When are cheap pellets worth it?

[Brew]

Got a guy offering me 40 bags of Infernos, which word 'round the Hearth says aren't stellar, but I can get them for $160 ($200/ton equivalent). It's at least better than of the big box stores around here (Worcester, MA) asking $240/ton for Green Supremes. I'm trying to decide if that deal's worth all the extra cleaning. At what point is a sub-par pellet cheap enough to grab?

 

[TimfromMA]

That's really a subjective thing. How many more of these cheaper pellets do you have to burn to keep as warm as you would with a higher end pellet? Are you prepared to have to clean your stove more often? You may have to run your stove higher for the same heat output which means slightly more electric use and filling the hopper more frequently.

You will never truly know unless you try them and weigh the cost vs benefit. Everyone's preferences are different.

 

[moey]

That price really is not that good if you dont like the pellet. Last year lowes had pellets for $4.38 a bag in Sept/Oct they were more in the summer and winter. I suspect the same this year. Throw in a 10% off coupon and your at ~$200 a ton. At least there you can get some choices they sometimes have different kinds.

If your buying pellets second hand expect a better deal..

 

[Pete Zahria]

Not condemning, nor supporting.
Infernos are on the low end of the list.
That said, they are worth every penny to "you", if you like them..

Personally, if you don't want to buy higher end brand stuff,
as the comment mentioned above.. the box store stuff would be a better value, imo...


Dan

 

[Brew]

That settles it then -- I'll save the cash for a better deal. Thanks all.

 

[Mt Bob]

A really loaded question.Personally do not reccomend them unless stove is a bottom feeder,but some people say they have good luck,also depends on your burning habits.I shure do not like cleaning a system that has burned a ton of cheap stuff.

 

[UpStateNY]

$200 a ton for the cheap stuff with high ash that you have to go fetch versus $300 a ton for the good clean stuff delivered to your driveway. Lets say you burn 3 ton a year. You save $300 buying the cheap stuff. What are you going to spend the $300 you saved on? Are there other ways to save $300 like reduce you phone or cable bill? Its all about priorities and quality of your life. Decisions decisions.

 

[briansol]

IMo, it's never worth it.

Unless you have a huge ash pan, you end up with a lot of down time for cleaning. I can usually go 2 weeks with good stuff. With cheap stuff, 2 days and i'm overlfowing ash back into the burn pot.

That means 2 hours of stove off, waiting for cool down, house getting cold, oil pig kicking on, and then another 2 or 3 hours of getting the house back up to temp... every 2 days!

No thanks. not worth $40 to me.

I bill myself at $100 /hr :D

 

[CBL]

You could always mix them up with better quality pellets.

 

[ttdberg]

That settles it then -- I'll save the cash for a better deal. Thanks all.

Good call, keep shopping. If you had bought them, you would never forgive yourself - or the person who sold them to you

 

[Pete Zahria]

You could always mix them up with better quality pellets.

But at the end of the day, if you mix a ton of junk with a ton of good stuff,
You still burned a ton of junk.. The good stuff doesn't magically make
the junk good stuff.
That's like mixing a cup of skunked beer with a cup of good stuff.
All you do is wreck the good stuff, you don't make the skunked stuff good.

Dan

 

[earl764]

I have found it's just not worth it to go super cheap on the pellets.

They dirty up the stove faster, shorter intervals between cleaning’s, etc.

At the same time I don't go to the extreme on the other end. Some crazy pellet that is 350/ton is not worth it.

Earl

 

[Bioburner]

Cheap stuff keeps the corn biscuits of the Bixby soft. But normal pellet burning of cheap stuff seems to be a lot more work.

 

[CBL]

But at the end of the day, if you mix a ton of junk with a ton of good stuff,
You still burned a ton of junk.. The good stuff doesn't magically make
the junk good stuff.
That's like mixing a cup of skunked beer with a cup of good stuff.
All you do is wreck the good stuff, you don't make the skunked stuff good.

Dan

And its not turning lead into gold but it does work. IMO, heat is heat. If there are warmer days where you don't need to burn a more expensive high BTU pellet, why burn it if the cheaper stuff will keep your area warm ? And when its blended with something else it can make it tolerable if it's a really ashy pellet.

