My pellet brands this year

[mark d fellows]

Codebum,

Please let us know how the Eureka's are.

Update on the Stove Chow:

Still liking them. They burn hot and clean with about the same ash as hardwood, no soot, consistent size, little to no fines, and little sawdust per bag!

Based on my experience, I would buy a pallet at regular prices. Perhaps white wood is not just pine?

Mark

 

[mattbell]

That’s right, up here in Northern Maine, we have many many brands of pellets to choose from but Northeast Pellets seem to have the best BTU’s with the lowest ash. Less than .5 of 1 % and the BTU’s are between 8600 and 8750. I believe they are a blend of hard and soft wood. Very light in color and clean, low dust

 

[mattbell]

That’s right DogHouse, up here in Northern Maine, we have many many brands of pellets to choose from but Northeast Pellets seem to have the best BTU’s with the lowest ash. Less than .5 of 1 % and the BTU’s are between 8600 and 8750. I believe they are a blend of hard and soft wood. Very light in color and clean, low dust

 

[crausch]

Mark: I am burning tonight trying to empty my hopper before I burn the Eurekas so I get a good opinion. I opened a bag and poured into my pails to get them ready. They have a strong wood smell, but thats good. They don't smell like something odd (like the ACP did). Also they are uniformly small in length. Given their small size I am surprised that others have reported that they do not output high heat. In my experience, the smaller pellets fill up the auger and burnpot more, so there is usually more heat.

A few things that I am not thrilled about is the bag has no PFI logo on it and it does not state what type of wood it is (hardwood/softwood). It smells like pine but is colored like my hardwood pellets. The other thing that concerned me was when I went to grab the bags inside the store at HD, the bags were wet. The bags state right on the front "Store in a dry place". I said something to the sales associate and it was obvious from the conversation, they had no clue about what wood pellets even were. One other thing that bothers me is the manufacturer appears to not have a website.

 

[mark d fellows]

Codebum,

Doesn't sound promising. I guess you'll have to see how they burn though. If it is any consulation, when I bought my Lignetics they had been sitting in the rain and each bag was wet. I let them sit for 3 weeks. There were even holes in the bag where you could see wet, swollen sawdust. They burned fine though.

Mark

 

[doghouse]

That’s right DogHouse, up here in Northern Maine, we have many many brands of pellets to choose from but Northeast Pellets seem to have the best BTU’s with the lowest ash. Less than .5 of 1 % and the BTU’s are between 8600 and 8750. I believe they are a blend of hard and soft wood. Very light in color and clean, low dust

I hear ya, bro. You are probably correct on the blend. EDIT: they sure are a better product than when they first hit the market. Had a bag once with a 4" pellet. Still have it.

 

[mark d fellows]

Update on the ACP:

It has only been 1.5 to 2.0 weeks since I last thoroughly cleaned the stove and emptied the ash pan. I cleaned it today as it shut off from the mild temps and the stove was filthy! The ash pan was 3/4 full which is something I haven't seen since I got the stove.

3/4 full of ash in maybe 2.0 weeks.

Based on this, I would burn ACP again only in a dire shortage.

Stove Chow:

I am still liking them. I plan on getting some more today and after that run, I will clean the stove again to see how dirty it is and report back!

Mark

 

[Raven20]

They say when you have good thing going don't mess it up....Well I've been using Hamers for a week now and they are the best pellet I have tried yet.....After all the talk on here about Lignetics I'm going to get 5 bags tonight and try them this weekend....

 

[mark d fellows]

They say when you have good thing going don't mess it up....Well I've been using Hamers for a week now and they are the best pellet I have tried yet.....After all the talk on here about Lignetics I'm going to get 5 bags tonight and try them this weekend....

Good point, and if I could get Hamers or Lignetics locally I would buy them. I got my first two tons from where you get yours but it is about an hour away from me and I don't have a truck which means I have to rent one.

Mark

 

[Raven20]

xxxx

 

[nautiquer95]

In our neck of the woods, we do not have any hardwood pellets per se', due to the fact that there is no hardwood material available in are areas of pellet mills. Our best bet is the pellets that are douglas fir or a blend of woods. I sell the Atlas Ultra Premium Pellets, from Couer D'Alene ID, that are red fir, tamarac and cedar - producing excellent heat output and very minimal ash content. Also sell the Bear Mountain Premium Pellets, Cascade Locks, OR, that are douglas fir and red cedar, again producing great heat output and minimal ash content. Never tried any hardwood pellets -

It's my first year burning and the Atlas Ultra Premiums that Stove Doctor mentioned are all I've burned - I just started into my second ton. Since these are all I've used, I don't have anything to compare them to, but I bet the ash pan in my XXV could have held all of the ash produced so far and I only have to clean the glass once a week. I searched the web and found an outfit about 2 1/2 hours from me that sells the Lignetics everyone raves about, but I can get the Atlas' 10 minutes from home for $245/ton. The Lignetics are going for essentially the same price @ $250/ton. Ever burn these Stove Doctor? If so, how do they compare? I'm also curious what you get for a ton of your Atlas Pellets.

