# How Long Does One Bag Last You?



## RI_P43 (Dec 4, 2010)

Last year was our first year burning pellets.  We have a Harman P43 and last year we used Greene Team.  One bag would last us about a full day in the dead of winter.  This year I got Somerset pellets from Lowes and they don't last nearly as long or seem to be putting out as much heat and they seem to be producing more ash, at least at the front of the burnpot.  1 bag isn't even lasting 18 hours at a feed rate of 4 with the room temp set to 75 and the blower on high.

I was under the impression that the Somersets were supposed to be better than the Greene Team.  Any suggestions or thoughts?  Thank you!


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## kofkorn (Dec 4, 2010)

Our usage has been pretty consistent.  On low a bag lasts about a day and a half.  On high, I use a bag and a half a day.  The big difference I've seen is the amount of ash that I've had to deal with.  

Fireside ultras the first year.  Loads of ash and some pretty big clinkers.
NEWP last year, still quite a bit of ash, but clinkers were better.
Potomacs this year.  I'm amazed at how little ash ends up in the pot.  I haven't had a clinker yet.

Thanks!


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## lessoil (Dec 4, 2010)

With temps 25-35 and running at 70 ish 24/7 we are using about 1 bag daily


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## P0ZBURN (Dec 4, 2010)

Just got my Pf100 installed and running. I'm heating a 2200 sq foot new house. Its about 30F outside I got my thermostat running about 73F. Looks like Im burning close to 2 bags a day using Kentucky Kernel.  I'm not sure since now I'm starting to have some combustion blower issues.


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## DMZX (Dec 4, 2010)

lessoil said:
			
		

> With temps 25-35 and running at 70 ish 24/7 we are using about 1 bag daily



That is exactly what my use is.  When temps dropped to -10 - 18, bag and a half a day.


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## perchin (Dec 4, 2010)

In the coldest parts of the year, we typically burn 1 1/2 bags a day... One of the only reasons I actully like our Big E, is because it holds 3 bags in the hopper. So we only have to fill it every 2 to 3 days. We looked at a bunch of the newer stoves this year, and were very un-impressed with thier hoppers... I even seen one that only had a 30 pound hopper. Why in the heck would anyone want to deal with that?


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## glockshooter (Dec 4, 2010)

We burn full time on the weekend, and can't push a full bag through in a day.  That keeps the 1st floor at 75 and the upstairs around 70.


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## Xena (Dec 4, 2010)

Approx averages for my stove running 24/7 during
the heating season is 1 to 1 1/2 bags a day depending
on the different variables.


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## dragracer300 (Dec 4, 2010)

I have been averaging between a bag to bag and a half using somersets as well. Its been mostly low 30s to high 20s wit.h lows in the teens at night heating a early 1900s uninsulated house on heat setting 4 with t-stat on 70 I have been thinking of mixing some corn with the pellets if i can find some reasonable?


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## jtakeman (Dec 4, 2010)

Depending on the outside temps, I can use as little as 1/4bag to as much as 2 bags a day. The biggest equalizer for different pellet brands I know of is a thermostat. I use a programmable stat and it saves me on the times I am sleeping or out of the house. While I am home/awake its a toasty 72ºF.

I sure hope you tried the Somersets before purchasing the large amount! Its something we preach here as YMMV from what someone alse saw. There could also be a moisture issue with your pellets. Moisture kills the BTU output. Do the microwave test to see if there is alot of moisture.

Moisture test thread


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## curtthegreat (Dec 4, 2010)

Have you done a complete cleaning of the stove since last year? I burn somerset's, but that's what my stove seems to run the best on. We heat our old farmhouse with just our pellet stove, burn a bag a day or less, with temps in the 20's to 30's, and 1-2 with temps below 20's.


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## Idahokid (Dec 4, 2010)

We burn Atlas ultra premium and we use 3/4 bag when 15 degrees outside.Per day.


