Pellet Dilemma

[Wilbur Feral]

So there is a pretty big difference in heating performance from what I found.

I did a similar set of tests last year, and found the same thing - a big difference when you actually measure heat output and record it. Pellets are far from a commodity when it comes to performance.

 

[dlehneman]

Thanks for the info I just haven't had too many people say the pellets wouldn't heat just that they were crappy due ash mess they would say lower heat but not that it couldn't heat their space

I think I could get by with even the worst ones I tested if I had to, but in the dead of winter when it got below zero I think my house would be significantly cooler. Which then in turn, would cause me to run the stove at a higher setting most of the time causing more wear and tear on the motors.
So they will definitely all heat your house, just some more effectively then others.

 

[Deromax]

I have no doubt the extensive tests some people did actually showed real differences in temperature and ash residues in their stove. But my point is : another user might have had different outcome in another brand/model of stove. Top VS bottom feed. Vaccum stove VS constant pressure combex stoves. Complex regulated combustion control systems (Ravelli's RDS) VS simpler "it just burns" design. Etc. Even a brand of pellet may have variations in composition depending on the actual plant and/or country that produced them, not counting yearly variations.

If a pellet mill raw material source is becoming no longer available, they may switch to another source but will keep the same name/brand even if it's technically not the same product than before.

Brand A pellet might produce little ash in stove Y but may clog stove Z.
Brand B sold in USA may burn hot but same brand B sold in Canada may be just average.

 

[JohnD]

What brands did you test and what was their order of performance?

I tested 8 different brands last year and tried to keep testing as consistent as possible each time. Heat output of the air was measured and recorded at 3 different heat settings for each pellet. I didn't measure the amount of ash, just subjectively did a visual comparison of amount. I found a difference of 20 degrees between the worst and the best at the lowest setting I tested at (2 out of 9 on my stove). At the highest setting I had a hard time testing because I chose to run it for exactly 1 hour each time to let it stabilize and be consistent. The problem is that running on high overheats the house really quickly unless it's way below zero, so I wasn't able to get max reading for each one. The ones I did though, had a range of about 25 degrees from worst to best. Those numbers are pretty significant on a stove with a big blower like mine (250cfm) since it's moving a lot of air at a higher temp.

So there is a pretty big difference in heating performance from what I found. The stove and exhaust stayed significantly cleaner with some over others, so over the course of a ton or more of pellets, that could really add up in how hard it is to keep clean.

I burn cheaper, dirtier pellets that don't burn as hot in the shoulder seasons and the cleaner, hotter ones in the dead of winter. That way it's easier to keep from overheating the house or having the stove cycle on and off too much when I don't need as much heat, while saving money. Then when the serious cold comes I get more heat and less cleaning (which requires shutting down of course) by using the really good stuff.

I suppose if money wasn't an issue, then I'd just burn whatever the best I could find was all year, but like most people I try to balance budget and performance.[/quote

 

[dlehneman]

Best to worst (heat output testing only):
MWP Softwood
Lignetics
Green Team Platinum
LG Super Premium
Fireside Ultra
Green Supreme (NH plant-leftovers from 2012/2013 season)
Tractor Supply (MWP blend)
Maines Choice

It should be noted, that some were so close to each other, that the difference was only 1 or 2 degrees apart.

Quick notes:
Was very happy with the MWP softwoods, high heat, low ash and reasonably priced ($265/ton last year).
GTP's were a good deal last year at $240/ton with heat equaling the $300/ton lignetics in all but the highest setting (only down by 2 degrees at that point).
FSU's not much behind the top pellets in heat with a bit more ash, but a great value at $219/ton last year.
LG Super Premiums a huge let down for me since they were by far the most expensive I tested ($350/ton last year) and failed to match the best in heat. They did burn clean, but in my opinion not worth the huge pricetag.

Disclaimer: These are just my results on my stove, freshly cleaned before each new test. It's possible that I could have seen more output from some pellets and had different test results if I spent time dialing in the LBA specifically for each type, but I did not put that much time into it. So it may or may not work out the same for anyone else or a different stove.

 

[apandori]

Good information none the less. Nice job. I'm going to keep a daily temp log with amount of pellets used this year to know what it takes to get the job done.

 

[Big papa]

Yes mee too