Mt Vernon AE Insert -- need more heat.

[kinsmanstoves]

Quick update.

Yesterday morning it was 68F on LGs vs 72F on Blazers (12F v 10F outside), with exactly the same settings (4, FH +2). I upped the FH to 4 and it started to put out the heat again.

Last night I switched to Vermonts, and this morning it was 74F (4, FH +2). It's 21F outside, so I've lost my comparison and by the looks of things this week will be a low burn week.

Still, it's a pity we wasted 1/3 of the winter dicking around on the wrong setting. I am pretty sure I could get any brand to put out the heat (thanks to this thread), but I loved the Blazers. Whether that love is $50 / ton worth, I don't know. Maybe I'd get 1/2 ton for cold Feb days and burn Vermonts for the rest of the season.

No pellets are created equal. Yes raw material and density is the key to a good pellet but if they sat outside for 3 month at one retail location or sat in a warehouse for three months, you will have a different burn.

Eric

 

[john193]

And what may be a good pellet one year doesn't mean it will be good next year. Sticking with the more reputable brands is a good start but it is no guarantee on quality.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

When larger mills pull from batches with 100's of tons of raw material every few tons can be different.

Eric

 

[Harvey Schneider]

No pellets are created equal. Yes raw material and density is the key to a good pellet but if they sat outside for 3 month at one retail location or sat in a warehouse for three months, you will have a different burn.

Density, moisture content, BTU per pound and ash content are all controlled to some extent, but the content of resins is not. I suspect that the reason soft woods and blends are so impressive is that they have higher resin content. Resins burn much faster and, therefore, hotter than cellulose.
I agree that moisture content can make a good pellet into cat litter-box filler, but I think that choice of raw materials is important in the resulting qualities of the pellets. That begs the question; do the manufacturers know how to control those qualities, or is it mostly random luck.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Density, moisture content, BTU per pound and ash content are all controlled to some extent, but the content of resins is not. I suspect that the reason soft woods and blends are so impressive is that they have higher resin content. Resins burn much faster and, therefore, hotter than cellulose.
I agree that moisture content can make a good pellet into cat litter-box filler, but I think that choice of raw materials is important in the resulting qualities of the pellets. That begs the question; do the manufacturers know how to control those qualities, or is it mostly random luck.

I would say that comes from where they get the dust. I know one mill that tried to get going in this area bought dust from KraftMaid. 90% of KraftMaid's dust was from pressed boards. That meant the dust came with a glue/binder. I also know another pellet maker uses mostly ground pallets. What if that pallet was soaked through with oil? Some mills use dust from their own lumber mill so they know but if you shop around for raw material you are at their mercy.

Eric

 

[jtakeman]

That begs the question; do the manufacturers know how to control those qualities, or is it mostly random luck.

That all depends on the mills quality department. Some just wing it and some actually test the fiber before it even hits the conveyors.

 

[john193]

That all depends on the mills quality department. Some just wing it and some actually test the fiber before it even hits the conveyors.

Is there a list of these manufacturers with higher QC standards? I have noticed that every brand of pellet bag I look at from different manufacturers now has the pellet institute seal and analysis. Who conducts this analysis? Because every brand indicates under 1% ash and I keep smelling bull..

 

[Harvey Schneider]

PFI? Pay For Indecisiveness ?

Think of it as an insurance policy.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Think of it as an insurance policy.

But if the pellets arrive at the retail location and sit outside for a few months how does that mess with the PFI data?

 

[Harvey Schneider]

Another bit of information.
Quadrafire says that the vent should be cleaned every 3 tons of pellets. I just cleaned my vent and the increase in heat is dramatic. I used to get convection air temperatures in the range of 230 to 250 degrees running in manual with flame height 4. After cleaning the flue, and especially the screen at the cap, I am seeing temperatures of 260 to 290 with the same fuel and the same settings.
Even though I thought my stove was burning well, it wasn't performing as well as it could. I guess more frequent cleanings are in order.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Another bit of information.
Quadrafire says that the vent should be cleaned every 3 tons of pellets. I just cleaned my vent and the increase in heat is dramatic. I used to get convection air temperatures in the range of 230 to 250 degrees running in manual with flame height 4. After cleaning the flue, and especially the screen at the cap, I am seeing temperatures of 260 to 290 with the same fuel and the same settings.
Even though I thought my stove was burning well, it wasn't performing as well as it could. I guess more frequent cleanings are in order.

A clean stove is a happy stove.