# Blowing pellets with a leaf blower



## AndrewChurchill (Aug 25, 2012)

I posted these videos in the Boiler Room but I thought you guys over here might be interested too.

Basic setup.



Close up of pellets going into the hopper.



Loading Hopper.



Bin the pellets are being blown into.


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## smoke show (Aug 26, 2012)

old news. just sayin. thx anyway. mite help others.


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## AndrewChurchill (Aug 26, 2012)

You certainly live up to your avatar's image.......


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## Pellet-King (Aug 26, 2012)

Dude's a Stoner..............look at me I'm so wasted!!, Hey Bud, Let's Party!!, all i need is some tasty waves and cool buzz and I'm fine....
Oscar the grouch stoned, cant beat Jocko the Stoner Dog.....Dude where's my Car...

Ashley Roachclip


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## AndrewChurchill (Aug 26, 2012)

If I had to guess it's probably Pook using one of his many "disuises"...  It has his typical hallmark signatures of incomplete sentences, poor grammar and even worse spelling.  It's a good thing for him that becoming a God of Fire only requires quantity and not quality posts.


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## smoke show (Aug 26, 2012)

Typically my posts are useless. Sorry, if I offended.

The guys over at iburncorn have been blowing corn for quite some time, good info there.

Sometimes I kinda miss Pook.


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## AndrewChurchill (Aug 26, 2012)

The title of my original post in the Boiler Room was. Necessity is the mother of invention and here is my first post in which I mention I didn't invent this device but built it to solve a need.  I remember in the past of seeing other people on this forum having similar set ups, but even with multiple searches I couldn't find any posts or videos.  

Even the videos I found on YouTube in the past have been removed so even though this has been done before I thought I would document it again for other people to see and perhaps use as a resource.  

In general, "Been there, Done that" replies to other peoples posts aren't likely to be received well by the poster.  So if you don't want to be considered Pook like please think about what you post before you actually post it.



AndrewChurchill said:


> Or in my case it's the mother of creation since someone else actually invented the device.
> 
> The only place near me that delivers bulk pellets isn't making deliveries until sometime in September. I can load my pellet bin manually but it's a two person process and since I don't have a bulk head I have to lug the pellets through the house and down the stairs.
> 
> ...


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## SmokeyTheBear (Aug 26, 2012)

A lot of folks on here built a similar device for removing fines from their pellets.

The leaf blower is replaced by a shop vacuum, the fines get sucked out and the pellets drop down into a bucket or other container.

I miss Pook at times also.


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## AndrewChurchill (Aug 26, 2012)

The only problem with using a vacuum is it needs to be a sealed unit.  I looked into setting up a vacuum system for my PB105 at my other house, but since I put the house on the market I held off on making it.


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## smoke show (Aug 29, 2012)

How does the transfer volume compare to vac vs. blowing? bushels/pounds per minute?


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## AndrewChurchill (Aug 29, 2012)

I don't know.  A lot depends on the power of the vacuum and the distance involved.


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## smoke show (Aug 29, 2012)

AndrewChurchill said:


> I don't know. A lot depends on the power of the vacuum and the distance involved.





AndrewChurchill said:


> I'm blowing the pellets 35' and it's doing it easily. I suspect up to 50' would work as well. I'm pretty impressed with the speed too. It's blowing about 120 pounds a minute based on the video footage.


120#/minute? Sounds like you got it dailed in on the first attempt? Seems pretty damn efficient.
Good reads here- http://forum.iburncorn.com/wiki/index.php/Venturi


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## AndrewChurchill (Aug 29, 2012)

It can move the pellets faster than I can load them into the bucket.  I have a hopper that holds 550 pounds of pellets.  I may try to rig that up so I can fill the hopper with pellets first, turn on the blower and then load the bags directly into the hopper.  Hopefully, at that point I could load the hopper faster than it can be emptied.  

If I can do that it could cut my time down from 1 ton per hour to maybe 20 - 30 minutes per ton.


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## DexterDay (Aug 31, 2012)

Pellet-King said:


> Dude's a Stoner..............look at me I'm so wasted!!, Hey Bud, Let's Party!!, all i need is some tasty waves and cool buzz and I'm fine....
> Oscar the grouch stoned, cant beat Jocko the Stoner Dog.....Dude where's my Car...
> 
> Ashley Roachclip



Ouch?!?