 

[crausch]

Mark; and others,

I've burned a bag of the Eureka pellets so far. I would have to say their not too bad. I left the feed setting just a little over 4 where it was for my Turman pellets, but the burn pot built up several inches of ash. I bumped the feed setting up to 5 and they have been burning good all night and this morning. I have not compared the heat output which is what some others have complained about with these pellets, but they seem to be putting out the heat to me.

Initially the bags were went at HD when I got them, but the bags were in good shape and there is no sign of moist or swollen pellets.

 

[mark d fellows]

Thanks for the info. I guess the bag has no Pellet Fuel Institute logo on it? I was reading last night that if it has that symbol it is required to list what is in it.

The Stove Chow does have the logo but simply says "100% white wood" The way I read the requirements it seems they had to list the wood that "white wood" composes in the bag but maybe not.

Mark

 

[WestonFire22]

Burning Fuel King here in Nebraska. Got 5 tons from Bomgaars for 3.49 a bag. I burned about half Marth and half Fuel King last year and am happy with the Fuel King. I got a few other assorted bags last year, one I can't remember the name of (Ozark something maybe, made in Arkansas I think) I really didn't care for, burned fast and little heat.

Fuel King are made in Iowa, so I would consider that local I guess since I am in eastern Nebraska.

Bruce

 

[crausch]

Eureka pellet fuel update...

After burning about a bag and a half of the Eureka pellets, I took advantage of the warmer temps today (around 38 deg) and cleaned out the fire box. Well, the Eureka pellets are about the 5th brand of pellets that I have burned and they broke a record for me. They are the first pellets that have gave me a case of the clinkers. When I cleaned out my burn pot, it felt and sounded like I was cleaning out buckshot. After burning them all night and and half the day, I had hard round formations like BBs or black nerds candy. After burning 4 other brands and never experiencing this, I think the pellets must have more to do with clinker formation than any stove. Even though they seem to burn just fine, I am now glad that I only bought 3 bags.

 

[mark d fellows]

Stove Chow update:

I am on my fifth bag and first bag from a different pallet. They are the cleanest burning pellet I have used. Cleaner than Lignetics it seems. The reason I say this is the glass seems to stay cleaner, longer than with any other pellet I have used. They burn as long or longer than even the hard wood pellets I have used. It got down to 15 last night and I woke up to a hopper that was almost half full. I have consistently run out of pellets over night with any other brand.

They would be my number one brand, however I don't have the experience of use with these as the Lignetics as I have burned almost a ton of the Ligs.

Also, they make the house smell like gingerbread and cinnamon and as they burn I hear harps playing!

Mark

 

[ORiley]

Dejnos - just finished my first ton. A softwood "Premium" pellet, they went OK. Heavy fines and dark fly ash. Experienced two log jams with long pellets and had three bags of oatmeal.
Lignetics - picked up two bags (for giggles). Burned very hot, little to no fines, uniform length. Would burn more if they weren't $5+ per bag!
Rocky Mountain - A softwood "Super Premium" pellet, I'm midway through a 10 bag trial. Fewer fines than Dejnos, less fly ash and lighter in color (the glass doesn't dirty as fast). SO far so good...
Uncle Jed's Cold Remedy - 10 bags in waiting. Supposed to be a very hot hardwood. We'll soon see....

I hope that by quoting myself I don't send the forum into a violent spin...

Burning the Uncle Jed's Cold Remedy now - Burns dirty, like the Dejno's, leaving a dark film on the glass with a heavy fly ash collection on the heat exchange tubes. Dangled a meat thermometer in front of the tubes and hit 190 degrees on high heat - schweet! They have a nice smell to 'em but I'm not hearing harps like that other fella 'round here <he says as he rolls his eyes>.

So far I like the Rocky Mountain the best cuz it's the cleanest burn. I'll throw some of them back in the hopper and see what I get for a temp reading. Anybody else do temp readings, or is this a precursor to the harps? LMAO.

 

[katecurry]

Anyone ever heard of clean fire pellets from american bio mass. Got 12 tons from pelletsales.com. had nothing but trouble with the stove since. Three hopper fires in the past two months from burn pot build up. Stove and vent are clean. Cant figure it out...pellets? or coincendence?
KC south jersey

 

[OSHOW]

I've been burning Natures heat pellets this season and I'm very pleased with them.

 

[crausch]

Mark Fellows:
Stove Chow update:

I am on my fifth bag and first bag from a different pallet. They are the cleanest burning pellet I have used.

I finally made it down to the HD in Westminster to get some Stove Chow pellets. All I could find were some "Fireside Ultras". I picked up 4 bags to try. I only got 4 because I thought the reviews here were not the best. Sorry I missed the Stove Chow pellets though.

 

[mark d fellows]

Mark Fellows:
Stove Chow update:

I am on my fifth bag and first bag from a different pallet. They are the cleanest burning pellet I have used.

