What exactly defines fines when sifting pellets?

[pelletizer]

What exactly defines fines when sifting pellets?
Is it the dusty powdery stuff or the 1/8" bits or larger/smaller?
I have sifted many different pellets and they are all different as far as fines go.
When is a fine to big and not fine for your stove?

 

[rottiman]

I have found that whatever fits thru my auger and burns is just "FINE".......................................

 

[imacman]

What exactly defines fines when sifting pellets?
Is it the dusty powdery stuff or the 1/8" bits or larger/smaller?
I have sifted many different pellets and they are all different as far as fines go.
When is a fine to big and not fine for your stove?

IMO, fines are anything that is not obviously a pellet or even a small piece of a pellet......so I guess it's just ground up wood (sawdust).

 

[pelletizer]

Its the saw dust that jams augers correct? It packs and compresses in there right?

 

[imacman]

Its the saw dust that jams augers correct? It packs and compresses in there right?

yes, if you get enough of it in there over a period of time, it can clog things up and possibly jam the auger. That's why I clean my pellets...that's easier than tearing the stove apart, IMO.

 

[sydney1963]

Its the saw dust that jams augers correct? It packs and compresses in there right?

Pelletizer, dump it right in your stove. Englander loves the fines and eats em right up (no auger jams). I've had a cup or more of fines at the bottom of the bag and just dump it right in. Might make some sparks in the fire, but that's nice to look at. LOL

 

[Excell]

So far I have been dumping in the whole bag ,with no problem .I am using premium pellets ,I don't know if that makes a difference or not .There is hardly any saw dust in there .

 

[BDPVT]

Please don't take offense, but I do not understand the obsession some have with fines. After all, pellets are just sawdust, so it's a fact that there will be dust in the bag. Seems to me that if an auger cannot feed sawdust , there is a fundamental flaw in the design of the pellet stove. If I had to sieve every bag of pellets to get my stoves to work properly I would give up and go back to wood burning! I am not trying to tell anyone how to do what is best for them...just my opinion.

 

[vgrund]

BDPVT, I have to agree with you on this point.

 

[slls]

Please don't take offense, but I do not understand the obsession some have with fines. After all, pellets are just sawdust, so it's a fact that there will be dust in the bag. Seems to me that if an auger cannot feed sawdust , there is a fundamental flaw in the design of the pellet stove. If I had to sieve every bag of pellets to get my stoves to work properly I would give up and go back to wood burning! I am not trying to tell anyone how to do what is best for them...just my opinion.

It depends on the stove. My stove will work ok with fines for a while, my auger is like a spring, has never jammed. Now if too many fines collect at the pellet pickup area it displaces where the pellets would normally collect. After a while the flame will not be as high as usual, a sure sign there are too many fines.
Now I have a choice of every time the flame is not as high as usual, I can empty the hopper and clean the fines. This year I am sifting every pellet that goes into my stove, break the longs and check for unauthorized material. Gives me something to do in the morning until it warms up outside, then I can do any projects that day. Only problem is sifting is addictive, I can't stop until the hopper is full.
.

 

[littlesmokey]

I am sure the testing labs have a definition they use, but for me, "If it won't feed, it's afine." That said, I have only had one pellet brand I tossed for poor quality. If you are using a Premium graded pellet, they start out with a very small amount of "fines". But how they are handled can break the pellets up considerably. I buy mine as full pallets still shrink wrapped for shipping. I load and unload them myself, so I know they are not thrown around. I have on only a few occassions stuck the stove vac into the bottom of the hopper to clear a build up of fines, but it really isn't an issue for me.

If you buy premium tested pellets, you should not have a manufacturing problem. If you are trying to make pellets (based on your profile name) you need to have them tested to determine the quality.

 

[CanadaClinker]

Please don't take offense, but I do not understand the obsession some have with fines. After all, pellets are just sawdust, so it's a fact that there will be dust in the bag. Seems to me that if an auger cannot feed sawdust , there is a fundamental flaw in the design of the pellet stove. If I had to sieve every bag of pellets to get my stoves to work properly I would give up and go back to wood burning! I am not trying to tell anyone how to do what is best for them...just my opinion.

It depends on the stove. My stove will work ok with fines for a while, my auger is like a spring, has never jammed. Now if too many fines collect at the pellet pickup area it displaces where the pellets would normally collect. After a while the flame will not be as high as usual, a sure sign there are too many fines.
Now I have a choice of every time the flame is not as high as usual, I can empty the hopper and clean the fines. This year I am sifting every pellet that goes into my stove, break the longs and check for unauthorized material. Gives me something to do in the morning until it warms up outside, then I can do any projects that day. Only problem is sifting is addictive, I can't stop until the hopper is full.
.

