What makes a good pellet?

[Pellet-King]

Thank you for that lesson OK, Good luck in finding Pellet's

 

[TimfromMA]

The "fines" - described as extraneous loose saw dust from the pellet making process that gets into the bag: what do you guys do with that? Is it OK to just dump the whole contents of the bag - pellets and fines - into the hopper? Or is it better to separate the fines out before loading into the hopper?

Even the best pellets will have some amount of fines in the bag. Unless there's alot of it, your stove will burn them right up as they make their way into the burnpot. If you have so many fines where it may be needed to screen them out, consider changing pellet brands.

 

[bogieb]

The "fines" - described as extraneous loose saw dust from the pellet making process that gets into the bag: what do you guys do with that? Is it OK to just dump the whole contents of the bag - pellets and fines - into the hopper? Or is it better to separate the fines out before loading into the hopper?

Just dump it in the hopper. Some people screen their pellets, but you don't have to (I certainly don't). I am unsure about an insert (check your manual - which you can download prior to your stove delivery), but my stove has a "fines box" that I clean out periodically; a couple time per heating season - which is 5-6 months long. I can guarantee that most of the fines from the bag makes its way into the fire and burns though.

 

[TimfromMA]

What the lady above me said.

 

[OK_Bill]

Ha. You guys are really good. Muchas gracias - as we say around here

 

[Peterfield]

Hey, the fines provide a nice firework's show when a clump hits the burn pot.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Another major consideration is the raw materials used to produce the pellet. i've found that, after burning wood pellets for 20 plus years, that companies whose major business is NOT pellet production produce a better pellet. As an example, companies that produce wood flooring and have a pellet mill as a secondary business, typically produce a great pellet. somerset and Country Boy are two that come to mind. Their raw material sources are high quality and very consistent.

On the other hand, companies whose primary business is to produce wood pellets have a wider range of raw materials, therefore their quality is not as good.

Exactly.

Especially Somerset in Northern Kentucky. They have a flooring/furniture mill so the pellet quality will be consistently superior to say Michigan Wood Fibers who just extrude pellets using materials from anywhere, the input quality can vary from good to who knows what.... Indiana Wood Fibers in White Pigeon is also an extruder only enterprise, however, most of IWC's materials come from the Amish furniture making and Central Indiana RV builders so their product quality is pretty consistent too.

When you have high quality input (raw materials) the output is high quality, thats elementary. I've been running Somersets exclusively for the past 4 seasons with no variation in quality, but I make it a point to pre-buy always......

Having said that however, getting Somersets in mid season can be an exercise in futility, because, unlike a extruder only, Somersets come from a finite supply of raw materials, in othher words, demand outstrips production so they are a get them pre-season.pellet.

I recommend them btw and Tractor Supply is a distributor for Somerset.

I still remember opening my first bag of Somersets 4 years ago and immediately getting that strong vinegar odor consistent with oak hardwood. I knew right away I had a winner.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Additionally, there is some debate over hardwood pellets versus softwood pellets. My personal preference is hardwood and my stove likes them as well, however, your stove may actually prefer softwood, mine don't so you need to try both and see which flavor you stove likes better. While 99% of all stoves are negative draft gasifiers, there are varied methods of introducing fuel to be burned and various methods of ash mitigation so one stove and one method may not work well with a softwood pellet whereas it might work better with a hardwood pellet. It all depends on the unit which is whay I say to sample different brands and content before settling on one.

In Oklahoma because of the agricultrial presence, I'd give serious consideration to burning a corn/pellet mix 50-50. Corn of good ttest weight yields mor BTU's per volume consumed than the best available pellets and it's gotten cheap as of late. Pellet only stoves can burn corn in ratio's up to 50% so long as ash mitigation is via gravity to a lower chamber. Pusher designs where the fresh fuel pushes the ash toward the front of the burn area (no ash drawer) don't burn corn well.

True multifuel stoves can readlly burn straight corn but must be started on pellets because corn requires a much higher ignition temperature fo burn and when burning straight corn, one of the byproducts of combustion is nitric acid vapors so burning straight corn requires high grade stainless venting specially rated for corn burning stoves.

