Title says it all. I haven't even bought the stove yet. Just trying to think of all the potential issues beforehand.
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Is it necessary to cover bags of pellets?
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It's a good idea. Putting them in a covered location is better. The packaging varies. Some have a tough vinyl and they supply the pallet load with another polyvinyl cover. Other brands have thinner packaging and just wrap the pallets with stretch wrap. The slightest tear in the bag with allow moisture in and suddenly you have a bloated bag of sawdust. I lost about 5 bags this way one year and they were under a tarp. After that, I stored them in the garage. Note that the quality of packaging is no reflection on the quality of pellets. this can happen to the best of them.
we prefer to see folks put them under cover. If not under cover, I respectfully suggest putting them on an extra pallet, and covering them with a tarp.
This is an issue I would like to see more study of.
I posed the question to a Pellet Manufacturer - given that pellets are dried so well, would they tend to pick up moisture from the surrounding air over time, and if so, how much?
In other words, bags are not designed to be airtight, and just like my stored Sakrete turns into a block of cement after while, won't pellets tend to swell?
I think what I need to do, unless anyone else it doing it, is take a bag and weigh it carefully and then stick it in my unheated shed for a year and then weigh it again.
( My guess is that it also depends on the particular pellets and how well they were compressed in the first place, etc.)....
Another guess is that folks should store no more than a years worth of pellets - just my two cents.
I posed the question to a Pellet Manufacturer - given that pellets are dried so well, would they tend to pick up moisture from the surrounding air over time, and if so, how much?
In other words, bags are not designed to be airtight, and just like my stored Sakrete turns into a block of cement after while, won't pellets tend to swell?
I think what I need to do, unless anyone else it doing it, is take a bag and weigh it carefully and then stick it in my unheated shed for a year and then weigh it again.
( My guess is that it also depends on the particular pellets and how well they were compressed in the first place, etc.)....
Another guess is that folks should store no more than a years worth of pellets - just my two cents.
FWIW, not a scientific test, but almost every year I'd have some bags of pellets left over. I've burned year old pellets that were stored in an unheated ancient, old garage (wood floor, not too far from being a shed) and they seemed to burn fine.
I agree that you want to figure your needs as closely as possble, but it's hard to guess consumption exactly and one usually can't buy 1/2 pallets without paying a premium. Our prices are low year round, so we have the luxury of getting pellets in the middle of winter without paying a penalty or worrying if they will be available. I would usually buy 2 tons in late summer and then 1 ton around January or February. But if we had a mild winter, there could be 10-20 bags left over.
The pellets I stored outside swelled up after only a few months under the tarp because they had tiny, almost micro, tears in some of the bags and I didn't do a great job tarping them on the backside of the pallet. The pallet of pellets was set outside alongside the woodshed. Water came off the roof of the shed and splashed off the tarp. But somehow it made its way along the backside of some of the bags and found the weak spots. My fault partially. Had I not placed the pallet where I did, covered them well and followed Harry's good suggestion of putting an extra palette under them I might have been fine. Unless rodents start looking for a home in the pallet load, then all bets are off.
I agree that you want to figure your needs as closely as possble, but it's hard to guess consumption exactly and one usually can't buy 1/2 pallets without paying a premium. Our prices are low year round, so we have the luxury of getting pellets in the middle of winter without paying a penalty or worrying if they will be available. I would usually buy 2 tons in late summer and then 1 ton around January or February. But if we had a mild winter, there could be 10-20 bags left over.
The pellets I stored outside swelled up after only a few months under the tarp because they had tiny, almost micro, tears in some of the bags and I didn't do a great job tarping them on the backside of the pallet. The pallet of pellets was set outside alongside the woodshed. Water came off the roof of the shed and splashed off the tarp. But somehow it made its way along the backside of some of the bags and found the weak spots. My fault partially. Had I not placed the pallet where I did, covered them well and followed Harry's good suggestion of putting an extra palette under them I might have been fine. Unless rodents start looking for a home in the pallet load, then all bets are off.
Just wondering HB , How does one go about putting an extra pallet under the pallet of pellets ?
If one had a loader or forks on hand in there yard but dont think most do.
