# Pellets that are garbage



## gw2kpro (Nov 24, 2008)

So far, reading back a few months I have noted posts calling out the following brands of pellets for being "garbage", "the worst", "terrible", or "horrible", etc

Pellets recently noted to be of inferior quality on this board:

-Fireside Ultras
-Michigan Wood Pellets
-Athens
-Penningtons
-Energex
-Greenway
-Corinth
-Cozy Comfort
-Green Team
-Plenty more I'm sure I missed

Seems like barefoots and lignetics are the only two that are consistently rated well (cue the "I have lignitics and they are JUNK" posts)

Anyway, I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that either

1)  90% of all pellet brands are nothing but garbage or

2)  Pellet performance is directly related to raw material input, regardless of manufacturer / label


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## akakii (Nov 24, 2008)

I guess I was lucky last year with the Corinth pellets I had.  They burned hot and clean and made very little ash.  Everything else since then has been disappointing to one extent or another.


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## BubbRubb (Nov 24, 2008)

Conclusion 2 is correct.  I bought 4 tons of Energex from the same dealer on the same day.  2 tons have been junk, 1 ton burned wonderfully and the other ton has yet to see the flames.  I guess my review of Energex pellets was determined by which ton I burned first.


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## oil-schmoil (Nov 24, 2008)

I have 2 tons of pennington hardwood each bag is consistantly pretty good. Also have 1 ton of pennington premium woodpellets, not sure 
hard or soft. those are a crap shoot from bag to bag. some are awesome others, not so much. So I say No.2 conclusion is true.


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## tinkabranc (Nov 24, 2008)

Your conclusion #2 is spot on, but an additional factor should be considered
as well that there are so many brands of stoves out there, and they all have their own
"personality".  Some will burn anything, while others are very picky.

There are always posts of someone hating a certain brand while others love them.
This is why it is so important to try out a few bags of a brand first before
commiting to buying tons of them just because someone else likes them.


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## slls (Nov 24, 2008)

I like this year Penningtons, burned 3 bags. I hope I can get more Energex this spring , great pellets.


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## pete324rocket (Nov 24, 2008)

The long and the short of it....if the quality of the pellets were reflected in the price,then it wouldn't be so bad.Having said that...there are pellets being sold that should be a whole lot chearer in price than they are. If your source of sawdust is premium hardwood flooring,that is a whole lot different than the sawdust pile that has sitting awhile at some lumber mill.


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## pellet0708 (Nov 24, 2008)

Could be that all of these plants are scapping for raw material and have had to take whatever they could get this year to keep up.  Unfortunatley it will sour people to using these stoves altogether of you have three times the cleaning than necessary.  I wouldnt mind a good once a week cleaning even with glass cleaning in between and stirring the pot once a day but we have to do a total clean out every other day as the stove is FULL of ash with Athens after 30 hrs.


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## scruffy (Nov 24, 2008)

My learning experience has been with Pennington hardwood premium (bought with the stove from Lowe's) and now with Spruce Point premium soft wood out of Canada.

The Pennington's burned course in my Englander, at all settings, lots of clinkers at the lowest setting. The Spruce Point burn a lot better with lower ash and a hotter fire. I have 1 1/2 tons of the Pennington and 4 tons of the Spruce Point on hand. I find if I mix up the filling of my hopper with both brands I get a great burn and a little more ash, but not as much as with straight Pennington's. 

This past weekend was a good learning experience when I found that mixing them worked pretty well. The way I see it and understand from the posts you can get a bad batch of supposed good pellets, so I'll take what I can get and work from there next season.


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## Saltair (Nov 24, 2008)

There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews of several brands, but Athens seems to have won the award for the most angry customers, but maybe I am bias since i am one of them.


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## Steveo (Nov 24, 2008)

I see Green Team is on the list. My Harman P68 loves the Green Team. I love the Green Team. They burn really nice, they are really clean and seem to be pretty uniform in size. Maybe it is my stove but these are the best pellets I have burned so far. Now the Athens I have are not very good. They burn really hot but the amount of ash is just rediculous.


