How do you unload and store your wood pellets?

[Polar Bear]

I ask my father to bring his dual axle trailer... otherwise I'm only loading 10-20 bags at a time.

 

[Deromax]

New stove and first year on the pellet scene!

I wasn't home when the delivery was made. They used some kind of fork lift as it left tires marks in the dirt driveway. They placed the two 1.5 tons pallets near the basement entrance like I had asked.

I then moved the bags one by one into the basement and stacked them just like they were on the shipping pallets. I only have 4 steps down to the basement from back yard level. Took a tad over an hour, and actually went better than i had envisoned!

 

[JonSkow]

Don't let her fool you. The puppy did most of the work. 2.5 tons should keep things toasty for the season. It's nice living in a small house.

 

[Tim Linden]

I've always had mine delivered inside the garage. Unfortunately the 3rd pallet
started to fall apart so that one is in the driveway. I'm debating stacking them
on the sides of the garage for more space but haven't decided yet.

 

[ScotL]

OK, new to this, got my 2 tons delivered in the driveway, and over three days my wife and I carried them into the basement, right through the house (and unlike firewood, no debris to clean up afterward!) I'll say this, while she complained a bit she never slowed down; I could have stopped for a beer and she would have kept on going.

The stairs were of course the least-fun part. I have an outside stairwell I have not been using, and I just roofed it over (w/walls, doors, etc). I'm thinking about setting up to get the bags in via that, and at first thought about a schoolyard sliding board and was wondering about what angle would suffice to get them to slide. Then, here at the office, they are reconfiguring the warehouse and I was looking at a leftover section of roller-conveyor, and hmm, I know the bags should roll on that (foam rubber stopper at the bottom). I could load up, eh, 25 bags at a time in the utility trailer behind the car, drive the rig around behind the house, and as fast as the wife could toss them on the conveyor, I could pull them off at the bottom and stack.

You may want to throw them on the conveyor and let her stack - if you're stacking right next to the conveyor. I use a plastic slide through my basement window and set the bottom on a table. The stacking part in the basement isn't as much work as bending down and putting every bag on the slide. If your conveyor (or slide) just barely sticks out of the basement window, the part outdoors is harder work and hard on the back.

Someday I'd like to get one of those roller conveyors that's long enough so I can set it on the table inside and support the outside at waist height. Then both ends would be easy on the back. If your conveyor is like that, will you update the thread so I can hear how it works out?

 

[tiger]

Good point on having the spouse at whichever end of the conveyor is easiest. Also, yes, it occurred to me to have both ends of the conveyor at waist height -- if possible. I did a little on-line shopping, a 10' length might cost over $200 unless I can grab a used length on Craigslist, from a business shutting down or whatever. As I think I may be mostly good-to-go for this winter, I can take my time on finding one. And no, where I will stack is NOT right at the end of the conveyor, unfortunately.

You may want to throw them on the conveyor and let her stack - if you're stacking right next to the conveyor. I use a plastic slide through my basement window and set the bottom on a table. The stacking part in the basement isn't as much work as bending down and putting every bag on the slide. If your conveyor (or slide) just barely sticks out of the basement window, the part outdoors is harder work and hard on the back.

Someday I'd like to get one of those roller conveyors that's long enough so I can set it on the table inside and support the outside at waist height. Then both ends would be easy on the back. If your conveyor is like that, will you update the thread so I can hear how it works out?

 

[mr47930]

Dump truck backed up to the garage as close as they could with still being able to open the swinging doors. Put 2 empty pallets in the back corner of the garage and took 10 bags off the dump truck onto a fridge dolly, wheeled them over to the empty pallet and re-stacked. Took less than an hour for 4 tons with just me and the delivery guy. I was almost able to fit the entire 4 tons onto the 2 pallets by about 15 bags.

 

[dlehneman]

First year I stored them in the garage, 4 tons which I restacked onto 3 pallets. Garage humidity gets pretty high and they were in my way there, so last year I moved to basement storage along the walls. I built simple racks to store one row deep, made from 2 x 4's (3 per rack) and 3/4" thick high density particle board. Saved a lot of room versus pallets (at least for me).

This year I've added a second stove in the basement and moved some things around. Modified 2 of the racks to fit into an alcove area (lost about 1 ft each) , so 2 rows deep now, and put the 3rd along an adjacent wall. So here is 6 tons stacked nicely in a small amount of space while still being accessible.