I'm with you in this one slls.....had it happen for the first time 2 days ago.... last summer I had been salvaging some pellets that got wet and tried to separate the expanding/crumbling pellets from the good ones..... I guess I didn't do a very good job as some of them went to sawdust in the hopper..... when my fire went out and I investigated, inside the bottom of the hopper where the cork screw auger was located was full of sawdust (about 10 cups full) and the auger was cavitating in it (not able to grab any solid pellets....... I sucked the sawdust mess out with the vac and immediately was back in business...... oh, and here's what I normally use to clean mine with.....when the pellets are dry..... :lol: ..... cc

click on pics to enlarge......

 

[slls]

Nice setup, high production. I am low production, made some holes a little larger with wifes knitting needle.

 

[HEMI]

Nice setup, high production. I am low production, made some holes a little larger with wifes knitting needle.

how long does it take to sift a bag with that????

 

[Marbleguy]

I just dump the bag into the hopper and let it run. So far have put 3 1/2 tons thru the stove and only let it run out once so I could clean the bottom of the hopper, that was at the end of last heating season. I use a premium hardwood pellet in a Quad 1200 Insert on a thermostat. The thermostat is located in a hallway on the other end of the house.

 

[Utilitrack]

I just mix my fines with used motor oil...they burn just "fine."

 

[countk]

LOL!! Let's not get on that topic again.

 

[littlesmokey]

I seriously think I missed something here. Are some of you saying you "sift ALL pellets"? Are you nuts???? I can see if you are sifting corn or soybeans, or nut shells for over and undersized contaminants. The bio-mass suppliers are not geared the same way as pellet makers. Personally I stick with well known, premium pellets. If you have to sift your pellets you either need to change the pellets or your stove, or both, or try a woodstove, or anything but pellets.

 

[joefraser]

I've burned so far almost a whole pallet of free pellets I got with the stove. Low quality from what I've read and a few other bags I've tried. The only time I've had an issue with fines (I'd call it sawdust but I guess thats what were calling it in the pellet world) is when I had an issue with my pellets sliding down the hopper so I let it run 3/4 out and pushed all the sawdust off the edges toward the auger thinking the sawdust was causing them to stick to the sides. After I filled the hopper back up I stopped getting pellets fed down cause the auger couldn't turn as the fines compacted to tight.

After scooping 50 lbs of pellets into my ash bucket and a large paper grocery bag I was able to fix the issue by sticking a screw driver down the auger shaft and that loosened it up. It's been good ever since. If I didn't push them down all at once then I wouldn't have had the issue. And this is with a low quality pellet. I see no need in screening them.

 

[pelletizer]

Well ok I will try a few bags un-sifted and see what happens.
I am using Curran pellets this year I like them (they have an odd smell) some of the bottom of the pallet bags, (now on top of the stack in basement are a bit broken up so I was concerned)
Next bag will be "Non Filtered"

 

[imacman]

....I am using Curran pellets this year I like them (they have an odd smell).....

I'm not saying the pellets are no good, but good quality pellets should only smell like fresh cut wood...nothing else, or else the company is adding chemical binding agents(?).....not good for the stove, or you.

 

[littlesmokey]

....I am using Curran pellets this year I like them (they have an odd smell).....

I'm not saying the pellets are no good, but good quality pellets should only smell like fresh cut wood...nothing else, or else the company is adding chemical binding agents(?).....not good for the stove, or you.

Mac:

Have you visited a pellet plant? Those piles of sawdust and shavings really stink sometimes. Most are not fresh cut timber, some are old, and I mean old. There's a mountain outside Albany, Oregon used for pellets that hasn't had anything fresh for at least 10 years. Anarobic conditions do add certain scents.

Besides for you hardwooders, some of the choices of trash lumber used are less than pleasant even when freshly cut. I personally hate the smell of Tupelo. My brother can't stand boxelder and my sister hated cottonwood. Go figure.

 

[trogers]

Granted, I am only about 7-8 tons into having a pellet stove, but based on what I have heard from neighbors whoh have had them for years (a few for decades) this "fines" issue seems to be more hype than reality. Don't the vacuum plans, sifters, and whatever that wooden contraption in the earlier post was seem to be a little overkill? If you put a whole bag in at one time and want to avoid most of the sawdust, just don't shake the bag at the end. I have found that the majority of the sawdust comes at the end of emptying a bag. Of course this is just one man's opinion.

 

[CanadaClinker]

Granted, I am only about 7-8 tons into having a pellet stove, but based on what I have heard from neighbors whoh have had them for years (a few for decades) this "fines" issue seems to be more hype than reality. Don't the vacuum plans, sifters, and whatever that wooden contraption in the earlier post was seem to be a little overkill? If you put a whole bag in at one time and want to avoid most of the sawdust, just don't shake the bag at the end. I have found that the majority of the sawdust comes at the end of emptying a bag. Of course this is just one man's opinion.

......which end.....the top or the bottom ??? (depending how they were stacked I guess, which end do you pour first??)......cc ;-)

 

[Excell]

I always open the bag at the top ,and like the other guy said there is a bit of dust at the bottom . You could easily clean that bit with that little screen and bowl.
I think I might get one of those . I don't have room for elaborate screening equipment .