Sommerset pellets

[rickwai]

I noticed my glass getting black this season even though the stove is clean and burning good. Not much ash just black glass like it is partly restricted. Then I brought in the rest of the TSC pellets in the white bag w/ blue writing and the glass and interior look good? This is what the glass looks like w/ TSC pellets after about a week burning. Light brown like it should. I will go back to some Sommersets once I get down in the stack and repost a pic. Seems wierd, Somersets usually are the cleanest burning around here.
And I am prepared for the reply from Flip on my door glass condition

 

[Ssyko]

IT'S FILTHY. use a natural bristle brush and clean it!! LOL

 

[rickwai]

I keep some water by the stove and wipe it with a wet paper towel when I walk by when it happens to be off.

 

[SidecarFlip]

You guys are hard on me.....

 

[SidecarFlip]

I always had good results with Somerset Hardwood Flooring Pellets. Weird. Been running Michigan Hardwood in my corn mix (and straight when I start in the fall), no issues. No Somersets around here lately.

Glass looks fine to me. How mine gets, light tan and then I 'Brush' it.

 

[rickwai]

I always had good results with Somerset Hardwood Flooring Pellets. Weird. Been running Michigan Hardwood in my corn mix (and straight when I start in the fall), no issues. No Somersets around here lately.

Glass looks fine to me. How mine gets, light tan and then I 'Brush' it.

Took a few days for a reply. I thought you missed the jab!

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'm slow, I'm old.............

 

[SidecarFlip]

One thing I do like about this forum and especially the regulars and that is, we can 'poke' at each other with no ill feelings. Lots of forums today, you have to tread lightly or people get butt hurt.

I replaced my old brush with a new one yesterday, didn't have any bristles left....

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

My local Somerset guy wanted $275/ton when I checked with him last fall -- too much in this neck of the woods. He had Heartland Softwoods for the same price.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Some years back, I contacted Somerset Hardwood Flooring about buying a full truckload of their pellets (42 tons), but the transportation cost was too much and while I do own a tractor trailer, it's a grain hopper and International Eagle conventional double bunk with a 3406 Cat, I cannot haul skidded pellets in the trailer, it's for grain. Besides, what would I do with 42 tons of pellets anyway, I could have sold them but then I'd be dealing with the public and I don't deal well with people very well in a retail sense.

 

[rickwai]

I switched back to Somersets and glass is starting to blacken again. That is after about 4-5 bags

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I recall someone speculating that Somerset pellet performance may vary depending on the type of wood they're using to produce flooring. Their website catalog shows some maple and hickory in addition to a lot of oak. Over the years burning Somersets I've noticed some batches of the pellets leaving more carbon buildup in the burn pot than others. I don't pay much attention to glass buildup because I have a boiler rather than a unit that sits in the living room.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I switched back to Somersets and glass is starting to blacken again. That is after about 4-5 bagsView attachment 273784

Increase the combustion air a tad Rick and get out the brush....lol I don't have that issue and never have. My glass is lightly coated with light tan fly ash. Sucker is running HOT right now and has been since yesterday. it's 8 here, a heat wave. central furnace is cycling about every half hour, no way the 6039 can keep up with the heat load and I'm sucking down water in the humidifier as it struggles to keep the RH at a sane level.

Typical January artic blast.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Somerset Hardwood Flooring owns 90% of the woodlots they harvest and far as I know, the use all the slash and culled wood to make pellets, so, it stands to reason that the pellet content will vary by the timber being harvested at any particular time.

Probably better than extruders that use old pallets and junk wood to extrude their pellets. While that method keeps the stuff out of landfills, it also contributes to a miss mash of feedstock quality.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Increase the combustion air a tad Rick and get out the brush....lol I don't have that issue and never have. My glass is lightly coated with light tan fly ash. Sucker is running HOT right now and has been since yesterday. it's 8 here, a heat wave. central furnace is cycling about every half hour, no way the 6039 can keep up with the heat load and I'm sucking down water in the humidifier as it struggles to keep the RH at a sane level.

Typical January artic blast.

Yeah except it's February. ;D It was 5 below zero when I got up about half an hour ago, supposed to get down to 14 below tonight. January was pretty mild compared to this.

 

[SidecarFlip]

All the same to me. Winter is winter. Time for the land to rest so I can grow crops again. I agree January was pretty mild. February isn't shaping up to be as mild but March will come and so will the snowpack. Just like last winter.

 

[rickwai]

Increase the combustion air a tad Rick and get out the brush....lol I don't have that issue and never have. My glass is lightly coated with light tan fly ash. Sucker is running HOT right now and has been since yesterday. it's 8 here, a heat wave. central furnace is cycling about every half hour, no way the 6039 can keep up with the heat load and I'm sucking down water in the humidifier as it struggles to keep the RH at a sane level.

Typical January artic blast.

The stove is breathing good. I have a mag and diag tool for Harman. The Tsc pellets run light tan ash but Somerset leaves some black. Stove is running good just odd that the Somersets act like they run a little rich?

 

[SidecarFlip]

Could be the lignin content on the Somersets is higher than usual. Remember, they are entirely dependent on where the timber was cut at.

I noticed years back that the some of the Somerset's I ran exuded a slightly medicinal smell which occurs with oak pellets and some had no smell.

Kind of wish I could get them again in a quantity I can deal with but alas, none available around here any more.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Glad I reloaded my fuel supply yesterday and plowed out the driveways. As cold as it is today would require a rather long warm up on the tractor. I never move them until the fluid temperatures are over 100 degrees. Do the same with the cars. Most wear on any engine diesel or gas is a cold start and immediate work. besides, I like to be toasty.