 

[TimfromMA]

If you're going to try burning corn, make sure your vent is rated for it. When burning corn, the exhaust gases are acidic which will damage venting not corn rated.

 

[SidecarFlip]

If you're going to try burning corn, make sure your vent is rated for it. When burning corn, the exhaust gases are acidic which will damage venting (is)not corn rated.

Yes and no.... Techinically, you should not attempt to burn corn in any stove or appliance of furnace not specifically designerd to be a multifuel burner, in any ratio of corn to pellets...however.....

In a multifuel rated appliance, stove or furnace,you can burn corn in any ratio up to and including 100% corn (must start the flame with pellets), even with pellet rated venting, not corn/pellet rated though corn/pellet rated venting is preferred.....

Corn, when it combusts (carmelizes and ignites), produces trace amounts of nitrtic acid in the form of vapor. This vapor is corrosive not only to the lower grade of stainless alloy in a pellet only vent, but to the stove itself, however, there is a relatively easy way to inhsure that the venting and/or the stove isn't imnpacted by nitric acid corrosion and that is....

Regularly (once a month or so) run the stove on straight pellets in the higher heat ranges for a couple hours, that elininates any residual nitric acid vapors or condensed nitric/water vapor in the venting and/or the stove. t's also a very good idea to do the same when shutting down the stove for the spring/summer months, in fact, thats SOP by many manufacturers in their recommended spring shutdown sequence....

Personally (and from experience speaking), I would also disassemble the venting and clean it inside with soap and water (whether you run pellets or corn) or at least run a pellet pipe brush through the venting to clean it.

You also should remove the CA blower and clean the cavity of any deposits end of year andfor the interior of the unit with a good fogging oil after a thorough cleaning and don't forget to unplug the unit from the wall plug and disconnect the t'stat connections to the circuit board when the unit sits over the summer because stray induced current fron nearby electrical storms can fry the board if lefy plugged into the wall and/or hooked to a remote t'stat.

Most of the above is probably beyond the average user who has their unit maintained by an outside techinician, but that techinician should be doing what I've listed as a part of the spring/summer shutdown sequence...

For they DIY'ers, should not be any issue and it apples to pellet burners as well as multifuel burners.....

So, yes and no. While it's not 'perfectly' acceptable to combust corn with pellet only venting, it is possible so long as the owner is cognizant of and maintains the unit properly. Once you start combusting corn or corn and pellets in any ratio, the game plan changes slightly....

FYI, I run pellet only Simpson venting and I clean mine thoroughly every spring (and a couple times during the heating season) and I have absolutely no internal corrosion from bitric vapors in my venting or corrosion in my stove, but again, I maintain it properly.

Burning corn with a 'set it and forget it' attitude and a 'I'll ckean it in the fall because I don't have time now' attitude will get you corroded and perforated liners in the venting and severe corrosion of internal parts in the stove itself........

 

[SidecarFlip]

Additionally. as a matter of economics and availability, those who have ready access to corn and if corn stays at current price levels versus pellets, it becomes a viable economically viable fuel to burn for heat, then, it becomes a matter of proper maintenance and procedure simply because corn requires more maintenance to combust than straight wood pellets.

Bot everyone has ready access to corn but a fair percentage do, myself included.

 

[TimfromMA]

Not so much here in the northeast.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Not so much here in the northeast.

I realize that which is why I posted (mis spelled..lol......."Bot not everyone has ready access to corn but a fair percentage do"

That could actually drive DOWN pellet prices just like crude is going down. As burners switch to cheaper corn (so long as it's available) pellet extruders will see excess pellet inventories and I realize that pellet export to the EU is a big market but keep in mind that the falling price of crude is worldwide, not just here so Europeans will have lower fuel costs as well.

All an interesting scenario and all bodes well for conumers of processed (extruded wood pellets). This is all about economically heating your home. Key wds being less expensive.

I'm happy to switch (to corn) and that takes my consumption of pellets to almost zero. Multiply me times say 1000 and thats a lot of pellets on the market and we all know that demand (and greed) drives market pricing. Something to ponder in coming years....