pellets this winter that are not as expensive but while looking around the shops I completely confused myself as there are so many different types with huge price differences.
So, firstly I wanted to ask what are the trade-offs between expensive and cheaper pellets, I read that the difference between soft and hardwood pellets is heat output and ash, but some pellets look exactly the same, use the same woods, same ash, same heat output (according to the manufacturers' specs) but one is €8 per bag and the other is €6.50 for the same size bag, which of course when multiplied over 300-400 bags is a big saving.
Regarding soft vs hardwood is there a massive difference in heat output? If my burner is let's say 10kW would hardwood pellets only output 9.5 or 9kW or are we talking a larger difference like 6-7kW?
Other than the wood type, what should I be looking for when choosing pellets? What should I be avoiding?
And finally, I keep seeing people buying these ultra-cheap black pellets; they are really short stubby pellets about 1.5cm long, jet black like coal, and they come in plain white bags, no brand, no pellet spec, no details, just unmarked woven plastic fiber bags. But here's the thing... they are around 70% cheaper than the premium pellets, I can buy roughly 300 bags for the same price as 100 bags of the expensive pellets I used last year. But what are they?
The fact they're in unmarked cheap bags and the price is so low I would assume they're completely crap and useless, but if the differences are not gigantic would it pay me to get the cheaper ones as I get so many more bags?
Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
I've moved into my new home at the beginning of the year, it's in a new country and I don't speak the language yet so attempting to ask the locals hasn't helped.
I used the pellets the stove dealer recommended for the final few months of winter but it cost a flippin' fortune! I was incredibly surprised at just how many pellets we used and the ones that were recommended, some popular brand in this country, is pretty much the most expensive pellets for sale in this country.
I started thinking maybe I could try some other pellets this winter that are not as expensive but while looking around the shops I completely confused myself as there are so many different types with huge price differences.
So, firstly I wanted to ask what are the trade-offs between expensive and cheaper pellets, I read that the difference between soft and hardwood pellets is heat output and ash, but some pellets look exactly the same, use the same woods, same ash, same heat output (according to the manufacturers' specs) but one is €8 per bag and the other is €6.50 for the same size bag, which of course when multiplied over 300-400 bags is a big saving.
Regarding soft vs hardwood is there a massive difference in heat output? If my burner is let's say 10kW would hardwood pellets only output 9.5 or 9kW or are we talking a larger difference like 6-7kW?
Other than the wood type, what should I be looking for when choosing pellets? What should I be avoiding?
And finally, I keep seeing people buying these ultra-cheap black pellets; they are really short stubby pellets about 1.5cm long, jet black like coal, and they come in plain white bags, no brand, no pellet spec, no details, just unmarked woven plastic fiber bags. But here's the thing... they are around 70% cheaper than the premium pellets, I can buy roughly 300 bags for the same price as 100 bags of the expensive pellets I used last year. But what are they?
The fact they're in unmarked cheap bags and the price is so low I would assume they're completely crap and useless, but if the differences are not gigantic would it pay me to get the cheaper ones as I get so many more bags?
Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