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## Ductape (Nov 24, 2008)

So far this year i've only burned:

Pennington ........ Burned ok, but made a fair amount af ash and have ALOT of fine per bag. Every bag involves sifting of some sort.

Country Pine ...... Burn great, not alot of ash. Almost zero fine in the bags. I've needed to sift ZERO bags of Country Pine.


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## MainePellethead (Nov 24, 2008)

slls said:
			
		

> I like this year Penningtons, burned 3 bags. I hope I can get more Energex this spring , great pellets.



Its funny. I posted this in another post. While I was at the nearest Wal Mart in Biddeford Maine. They had several pallets of covered pellets with the thick white plastic.  I was nosing around and looked at the bar code sticker that is usually on the outside of new shipments. I saw the price per bag on the sticker. And the sticker also said  Penningtons/Energex.  In those exact words.   Kinda makes you go hmm.  lol


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## MainePellethead (Nov 24, 2008)

I have burned several bags of Northwest Pride(out of Idaho)  There a softwood pellet(red fir blend)......I have had excellent results....they burn nice and hot....no fines.


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## tinkabranc (Nov 24, 2008)

You would be surprised at how many names the mills sell their pellets under.  
I do not know about the Penningtons, but the Fireside Ultras are made by Energex.


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## schmeg (Nov 25, 2008)

I'm burning Northeast from Ashland Maine. I see very little postings on these pellets. They must not be widely distributed. They have been very good to me except I got one ton that has quite a few long pellets that my stove doesn't like. Pellets are clean, and give off average ash.


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## kinsmanstoves (Nov 25, 2008)

I have brought this up a few times.  Pellet quality is damaged by moisture.  The density goes right down the tubes when they get wet by either direct or indirect contact with water.  If the pellets are stored outside they will suck up water.  If the pellets are left outside and are heated by the sun and then cooled at night the bags will condensate and guess what, moisture.

A majority of pellet mills do not use a bonding agent but some do and this causes problems.  Please research the pellets you buy.

Eric


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## CygnusX1 (Nov 25, 2008)

I'd have to say that PA Pellets are the worst I've ever used.

Low heat output and very very ashy.


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## foldsct (Nov 25, 2008)

Ok..........dumb question 1,000 and counting.

I live east of Hartford in Connecticut.  I have no idea what is good vs. bad.

Those of you from CT............what's good in your experience and where did you get them?

THANKS


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## suzannegale (Nov 25, 2008)

I'm curious to see how my Penningtons burn - they are the current batch & I've read they are more consistent and better quality than the problematic ones of last year.

I listened to the storage advice and have my 6 tons in the basement, away from outdoor elements. Basement doesn't flood or take in water so we should be set for moisture.


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## p-68 (Nov 25, 2008)

will burn all most anything


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## sydney1963 (Nov 25, 2008)

This is my first year and only have burned Penningtons.  Love em.  very little fines. nice hot fire.


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## suzannegale (Nov 25, 2008)

I have the same model New Englander, so my hopes are high . . .


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## sparkydog00 (Nov 25, 2008)

Saltair said:
			
		

> There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews of several brands, but Athens seems to have won the award for the most angry customers, but maybe I am bias since i am one of them.



Count me in on that one hombre!


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## ferrondave (Nov 25, 2008)

I have 2 tons of PA Pellets and 2 tons of spruce pointe pellets, it seems PA pellets are getting a bad rap to me?
They are a little ashier and put out maybe a little less btu's than the spruce pointes, but I don't see that much of a difference as long as you adjust you damper accordingly to the pellets you are burning.
Big E Pellet stove.


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## Bushbuck (Nov 25, 2008)

Face it they are all crap and you should just go back to burning oil. Let me offer my assistance in removing those tons of pellets that you may have so you dont have to complain about them. I would even be willing not to charge you to remove all those garbage pellets you may have.. There problem solved. I will burn them all for ya..


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## greggo730 (Nov 25, 2008)

I have an Englander stove and it just seems very fussy with the pellets.I have tried probably 12 or so different brands and the only one it seems to like are Hammers.I called the techs at Englander and they told me to  adjust the 3 buttons on the bottom(591) but its still real touchy with the pellets.Green Supreme was probably the wosrt.