If you can mask cheap tequila with a good margarita mix and it still gets you drunk, job well done.

 

[TimfromMA]

Why even buy a pellet if you only find it "tolerable". If you have to mix to them to make them worth burning, don't bother buying them in the first place. I burn the same pellet all season shoulder to shoulder. You may think it's a waste to burn a good pellet during the shoulder months but I only have to burn a little bit. Mixing them with a junk pellet just means having to run the stove that much longer.

 

[moey]

Depends on the stove a lot as well. I could burn rocks I think sometimes and be fine. My ash pan is bigger then any I know on a stove. I only empty because I feel I should not because its full.

I drive a pretty crappy car it does get me where I want to go though.

 

[TimfromMA]

Depends on the stove a lot as well. I could burn rocks I think sometimes and be fine. My ash pan is bigger then any I know on a stove. I only empty because I feel I should not because its full.

I drive a pretty crappy car it does get me where I want to go though.

Would you buy low end fuel for your car if it caused your car to run lousy and get worse fuel economy?

 

[moey]

Would you buy low end fuel for your car if it caused your car to run lousy and get worse fuel economy?

No I would not. I also would not put 91 octane in my car if I did not need it. It would be a waste of money.

 

[TimfromMA]

No I would not. I also would not put 91 octane in my car if I did not need it. It would be a waste of money.

Right and if I got the same performance with cheap pellets as I do with higher end pellets, I'd be all over those cheapos. If my car ran cleaner and more efficient using high octane gass, I'd use it.

 

[Pete Zahria]

If you can mask cheap tequila with a good margarita mix and it still gets you drunk, job well done.

Would you make your Margarita with Casa Noble, and use rotten lime juice?
Because you got a good deal on the rotten limes?

Dan

 

[TimfromMA]

Would you make your Margarita with Casa Noble, and use rotten lime juice?
Because you got a good deal on the rotten limes?

Dan

Oh good margarita analogies. I was running out of car / gas ones.

 

[fulltimefithwheel]

But at the end of the day, if you mix a ton of junk with a ton of good stuff,
You still burned a ton of junk.. The good stuff doesn't magically make
the junk good stuff.
That's like mixing a cup of skunked beer with a cup of good stuff.
All you do is wreck the good stuff, you don't make the skunked stuff good.

Dan

LOL.. I like and agree with that. + if the cheep stuff doesn't burn at the same rate as the good stuff it might end up in the ash pan anyway. ..

 

[Pellet-King]

There are alot of cheap stuff thats pretty close to the good stuff and alot less price, Chow and FSU are cheap but put off big buck heat....but that was last year, who knows what this year Pellet's will be the "sleeper" pellet

 

[Tonyray]

There are alot of cheap stuff thats pretty close to the good stuff and alot less price, Chow and FSU are cheap but put off big buck heat....but that was last year, who knows what this year Pellet's will be the "sleeper" pellet

your right about the Chows..
bought 2 tons last year from HD. 229.00 Ton.
Very Hot. although lot of ash, no clinkers and didn't mess up the stove any..
don't think paying 100.00 a ton more for Certain top notch brands would have kept us any warmer last year..
Paid 250.00 ton for Energex hardwood premiums[ burned 2 tons also last year] and couldn't tell any difference in heat output.
I think stove chows are the only decent pellet that HD sells and they sell some crappy ones at times.
Lowes sells All crap in our neck of the woods..

 

[UpStateNY]

I purchased 1.5 tons of clean pacific and 1.5 tons of LG delivered to my driveway. Cost $298 a ton delivered.

If I were to buy from HD and Lowes, I would haul 1/2 ton of pellets in my Subaru Forester, which would be 6 trips. That is about $60 in gas, which does not include my time of going to fetch the pellets. Right now GS are selling at Lowes for $237 a ton Plus $20 a ton for my delivery, which save $40 a ton or $120. See other thread but I saved $360 on my phone bill. I also save $200 skipping the cleaning and service contract every other year. .