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## gpack (Dec 4, 2010)

Depends on the setting but on my Glow Boy (feed-rate options 1-4, 1 being the slowest) I usually burn on setting 2 or 3. Full 40# burn averages 15 to 22 hours. Using Somersets as well this year.(Black bag) seem to be good quality, nice burn with low ash. One suggestion: I did have to adjust my feed-rates depending on pellets and how quickly they burned. I think after four years I found a happy medium for "good" pellets such as the Somerset and Hamer Hot Ones. Both seem to burn nicely and consistently in duration at the following auger cycle times..

Example: off-on-off cycle 

1=11 seconds
2= 8 seconds
3= 6 seconds
4= 4 seconds


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## Delta-T (Dec 4, 2010)

I had 1 bag last me all summer long...... :cheese:


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## Glosta (Dec 4, 2010)

One bag of what?    ;-P


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## teetah222 (Dec 4, 2010)

Running through about a bag a day.  Has been extremely cold here for a couple of weeks, so the stove is on all the time except when I let it die to be able to clean it.  I put it in hi/lo mode right after Thanksgiving (and the new igniter install) and it runs in low most of the time until I decide to bump the temp up a degree for a couple of hours in the evening to take the chill off the edges of the room.  My bedrooms stay in the 60's as a result, but I like a cooler room for sleeping so that works ok.

Also on the very last bags of last year's supply, so I'm really anxious to start my new pellets and see what they do.


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## Cozy Old Coot (Dec 4, 2010)

Our stove is used as the sole source of heat in a 1800sq ft home on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

At this time we are going through about a bag a day, we never used more than 1 3/4 bags per day last winter.


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## lordgrinz (Dec 4, 2010)

1500 sq foot house(1880's colonial), using the pellet stove only for heat, I am using just shy of a bag a day in Room Temp mode set to 78. Temps are 40-50 during the day and 20-30 at night here now. The main living area is about 71-74 and the bedrooms are about 66-68.


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## imacman (Dec 4, 2010)

Running about 1 bag a day right now at medium heat settings.


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## smoke show (Dec 5, 2010)

Glosta said:
			
		

> One bag of what?    ;-P



silence=guilt...


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## ablejoy (Dec 5, 2010)

Burning a bag a day right now.


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## Tom Pencil (Dec 5, 2010)

Burning 1-3/4 to 2 bags a day in a Harman insert.


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## RI_P43 (Dec 5, 2010)

Thanks for the info everyone!


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## krooser (Dec 5, 2010)

12 years the first time... now going on 22 years with the second wif.....Oh... you mean how long does a bag of PELLETS last me?

never mind...


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## Wi Thundercat (Dec 5, 2010)

krooser said:
			
		

> 12 years the first time... now going on 22 years with the second wif.....Oh... you mean how long does a bag of PELLETS last me?
> 
> never mind...



LMFAO!   :lol:    Not quite a bag a day at this time.


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## rowerwet (Dec 12, 2010)

got pretty cold this past week, 12 degrees at 5 am a couple of days, I went through 6 bags from monday to friday (that is starting with 11 bags or so in a full hopper monday, and 6 just to get it almost full friday night), and another 4 bags filled it on saturday, of course my stove isn't a space heater, and it heats DHW also...


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## mpcm (Dec 12, 2010)

1 to 1.5 bags on #4, almost 2 bags on #5... but I'm in a leaky old nh house, which is not well segmented across the oil zones, and well larger than my stoves sq footage rating. Having said that..., on #5, it'll get the stove room at 70 on the ceiling, 62 on the floor and a lite breeze from the heat moving in the room/house. Entire upstairs sits at 62-64 from the 1st floor stove being on, which keeps the oil seemingly from coming on upstairs at all thus far this season.


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## save$ (Dec 12, 2010)

one and a half to 2 bags a day.   4 to 4.5 setting.  But nice and toasty warm!     Looks like one of those winters that just knocked on the door and settled right in.


