Great American Pellets (aka Keystone Pellets) story Saturday 3/12/11

[jtakeman]

Ok 1st impressions down to 16* last night first floor where stove is located a cozy 72* approx. 550 sq. ft. open kitchen dining living room R 30 in attic R 11 walls Anderson windows Tyveck wrapped. I run stove in stove temp mode set at 4.5 feed rate 4 distribution blower lowest setting. Into the hopper very few fines and saw dust, pellets consistent length 1"< , flame white blue orange color, ash light and fluffy no clinkers or clumps, heat output appears to be very good I don't have a IR gun but using the hand test in front of blower don't leave it there to long you may start to cook it. So for me these appear to be a very good pellet at a good price $ 4.00/ bag and the plant is 25 miles from home so it should keep shipping costs down. I say try them see how they preform for you. I'll continue to burn these for a long term test if any issues arise I'll keep you posted .

Thanks for sharing. With your input, I am on the pellet hunt again! hehe. They sound promising!

 

[will711]

My pleasure and thank all you guys for all the info that you share. I've been a wood heater for 25 plus years, this is my first with the pellets I really enjoy it. I still have the wood burner in the basement aka Man Cave only run it 10-12 hrs/day as my wood supply is low trying to stretch it real spring temps are 3-4wks. away and next years wood is not ready. Jay there is a link on great american site to find local dealers. There was a post this morning of a you tube video how pellets are made looks like the same process that GAP uses. Thanks again

 

[jtakeman]

My pleasure and thank all you guys for all the info that you share. I've been a wood heater for 25 plus years, this is my first with the pellets I really enjoy it. I still have the wood burner in the basement aka Man Cave only run it 10-12 hrs/day as my wood supply is low trying to stretch it real spring temps are 3-4wks. away and next years wood is not ready. Jay there is a link on great american site to find local dealers. There was a post this morning of a you tube video how pellets are made looks like the same process that GAP uses. Thanks again

These tree chipping pellet mills are becoming pretty popular. With all the fiber shortages(due to low building/lumber production) they seem to be our best source for a steady pellet supply. Only draw back I see is with a chipped pellet you loose some pellet density. But a small price to pay to ensure a good supply of fuel. I just bet we see more mill's adding a hammer mill and a log chipper to ensure that they have enough fiber to produce there product.

 

[will711]

I agree a steady supply is everything I used to work part time at one of the big boxes a few years back during the pellet shortage a lot of disappointed /pissed off customers looking for pellets don't want to see that again. I'm a Pig wanna be just don't have the room YET . I do have a mixed ton of Hammers Turmans &Green; Team for next season.

 

[Alternative Guy]

{snip}I've been a wood heater for 25 plus years, this is my first with the pellets I really enjoy it. I still have the wood burner in the basement aka Man Cave only run it 10-12 hrs/day as my wood supply is low trying to stretch it real spring temps are 3-4wks. away and next years wood is not ready.{snip}

Will - I am a 16 year wood burner. It is cheap, but a lot of work as everyone knows. I have been browsing pellet stoves for the last few years. If I keep lurking here, I may switch! Thanks for the info on the GAPs - the first impression sounds positive.

A few things are holding me back. First I may sell the house. Second, I have a 22' cathedral ceiling. From what the dealer says, a pellet stove may not give me the same comfort visavie radiant versus convective heat.

 

[will711]

Hey Guy wood is a lot of work what pushed us [wife] to a pellet stove was a chimney fire last March it was my bad I usually clean my stove lower pipes into cinder block tile lined flue 2-3 X / season last yr. I didn't long a short of it Fire Dept 911 its all good no damage to house or family. Insurance covers cost of stainless steel liner, I have a thought I'm trying to heat to much space why don't we put something upstairs? Wife is having the same thoughts now that is wild but I guess that after 30 + years together maybe we do share a brain. Did a ton of research went dealer spent 4 + hrs looked at all the different brands and models watched them in action and pulled the trigger and the $1500.00 tax credit helped too I know it's less this year. Wife & children love it "BEST THING WE'VE EVER DONE" wife quote. Good luck my friend

 

[jtakeman]

Wife & children love it "BEST THING WE'VE EVER DONE" wife quote.................

We hear that a lot around here! Best to keep the wood stove just in case. The nice thing with pellet is steady heat as most are thermostat controlled. I am an ex wood burner too! We did the swap for 2 reasons. #1 being safer(yep! we also had a few chimney fires) and #2 was for steady heat source with a new child. Not the same blasting heat of a wood stove, But you can keep it steady. We are always warm now and no waiting for the wood stove to catch up. Love it and also feel its the best thing we ever did! So much so we had no issue getting a larger stove to heat the whole house instead of just an area.

My next stove will be a pellet/multifuel furnace(there catching on fast) and I will not bat an eye spending the cash on it. I am far ahead in the savings over what it would have cost me to heat with the electric the house has. So if your not sure a stove will do, There is the furnace option. Lots of members here have them. One sure way to heat the whole house with that choice.

 

[will711]

Totally agree much safer and a more steady heat no wild peaks and valleys in temps. The wood stove is gonna stay . I too have all electric base board heat PPL our electric co. was deregulated last year so cost / kilo watt went up I'm on a budget plan and my costs are down $ 40.00/ month and dropping since the pellet stove install, over the long haul I'll be the winner with a much more pleasant form of heat.

 

[Alternative Guy]

I guess I helped hijack this thread, which I know is frowned upon. I just wanted to say I appreciate your comments, Will and J-Takeman.