Greg A

Englander 25 PDV


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## slls (Nov 25, 2008)

greggo730 said:
			
		

> I have an Englander stove and it just seems very fussy with the pellets.I have tried probably 12 or so different brands and the only one it seems to like are Hammers.I called the techs at Englander and they told me to  adjust the 3 buttons on the bottom(591) but its still real touchy with the pellets.Green Supreme was probably the wosrt.reg Englander 25 PDV



I tend to agree, the stove has a lot to do with how a certain brand will burn. There seems to be at least someone, that hates about every pellet out there. My stove does not seem that fussy, but I have only burned Energex and Pennington. I really like the energex.


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## newguyjoe (Nov 25, 2008)

I have burned about 30 bags of the Penningtons Natures Heat from Home Depot so far...besides having to sift them..every bag because of the hand fulls of sawdust in EVERY bag they burn great.well great so far as i have not burned anything else yet to compare them to. I have a huge pile of sawdust outside the garage from the sifting process.i will probably not buy them again because of this.oh well its me first year and im learning.


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## trogers (Nov 27, 2008)

I have been buring Spruce Pointe (softwood) and I love them.  They burn hot, not sure about the ash compared with others becasue this is my first year.


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## JBlank912 (Nov 27, 2008)

I have mostly Pennington's from HD. They turned out to be last years so they have a lot of Fines. Keeping the fines out of the stove is the only problem. Otherwise they burn good and leave little ash. Although they do dirty the glass alot. I tried this years Penningtons from Walmart, they were smaller and darker and no fines and burned hotter. Ialso tried Green team, they looked like this years Peeningtons, no fines, but alot of ash. A bag of Penningtons, I had maybe 1/2" of ash, a bag of Green Team, Over 2" of ash each time.


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## Augmister (Dec 1, 2008)

Green Team has been good for me.  Have some Lignetics Presto Logs that others have raved about that I do not care for....


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## Pellet-King (Dec 1, 2008)

Worst pellets i have used are BIO PLUS, sold at Walmart/Sams? 4-5 yrs ago, they are hard to light, burn very low,have 1 bag left, the smelliest pellets were STOVE CHOW!!, before they went under...why i dont know, they used some kind of wood from washington so i heard, the smell was the raw pellets not while burning!


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## hotstovecoolmusic (Dec 2, 2008)

I've got 2 tons of Greenway Premium. They've got to be the worst.

Have you see the pic of the ash build-up in the Big-E that someone recently posted?

I wish my Big-E looked that clean. The Greenways leave the pot almost full of thick ash after a couple of days (7 hours per day).


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## stoveguy2esw (Dec 2, 2008)

ive burned...

*lignetics*, green and orange , love both all around best pellets ive used
*pennington's natures own*, burned well but had a slightly lower than average heat output for me
*hardwood heat* (TSC store brand) loved em!
*clean energy*(lowes store brand) was happy with them
*corinth*  they were ok but not fantastic
*barefoot*  burned well decent heat
*marthwood * wonderful pellet wish i could get more one of the best performing pellets ive burned right up there with lignetics
*energex*  was happy with them
*propellets,* got those from eric at *Kinsman stoves *, would recommend them in a heartbeat as well , put them near the top of my list , might have been higher but i only brought a single bag back from ohio left the rest with my sister. as always , thanks to eric for taking the time to run to his other store and sell and load a ton for me on the fly!


im sure there are a few more but the names escape me. ive never run into a pellet which was "terrible" but each of the brands ive burned have all had certain charactoristics which some may like and others may not. as for heat lignetics shade the marthwood by just a touch but i'd be happy as a clam to burn either at any time. at the other end , the coninth pellets and the penningtons were probably my least favorites though they were in my opinion acceptable pellets in the case of the penningtons they did burn cleaner than the others but for whatever reason the stove physically didnt get as hot , same with the corinths but they were one of the dirtier ones i'd burned.

one thing ive learned in my work, one mans trash is another mans treasure. i migt take a call and have a customer say "brand x burns great in my stove ,and brand y is junk" the next guy would say brand y was good and he didnt like brand x.


