softwood or hardwood pellets ?
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More BTU's from softwood pellets and more ash too.
Hardwood is good too. I burn both but would buy softwood if the price were the same.
Hardwood is good too. I burn both but would buy softwood if the price were the same.
j00fek
Feeling the Heat
i have burnt hardwood for the last 4 years, i like the longer burn time and good btu's. softwood will burn hotter but faster and you get a couple more bags.
but i stick with the longer burn time with the hardwood, this year im trying the athens 20/80 mix. we willl see how that works
but i stick with the longer burn time with the hardwood, this year im trying the athens 20/80 mix. we willl see how that works
rayttt
Feeling the Heat
I found this list of pellet manufacturers with contact info.
http://www.thelograck.com/pellet_manufacturers.html
http://www.thelograck.com/pellet_manufacturers.html
I have burned about 6 different brands of pellets over the years and I prefer the 100% hardwood pellets made by Cubex over everything I have burned. I am going to try some Athens and Corinth this year as I like to sample different brands and would prefer to keep my money in Maine, but for now the Hardwood have treated me better. I find I use much less per day with the hardwood, then the softwood blends.
Different pellets burn better in different stoves. You have to experiment with what you can get and afford.
Different pellets burn better in different stoves. You have to experiment with what you can get and afford.
Has anyone ever try to burn coat mixed with pellets. Coal burns hot and relatively cheep. I wondered if you mix coat, lets say 10-15%, would that hurt the stove.
slls
Minister of Fire
johnnywarm
Minister of Fire
Soft burns hotter.it's a pellet stove you want hotter. the feeder feedes it the same amount of fule no matter what. hotter is better.
In a wood stove,longer is better.
In a wood stove,longer is better.
itworks
New Member
Little background about me first. I have a Harman P68 (cost including pipes & installation=$2,800 in Jan 2004) installed in the lower level of a decently insulated 1,500 sqft raised ranch located in Southeastern CT. During the heating season, generally Oct-Mar. I maintain pretty constant temperatures of 70-72 in the lower level, and about 65-68 in the upper level. The stove goes 24/7 during the heating season set at moderate settings. Last year, a pretty moderate winter, I burned 217 40lb bags of hardwood. Two years ago I got "a deal" on 5 tons of softwood. The softwood seemed to burn a little bit hotter than the hardwood I was used to, but created much more dust throughout the house, and required cleaning the stove more often. The stove was so dusty that I needed to wear a paper face mask when I cleaned it. After burning the 5 tons of softwood I will NEVER use softwood pellets again!
I've been using the P 68 for almost 5 heating seasons without ANY problems. I generally empty the ash can, and give the stove a quick cleaning every 2 weeks, and do a very thorough cleaning once a year.
At this point the savings vs using oil, just about paid for the cost of the stove and installation.
I swear by the Harman P 68 and sometimes sound like an commercial for Harman, but realize pellet heating is not for everyone.
There is maintenance, storage, and lifting a 40 lb bag at least daily.
saw
I've been using the P 68 for almost 5 heating seasons without ANY problems. I generally empty the ash can, and give the stove a quick cleaning every 2 weeks, and do a very thorough cleaning once a year.
At this point the savings vs using oil, just about paid for the cost of the stove and installation.
I swear by the Harman P 68 and sometimes sound like an commercial for Harman, but realize pellet heating is not for everyone.
There is maintenance, storage, and lifting a 40 lb bag at least daily.
saw
johnnywarm
Minister of Fire
i have burned 12 tons in two seasons in my Big E. the Quality soft pellets where great. the Lower Quality hardwood pellets where not so great.I had more dust and allot of Clinkers. Pinnacle pellets where the best ive burned so far.When i asked Breckwell what pellets they liked they told me dug-fur. thats pine and thats soft.
No matter what you do,Quality is king when burning.I have three tons of what i consider a lower quality pellet's. I hope i will be getting my Kentucky pellets(premium hardwood) before winter. after this season i will hunt down and get Premium Quality soft pellets from now on.
No matter what you do,Quality is king when burning.I have three tons of what i consider a lower quality pellet's. I hope i will be getting my Kentucky pellets(premium hardwood) before winter. after this season i will hunt down and get Premium Quality soft pellets from now on.
itworks
New Member
johnnywarm
Minister of Fire
itworks said:
1600 sq foot cellar and the first floor.we really need 7 tons a year to do it right.we run the big E on #4 all the time.
We are going wood in the cellar and pellet in the fireplace up stair es.we figure 3 to 4 cords of wood and 3 tons of pellets. we are going to wait out the next heating season before we change.
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