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## Markus38 (Apr 13, 2014)

AndrewChurchill said:


> I don't know.  A lot depends on the power of the vacuum and the distance involved.


Hello Andrew, 
What size pipe are you using?  It looks like 3 inch.  I made pellet conveyor using a 3 inch PVC but I am not getting the speed I wanted out of it.  One issue is I need to get it 7 ft up. I think I either have to go down in pipe size or adjust the air nozzle a little.  
I got it going the same time you posted this but I only saw this post recently. You can check out my setup here:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/my-quest-for-inexpensive-heat.123489/page-2#post-1711732
Do you have any pointers?
Thanks


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## AndrewChurchill (Apr 14, 2014)

I'm using 3" PVC pipe and my set up uses a wye instead of a T. I am able to blow a ton of pellets into the bin in 20 minutes. As long as the pellets are right beside my fill port I can just barely keep up with the blower.

I am blowing the pellets about 50' horizontally into the bin and since I am using a bag bin I don't have an exhaust port so there is a considerable amount of back pressure.  I suspect my system could push the pellets up a 7' rise but you might want to put a slide plate at the base to control the feed rate.  

My blower is just a $50 Black and Decker with a claimed 250 MPH blowing speed.  I'm using the nozzle that came with the blower.  It tapers down to a 2 1/2" wide by 1" opening and I place the nozzle just behind where the pellets fall into the wye.  

Here's a link to my current set up.



Let me know if you have any questions.


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## Markus38 (Apr 14, 2014)

That's great!!  I think I will switch to a 3" y and see if that helps.
Thanks


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## bdud (Apr 15, 2014)

Funny, Inspired by what you had built Andrew, I have been looking at using a leaf blower to load pellets in my silo, and I ordered some fittings and hoses last week.
I did some searching and found this design is quite common for filling deer feeders and their protein looks similar to wood pellets.
There are commercial units which are a bit expensive for the once / twice or maybe three times a year usage.

I like the metal trash bin setup, there are some links I found, enjoy.

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200835

http://www.outbackfeeders.com/amigo.htm







http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=353438

http://www.feederfeeder.com/default.htm

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=353438&highlight=leaf+blower

http://www.outbackfeeders.com/amigo.htm

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66857&highlight=leaf+blower


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## TimfromMA (Apr 16, 2014)

PVC is not the best pipe choice for this application. As the pellets move through the pipe, they rub against the walls creating a static charge just like rubbing your feet on a carpet. A static spark can potentially ignite the pellet dust and start a fire. You really should be using a static free pipe or hose.


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## AndrewChurchill (Apr 16, 2014)

The fill pipe that goes into the bin is grounded.


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## TimfromMA (Apr 16, 2014)

It is possible, albeit difficult to ground PVC. Is the short piece outside the house grounded?


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## bdud (Apr 16, 2014)

Some people seem to use a ground spike at the leaf blower end. In one of the threads / commercial info, I read if you loop the pvc on those metal deer feeders so it touches, you don't get the static build up, both ends seems the better approach.
My silo is a custom Vermont Renewable metal unit with their thick rubber fill pipes that have a conductive wire wound into it. The fill pipes to the Windhager also have this conductive wire, which is clear. The silo is grounded back to my electrical panel which is wired to long ground spikes.
The hose I have ordered is clear 4" for sump pumps but I don't think it has the conductive wire, I will most likely wrap electrical around it and ground at both ends.
I also ordered the male and female 4" hose connections that are used when bulk filling so I can connect up my planned fill system.
These should arrive tomorrow. The only pvc parts I am planning to use will be the T and pieces to connect to the pipe and leaf blower.