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## please302 (Dec 8, 2008)

I just got a p68 and burning pennington pellets. So far burning great although they say p68 burn anything. Got my pellets from home depot and I also have tidy timbers but have not burnt any as of yet. I do believe the quality of burn is closely related to the moisture content ie. the storage of the pellet. I will try to get my pellets earlier this year to keep the price down. If you are from CT I heard that bt pellet in britol is a company that keeps all of their pellets indoors. Nice and dry with controlled temps. Just what I like.


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## davevassar (Dec 8, 2008)

I actually like the Fireside Ultras. Barefoot's are my favorite, but I can't find them anywhere yet this season.


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## treehackers (Dec 8, 2008)

Ok so sometimes you get some bad pellets in you supply.

The question is how do you get a refund for the DAMAGED bags? 

I'm about half way though a 1.4 ton skid and I have found 3 water damaged bags already. My other 2 skids are still fully shrink wrapped from the delivery. I would rather not unwrap the unused pallets but my curiosity is starting to get the better of me.

I had a hard enough time just getting the pellets, I can imagine trying to get a refund or replacement.


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## muss (Dec 8, 2008)

You forgot conclusion # 3 . Most but not all on this post are relatively newbies & don't know their stove yet . I was one of the 1st to get Athens & hated them, i figured out wood is wood wether it be dry,seasoned or green. You gotta adjust your stove accordingly.  It's not rocket science, just common sense


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## muss (Dec 8, 2008)

You forgot conclusion # 3 . Most but not all on this post are relatively newbies & don't know their stove yet . I was one of the 1st to get Athens & hated them, i figured out wood is wood wether it be dry,seasoned or green. You gotta adjust your stove accordingly.  It's not rocket science, just common sense  . My pellets burn pretty good now. I just have to tweek the stove a bit every now & then     Muss


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## Augmister (Dec 8, 2008)

please302 said:
			
		

> I just got a p68 and burning pennington pellets. So far burning great although they say p68 burn anything. Got my pellets from home depot and I also have tidy timbers but have not burnt any as of yet. I do believe the quality of burn is closely related to the moisture content ie. the storage of the pellet. I will try to get my pellets earlier this year to keep the price down. If you are from CT I heard that bt pellet in britol is a company that keeps all of their pellets indoors. Nice and dry with controlled temps. Just what I like.



From everything I have been reading, this is the most important issue (next to keeping your stove clean).... how dry is your fuel.  I have been storing some bags on my front porch (just a big overhang) as a convenience and noticed a dampness in the feel of the fuel out of the bag.  Also, the clinkers are
more evident vs. just fine ash in the pot.  I have the bulk of my load in the garage and have switched to bringing over what I need vs. the convenience of the porch.  Big difference.


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## pellet0708 (Dec 8, 2008)

muss said:
			
		

> You forgot conclusion # 3 . Most but not all on this post are relatively newbies & don't know their stove yet . I was one of the 1st to get Athens & hated them, i figured out wood is wood wether it be dry,seasoned or green. You gotta adjust your stove accordingly.  It's not rocket science, just common sense  . My pellets burn pretty good now. I just have to tweek the stove a bit every now & then     Muss




Sorry, the company has now admitted that these have bark in them (which disqualify them for Premium label)  and that they had problems with the line at first.  
So, glad you have your stove working but these are still junk and it is not just our ignorance.  They burn in my stove too but they crumble into sawdust everytime they are handled.  I do hear the later batches at least hold their pellet shape.  You may have been lucky enough to have a better batch.


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## offingmoot (Dec 8, 2008)

Pellet-King said:
			
		

> Worst pellets i have used are BIO PLUS, sold at Walmart/Sams? 4-5 yrs ago, they are hard to light, burn very low,have 1 bag left, the smelliest pellets were STOVE CHOW!!, before they went under...why i dont know, they used some kind of wood from washington so i heard, the smell was the raw pellets not while burning!



i just bought a few bags of stove chow at depot over the weekend to try them out, they smell a bit like particle board, not too bad
wonder how they got those bags if the company went under


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## SmokeyTheBear (Dec 8, 2008)

pellet0708 said:
			
		

> muss said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I also expect that they were over the moisture line as well.  I'll burn those that I have but no more until I know that they are truly premium grade, I don't want to spend any more than once a day playing in the fire.