So put two pallets down and restack all the pellets to the new two stack pallet ?
Also as a side note , we see forum threads of wood sheds all the time but what about pellet sheds ?
If one had a loader or forks on hand in there yard but dont think most do.
So put two pallets down and restack all the pellets to the new two stack pallet ?
Also as a side note , we see forum threads of wood sheds all the time but what about pellet sheds ?
I have one ton stacked in the back room, and the other ton stacked outside, on a pallet, under a heavy duty tarp. They were put up in August. I'll report back if the outside ones burn any differently.
Last year I had to buy pellets at a hardware store 45 min. away. The local store had sold out. It rained the day I was hauling, and as a result, some of the pellets in the top bags had turned to sawdust. Some bags have little holes in them so its best to cover them up as much as possible.
Perhaps the holes are to vent any moisture trapped in the bag during packing and storage?
Last year I had to buy pellets at a hardware store 45 min. away. The local store had sold out. It rained the day I was hauling, and as a result, some of the pellets in the top bags had turned to sawdust. Some bags have little holes in them so its best to cover them up as much as possible.
Perhaps the holes are to vent any moisture trapped in the bag during packing and storage?
All pellet manufacturers have holes in the bag.
They are there to allow excess air to leave the bag after sealing to allow them to stack better when being palettized...
see craigs video on the pellet plant after being sealed they go between 2 conveyor belts to make them flatter before being palletized...
wood can be a funny thing with moisture, put a couple of 2x4's outside under a tarp and see if they dont warp.. It just happens winters have a lower humidity than summer so keeping pellets out of direct contact with rain (or snow) in the winter is easier than the summer. Even in basements, I have a dehumidifier running the whole summer to prevent my pellets (and my house) from absorbing moisture.
All pellets need to be covered when outside regardless of the time of year...........
They are there to allow excess air to leave the bag after sealing to allow them to stack better when being palettized...
see craigs video on the pellet plant after being sealed they go between 2 conveyor belts to make them flatter before being palletized...
wood can be a funny thing with moisture, put a couple of 2x4's outside under a tarp and see if they dont warp.. It just happens winters have a lower humidity than summer so keeping pellets out of direct contact with rain (or snow) in the winter is easier than the summer. Even in basements, I have a dehumidifier running the whole summer to prevent my pellets (and my house) from absorbing moisture.
All pellets need to be covered when outside regardless of the time of year...........
Roospike said:
Simple, Roo....when you have the pellets delivered, you simply communicate that you'd like the new pellets stacked right on top of the pallets youve considerately and intellegently laid out beforehand.
Hey come on he's just trying to show you how to aggressively clean the burnpot :cheese:budman said:
Seems the overwhelming concensus says to cover the pellets. I figured as much. Myth confirmed 
Now the next question....... Since the pellets apparently do absorb moisture, is it unwise to buy pellets at the least expensive time of year (just guessing), the springtime? It seems that the longer the storage, the more susceptible they are to degradation. Your thoughts o' wise ones.
swimmer
Now the next question....... Since the pellets apparently do absorb moisture, is it unwise to buy pellets at the least expensive time of year (just guessing), the springtime? It seems that the longer the storage, the more susceptible they are to degradation. Your thoughts o' wise ones.
swimmer
No not really sometimes the pellets that you buy in august have been sitting on the dealers lot since April....... It comes down to storing them properlymasterswimmer said:Seems the overwhelming concensus says to cover the pellets. I figured as much. Myth confirmed
Now the next question....... Since the pellets apparently do absorb moisture, is it unwise to buy pellets at the least expensive time of year (just guessing), the springtime? It seems that the longer the storage, the more susceptible they are to degradation. Your thoughts o' wise ones.
swimmer
So if you buy them at the end of spring and you store them inside out of the elements you can save a bit of coin, and posssible trouble
I won't have the space to store 2-3 tons of pellets indoors. They'll have to be stored outside. I can double pallet them and cover with a tarp though. However, I am all for saving some greenbacks.
Our pellets come with a cover. If the ones you buy do, then shrink wrap the cover on the pallet and they should be good to go for a while.
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