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## bdud (Apr 19, 2014)

My pipe and fittings arrived the other day. The 4" hose is the same style as used with the Windhager suction hose, clear with reinforcing mesh with an orange spiral with a ground wire embedded in it. I bought a 4" male and female connecter that hooks up to the fittings I have on the outside of my house. A trip to Lowes for some fittings and I hooked up my leaf blower with a simple paper funnel to check it worked. It was pretty fast, the small fines tended to blow out of the funnel a bit but the pellets shot into the silo quite far. Not so far as when the pellet bulk truck shot them in, so I might not get in as much as before. I will butcher an old trash plastic barrel at one point and do a setup similar to one of the links I posted. Easier than I thought.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 20, 2014)

bdud said:


> My pipe and fittings arrived the other day. The 4" hose is the same style as used with the Windhager suction hose, clear with reinforcing mesh with an orange spiral with a ground wire embedded in it. I bought a 4" male and female connecter that hooks up to the fittings I have on the outside of my house. A trip to Lowes for some fittings and I hooked up my leaf blower with a simple paper funnel to check it worked. It was pretty fast, the small fines tended to blow out of the funnel a bit but the pellets shot into the silo quite far. Not so far as when the pellet bulk truck shot them in, so I might not get in as much as before. I will butcher an old trash plastic barrel at one point and do a setup similar to one of the links I posted. Easier than I thought.


Excellent.  Looking forward to your garbage can conversion.  I wasn't sure how the can's internal funnel was made.  Maybe it's not needed?

Can I ask a couple of questions?
-Where did you get the hose and fittings?  Good deal? Not asking price, but the hose was the most expensive component of the kit I got.
-Why did you get a male and female fitting?  The fittings I got with my kit both are male.  Are you going to attach another hose to the exhaust?


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## bdud (Apr 20, 2014)

The funnel is just to allow the pellets to drop into the pipe fittings, less than say 45 degrees and the pellets get left in the bottom of the container.
The funnel I might make with some material that I have left over from the flexible plastic / deflection sheet from my silo.
Some people look like they use the lid from the metal trash bin.
I bought the hose from ebay, it was the cheapest price I could find, 15ft.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380402688564?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984
I also bought the hose fittings from them also, http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-ALUMINUM-.../380401484240?pt=BI_Pumps&hash=item5891b201d0, they fit nice.
Shipping was expensive but they emailed me as they found they could ship by ups rather than freight, they refunded me ~$43.
Not sure exactly how I will set it up, maybe outside my garage rear door, minimize the foot travel.
Maybe a shop vac on the exhaust port, depends on dust etc. It was dusty when I had the bulk delivery.
I bought the hose and fittings for the silo itself from Vermont Renewable Fuels. The male on the house is the inlet and female the outlet.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 20, 2014)

Thanks.  What's interesting is that Maine Energy Systems sold me a very heavy duty (abrasion resistant?) 4" what looks like rubber pipe, but the reinforcing cord is plastic and not metal, so I don't know if it maybe intrinsically is anti-static or something.  I sent them and email, and maybe will talk with them tomorrow about it.


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## bdud (Apr 20, 2014)

The fill and exhaust pipe I got from Vermont Renewable Fuels was also the black heavy duty rubber hose with a rib around it. 
Have you cut your hose yet? I am sure it is the same, carefully cut into it and you will find them.
Inside the rib in mine were some multi-strand wires, not thick but sufficient for static purposes.
You cut the hose slightly longer and wrap the wire inside so it touches the fittings before you clamp it up.
On this page you can see the hose and fitting kit I bought.
http://vermontrenewablefuels.com/products.html
This is my install thread with pictures of the hose.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/my-windhager-biowin-install.114030/#post-1526516

Looking at your install thread velvetfoot, it looks like you got 2 male fittings, you should get one of the male swapped for a female.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 20, 2014)

bdud, why should I get one swapped for a female?
I think a fellow at vincentsheating said they'll be getting a truck that recycles the exiting dust.  Maybe that's a reason to have a male and female?
Otherwise, I wouldn't know why.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 20, 2014)

velvetfoot said:


> bdud, why should I get one swapped for a female?
> I think a fellow at vincentsheating said they'll be getting a truck that recycles the exiting dust.  Maybe that's a reason to have a male and female?
> Otherwise, I wouldn't know why.



I did a couple of biopsies, and man, is that hard to cut.  I used a Dremel, among other things-nothing satisfactory for a snippet.  What in the world did you cut it with?   I'm thinking maybe a chop saw?
I found no wire though.

