I really dont see any difference in the pellets i have used. All heat my house. All have the same amount of ash. All considered medium to poor quality on this board. Ive ran green supremes, michigan hardwoods, indeck energy. Just picked up some green gold and power pellets to try but doubt i will see a real difference in any of them. Seems this englander will eat anything. Am i missing something here??
Difference in pellets
- Thread starter Smokinbubba
- Start date
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Pete Zahria
Minister of Fire
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
We all have our pellet brands that work best in our stoves. Pro pellets burn best in mine. Be thankful you can reliably burn pretty much whatever is available and maybe even is on sale.
Honestly, my Englander has only had issues with one brand. I cant remember the name but the lqst 2 bags are in the garage for oil spills...
it will light Lignetics, Cubex and Barefoots without interference from me. All other pellets I jumpstart with a torch.
it will light Lignetics, Cubex and Barefoots without interference from me. All other pellets I jumpstart with a torch.
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
I've had fast lighting pellets that just burn up fast, I've had some that slowly died down and choked out leaving a lot unburnt or choking thick ash, then I've had some just plain good burning hot pellets that last a longer time with near zero ash. Mine loves Southern States pellets that actually originate from Hamer's in West Virginia. I used to get them in almost the same looking bag under the name as "Hamer's Hot Ones".
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bogieb
Minister of Fire
I have a small house, with a lot of heating power, so I can burn poorer pellets than other people and stay quite warm without spending big bucks on the high end pellets.
I have burned pellets that put out more heat and a lot less ash than the mid-grade pellets I usually burn such as Vermonts, Hamers, Cubex. However, because I don't neccessarily need huge BTUs and other factors, it is a better value for me to burn those that cost less and produce more ash. And my large ash pans keep me from needing to clean out the stove too often.
My P61a tends to dislike the pellets that others love (DF's) - they may burn warmer (according to air temp coming out of the exchanger) but they leave just as much ash and some gunk up my exhaust (probably because the stove doesn't burn for long). Since I don't need warmer output, I don't need to burn those (especially at those prices).
I will say that GS's around here are probably a different mixture than you are getting (the Northeastern blend) and those are quite a bit ashier than most of the middling pellets I run and they cost more too. Poor value is the reason I don't run the the GS, not that they don't keep me warm. I've run some of the poorest pellets (ThermaGlow - literally put out luke warm air from the exchanger) and kept my house warm. However, those cost me about half the price of what I normally run, so the value was still there.
I have burned pellets that put out more heat and a lot less ash than the mid-grade pellets I usually burn such as Vermonts, Hamers, Cubex. However, because I don't neccessarily need huge BTUs and other factors, it is a better value for me to burn those that cost less and produce more ash. And my large ash pans keep me from needing to clean out the stove too often.
My P61a tends to dislike the pellets that others love (DF's) - they may burn warmer (according to air temp coming out of the exchanger) but they leave just as much ash and some gunk up my exhaust (probably because the stove doesn't burn for long). Since I don't need warmer output, I don't need to burn those (especially at those prices).
I will say that GS's around here are probably a different mixture than you are getting (the Northeastern blend) and those are quite a bit ashier than most of the middling pellets I run and they cost more too. Poor value is the reason I don't run the the GS, not that they don't keep me warm. I've run some of the poorest pellets (ThermaGlow - literally put out luke warm air from the exchanger) and kept my house warm. However, those cost me about half the price of what I normally run, so the value was still there.
I have not found anything "on sale" since I am late to the game. Only been burning for a week. Cheapest I have found in my area is power pellets at lowes for $240ton out the door. If they burn as well as GS and others, I plan on four tons this week. 2 for me and 2 for Dad. plus Lowes delivers for $69. Until I figure out storage and moving 2k lb skids around the property, they can set them on my concrete patio and I wont have to handle them till I bring them in the house. A tarp will have to do until I erect my shed.
jackhammer
Burning Hunk
I think if you tried the softwood pellets you would see a difference in ash amounts, with some producing noticeably more heat. My Harman stove will burn any type of pellet which is nice. I pay the premium for better pellets for the lower ash and higher btu. I like the fact that I don’t need to clean my stove as often as with the cheaper pellets. Each of us has our opinions but the bottom line is burn what you want if your stove allows it. Happy heating!
My Harmon don't care about what brand. I get North Idaho Energy Log Pellets. Tried couple other brands. I like the way the are packaged on Pallet. Triple Wrapped at 199 ton.
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
Saw these at a menards. Great softie and even better price. Grab em if u see them.
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
I am currently trying every pellet I can get near me. I just installed a Harman xxv tc. The 2 pellets that stand out as best and worst would be Northern Warmth Surpream Douglass Fir being the best with almost no ash and Stove chow as worst with a very noticeable amount more in ash than all other brands. All other brands I have tried are green supreme northeastern blend, La Crete and bear foot. They all perform acceptably. I do not think the supreme Douglass fir is worth $8 or the La Crete for $7. I can get Green surpream for $5.20 and bear foot for $6.50. They will most likely be my go to unless income across something else that has a good compromise between performance and price.
My Englander stoves burn whatever pellet I feed them ,Good stoves and lots of heat . I 'm real happy with the pellet choices here in Maine .Trying Lignetics this year . Very happy so far .Merry Christmas everyone .
Green supreme by lignetics probably burn the most completely in my stove with the least ammt of ash. $250ton in my area.
I'm on my 4th different stove and it's been the same with me with the last 3 stoves, ( the 25 pdvc was a bit finicky with some pellets just not heating well ) with a small well insulated house the stoves run on low 99% of the time so I have yet to find a pellet that is head and shoulders above anything else when burning low all the time and I have tried a many different pellets since 2005 including what softwoods are available locally. I'm to the point I just buy whatever pellets are cheapest and close to get and that's what I burn.
I have 6tons green supremes coming from HD friday $200ton + delivery. Those burn with the least ash in my stove so i figure its a good price for this time of year.
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
That was a big deciding factor when i was shopping for this, my first pellet burner. Went with the englander because of adjustability. And the awesome support i get here.
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
X2! mine has just the red off & the green on buttons, a temp or heat range, and either stove or remote thermostat. That's it. BTW, these newest pellets (same brand that has done good in past as mentioned in post 5 above ) are really super nice, almost NO ash, very thorough burning, some of the best I have ever used.
Got my 6ton of Green supremes last Fri. Noticed they are "Southern Hardwoods" What I had before was "northeastern blend" If Winter ever gets here, i will get these burning and hope to not be any difference. Did notice, they are darker and smaller than the NE blend I got from Lowes. Seems odd to me that a HD in my area has the southern hardwoods and a lowes just down the street has the NE blend Lignetics GS's
I've tried a lot of brands (5 or so bags at a time) over the last 6 or 7 years to see what I like and don't, and I've always come back to Okanagan Platinums. Last year, one of my pallets ended up being the Okanagan Douglas Firs, which were awesome, but just too $$ for me to actually order over the Plats.
The low ash content is noticeable and there is definitely a heat difference over the cheaper pellets. There's also tends to be a dust and smell component to the pellets as well that I find pleasing about the Okanagans. Thankfully I can still get them from one dealer nearby.
The low ash content is noticeable and there is definitely a heat difference over the cheaper pellets. There's also tends to be a dust and smell component to the pellets as well that I find pleasing about the Okanagans. Thankfully I can still get them from one dealer nearby.