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## Barrett (Dec 8, 2008)

My PA pellets are crap. TOOOOONS of dust, wicked bad clinkers, and the pellets range in size from 1/8" to 2.5".  They also burn way colder than the bag of New England Wood Pellets I just tried.

anybody want to buy a ton?


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## South of Boston (Dec 9, 2008)

Being new to the pellet burning I think mine are very good. H.E.A.T LLC from Mountain grove MO. Seem to burn consistant


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## sparkydog00 (Dec 9, 2008)

pellet0708 said:
			
		

> muss said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



When did they admit to that?


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## pellet0708 (Dec 9, 2008)

In the long original Athens thread someone spoke with the plant.  They also told my distributor that there were a lot of early issues with raw materials that have been fixed.


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## MassPellet (Dec 9, 2008)

I have 3 tons of Pennington (yellow bag - says premium wood but not premium pellets) they are horrible.  LOTS of fines in most bags, some fines in the rest.  Have also had to deal with water damage - some ruined entire bag - others caused by small holes in bags that leave damaged pellets (puffballs).  I have to hand sift each bag to keep from cleaning constantly

Also have a ton of New England Pellets and they are great.  Hope to join pellet pigs in spring by buying 4-5 tons from New England Pellet only.


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## freebird77 (Dec 9, 2008)

I dont seem to be getting the heat output from the Pa. pellets as I did with the Armstrongs last season. The pa. are hardwood where  as the Armstrong were softwood. Om using more pellets to keep as warm with the pa. also.
Im not impressed so far.


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## Britales (Dec 13, 2008)

I've been using Turmans from a local dealer here on The Eastern Shore and they burn fine. I've also picked up a half ton of Clean Energys from Lowes in Virginia Beach and they have been less than great. I have a theory, and I may be wrong but..... Lowes stores their pellets in their outdoor Garden dept. It is covered, (under a roofed area) and palletized, but I'm thinking moisture from the air and temp changes, must be having an effect! What do you think?


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## freebird77 (Dec 13, 2008)

Does anyone have an opinion on Appalachian hardwood pellets? I have a coworker whos burning them and doesnt seem satisfied. Thank you.


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## ResOps (Dec 14, 2008)

My first season of pellets here and I have put a little over 100 bags of Northern Bear Necessities from Quebec through my EF3 (it runs about 70% of the auger speed 24/7) and I think they burn clean and hot. I clean it once a week and find very fine ash with little or no clinkers. I do store all my pellets inside the basement in a heated room.


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## squib (Dec 14, 2008)

in my us 6220 i am burning somerset hardwood pellets from ky. heat output is very good, very little fines, dark brown, smells like oak wood, meter well. really like them trouble is can`t find any more.
.
have burned test bags of...... american wood fibre pellets made in circleville, oh.  lots of dust, seem to be more of a softwood blend they  burn hot & the fire is hard to control, very erractic  the heat output is good.  but they burn up fast.

fibre fuel pellets..... i think they are made in oh.  do not like these at all.  

the last two may burn well in other units but in mine,  no way.

somerset are the best,..........  so far.   still testing...


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## please302 (Jan 7, 2009)

I bought 2 tons of Pennington pellets and 2 tons of tidy timbers. I began burning the Pennington’s first because of my concern with them since soo many people have had problems. Since burning the pellets there have been a lot of fines and longs. Some pellets are as long as 4”. So if you have a picky stove that needs smaller pellets I would advise against getting Pennington. Also just recently when I poured a bag of PENNINGTON’s into the hopper I noticed that there was a piece of wood inside that bag. It was not a long pellet but a 5” piece of wood. I feel that I cannot trust Pennington anymore. Their pellets are so inconsistant. I then called peggy at customer service who did nothing about the problem but advise me to call home depot where I purchased them and have them exchange them out. First thats not home depots problem its Pennington’s. I can see doing that if the bags were ripped but this is a 5” piece of WOOD inside of the bag. Secondly, home depot towmotor does not fit inside of my garage so I have to take out the ton of pellets by hand and load the exchanged pellets back into the garage by hand. Lastly I am not ven sure that they would exchange them or have any pellets left. Thats some good advice PENNINGTON Dish your responsibility to someone else to deal with including your customers. It is not worth the hassel with this company. I will NEVER buy PENNINGTON PELLETS AGAIn
  Pennington customer service doesnt care about their customers or their shitty products. Mybe they will start to care when no one buys their crappy pellets. I believe that they dont care this year because of the pellet crunch and the fact that there was a shortage which makes it unfortunate that people have to buy whats out there. But it shows you what type of company Pennington really is. They add insult to injury when they know that their customers have little choice to find other available pellets especially near winter. All I know is that I will never buy from pennington again, period. I wont support those who dont care about their customers and stand by their products which is the least that they can do. It is just amazing how many issues people are having with this company and it is not just isolated incidents it is wide spread and it is long term, not just this year. DONT you remember last years fiasco !