Then, I had the bright idea of looking for markings on the pipe, and it was tigerflex uf-1 400.
http://www.plastixs.com/tiger_ureflex1.html
"Black HMW PVC convoluted cover formulated with static-dissipative compound"


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## bdud (Apr 20, 2014)

The kit I got from Vermont had a male and female, the male they use for the bulk filling. Sandri also connected a pipe to the female fitting to direct the dust away from the house.  If you are getting bulk fill and your supplier is ok with the 2 female fitting then you are good to go.
I think I cut mine with a hacksaw. Wrapped masking tape round it first and made a line so I cut it straight.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 20, 2014)

See my post above.  It's in the compound.  Please tell me how you cut the darn thing-it's way tough.

I'll give a couple places a call re:  connectors.


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## bdud (Apr 20, 2014)

I edited my post after I realized you had answered my question. 
Here is a picture of my black hose with the wire embedded, not the best picture.
You hose seems to be the latest design?
I cut the hose so the wire was long, made sure it was inside the fitting it connects to and then wrapped it around the hose clamp.
I also used some multi-strand wire to connect the clamp to the silo. I then grounded the silo to my house electrical ground which connects to 2 ground spikes.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 20, 2014)

Mine is different, for sure.
How did you cut the pipe?


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## bdud (Apr 20, 2014)

I think I cut mine with a hacksaw. Wrapped masking tape round it first and made a line so I cut it straight.
I may have used a sawzall but I don't think so.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 20, 2014)

Those are some good ideas, thanks.


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## bdud (Apr 25, 2014)

I did some calculations about blowing paged pellets and bulk delivery, in a different thread, and it does not make sense for me to blow in bagged pellets. I just had a bulk delivery today, 3.4 tons and I am all set.
Anyone interested in 15' of reinforced, conductive suction hose and a male and female 4" connector?


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## velvetfoot (Apr 25, 2014)

No thanks.  If I ever do this it'll be low tech, ie, cheap.

But...bdud, you now heat your dhw with pellets?  How dry, humidity wise, should the basement be for successful storage over the summer?


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## bdud (Apr 25, 2014)

During the heating season the pellet boiler heats my hot water tank. When I turn off the boiler when I no longer need heat, I use a Nyle Geyser DWHP which is also attached to hot water storage tank. It is a win, win all around. It keeps my basement cool, heats my hot water, the condensation waters my little herb garden and also dehumidifies the basement. It is in the same area as silo. I have no worries about humidity in my basement. I also have some z-wave water sensors dotted around my house linked to a water shutoff valve, I am a bit paranoid..


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## velvetfoot (Apr 25, 2014)

I also am a bit paranoid.  I have something called the Water Cop that does the same thing, not Z-wave though.  There's a switch by the door and we turn the water off every time we go out.  I'll be using a heat pump water heater of some sort to keep down the humidity.


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## bdud (Apr 26, 2014)

velvetfoot said:


> I also am a bit paranoid.  I have something called the Water Cop that does the same thing, not Z-wave though.  There's a switch by the door and we turn the water off every time we go out.  I'll be using a heat pump water heater of some sort to keep down the humidity.


My sensor and valve, which looks like the water cop, is made by Fortrezz. I have 5 zwave water sensors and one is next to our washing machine which is directly above my silo. It automatically shuts off the water valve, flashes a strobe light and sounds a siren, it also sends me messages and emails. It has tripped twice, once when loose hair was caught in the door seal and another time when I was in a meeting when the waste pipe inside was rubbing and sprung a leak. My phone went nuts with my wife phoning me, lucky it was on mute, they worked it out pretty quick and I repaired the washing machine. I also wired my heat pump water heater condensate pump to one of the sensors. Yep major paranoid about water leaks.


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## Urban Gustafsson (Oct 11, 2015)

Hi there
I saw your clips, and all the other clips, read all the different types of set ups. I´ve tried to make my own set up. I just don´t get it right.. Still keeps blowing right up and bubble the pellets. I´ve tried the t-section, the sani-section and in 2, 3 and 4 inches. I tried 10 meter hose and 6 meter pvc-pipe . The best set up so far is the 3 inch with 6 meter pvc-pipe but, it isn´t reliable at all. 
Do you have a baffle of some sort or something else to avoid the air shoting straight up?


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