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## teetah222 (Dec 12, 2010)

krooser said:
			
		

> 12 years the first time... now going on 22 years with the second wif.....Oh... you mean how long does a bag of PELLETS last me?
> 
> never mind...


Krooser, you keep calling your wife a bag and 22 is all you're going to get to... >:-(


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## briansol (Dec 12, 2010)

Guess what? my stove sucks again.  lol

I use 1 bag on low
1 1/2 on 2
2 on 3
2.5 on 4
3 on high

I have no other settings.

I generally run my stove on low most days, but go to 2 on the cold nights (0-teens) and have dipped to 3 a couple times.

4 and high just fill the burn pot with clinkers/unburnt pellets and eventually overflows.  worthelss settings IMO.

I have no air or any other fan speed adjustments.

1/2/3/4/5
take it or leave it.

wish i knew better/more when i bought it.


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## HopeItBurns (Dec 12, 2010)

About a day, sometimes when its real cold like in the 20's and below, maybe 10 bags a week.


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## www_godzilla (Dec 12, 2010)

My Quadrafireonly has settings of Low Medium and High. 
LOW settings: 22 hours
MEDIUM settings:17 hours
HIGH settings:11 hours


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## Gweeper64 (Dec 12, 2010)

The last few days, been using about a bag every 18 hours.


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## Indiana (Dec 14, 2010)

To maintain 70 degrees....with heat setting on 4 and blower on 6...

outside temp 40 degrees 1 bag every 30 hours (1-1-1)
outside temp 30 degrees 1 bag every 18 hours (1-2-1)
outside temp 20ish deg.  1 bag every 12 hours (4-3-1)


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## Indiana (Dec 14, 2010)

As I've read that every stove, install and house is different.


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## caledoniacars (Dec 14, 2010)

Using about 1-2 bags of Uncle Jeds per day depending on our temp outside and if the wife can keep the windows closed! Too hot she says! We keep our ranch about 70.  Don't really pay much attention to the amount used, i just keep feeding it.  Cold tonight, cranked up the furnace, gobbling pellets now.  We'll still won't see the propane guy til summer


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## joelswork (Dec 15, 2010)

Dang, englanderstoves 25pdvp burning 3-4 bags a day right now and barely cutting it on high!  What the heck, this thread is upsetting


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## joelswork (Dec 15, 2010)

Dang, englanderstoves 25pdvp burning 3-4 bags a day right now and barely cutting it on high!  What the heck, this thread is upsetting


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## Rubicon 327 (Dec 15, 2010)

In a 10 1/2 hour work day I am using about 2 bags here and the oil eater keeps kicking on to help out and keep it around 65 in here. :shut:


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## Turbo-Quad (Dec 15, 2010)

We had a 24 hour period at 0 (including windchill) and I used 4 bags in my un-insulated split faced block house.


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## Augmister (Dec 15, 2010)

I am heating about 800 sq ft ranch with a Castille.   Running the house on an electronic/timed thermostat during the day between 65-69 on high fan.  From 4PM until 10PM, we crank up to 74.   (Varied temps on weekend depending if we are home average about the same pellet usage.)

Temp outside:  20-30  Just under a bag .... Green Team/Barefoots  (less ash with the Barefoots)
Temp outside:  10-20  A bag  .... Green Team/Barefoots/Maine Woods  (least ash with the Barefoots and Maine Woods on high fan)

With temp range from 0-10, last year, about a bag and a half with the Green Team.

Just picked up six bags of the "new" Maine Woods to try and am liking them.  Burn almost as hot as the Barefoots and very little ash when run on high fan.   Started the season with a ton of Green Team for shoulder pellets and three tons of Barefoots.   If I can get a good price on the Maine Woods in March or April for next season's heating, I will go with them.   My distributor is telling me Barefoot is having a problem sourcing raw materials so this situation needs to be watched.


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## Northeaster2010 (Dec 15, 2010)

Its in the low teens at night now, I am using abt 1.5 to 2 bags a day. Needed to start my second pellet stove, old 125 yr old house has some insulation.


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