I know the pellet is more even, and was real impressed with the digital control. If I had a family, I would really appreciate the difference in convenience. I understand the fire concern - with my Quad I use mostly dry wood, and run er up to 750 degrees on the dips you refer to. So, I don't build up too much crud. I use it as my primary source, and I hate to admit I clean it only once every three years. My brother had a huge chimney fire a few years back with his old woodstove, and it scared him so badly he refuses to heat through the night. I am home most of the time, which is the only reason I don't have more serious swings in temp.

Enjoy that new pellet experience Will. Your post may help me decide to switch.

OK, back to Great American Pellets. It will be interesting to see what others have to say and get an update from Will.

 

[Don2222]

It's great that another pellet producer is coming into the market. The more producers, the lower the prices for everyone through competition!

However, I am a little uncertain about how I feel about them harvesting trees, rather than recycling sawdust from other business activities. Part of the enjoyment I get from my pellet stove is knowing that I'm heating my house with what would have ended up in a landfill.

Am I off in thinking that most pellet brands are made from waste sawdust?

Hello Avalon

They use whole trees for these pellets also. See Video

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http://www.youtube.com/embed/WEGahANylTE


These are the Top Wood Pellets of Ireland
They are sold in 10Kg bags or by the Tonne

 

[will711]

Hey Alt Guy thanks for the kind words , as for the Great Americans right now I'm the only one posting who has tried them. When I picked up pellets on Friday 2 other fellows were getting GAP's then I went back on Saturday to get mine others were also trying them hoping to hear what other folks think.

 

[slvrblkk]

OK...here is my "non-scientific" observation on the GAP's...I did a pretty good cleaning before I started burning and cleaned the combustion blower.....I burned about a third of a bag so far...pretty good heat (hotter than the Treecycles I've been burning)...fluffy black ash but a lot of it in my burn pot (had to dump it once so far)...probably could use a little more air but I'm limited since I have it on 9 already....bottom line....at $4 a bag, who can complain! If they keep burning like this or better in future batches, I would definitely buy these if I needed pellets......keeping it local!

 

[Don2222]

Hello

They are not $4.00 per bag around here!! 2 weeks ago $4.68 per bag and now Lowe's is up to $4.98 per bag but only Have Main's Choice left!

 

[slvrblkk]

Hello

They are not $4.00 per bag around here!!

lol! In all fairness, the GAP's were $4 a bag...the Turman's, Hamer, Wood Pellet Co. were more money.......$240 a ton I think???

 

[will711]

Hello

They are not $4.00 per bag around here!!

lol! In all fairness, the GAP's were $4 a bag...the Turman's, Hamer, Wood Pellet Co. were more money.......$240 a ton I think???[Slyrblkk glad to see you got some GAP's hope they work for you @ $ 4.00 price is right and it's local /quote]

 

[Alternative Guy]

Hello

They are not $4.00 per bag around here!! 2 weeks ago $4.68 per bag and now Lowe's is up to $4.98 per bag but only Have Main's Choice left!

Don - I assume you mean whatever brand you have. The store these folks bought the GAP at is within 20 mi of the plant. To get them to NH would cost a heck of a lot of money, wouldn't it? I wonder if anyone here has a rough idea of the cost of shipping, say a 23 ton load, X number of miles. I am guessing maybe $35 a ton from the factory in PA to NH?

 

[Jim H.]

I am going to have to check out this pellet also. Funny thing, I actually applied for a position there a few months ago as plant manager! LOL With Treecycle out of business I had to get a ton recently and picked up more Lignetics. The price of the GAP pellet definately makes them worth a look! Keep us posted on your findings!

Jim

 

[will711]

I'm on the 3rd bag now and my opinion has not changed , I would say GAP's are similar to the Green Team & Clean Energy I got at Lowe's this season. FYI I emailed the company today looking for all the dealers within 30 mile radius of my zip code Cozy Barn is the only one as of right now but they listed several other stove shops that they have contacted about becoming dealers.

 

[Salty]

So how are these GAP pellets?> Pellets direct got them early buy for 209 a ton

 

[mr coffee]

the only think left "down state" are Cheat rivers at the Lowes McARther Blvd and the Qtown TSC. I picked up a ripped bag at Lowes and they only offered it at 10% off (rather than the 2$ a bag I got for torn earlier in the season.


AND the wallmart crap at sam's club for 4.80 a bag, no thanks

 

[will711]

So how are these GAP pellets?> Pellets direct got them early buy for 209 a ton

You can read all my posts above from last year and my opinion hasn't changed. I started burning GAP's last year and that's all I burned this year except the last week I had to burn some Turmans, Barefoot's and a bag of Hammers down to the bottom of my stash. Cleaning up the garage this weekend and bringing in GAP's building next years stash.
Bottom line they are a quality pellet at a really nice price.

 

[slvrblkk]

the only think left "down state" are Cheat rivers at the Lowes McARther Blvd and the Qtown TSC. I picked up a ripped bag at Lowes and they only offered it at 10% off (rather than the 2$ a bag I got for torn earlier in the season.


AND the wallmart crap at sam's club for 4.80 a bag, no thanks

A little birdie told me that the Phillipsburg, NJ store received in Greene Teams yesterday @ $219 a ton, I believe.......They also have Cheat River.......

 

[mr coffee]

A little birdie told me that the Phillipsburg, NJ store received in Greene Teams yesterday @ $219 a ton, I believe.......They also have Cheat River.......

I guess it would PAY to slide over and fill up the gas tank and grab some greene team