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## mtalea (Jan 7, 2009)

Liter of Cola said:
			
		

> So far, reading back a few months I have noted posts calling out the following brands of pellets for being "garbage", "the worst", "terrible", or "horrible", etc
> 
> Pellets recently noted to be of inferior quality on this board:
> 
> ...


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## Sawsalesman (Jan 7, 2009)

Well I will attempt to give you my opinion of what is going on with low quality pellets.  I sell products to Sawmills all over New England, New York and Pa.  and due to this economy the amount of production from these mills has dropped by almost 30%.  With production being down for wood products and the demand being high for pellets, many manufacturers are mixing species, actually grinding sawmill chips into sawdust with hog machines and also accepting raw materials that they once rejected.  We all need to be patient this year and probably next year until the demand for lumber increases which will allow more higher quality raw materials to be sent to the pellet mills.  

I call on the Cummings Lumber which owns Barefoot Flooring and Barefoot Pellet company and I can tell you that they probably have a nice advantage over others because they can make pellets from their own sawmill and their flooring plant and can control what they make pellets from.


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## CygnusX1 (Jan 8, 2009)

muss said:
			
		

> You forgot conclusion # 3 . Most but not all on this post are relatively newbies & don't know their stove yet . I was one of the 1st to get Athens & hated them, i figured out wood is wood wether it be dry,seasoned or green. You gotta adjust your stove accordingly.  It's not rocket science, just common sense  . My pellets burn pretty good now. I just have to tweek the stove a bit every now & then     Muss



Very true. When I try a new brand of pellet, I find the optimum setting on the stove and mark the damper rod with a different color permanent marker. 
Granted, my damper rod looks like a rainbow, but when I use that brand of pellets again, I don't have to guess as much. it kind of gives me a base setting for the pellet, then I can tweak from there.


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## Latent (Jan 8, 2009)

foldsct said:
			
		

> Ok..........dumb question 1,000 and counting.
> 
> I live east of Hartford in Connecticut.  I have no idea what is good vs. bad.
> 
> ...



From Colchester, New England pellets burn ok but loads of ash, clinkers big time and demands opening OA alittle 
                          Country Boy pellets burn pertty good, very little dust and has a lower ash content then New England Pellets.


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## pelletizer (Jan 8, 2009)

Wonder if Garbage could be turned into pellets now there is a renewable energy source!


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## long island (Jan 8, 2009)

GREENWAY THE WORSE

PELLETSALES.COM

I ordered and payed for New England pellets from
pelletsales.com They call me few days before
delivery told me no more new england, GREENWAY
I had no choice after doing the spring order
and waiting 5 months for New England pellets
I get Greenway. With no money off or do the right thing.

I WILL NOT ORDER FROM PELLETSALES.COM AGAIN !


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## mattbell (Jan 23, 2009)

stoveguy2esw said:
			
		

> ive burned...
> 
> *lignetics*, green and orange , love both all around best pellets ive used
> *pennington's natures own*, burned well but had a slightly lower than average heat output for me
> ...




Have you tried Northeast Pellets (Ashland, Maine)?


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## mattbell (Jan 23, 2009)

stoveguy2esw said:
			
		

> ive burned...
> 
> *lignetics*, green and orange , love both all around best pellets ive used
> *pennington's natures own*, burned well but had a slightly lower than average heat output for me
> ...