I finally made it down to the HD in Westminster to get some Stove Chow pellets. All I could find were some "Fireside Ultras". I picked up 4 bags to try. I only got 4 because I thought the reviews here were not the best. Sorry I missed the Stove Chow pellets though.

You know I scanned through some threads on here and I really don't see bad things said about the Fireside ultras.

I think HD might have a policy of providing decent pellets. I like some others think the Stove Chow are pretty good. You said the Freedom Fuels were pretty good, and the Fireside Ultras don't get bad reviews.

I am waiting until I burn through all 15 bags of the Stove Chow and clean the stove to give an update. I still like them and think they are a good pellet.

The first five bags were excellent pellets! The last ten bags after that I am going through from the second pallet are good to fair pellets. Overall, I would buy a ton of them.

As I said, I will update you guys when I am done burning them and get a chance to look at the inside of my stove.

Mark

 

[investor7952]

Anyone ever use BIG HEAT Pellets? They are a softwood

 

[crausch]

Mark Fellows Posted: 29 January 2009 09:46 PM

You know I scanned through some threads on here and I really don’t see bad things said about the Fireside ultras.

You are right...it looks like they do have good reviews. If I had remembered that correctly I would have picked up more bags. I just wasn't expecting to see them as I thought I would be picking up the Stove Chow. Oh well, it sounds like either pellet brand would have been ok.

I agree that HD seems to carry good pellets (at least the local locations). What HD needs to do though is educate their employees about proper handling of the pellets.

 

[mark d fellows]

Mark Fellows Posted: 29 January 2009 09:46 PM

You know I scanned through some threads on here and I really don’t see bad things said about the Fireside ultras.

You are right...it looks like they do have good reviews. If I had remembered that correctly I would have picked up more bags. I just wasn't expecting to see them as I thought I would be picking up the Stove Chow. Oh well, it sounds like either pellet brand would have been ok.

I agree that HD seems to carry good pellets (at least the local locations). What HD needs to do though is educate their employees about proper handling of the pellets.

As far as the handling of the bags, I don't worry about it as I pick mine up roughly and throw them on a shoulder and when I get to where I want to place them I just roughly toss them off my shoulder and let them drop about three feet flat onto either the floor or stack of pellets.

I have found that if they are a quality pellet it just really doesn't matter much as they won't usually break apart. The lesser quality does seem to break easier.

Final Stove Chow update:

I cleaned out the stove today as it was a little more warm and I could shut it off. This was after about 13 bags of Stove Chow. The stove was by no means clean. I would say it was slightly more dirty than when using good hardwood pellets.

Ash content,

I had about 1/4 ash pail full of ash which is comparable to good hardwood pellets but a little higher.Slightly more ash than quality hardwoods but about 1/4 or less the ash of that ACP brand.

Black soot output,

No more black soot or dirty glass than with hardwood.

Consistency,

Was not as good as the Hamers or Lignetics yet I never had a problem with the burn I got.

Summary,

Sometimes the pellets were extraordinary, sometimes they were ok, but never bad. The quality of the pellet seems to coinside with the darkness of the pellet. The darker the better.

 

[ORiley]

Dejnos - just finished my first ton. A softwood "Premium" pellet, they went OK. Heavy fines and dark fly ash. Experienced two log jams with long pellets and had three bags of oatmeal.
Lignetics - picked up two bags (for giggles). Burned very hot, little to no fines, uniform length. Would burn more if they weren't $5+ per bag!
Rocky Mountain - A softwood "Super Premium" pellet, I'm midway through a 10 bag trial. Fewer fines than Dejnos, less fly ash and lighter in color (the glass doesn't dirty as fast). SO far so good...
Uncle Jed's Cold Remedy - 10 bags in waiting. Supposed to be a very hot hardwood. We'll soon see....

I hope that by quoting myself I don't send the forum into a violent spin...

Burning the Uncle Jed's Cold Remedy now - Burns dirty, like the Dejno's, leaving a dark film on the glass with a heavy fly ash collection on the heat exchange tubes. Dangled a meat thermometer in front of the tubes and hit 190 degrees on high heat - schweet! They have a nice smell to 'em but I'm not hearing harps like that other fella 'round here <he says as he rolls his eyes>.

So far I like the Rocky Mountain the best cuz it's the cleanest burn. I'll throw some of them back in the hopper and see what I get for a temp reading. Anybody else do temp readings, or is this a precursor to the harps? LMAO.

I'm getting dizzy talking to myself...

After 6 bags of Uncle Jed's Cold Remedy I can say I'll burn these as a last resort; they're a very dirty pellet. Despite their claim to high heat (8,200-8,600 BTU) I see no difference in heat output compared to Rocky Mountain.

In a tightly controlled, highly scientific experiment, I hung Grandmother's meat thermometer in front of the blower and received 190 degrees from both brands running my Avalon on high heat (using a t-stat). On Medium heat both pellets warmed 'er up to around 170 degrees.