(broken image removed)

 

[Polar Bear]

Looks good. Drawn to the clouds/drywall mud haha

 

[Tim Linden]

That looks really nice! I'll be honest, the reason I haven't taken them off the pallets..
I'm not too sure I'll be able to stack them in a neat way LOL

 

[dlehneman]

Looks good. Drawn to the clouds/drywall mud haha

Those are actually clouds painted by my wife. This was a kids lounge area and she wanted it to be less "basement like". Now they have moved to the other side of the basement where they have a lot more space but no clouds (at least not yet).

I had my first pellet bag collapse of the season last night while restacking...you definitely have to stack very carefully if you don't overlap the bags like they are on the pallet!

 

[dlehneman]

This was last years setup along the walls.

 

[mr47930]

This was last years setup along the walls.

How'd those green Lignetics burn for you last year? Ive heard mixed reviews. I've got 2 tons sitting in the garage waiting for winter.

 

[dlehneman]

The Lignetics were very hot, with a little less then average ash. One of the hottest pellets I tested last year and I would buy more if they were so expensive here. Only one dealer locally and they want $300 ton! For that much I can get Lacrete's which should be even hotter and significantly cleaner. The Lignetics were almost identical to the Green Team Platinums (within 1 degree) and similar ash, but I can buy GTP's for MUCH less money, so I went with several tons of those instead.

 

[mr47930]

The Lignetics were very hot, with a little less then average ash. One of the hottest pellets I tested last year and I would buy more if they were so expensive here. Only one dealer locally and they want $300 ton! For that much I can get Lacrete's which should be even hotter and significantly cleaner. The Lignetics were almost identical to the Green Team Platinums (within 1 degree) and similar ash, but I can buy GTP's for MUCH less money, so I went with several tons of those instead.

Thats good to hear! A local dealer by me was selling the Lignetics for $239 a ton so I picked up 2. We got 2 tons of O'Malleys for free from the stove shop for buying the stove and from what I hear they are garbage. I'll burn those up this spring/fall and save the Ligs for the cold months.

 

[tjnamtiw]

First year I stored them in the garage, 4 tons which I restacked onto 3 pallets. Garage humidity gets pretty high and they were in my way there, so last year I moved to basement storage along the walls. I built simple racks to store one row deep, made from 2 x 4's (3 per rack) and 3/4" thick high density particle board. Saved a lot of room versus pallets (at least for me).

This year I've added a second stove in the basement and moved some things around. Modified 2 of the racks to fit into an alcove area (lost about 1 ft each) , so 2 rows deep now, and put the 3rd along an adjacent wall. So here is 6 tons stacked nicely in a small amount of space while still being accessible.


(broken image removed)

That's just too darn neat! Makes me sick!

 

[tjnamtiw]

I told my wife if she wants to be warm this winter, she better darn well get her lazy butt out there and stack those bags up neatly.

I feel great! This is the first day I could see out of both eyes since I told her that! Doctor says the concussion wasn't too severe, either!

 

[BrotherBart]

I envy anybody that can see the walls and floor of their garage.

 

[t5eu9eb7]

I pick up 4 or 6 tons at a time in my truck depending on how good the fork lift operator is.



I carry 4 bags at a time down to the basement and stack them not so neatly.



That is only 8 tons there. I like the way you guys stack in single file along the walls. I need to try that. I bet I could get all 10-12 tons in less space.

 

[thundercracker]

1st time burner this year. for you guys who store in the basement - do you have any issues with insects/rodents?

 

[dlehneman]

I haven't had any issues with insects or rodents, but my basement is dry, pretty tight and humidity controlled year round, so that could be why. Spiders and beetles sometimes find there way in but they don't bother the pellets at all.

 

[t5eu9eb7]

I am only heading in to my third season but so far no issues. I do use most of my pellets and in the summer I rotate whats left and clean around them.

 

[thundercracker]

thanks for the replies. my basement is dry for the most part, especially in the winter. just want to make sure i dont have any issues.

 

[Tonyray]

You guys are sooooo neat with your pellet stacking...
Tell me when u take a bag or 2 off the stack you straighten out any that dared Move left or right....!!

 

[BrotherBart]

Wait till ya see how he arranges the pellets in the hopper.