Have you tried Northeast Pellets (Ashland, Maine)?


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## mattbell (Jan 23, 2009)

Liter of Cola said:
			
		

> So far, reading back a few months I have noted posts calling out the following brands of pellets for being "garbage", "the worst", "terrible", or "horrible", etc
> 
> Pellets recently noted to be of inferior quality on this board:
> 
> ...





Have you tried Northeast Pellets? 
Up here in Northern Maine, we have many brands of pellets to choose from but Northeast Pellets seem to have the best BTU’s with the lowest ash.  Less than .5 of 1 % and the BTU’s are between 8600 and 8750.  I believe they are a blend of hard and soft wood.  Very light in color and clean, low dust.  Why not buy local and support local businesses ? 
In our area, prices currently are ranging from 240/ton to 299/ton.  
For those of you who have asked about where to get Northeast Pellets in Central and Southern Maine, I know they sell down that way but not sure where.  Call the mill and ask.  Matt, the President and Audrey the Office Manager are really nice people and easy to talk to. 
call 207-435-6230 to find out where you can get them.  
I have burnt over 4 tons so far this year!


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## Lorne41 (Jan 23, 2009)

Evening Folks, I'm new to the forum but I'd like to add my 2 cents  to this thread.... The worst pellets that I've bought are Country Pine Pellets. I bought 10 bags to try out from Tractor Supply in Skowhegan, Maine in Nov.  and I knew something was off as I was driving away in my van. There was an overwhelming smell of cedar/pine and camphor coming from the bags! I had to roll down my van window as I was driving along ( 28 degrees at that time)  to keep my eyes from watering and to keep from sneezing. I should have turned around and brought them back right then but pellets were in short supply and I thought someone may have spilled something on the outside of plastic bags, but  nahhh, I wasn't that smart---  I kept driving. I decided to try out one of them last weekend and brought a bag inside and opened it up. Yep, you guessed it,  overwhelming smell of cedar/pine/camphor. These things stink in so many ways. They burn dirty with a lot of ash and smoke up the window of my Englander 25-PDVC in about 30 minutes.  The pellets themselves are made from some kind of cedar or pine and they make my eyes burn and my throat itches and the things stink up my house of cedar/camphor. I've moved the bag back out on my sun porch... I'm thinking of mailing them off to the U.S. Army Biological Testing Lab, they could make bombs with them and they'd choke the hell out of any of our enemies! 
So that's my bad pellet story. If anyone needs some pellets for moth control or just want to gag your neighbors, I can help! 
                          Benadryl and Black Velvet took care of the  symptoms....LOL


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## TomPajak (Jan 23, 2009)

I've had NO ISSUES with Forrest's Pride brand from Walmart..good burning especially mixed with corn..garbagewise  I'd have to say none here in MY area..they all pretty much suck EXCEPT LIGNETICS..too !@#$% expensive..at $7 a bag..you can keep'em...quality THIS YEAR for some reason has been horrible...last year the same brand(s) of pellets burned wonderful ..this year..totally different


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## drtnshtr (Jan 23, 2009)

I havent heard a thing about the pellets I use..AMERICAN WOOD FIBERS.....I think they are the best out there other than Somerset and those seem to be the exact same thing as my AWF pellets....Last year their pellets were a little longer than this year (didnt bother my stove) but i guess some folks complaines so AWF listened and started making them shorter....I just had to adjust my heat dial for the change but I am yet to get any of the "fines" people are talking about. I only really need to clean ash pan out once every week to week and a half....not to mention I have an AWF plant down the road about 10 miles


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## PelHeat Ltd (Jan 23, 2009)

Hello Everyone

Pellet quality with regards to ash percentage (bark content etc), moisture content, fines and pellet storage can all impact on pellet quality and efficiency.

Pellet stove design in terms of burn pot design whether it’s a horizontal feed, bottom fed or drop down has a huge effect on the capabilities of each stove.

Finally changing pellet stove settings to achieve efficient combustion also play a crucial role, balancing feed rate to air feed etc.

By taking these factors into consideration many different grades and types of pellets can be burnt successfully. However there is a fact that some stoves are more flexible than others.

Chris


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## investor7952 (Jan 23, 2009)

Fireside ultras burn hot but every 3 days like clock work if I dont shut stove down and clean and scrape burn pot I will lose 3- 4 degrees .Just bought 1 ton of Hammer Hot ones I cant wait to try them.


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## Tony K (Jan 23, 2009)

This year I bought 3 tons of the Hamer Hot Ones and 2 tons of the Lignetics, Last year 3 tons of Hamer Hot Ones and 2 tons of Energex "Premium" for what thats worth and the Hamer Hot Ones are far more superior to these two other brands. I get 2 to 3 degrees more heat and one third of the ash. When using the Hamer Hot Ones I can go a week without having to shut down the stove and clean it compared to the other two brands where I find myself having to clean the stove every third day at minimum, it's a different type of ash with the Hamer Hot Ones, seems more fluffy, kind of like flour if you will. I've tried everything with the other two brands to try and stop clinkers and excessive grainy ash buildup. You can only adjust the damper so much before everything starts flying everywhere and closing the damper makes it buildup with clinkers and ash faster. So I've been mixing the two together and been averaging about 4 to 5 days for cleaning. Yes the heat output for the Energex and Lignetics are ok, better than others but I'd rather clean the stove once a week vice twice. I have the Breckwell Big E. Pellet choices seem to be limited, haven't heard of some of the brands that are mentioned here. There are pellets I've read or heard about I'd like to try but they are just not availavle in Ct. Today we do not have the luxury of buying a few bags of pellets to see how they burn in your stove, you have to take a chance and buy them when they are available. Not sure how the pellet situation is in other states but in Ct you better buy them when you can. Hoping this changes in the near future. I hear White Lightening I believe from PA are a very good pellet and hoping I get the chance to give these a try. Been hoping to find an alternative quality pellet just in case I cannot get the Hamer Hot Ones.

Tony


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## investor7952 (Jan 23, 2009)

What type of cleaning are you talking about every 3 days oe 1 a week.Is it just routine like burn pot then every 2 weeks cleaning heat exchangers?


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## burns (Apr 28, 2009)

Has anyone used pellets from American Wood Fibers?  I am a huge fan of Country Boy pellets but the supplier in my area is charging $335 plus $35 and up per ton doe delivery....highway robbery!  I would like to try American Wood Fibers which are at $285 plus $15 flat fee per ton delivery.  Much more reasonable.  Any pros/cons on American Wood Fiber Pelletes?

Thanks in advance!


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## flamegrabber (Apr 28, 2009)

Don't forget the Maine Woods brand.  They are CRAPOLA.  At least they were last year.

One solution to this problem is to buy a stove that can burn all different qualitys of pellets.

I had a Breckwell Big E and went through a ton of Maine Woods.  I had to clean the stove daily.  Tons of ash and a huge clink everyday.

So I bought an Enviro Omega ( multi-fuel ).  The Omega can burn pretty much anything.  From wheat to corn to crappy wood pellets.

I still try to find good quality pellets but if I get stuck with some bad ones it's not a problem.

JMO.

FG.


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## Ted79 (Apr 28, 2009)

With the first assertion can argue with you . Not all and the more so not 90 % pellet is easily soiled are garbage. Michigan Wood Pellet Fuel is and fully integrated wood pellet production  We accept only the finest hardwood chips to produce premium residential wood pellet fuel. Our raw material is therefore not subject to the cyclical nature of the saw dust market.


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## natnyer (May 2, 2009)

wow you guys really get into pellet brands.The cheapest pellets that keep you warm is the best deal who cares how much ash you have to shovel. Do a little work you will feel better about yourself.


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## zinfit (May 2, 2009)

I have used Firemaster, Premiun both are British Columbia and La Crete from northern Alberta. La Crete is outstanding, hardly any dust or sawdust. Premiun is a close second. The Firemaster brand is not as good. It is full of sawdust. I will be glad once I'm finished with it. It is sold on the prairies throught HD and Rona. All are softwood based. La Crete uses spruce. The other two are pine based. The industry standards are suspect because all three are rated premiun. There is a very wide gap between La Crete and Firemaster.


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